I can countdown all I want to - but the real moment will be when I purchase my first bikini!

We are all different shapes, sizes and weights but that doesnt mean we cant share the same quest for the ultimate bikini. I want that perfect suit that makes me/us look awesome in our newly transformed bodies.

Now I'm not jumping off the deep end looking for a thong and nipple covers I want a suit that I can be pretty,sexy and ultimately dazzling in.

So are we on the same page? Will you be wearing a bikini by summer? There's not a carb out there that will come between me and my goal - Are you with me?

Shannon

Going for 60:

*LOL* You live in sunny California..perfect climate for bikinis. And you are hundreds of years younger than me...so I'll pass on the bikini.

But...one of these days I will fit back into a size 12 swimsuit and be brave enough to hit the local pool to swim laps again. Gosh how I miss that. It was the only exercise I ever did that I enjoyed.

I will leave this earth without ever having worn a bikini, but I'm so happy to see you back and up and going for it, Shannon. In your next triathalon, you WILL be wearing a bikini and we'll make you post pictures

Happy New Year!

Yes AngelaR I live in sunny california and los angeles is known to be the home of the beautiful people, so I have a lot of competition and bikini's are required. Beauty is on the inside, doesnt work in this town! We should be known as the home of the most shallow people in the world!

What are you talking about "when you can get into a size 12" - I was wearing a size 12 at 180lbs - I thought I looked cute but hmm that was just my opinion. Swimming is awesome, dont give it up regardless of how you look in a suit

Alto - woman you slay me... How about this - if when I get into my bikini I will strut around with enough attitude for the both of us. My father has threatened to buy me cushions for my doorways since he seems to think my head has gotten too large to fit through them the normal way.

Anyway ladies - day by day, who knows what you can accomplish!

Shannon

I can't believe I am actually putting this in writing. But Ok. Bikini it is. (Thank-G_d the pool is only in my back yard) LOL

No, seriously, with enough determination and enough laughs from you Shannon, ( you kill me ) anything is possible.

Heather

Go Heather - I'll have you out in the streets flaunting the bikini in no time! The commitment is great, we'll have to work on that backyard thing.

Who will see the new bod with a fence wrapped around you?

I just got the Victoria's Secret catalogue today and it had some new suits but I really dont like their quality. I've had 3 outfits from them that I had to return most after one wearing because it was either poor quality or just made wrong.

Are you doing crunches for the stomach or is that not a problem area for you?

I currently do 7 different ab execises with 15 reps on each. My stomach is always the last thing to go. Let me know if you need some advice on how to cause your stomach great pain from ab exercises

Shannon

Shannon,

I am new to all this...but I do work out every day..and I know that my stomach is going to be the toughest part. After 3 kids, 2 of which were c-sections, I think my stomach forgot how to be normal looking. Any suggestions?

Laura

At 190 I was a size 18. At 170.5 I'm a size 16. *LOL* Good old mom nature gives it to me all around my belly. If I were to slip into a swimsuit now, people would think I was 7 months pregnant! I've lost a couple of inches around my tummy, but Mom N has recently decided that my fingers are too fat, and that's where I'm losing my inches now. My rings are all way too big now! I have a LONG way to go to manage a size 12 again.

Interesting... I'm trying to guess at when I'll fit into a 12. I never imagined I'd be in a 14 weighing what I do now (173), so I'm rather at a loss. ::chuckling::

Now about that bikini thing... I don't think I'll even be comfortable in a 2-piece, let alone a bikini. A tankini, maybe--something that covers my tummy. Or most of it. I'd be happy finding a really sexy one-piece with some--er--interesting cutouts. It's more often about what's *not* showing than what is, know what I mean?

Y'know, never mind figuring out when I'll be a 12--what will I be when I finish, at 155????

Okay Shannon you are on girlfriend!

You know what they say about Californians......they are transplanted Texans!

I finally managed to get into my size 10 jeans so I am almost there. My body still looks pretty flabby though, but this morning I started my new fitness plan!

Meet you at beach!

If I had tummy issues I'd be sportin the bikini! I have belly issues and the tummy is something I strive for!

To LauraW the best advise I can give at the moment is to increase the cardio - really get your heart rate going and then there's the crunches. The old faithful god awful crunches - I'll post some crunch exercises to help everyone out.

They really do work - I'm starting to see a difference but it did take almost 6 months to see it. The common mistake is to do 10,000 crunches/sit ups and no cardio work. (I almost sound like a professional - and just think it only cost me thousands of dollars for a personal trainer to say the same things) We tend to do the crunches looking for flat ripped up abs and maybe we have them, but its still under the 5,10 20+ pounds of fat that we hold on top of them. Burn the fat and the abs will come.

Hey KarenB

Tankini - you are so cute - I'm starting to believe that I must have looked like a sausage in my last 3 suits. At my heaviest 202 I wore a size 16 bathing suit and it had cut outs in the stomach, chest and was backless. I sound like an over confident freak, I gotta go back and re-examine my last vacation photos. Really I thought I was lookin pretty sexy in my caramel colored suit. Maybe I should send apology notes to the hotel for putting up with me.

To all of my other soon to be bikini wearing friends Welcome to my world of Oh yeah I look good! There will be no selling yourself short or I think I can's - you will be the best looking woman walkin just because we all know what you went through to get where you are. Whomever gets into their suit first we must read about how it felt and how you feel, because good feelings are contagious.

TTFN
Shannon

I LOVE the beach- I'm living in the wrong country though!!

I wore a bikini & very short shorts to the beach even when I had no business wearing anything smaller than a kingsize quilt! I figured there was always someone bigger than me there & tried to set my towel next to hers! I need to tone up too, but whether I do or not I'll be shakin' my booty in my itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny turquoise polka dot bikini (with uplifts). It's just there might be more shaking if I don't!



Just breathe in Alto!!

Oh my G_D! You guys are so funny! Shannon and Daisy, you both need to start a comedy routine and go on tour!together! You crack me up!
Well, atleast it's you guys making me laugh and not what I am seeing in the mirror this morning. I hate crunches with a passion! So I got my hubby to get me a torso slide for Christmas. This thing is incredible!!! I can see a difference already! I'm not ready for a public pool by any means but I can see how and why this thing works.

Laura, I too have had 2 c-sections. Cardio is a must! But I really would recommend the torso slide! I think it gives more of a strech and rebuild than crunches do. Atleast for that bellow the belly -button pouch that c-sections are so famous for!

Later Ladies,
I'm in NC (not the mountains) and have 8 inches of snow to shovel! What the Heck is up with that???

You all crack me up!

Even when I was slim and svelte, I didn't care for bikinis. I did have a really pretty sleek black swimsuit that I loved and looked good in, though. My goal weight will have me searching out one of those. It had a really low scooped back (not that low -no "electrician's disease" please - not the infamous butt crack ).

The legs were cut really hig on the sides. I loved how I looked in that suit. Ah, back in the day

Sh'ra

Here are a few crunches to try - I will separate them according to difficulty...

Easy
Regular Crunches - hands behind head as you reach up and forward towards your stomach - keep your chin up, this helps to not hurt your neck.

Medium
Side to side Crunches I dont know the tech term. Regular crunch position but this time with knees together rotate your legs to the left and lay them on the floor together. Now do a regular crunch from this position. Repeat on the right side. Chin up!

Difficult
Toe reach crunch -raise both legs in the air together. Raise your arms up and reach to touch your toes.

Beginners, I would start with 4 reps of 5. Do 5 counts of one crunch rest and repeat doing 5 more and rest until you reach a total of 20.

Intermediate, 5 reps of 10. Doing 10 reps of the same or variations of crunches.

Advanced, right now I dont know I'm still in the middle I do 7 reps of 15.

Believe me there are many more than what I have served up on this plate. I've got plenty more, I've subscribed to Shape magazine. Tell me whether or not this works for you, like do I need to describe them more or anything.

See ya,
Shannon