Week 2 Day 5

So far so good with this challenge. I'm down 5 pounds. Some days it is hard to get to the gym because they do not provide childcare, one of the reasons it is so cheap ($10 a month). My mom is quick to watch Norah for me and I am so thankful for that. I really enjoy going to the gym and lifting weights. I feel strong and powerful. Then the guy with the ripped tank comes in and lifts 1000 pounds. He's wearing a bandanna AND a hat. I bet his head gets hot. I bet he is a hot head. 

There is this man that works out at the same time as me that is in a wheelchair. I don't know him, I've never spoken to him, but he is an inspiration to me. He is patient and takes his time going to the weight rack and grabbing 50 pound weights and setting them in his lap. He wheels back to his spot, turns around to face the mirror. He does one arm at a time, slowly and precisely until he is done with that set. Sometimes I think of any excuse I can "I'm too tired to workout. Norah is grumpy. I don't have enough time. etc etc." But the guy in the wheelchair makes time to take care of himself. He makes time to get to the gym. If he can do it, I can do it. And even though we've never talked, I know he thinks the Hot Head in the bandanna is a lunk too. 

Also included is my selfie. Notice the super cool dude in the tank with the tattoos behind me. Stop grunting while I'm trying to lift my 5 pound weights bro. 

Day 3

 I haven't worked out in over a year and after 3 days of intense exercise, I am completely worn out. Today was lower body/abs and I know I am going to have trouble getting out of bed in the morning. And bending down to pick up my baby. And sitting on a toilet, or any other chair. I have a love/hate relationship with the soreness. On one hand I hate it because, obviously, it hurts. On the other hand, I love it because I know that it means I am doing something good for my body. I have been working hard and eating right and a transformation is slowly taking place. 

I guess I will post my before pictures. They are lookin pretty rough. My brother reminded me how embarrassing it would be to post before pictures and not lose the weight. So here we go. Motivation!

Yikes. Maybe after I lose the weight, I will post the other ones. But for now, these will work.

Tonight's dinner! Pasta with turkey sausage, shrimp, orange and green bell peppers, onion, and a can of rotel. Delicious!I'm not so sure about that pasta. I meant to grab whole wheat (BFL approved) but grabbed this instead. Oops.

I'm off to bed. My little one FINALLY went to sleep. 

-Alli

I'm back and I'm better than ever!

That is actually false. I am not better than ever. Swap the word better, with bigger and that is more like it. I am at my heaviest ever and after having a baby, it shouldn't be a big surprise.

A lot has changed since I last wrote in this blog. I was three weeks into another BFL challenge when I found out I was pregnant. I was also three weeks into nursing school and this wonderful surprise ROCKED my world. I was in shock for the first couple of months (ok the whole 9 months) and I just let the blog (and my fitness) go. I ate fairly healthy and did mild exercise during my pregnancy. I would swim a few laps and go for walks but not nearly as often as I should have. I gained 33 pounds, which is within the recommended amount.

Long story short, I'm at my heaviest ever. I have lost about 25-30 pounds gained during pregnancy but I was at my heaviest when I found out. I keep fluctuating give or take 5 pounds. It's an endless cycle and I am ready for it to quit.

I will be posting before pictures later this week!

Worth every pound!

BFL + Nursing School

Let me tell you a little something about doing Body for Life while being in nursing school. The two don't mix. They don't like each other. BFL wants to love nursing school, but nursing school treats BFL like a red headed step child. What I'm getting at is, it's hard. I have missed more than one workout. I have missed more than two workouts. I have taken two free days in a row. But I am NOT beating myself up about it. There's no room for that.

My schedule is pretty rigorous. A lot of 5 am mornings. A lot of 9:30 pm bedtimes. Between being at school all day and then studying, there's not a lot of energy left over for working out. I'm doing the best I can to eat right and some days it is really tempting to drive through Taco Bell (oh how I love thee). But, I'm making it work. And I've lost three pounds! My pants fit better already :) still too tight, but better.

Last Thursday my BFF and my BFL partner came up to Denton and we did cardio together.

If you guys have any lunch ideas, send them my way! They can be anything really. I have to pack my lunch for school and there are like three refrigerators and 8 microwaves and a whole lot of Vera Bradley up there. So help me out :) love!!

Alli

First Day of Nursing School/Day 2 of BFL

Yesterday was my very first day of nursing school.

I woke up at 4:00 am, threw some turkey bacon in the microwave (LOVE turkey bacon), threw a piece of toast in the toaster, got ready while those two things cooked ate on the go and got on the train at 5:23. Whew.

I packed my lunch box full of healthy snacks, a good lunch and a protein shake (which was warm and gross by the time I drank it.)

I LOVE nursing school. The first day was great. I loved my classmates, I love all my professors and instructors, I love the new beautiful building, my schedule. Everything! Everything was perfect except one thing. I was miserable. The pants I wore were so tight they were cutting off the circulation to my upper body I'm sure of it. They didn't fit. They are a size 12. I bought them from Old Navy about two months ago to be my "fat pants" while I lose weight. I need new fat pants because MY FAT PANTS DON'T FIT! Both of my classes on Tuesdays are 4 hours long. I had to unbutton them every now and then. I'm tempted to post a picture of what it looks like and then take one at the end of BFL, but that might be crossing the line.

I want to be comfortable in my jeans. I want to feel confident in my clothes. and I want to have a cute butt when I wear my scrubs. Those are just a few of the reasons I am doing Body for Life.

Yesterday was my cardio day and having been up for almost 18 hours, I was not about to treadmill it up. I took pepper on a walk/jog instead. I did work up a good sweat.

Tonight for dinner we are having a pot roast. Got the recipe from my Eating for Life cookbook. And Pureed Cauliflower. Click on the link for the recipe. I added fat free sour cream to mine. It is a substitute for mashed potatoes and if you make them just right, they are amazing!

Thanks for reading :D

I Fail at Life!

I'm going to cut right to the chase. I failed. If you read my blog post about going to the wedding and how I was worried that I would fail. Well I did. Miserably. I gained twenty pounds. Ok well not at the wedding, but since then. I am OUT of control.

It's embarrassing. And it is no one's fault but my own. 

So I have decided to try this a third time. My best friend Treasure is joining me to be my accountability partner. I also have a buddy Andrea that is a great encouragement to me. She follows the Tone It Up plan.

I will post my stats and my pictures as soon as I get a chance, hopefully by this weekend. I am starting nursing school tomorrow. This is going to be difficult but I know that I can do it. I need all the support I can get! Love, 

Alli

Dinner of Leftovers

Who said leftovers had to be gross and dull? I hate to brag but I just made the most incredible pasta from leftovers.

Ingredients:
Half of a large can of diced tomatoes
3 pieces of turkey bacon
a couple dashes of italian seasoning
A large spoonful of fat free sour cream
a small spoonful of fat free cream cheese
pepper
garlic salt
BAM.

Basically I put the tomatoes in a skillet and let them cook for about 3 minutes with the Italian seasoning.
Then I added the bacon and let it cook with the tomatoes for like 10 minutes flipping the pieces over every now and then.
Then add the sour cream and cream cheese and stir until it is all mixed together
I added some crushed red pepper to make it spicy and I like it hot so.. there was a lot
Bring to a boil then lower the heat and let simmer for like 5 minutes

I already had some cooked noodles so I just poured it over that and voila!