Monday, September 21, 2009

A Sneak Peak

Ok, due to popular demand, I am going to show you a sneak peak of my transformation. The following pics are week 0 versus week 6. I just finished week 8 and I didn't take an official week 8 pic....so I'll have to wait till week 10 for the next progress pic...but here goes...

PLEASE do not the judge the yuckiness!

Week 0 (the dreaded back view):Week 6 (a little less dreaded):
Out on a boat with the hubby during week 8: I am really hoping to see something great at weeks 10 and 12! I'll keep you updated. =)

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Still Going Strong!

This coming Sunday will mark the end of week 8 of BFL! This means I have 4 1/2 more to go!!! I have noticed some big changes in my upper body but these legs really need to shed some fat pronto!

So, I have been getting some questions about Body for Life and I am sorry I haven't been answering them. I have been really busy...this whole thing is like a second job. Plus we are trying to work on the house...third job.

Well, Body for Life is a book by Bill Phillips. you can check out the BFL website as well.

BFL is both a diet and exercise program. For the diet, you are given a list of authorized foods (you can find this list on the website). You eat 5-6 times per day. Each meal should include a protein the size of the palm of your hand and a carb the size of your fist. You can also add veggies and should include healthy fats in your diet. For the workouts, you lift weights on Mon, Wed and Fri and do 20 minutes of HIIT on Tues, Thurs, and Sat. Sunday is a free day, on which you do not workout and you can eat whatever you want.

What I have been doing:


I mostly follow the list of authorized food. Probably 85-90% of what I eat is on that list. Extras include mainly unsalted nuts, almond butter and certain fruits that are not on that list. For my carbs I eat oatmeal, whole wheat bread, whole wheat tortillas, fruit and occasionally rice. I stay away from pasta and potatoes. My list of common protein sources includes 1% no-salt cottage cheese, plain 0% Greek yogurt, chicken, fish, egg whites and EAS 100% whey protein. My cheat days have been more like cheat meals. I allow myself 1-2 cheat meals a week, depending on the cheat. For example, one week I had a small bowl of wonton soup and a medium serving of soft serve ice cream (and sprinkles of course). I counted that as 2 cheat meals for the week. On a different week, I had 1 cheat meal, a birthday dinner with my hubby and his family (filet mignon, mushrooms, grilled zucchini and squash, salad and dessert). I haven't had any alcohol and I drink TONS of water.

For my HIIT sessions I have been doing the stairmaster a lot due to my neck injury. It doesn't put a lot of bouncing pressure on the neck. I have also used running as my HIIT, both indoors on the treadmill and outside.

I feel like a new person already! My hubby has noticed a huge change in me in the last 7-8 weeks, both physically and emotionally.

I think it is an awesome program and I would definately recommend it to anyone. It is nutritionally sound, doesn't make you feel deprived and the workouts are designed perfectly.

Please feel free to ask me any questions about the program and I promise I will do my best to answer them in a timely fashion. =)

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Guest Bedroom

Well, the hubby and I just finished painting the guest bedroom! We are so excited to see how it turns out. It is the first room we are renovating. We are going for a beachy-cottage but semi-sophisticated look. As I mentioned in a previous post, I bought some used furniture from a co-worker. My intensions were to paint it white, distress it and add new knobs...maybe somehting like this: But my hubby thinks the furniture already looks really beachy and that we should keep it the way it is.

The hardware looks a little too medieval to me. If we keep it this color I think I will want to change the backplates and knobs. I'll see how it fits in the room and go from there.

We want to take the two posts off of each side of the headboard, which will turn the queen into a full. I figured if there were nail holes on the sides I would use wood filler, sand it and then paint it white. This might pose a problem if we keep them natural.

Here's the new color of the guest bedroom. The picture didn't turn out too well. The color is Woodlawn Blue by Benjamin Moore. Honestly, it looks more green in person and we love it! It is crazy how it looks so different depending on the lighting.

We are going to put molding around the windows and on the ceiling. I'm excited to make some changes!

Here are some pictures of the same paint color in different lighting and better quality:


By the way, BFL is going really well! I just finished week 6 so I am half-way there. I promise I will post more about the diet and workouts soon. I have been a bad blogger lately. =(