Weigh In {Good, bad & ugly}

Would you believe me if I told you that I actually look forward to my Friday weigh ins these days? I do! I can see changes in my energy levels, how my clothes are fitting, and the scale is lowering. Today I weighed in at 203.0. That's a loss of -1.8lbs from last week. That's right..I've surpassed my pre-pregnancy weight!! I've lost a total of 42lbs since giving birth on December 4, 2012! wow. feels good.

4 weeks postpartum vs. 26 weeks postpartum

I'm on day 17 of the Whole30, but I will be honest, I took the weekend "off." We were out of town and I didn't eat the greatest. Breakfast and lunch on Saturday were fine, but dinner was pizza, and breakfast in the morning was pancakes..and it all went downhill after that. And let me tell you..I was feeling it!! Boy was I. Sunday evening when we got back into town was terrible. I had the worst stomachache and felt so incredibly dehydrated from drinking a Dr.Pepper. Monday I whipped myself back into shape..drank a ton of water and stayed 100% on track the rest of the week, which resulted in the loss this week, otherwise I would have gained.

I have 2 runs scheduled this week and will be making a meal plan for days 18-24. Do you want me to post it? If it's helpful to anyone I gladly will. Oh, one more thing..I learned that corn is not a part of the Whole30. hmm. Apparently, corn is a grain. Who knew!

Have a happy and healthy weekend :)

follow me on instagram: alliemarshall627

Marshalls do Med School {MCAT}

Read: Last week Intro

One of the main steps you have to take to be accepted into medical school is to take (and do well on) the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). This is a pretty hardcore test that scores on 3 separate categories: physical sciences, verbal reasoning and biological sciences. Pretty intense..glad Jordan took it; not I!

With this whole 'Marshalls do Med School' series I'm going to be super candid. I'm talking..expenses, how I felt, how he felt, etc. So, back in October I believe Jordan bought this test prep book complete with DVDs, practice exams, etc. He bought it from a coworker for $200.00 who originally was going to apply to med school, but ended up becoming a physician assistant instead. Jordan felt like it was worth the price.

In February 2013 we got Jordan all signed up to take his first (and hopefully only!) MCAT= $270.00. Yikes, expensive and important test!! Earlier this month he took 2 weeks of paid time off from work to study. This was hard at first on him because he works third shift so he had to change his sleep schedule.
 He would wake up everyday at 7am and study, take a break for lunch, go back to studying, pick up Brad from daycare, eat dinner, go back to studying and then come to bed around 10pm. I liked having him home in the evenings more, even if he was studying. On the weekends I tried to stay out of the house with Bradley as much as possible because it was tempting to bother him or want to be around him when he should be studying.

He ended up taking 2 practice tests to see about where he was ranging. His goal was to get at least a 30. His first practice exam he got a 27 and was pretty bummed. He studied more, took a second practice test and got a 33, so his spirits were lifted.

The MCAT was held in Hays, KS on May 23, 2013. Hays is about a 2 hour drive and he had to check in for testing at 7am. So, we ended up renting him a hotel room ($60) and he drove there on Wednesday, the 22nd. Luckily, Jordan's aunt, cousin and grandparents put together a really sweet MCAT survival basket complete with granola bars, bottled water, etc and a $50 gas gift card. Super sweet and came in handy! 

I was on pins and needles all Thursday morning, awaiting his call. The test ended up taking about 5 hours ,and from what he told me was high security..I'm talking finger prints, couldn't even wear a watch, etc. He called me after the test was over and was in good spirits!! First thing he said was "Damn! That was the hardest test I've ever taken!" But he felt pretty confident that he scored anywhere from 30-35. We're still crossing our fingers; he should have his results back in a week or so!
All together our expenses for the MCAT= $530 (study guides, cost of test, hotel room). Our fingers are crossed that he scored just fine and doesn't have to retake it in July!! Either way, I am incredibly proud of him and his efforts!

Next week: Our narrowed down list of schools to apply to

Run4Moore 5k recap

On Friday I saw a posting on Facebook about a charity fun run for the tragic tornado that had devastated Moore, OK earlier in the week. It was sponsored by the same local running company where we did the Run for Boston 5k. I called my dad up and asked him if he wanted to run with me..he said sure!

But oh my gooodness, 7am came early. There must be a trend with my oversleeping on mornings of races because I woke up at 6:30am! My dad overslept too, but he hurried over to pick me up and we were scrambling to get in line and off to running on time.
We stayed behind the pack again, but this time I took off faster than my dad so we were separated the first 2.5 miles. This was different for me because we always  run side by side. So to be running by myself..and ahead of him? Was weird for me. I would look back and I couldn't even find him.

It actually threw me off some and I ended up stopping to walk before the 2nd mile, which I never do, not even during "training." I think my groove was just "off." Anyway, I kept a pretty same pace with this older, heavier woman. She was so hardcore..she ran/jogged the whole time..and when I was slowing down and wanted to stop she encouraged me not to. I didn't even know this lady, but she believed in me! I wanted to tell her thank you after the race was over, but she kept on running..that's how hardcore she was. She may not have been the fastest, but she kept going. It was really inspiring.

Anyway, I ended  up catching up with my dad in the 3rd mile. I had stopped because I got my first injury! Apparently my sock had fallen down and I was rubbing my heel raw?! My foot was bleeding and there was blood on my shoe. Not cool. But I kept going and we finished in about 45 minutes. Nothing official as it wasn't a timed race.
Overall, this run was pretty weak for me. I know I can do better. I stopped 3 times. My dad and I have an official 5k coming up on June 8th and I'm determined to do better.

Weigh In {Good, Bad & Ugly}

Hey all, I'm on Day 12 of the Whole30 challenge and feel great. At first, I really wasn't sure if I'd be able to stick to this plan. No cheese? No bread? Pass the pizza, please. But it has actually been really easy. I just stick to the meal plan. Anyway, this  morning I weighed in at 204.8. That's a loss of 1.2 from last week. The initial shock to my body for changing my diet has worn off, but the scale is still going down so I am completely content with that. I am .8 from my pre-pregnancy weight, and I've lost 7lbs since starting the Whole30 challenge. Whoop whoop.

39 week pregnant vs. 24 weeks postpartum

I am feeling much leaner and just overall better. I really contribute it to eating cleaner. I did get one run in this past week, and plan on getting at least 2 runs in this upcoming week. My next 5k is on June 8th.

I'm going to be making a meal plan for days 13-20 shortly and will post it, however; we are going to Oklahoma this weekend, but I'm going to try my very hardest to stock to the Whole30 diet while we're there. I'm worked too hard to let it all go just for a weekend trip!

Have a happy, healthy weekend :)

Marshalls do Med School {intro}

As medical school application time approaches, I wanted to reflect on where we came from and where we're going. I plan to document our entire journey into medical school and thereafter. Every week I'm going to do a "Marshalls do Med School" update. Here's a look back to where it all began..

Let's go back roughly 4 years ago.
Jordan and I were newly married and living it up. Restaurants, take out or fast food every night, decorating our first home, weekend trips here and there, date nights pretty much all weekend long, etc. You know, newlywed bliss. We were wracking up some credit cards, but we were so happy in love that the world was our oyster, right?! wrong.

About 9 months into our marriage we sat down and evaluated where our life was headed. Debt and two pretty much entry level jobs. We were making approximately 50k annually, combined. It wasn't the best situation so we decided we needed to make some changes in order to get anywhere in this life together. My change was losing weight and feeling happier about myself. Jordan wanted to go back to school. I totally supported him because I knew his intelligence. Jordan is one of those "too smart for your own good" guys..you know that type that is so brilliant but sometimes lacks common sense? Yep, that's my hubby :)

So, originally he wanted to go into nursing. Great, he already worked at one of our local hospitals as a tech and enjoyed his job. He had previously went to college for two years after high school, but stopped due to lack of funds and motivation. It had been five years since his last class so he really had to start from complete scratch..I'm talking like College Algebra start over. So, anyway, after meeting with an advisor she shook her head "no no no..you are way to smart and will become bored being a nurse. You need to become a DOCTOR!" and that's where it all started...

Next week: the MCAT

Whole30 {days 6-12}

Hey all,
First let's take a moment to Pray for Oklahoma. Purely tragic. We were involved in a tornado last year, but luckily it was nothing as severe as Moore, OK. I have in-laws, aunt/uncle and 2 cousins that live in Oklahoma that were, thankfully, not affected. We are going to OKC this weekend to take bottled water and whatever clothing I can get together. It is hard to fathom losing everything..I can't imagine.  

I put together my meal plan for days 6-12 last Friday. I truly believe the success on the Whole30 challenge is due to meal planning. I'm currently on day 9 and going strong. It is so easy to follow..I can't wait to weigh in on Friday. Here's days 6-12:

Day 6- Saturday:

Breakfast: banana and peanuts

Snack: strawberries

Lunch: turkey meatballs, salad

Snack: carrots with hummus

Dinner: steak and salad, veggies

 Day 7- Sunday:

Breakfast: turkey bacon and pineapple/strawberries

Snack: peanuts

Lunch: Leftover steak/veggies

Snack: apple

Dinner: lemon grilled chicken, veggies

Day 8- Monday:

Breakfast: apple with peanut butter

Snack: banana

Lunch: leftover lemon chicken, salad

Snack: peanuts

Dinner: stuffed peppers- ground turkey, corn/pepper blend, salad

 Day 9- Tuesday:

Breakfast: banana with peanut butter

Snack: turkey bacon

Lunch: Leftover stuffed peppers

Snack: carrots with hummus

Dinner: steak and sweet potato

 Day 10: Wednesday:

Breakfast: strawberries and bananas

Snack: peanuts

Lunch: leftover steak

Snack: apple

Dinner: chipotle salad

 Day 11- Thursday:

Breakfast: apple with peanut butter

Snack: banana

Lunch: turkey meatballs and veggies

Snack: carrots and hummus

Dinner: avocado chicken and corn/pepper blend

 Day 12- Friday:

breakfast: turkey bacon and peanuts

snack: banana

lunch: leftover avocado chicken

snack: apple

dinner: OPEN

That's all for now. We have a busy week ahead of us, but I will be around!

PS. I'm still documenting everything I'm eating on instagram. Follow me! alliemarshall627

Weigh In {GOOD, bad & ugly}

Ok, all I have to say is I should have started the Whole30 weeks ago. I am feeling GREAT! Everything from the spring semester being over to Bradley seemingly hitting new milestones everyday to Jordan being home every night to my weigh in! Everything just seems to be in a really good place. Hopefully that mentality will help with my run this weekend. Anyway, today I weighed in at 206.0. Yeaaaa..not even kidding. I had to step on the scale 3 different times. That is a loss of 5.8 from last week. Per MyFitnessPal, I've lost 13.4 lbs in 3 months. I'm exactly 2lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight!

I just had to throw in my baby Braddle- he's sitting on his own!!

Let's just say I had a major breakthrough this past week. Last Friday after I weighed in at 211.8I was SO FED UP. Seriously I was in a pretty pissy mood. I was tired of the same 2lbs over and over. I knew I really needed to make some changes. I made a meal plan and posted it here based on the Whole30 challenge. I stuck to that plan to a T..no cheating (except onne diet Dr. Pepper on Day1 to curve a major headache) This also needs to be noted: I did not stop by the gas station on my way to work at ALL this week. That was probably the hardest thing as there are 3 with easy access on my way to dropping off my son and heading to work. That had turned into a pretty bad habit, one that was affecting my weight loss. I finally realized that Dr. Pepper and Doughnuts were sabotaging my weigh ins. Not cool. {even though I love my Dr. Pepper ;)}

Today I am on day 5 of the Whole30 challenge and am still holding on strong. I'm going to be making a meal plan for days 6-11 and will post that early next week :) follow me on instagram: alliemarshall627, I've been documenting all my food and of course sweet baby boy Bradley :)

Bradley {five months}

Bradley,
Heyyy my sweet boy Braddle! I cannot believe you are a whole five months old! It has been another awesome month with you, learning and growing. I'm surprised you know your name- we call you such a variety of thing: Sweet boy, Braddle, Brad, Booboo, drooly monster, baby bear, Bradley bear, and probably a million other cutesy names. We love you so much!

These pictures are almost impossible to take these days- you want to be on the move! You aren't quite sitting up unassisted yet, probably soon. You are rolling over like crazy- you hate staying on your back unless we are hovering over you and talking/playing. You also hate sleeping on your back. You mostly stay on your side, tummy, or in the fetal position. Speaking of sleep..where'd my all night sleeper go?! This past month I've gotten up with you at least once every night to give you a ba-ba (bottle).

You are wearing mostly 9 month clothing, and will probably already move yon to 12 month clothes this summer! You are still in size 2 diapers, but we will probably move you up to size 3 in the next month or so. You are just a really healthy, big boy. You are still exclusively breast fed (from a bottle), but mommy is having a really hard time keeping up. We will be introducing food to you in the next few weeks. The high chair is put together, and you love sitting in it with your toys. I have no doubt you will love food!

Bradley, you are such the little talker! You babble constantly "ba ba ba" & "eeee" are your most common sounds. You also "talk" yourself to sleep..it is the sweetest thing. You love to put anything and everything in your mouth- especially your toes. No teeth for Braddle bear yet- soon, I'm thinking.

You giggle so much! It has been awesome. Some of my favorite moments this month have been on our Monday mornings together we lay in bed together and babble and giggle. It makes my whole day. You laugh at daddy so hard- especially while playing "peek-a-boo!" Another thing you love is when daddy scares you! You get startled and then crack up! I love it.  

Bradley, it is hard to remember what life was like without you in it. You make our whole day a little more worth while! You remind us that all of our sacrifices we make will be worth it in the end; a better life for you! You keep us on our toes, but always smiling. We hope you know how very, very much we love you!

Whole30

From my previous posts anyone can tell that I've been struggling with my weight loss journey. Not just with weight loss, but the desire to eat healthy and exercise. I'd rather eat a doughnut every morning for breakfast. There, I said it! However, we all know that's no way to live. So I was trying to come up with some type of plan {you are know I'm a planner by now, right?!} and stumbled across the Whole30 challenge.

From what I understand, Whole30 is basically the Paleo diet. It is just a jumpstart in the right direction of eating whole foods, which is what I need. I rely too much on carbs to become full and sugars for energy. In the end, they both make me feel sluggish and unmotivated. Ain't nobody got time fo dat.

A few of the meals I've been eating.

So, I've put together a meal plan. I found the breakfasts' were the hardest to plan as I do not like/eat eggs! But so far, I'm on Day3 and noticed that it is very manageable. Do I miss my Dr. Pepper? uhh..yea!! But I'm hoping this "magical" feeling that people say they feel by following this lifestyle will surface in the next few days.

Here is my 5 days meal plan, after day 5 I will post a new plan for days 6-11:



Day 1- Monday:

Breakfast: apple w/ peanut butter

Snack: banana

Lunch: avocado chicken salad

Snack: carrots w/ hummus

Dinner: Pork chop and veggies

Day 2- Tuesday:

Breakfast: turkey bacon and banana

Snack: peanuts

Lunch: leftover pork chop & veggies

Snack: apple

Dinner: salsa chicken

Day 3- Wednesday:

Breakfast: turkey bacon

Snack: banana and strawberries

Lunch: leftover salsa chicken

Snack: peanuts

Dinner: turkey meatballs w/ spaghetti sauce & veggies

Day 4- Thursday:

Breakfast: strawberries and banana

Snack: peanuts

Lunch: leftover meatballs

Snack: apple with peanut butter

Dinner: ground turkey and pepper blend

Day 5- Friday:

Breakfast: turkey bacon and apple

Snack: carrots and hummus

Lunch: leftover ground turkey and pepper blend

Snack: peanuts

Dinner: steak and veggies

I will keep weighing in on Fridays even though the challenge says not to weigh yourself. I weigh to stay motivated, so whatevs! I'm in no way an expert on this, I'm just following people on instagram and pinterest for ideas in hopes of learning some better eating habits and shedding a few pounds. Follow me on instagram: alliemarshall627 for daily photos of the #Whole30 challenge and of course of my beautiful baby Bradley!

My 1st Mother's Day

Sunday was such a sweet day for me. I got to celebrate being a mom! Every day is a celebration to me because I got to be with my sweet boy, but just taking an extra day to be reminded of how special being a mom is, is nice.
You can read about my infertility journey here.

I absolutely love being Bradley's mom. He is such a joy to me and everyone he's around. Becoming his mom 5 months ago came much more naturally then I originally thought it would.
When we found out we were having a little boy I was overwhelmed with emotion. I was happy, excited and nervous. Mostly because I don't know much about boys. I have two sisters, 4 girl cousins, Jordan has 2 sisters, and all my friends were having baby girls. I just had never really been around baby boys. Before finding out our baby's gender, when I searched the internet I always looked at girl items (let's be honest, the clothing selection is soo much cuter). But the moment I met Bradley I knew I was meant to be his mom. Everything just seemed to 'click' and it's been a wonderful journey into motherhood ever since.

On Sunday I also got to honor my mom. I am very lucky to have her in my life. She has always been super supportive and present in me and my sister's life. She has also been a great grandmother to Bradley and my sister's kids. She wants to be a part of them growing up. I am forever grateful for how much she has helped me with Bradley while I finished up this spring semester.

My mom and I (32 weeks pregnant)

Mother's Day also brought on some bittersweet thoughts. I was thinking about all the women still suffering through infertility and all the emotions that come with. I remember after my 1st miscarriage in May 2009, the very next day was Mother's Day. It was heartbreaking to say the least. My wish for women dealing with infertility is that you hold on to hope, because having a baby (by whatever means) is the ultimate prize and will make your journey to motherhood so much more worth it. <3

Weigh In {good, bad & ugly}

Well, it was an ugly weigh in. Go figure. I've been down on myself all week. This morning I weighed in at 211.8. That is a gain of 1lb. Ugh. Just ugh. Not much else to say, except keep truckin' on.
So. Let's just end that post here and I'll share my motivation..
My little family.

Seriously..Jordan and Bradley make me the happiest I've ever been. They both look at me with unconditional love. They see me instead of the number on the scale. I'm constantly working on that love for myself that they show me.

A long way to go.

So I was emailed picture proofs from the 5K today.
omg.
That's all I can say.

Seriously, these pics were super up close and personal...and cringe worthy to say the least. Sad thing is, I didn't even know they were taking pictures? I much more prefer my instagram filters ;) (follow me: alliemarshall627)

I would post them in all their "realness" but they are proofs and I'm not buying those ugly suckers. Bleh. So just use your imagination.

Anyway, the reason for this post is because I had a REAL eye opening experience today. Just when I was starting to get "comfortable" with myself I am knocked back down to remember that my weight loss journey is not complete.
I have a long way to go.
But will continue to work at it every day...

Obsession.

Let me tell you something about myself..
I am an obsessive person.
I get on these "kicks" every once in awhile..weight loss, selling Scentsy, baking cakes, crafting, coupons, etc etc. They end up consuming me for awhile then I slowly get over it. I know it drives my husband crazy, but that's just me.

When I started my weight loss journey in 2010 at 250lbs, weight loss consumed me. I wanted to lose weight as quickly as possible. I joined Weight Watchers for the 4th time, but was 100% dedicated this time. I wrote down everything I put into my mouth. I counted every single point. Next thing I knew I had lost 52 lbs.

I then became obsessed with the scale. I would weigh myself every morning, as soon as I got home from work and then right before I went to bed. Then when I'd get to work in the morning I'd open my excel spreadsheet and record my weight. EVERY single day. I knew exactly what the scale was going to say at Weight Watchers every Friday so really I was paying them just to stand on their scale.

I think my husband started realizing that this was becoming an unhealthy problem. I would literally let the scale dictate how my day was going to go. I distinctly remember one Friday afternoon my weigh in didn't go quite as I'd expected so I wanted to rush home and get to the YMCA. When I got home I couldn't find my headphones to listen to music at the gym so I flipped out...and guess who got the blow? My poor husband. It is really shameful to look back on those days.

Jordan ended up hiding the scale. Literally. It was to help me trust in the weight loss program and become more confident in myself. I posted about it here. It didn't last long though. We actually argued about my obsessive ways with weighing myself and I compromised to only weigh myself at the Weight Watcher's meetings.

...Then I quit Weight Watchers. and I quit blogging for awhile. and I quit tracking points. and I tried some fad diets like the 17 day diet, etc. and I fell off the wagon. I didn't exactly gain ALL my weight back, but I sure wasn't in the ONEderlands any longer..and I haven't been there since.

It was like I felt that if the scale didn't tell me my weight, my weight loss journey didn't matter anymore and I didn't take it seriously.

Why?

I don't know.

I don't understand my logic a lot of the time.

I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do about that damn scale. Do I need to revert back to my old ways of weighing myself everyday to stay motivated? Do I need to just get rid of the scale all together? I'm confused. Obviously I'm just getting into a rut with weight loss and beginning to feel like I'm never going to make it to my goal.

help.

Prairie Fire 5k {recap}

Let's back up to Friday night.
I got home from work, immediately drained thinking about the 6 page final paper due for my Saturday morning class. ouch. but then I remember that I've scheduled a run with my dad. I didn't want to give up this run, because it was the last run before our race on Sunday morning. I decided I would just sacrifice some extra sleep writing my paper.

So, we go back to our "roots" (the path where we first started training) and it was the best run we've (I've) had to date. I only stopped once in the 3 miles and just felt really confident that I would be able to run the whole 3.1 miles on Suday.

Then...Saturday evening struck and Bradley was inconsolable. Seriously, crying nonstop which is so NOT like him. I was getting worried about him. Luckily, one of Jordan's colleagues is a pediatrician and was able to look him over. Turns out, it was just a tummy ache and gas (new mom probs), but it caused him to be uncomfortable all night; he was waking up every hour or so=no sleep for mama.

I woke up Sunday morning and immediately reached for my phone. Oh F$%*$#^&^* I overslept!!!!! I was scrambling all over the house getting my stuff together to leave for the race (Whyyyy I didn't do this the night before I'll never know!) I got to my parent's and we headed downtown to find parking. I ate a banana and a FiberPlus protein bar on the way. Of course it was super busy, but we were able to find parking.  I'm also glad my mom was able to stay with Bradley while I ran as Jordan was still at work by this time.

My Dad and I before the 5k

As we were walking towards our start line, the half-marathoners ran past us which was a huge motivator. The atmosphere was really uplifting and I was able to let go of any negativity I was holding on to (I was tired, I felt rushed and the weather was terrible). We got in line with about 10 minutes to spare. I stretched and people watched. We lined up near the back as I didn't want to be trampled by the hardcore runners.

The race started and we got into a good pace. I was worried that I would start off too quickly like I did at my last 5k, but that didn't happen. We kind of migrated to the outer edges of the trail. The first mile felt like it went very quickly, but there was a point where I was like, "where the f$%&%$ is the 2nd mile?!?!" The trail was through a residential so it was extremely boring sight seeing. A few points through the race we crossed paths with the half-marathoners which was awesome. From mile 2 to mile 3 went rather quickly as well and before we knew it, we were done!

Our official time was 43:39 so averaging a little over 14 minutes per mile. I feel like that is a good starting point. Definitely not ideal, but I've never claimed to be a runner. I'm just trying the best I can. and..my goal was acheived! I ran (jogged) the whole time.

We've signed up for 2 more races..June 8th and June 23rd. I'm determined to start liking running.

Weigh In (good, bad & ugly)

It's a vicious cycle I tell ya. I weighed in this morning at 210.8. That is a loss of .6. So, as you can see I've been hopping around from 212 to 210 for the past month. I started my weigh in's on Fridays again on 4/12/13 at 212.0. So in April I lost -1.2....cool.

40 weeks pregnant vs. 21 weeks postpartum

This is getting a bit ridiculous, really. But I don't have any excuses. I know I need to clean up my diet more, I know I need to track my food on myfitnesspal.com, I know I need to drink more water..the list goes on and on. I know what it takes for me to lose weight. I lost 52 lbs from 2010-2011..and I want to lose a good 40 more.

May goals:

Track everything on MFP

No Dr. Pepper

60 oz. water a day (weekends included)

My 5k that I've been training for since March is this weekend! I have a range of emotions, but for the most part I'm confident.

Have a great weekend :)