day fifty-six...movin' about

The photo above fully demonstrates how I felt today.

Why? well, today I moved offices. Yep...moved from one office to another...and I share that office with my mom. At first I thought, Oh no, I am going to be spending all day in the same room as my mom? This is going to end bad. But you know what? After we got situated, I actually enjoyed being in the same room as her. It was nice talking with her and I think that rather than drive us apart, this is going to drive us closer together. Love you mom and can't wait to see what happens. :)

Breakfast
Waking up this morning, I knew it was going to be a tough and long day, so I made a dark chocolate shake and made my way to work.

Morning Snack
All morning I was walking back and forth moving my stuff into my new space and then helping my mom get settled into her desk space. It was a crazy busy, but I still made some time to make a calorie burn cappuccino. It was a perfect stress reliever and was exactly what I needed at the moment.

Lunch
Despite all the craziness going on (we weren't the only ones being moved today), my mom and I managed to escape for a quick lunch break. I made my usual pizza burger and Parmesan cheese salad with a drizzle of light Italian dressing. Simple and delish!

Afternoon Snack
After lunch things started to calm down and I was able to take a much needed deep breath and get my desk organized. While doing so, I ate some cheese pizza bites.

Workout
Despite feeling kinda sick, I knew I still needed to run. So, I went on my normal run and then before I got back home, I decided (for some crazy reason) to go around another block. It only took me about 33 minutes to go 2.73 miles. Not bad, I guess. I will only get stronger from here. :)

Dinner
I felt a little better by the time I got back, but about 20 minutes later I hit a wall...hard. I felt really sick. So I made a mud pie milkshake (recipe soon) and laid down and relaxed as I sipped it.

Dessert
Still not feeling better, I manged to eat a chocolate crunch bar with a bunch of water to wash it down and called it a night. Well, I wrote this post and then called it a night. Don't you just love my Christmas tree PJ's? I do...I mean, I only get to where them once a year. ;)

Well, goodnight! I pray your Friday is the best one yet! Keep a lookout tomorrow...it's not only a weigh in day, but it's also a updated picture and measurements day! :D

xoxo,
Toni

day fifty-three...somehow I made it through the day

Today was hard. Today seemed impossible to get through. I don't know why, but it was really hard to fight off the cravings. I mean, I was able to, but it wasn't easy.

I will admit that at lunchtime when I was making my lean and green meal, I ate a few extra pinches of shredded Parmesan cheese. Other than that, I surprisingly made it through the day. I found this quote and thought it appropriate to share, especially in memory of Nelson Mandela. This quote is a perfect description to my day. While I was going about today, it seemed impossible to stay on plan...it was only until I started writing this post that I realized I made it. The day is done.

The Lord is to thank for this victory because I will tell you right now, I would have easily fallen prey to that warm, freshly baked banana bread in the kitchen at work this morning or that frozen pizza in the freezer just begging to be baked. Hopefully this encourages you to stay strong. The time will pass whether you give in to temptation or not...better to not rather than have regret. You can do it!

Breakfast
My morning started off pretty good. I went to bed kind of late last night, so I was a tad tired, but other than that, it was good. I made a strawberry shake and headed into work.

Morning Snack
This is the time when my cravings began. I have no idea what triggered it, but I was struggling. I had a cup of coffee and made an apple cinnamon oatmeal muffin hoping my cravings would suppress...but they didn't. Right after I finished eating my snack, I wanted more. Something "bad" and off plan. Of course, my flesh desired that, but my spirit was saying, no screaming, don't do it! I thankfully listened to my spirit and started to chew a piece of gum and drink some water.

Lunch
The gum helped temporarily, but the craving for food was still there. I went home for lunch and looked around the freezer to see what I could round up. I wasn't able to go shopping yesterday, so I had to make something with what I already had. So broccoli and a pizza burger it was! While the veggies were cooking, I ate a little more cheese than I should have. It was low calorie, but still...I was overeating. As soon as I realized what was happening, I put the cheese away and began cooking my burger and ate as soon as it was done. I also drizzled some light chipotle ranch dressing on top of the broccoli to give it a little extra flavor (I didn't use any seasonings while cooking them).

Because I was still struggling with my cravings, I made a coffee to sip on hoping it would help. And itt did! Before I knew it, it was time to eat my afternoon snack...and I hadn't even finished drinking the coffee!

Afternoon Snack

So thankful I get to eat every two hours. I really needed to munch on something by this time in the afternoon. I had some honey mustard pretzel bites and prayed it would hold me over until after my run tonight...which it did.

Workout

Despite wanting to eat everything in sight, I went for a run. And you know what? It actually helped! By the time I was done, I was back to normal...my cravings had suppressed dramatically! Funny how working out can do that.

Dinner

For dinner, I ate a lemon meringue crunch bar. It was the perfect snack to eat as I went grocery shopping for the week.

Dessert

It's Monday night, so my parents and I gathered around and we watched last week's episode of the Biggest Loser. While watching, I sipped on a coffee milkshake. Perfect ending to my day.

Well, that's it! I made it though this seemingly impossible day! I pray and hope tomorrow is a better one. :)

xoxo,

Toni

day forty-four...take my life, take all that I am

Today I want to keep it short and sweet. I went to church tonight and the worship leader sang a song that really spoke to me. Here is the youtube video which subtitles the lyrics...it is called "Like an Avalanche" by Hillsong United.

Powerful words, right? I encourage you to make that your prayer today..."Take my life, take all that I am, with all that I am, I will love you. Take my heart, take all that I have, Jesus how I adore you."

Breakfast
My lovely cats decided to wake me up around 5am this morning, but I was able to get back to bed and sleep in until 10. Sleep is a wonderful thing. Once I woke up, I made myself a dark chocolate shake.

Morning Snack
After I drank breakfast and read my Bible, I started to clean the kitchen and the kitchen floor. In the middle of my cleaning, it was time to eat my morning snack...or really an afternoon snack. Instead of having my lean and green meal (since it was lunchtime) I decided to have the honey mustard pretzel bites so I could easily stick one in my mouth while continuing to clean.

Lunch
After I finished cleaning, I headed over to Trader Joe's and did a little food shopping for the week. I bought some lettuce, shredded Parmesan cheese, and chicken burgers, as well as some probiotic pills. Once I got back home, I made a salad with romaine lettuce, a pizza burger, shredded Parmesan cheese, and light chipotle ranch dressing. Delish!

Afternoon Snack
A few hours later, I made myself a calorie-burn cappuccino. Instead of mixing it with water, I tried mixing it with black coffee. I have no idea why I haven't been doing this the whole time. The cappuccino was so good! I will be probably be doing this all the time now. Maybe I will try it with the chai latte...or add some espresso shots to it.

Dinner
A little while later, I went to church and wasn't able to eat until after. I was a tad past three hours, but by only about 15 minutes. Saturday nights at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa are so amazing. If you ever have time on a Saturday night, I highly encourage you to come. I wasn't going to come tonight actually, but the Lord put it on my heart to go and I am so happy I listened to Him. Click here to listen or watch past messages. After the study I drove home and while waiting for a parking spot, I snacked on a s'mores crunch bar (thankfully I packed it in my purse).

Dessert
I was up for a while, so when it was time to eat dessert, I was kind of hungry and thankful I had one more meal to eat. I sipped on a coffee milkshake and then called it a night. I just love these milkshakes and can't get enough of them. Really feels like you are "being bad".

Oh and a little side note...you may have noticed that I didn't post a weight update yesterday, and well, that is because I didn't bring my scale with me on the road trip. So...I will just wait until next Friday to weigh myself and update you all.

My kitties also say hello and goodnight!

xoxo,
Toni

day forty-one...thanksgiving road trip day one

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Can you believe it? This year has flown by. It seems like the older I get, the more quickly time moves. Weird, isn't it? I also posted a Thanksgiving recipe for a green bean casserole today...you can check it out here.

Anyways, my parents and I left on a road trip this afternoon to Bishop, CA. So I got up this morning and started my food preparations for the next couple of days. I started making my Thanksgiving dinner so I would have something "special" to eat tomorrow. As far as my other lean and green meals go, I figured I would find something along the way...even if it means I only get lettuce and a lean meat.

There were many temptations on the way to Bishop...I had to say no to chips, sandwiches, popcorn, fries, burgers, and worst of all, a cinnabon cinnamon roll. I won't lie, the smell of it was brutal. I actually had to chew a piece of gum just to keep my mouth moving and my mind occupied. It actually worked too...I made it through the day and stuck to my health plan. And as a bonus, the hotel we are staying at has a mini fridge and a microwave! So now I am able to cook and eat all my meals! The Lord is good!

Breakfast
I woke up this morning and made myself a strawberry shake while I planned out what I would need to pack for the next few days. I didn't sleep in too late today, so I got a somewhat early start on my eating for the day.

Morning Snack
As I was packing my clothes and food, I decided to take a break and bake a special Thanksgiving bread. I used an apple cinnamon oatmeal packet, added some baking powder and capella pumpkin drops, and baked it for about 20 minutes. It was delicious! How can you go wrong with mini pumpkin apple bread? I will post the recipe soon. :)

Lunch
I started making my Thanksgiving lean and green meal when I realized it was time to eat lunch. So I threw together a romaine salad and topped it with a pizza burger and light chipotle ranch dressing. PS...this dressing is divine!

Afternoon Snack
We were on the road by the time my afternoon snack came around. I brought some cups, so I just poured out my cheese pizza bites into the cup and attempted as best as I could to get a picture of it. I never realized how challenging it was to get a focused picture while in a moving car...it's challenging!

Dinner
My next meal was near the middle of our road trip and little after the cinnabon temptation. We were stuck in traffic, so it was a little bit easier to snap a focused picture. It was dark though, so it still came out all weird. Oh well...I guess you can kind of tell it is a lemon meringue crunch bar... ;)

Dessert
Still on the road, I ate my dessert. It was a good thing I pre-made my brownie in a cup because I wouldn't have been able to eat it otherwise. I remember this afternoon thinking, just cook it now, what can it hurt. I realize now that it was the Lord speaking to me. Thank you, Lord! By the way...I think because my brownie was at room temp rather than piping hot, it had a similar texture and taste to a piece of chocolate cake. It was really good actually! I will definitely be doing this more often! Excuse my poor excuse for a picture...this was the worst of them all.

Well, I am currently writing this in my hotel room—praise the Lord they have excellent wifi—and can't wait to tell you all about my adventures tomorrow! I pray you have a blessed night!

xoxo,
Toni

day forty...forty days and forty nights

[source]

It has already been forty days since I began the Take Shape For Life program. Forty days! I will be honest...there are not a lot of things I have stuck to for forty days. I am beyond thrilled and cannot wait to continue on this journey toward losing weight and getting healthy.

And it is only by the grace of God that I have even made it this far. I could never have done this by my own will...I would have eaten a dozen cupcakes by the second day. But with Christ, I am strong. He gives me the strength to say no to those temptations and keep fighting each day.

If any of you are interested in starting this program, click here. :)

Breakfast
I am off work for the rest of the week, so I slept in a bit this morning. When I did wake up, I made myself a dark chocolate shake. I love having the shakes first thing in the morning...they get me going.

Morning Snack
After breakfast, I cleaned, cleaned, cleaned...my room, not the house. My sister was here as well, so we cleaned up our room and then went to the store together. Once we returned, I ate a chocolate crunch bar while reading the latest Rachel Ray Magazine.

Lunch
I made something different for lunch. Since it is Thanksgiving week, I wanted to stray a bit from my mundane salads and try out some new recipes...especially since I have the time. So today, I made some turnip fries and paired it with a protein chicken burger topped with a little bit of light cheese. Delish! I have actually never had turnips before today, but they were pretty good and really close to potatoes in texture. Keep a lookout...I will post the recipe soon.

Afternoon Snack
Lunch kept me quite full, so I wasn't all too hungry for an afternoon snack. But, I still had one. I ate the honey mustard pretzels along with some water. There aren't that many pretzel bites in a bag, so it was a perfect amount that kept me satisfied for the next couple hours.

Dinner
I had to bring dinner with me to church, so I just a made a coffee milkshake. It was easy to take and drink...plus it was delicious. It was actually sitting around for over an hour and it was still icy cold when I drank it! Love this stainless steel cup. You can buy it here. It is actually 30% off right now too!

Dessert
After we got home from church, I ate a blueberry soft bake. I followed the new instructions that came with the new box and it came out so much better! No overflowing...only because I cooked it in a cup. :P

Well, that is all I have for today. If you can, please keep my dad in prayer. He injured his knee and is in constant pain. Just pray for the Lord's will to be done and that the Lord would give the doctors wisdom on what to do next. Thank you!

xoxo,
Toni

day thirty-nine...motivational monday

I saw this quote and just knew I had to share it. I am still truckin' along and I do at times get weary and want to eat a cake or something. Weight loss doesn't happen overnight, so I just need to remember that even though I may not be at my goal weight yet, and may still have a while to get there, I am one step closer to that goal. Every day counts. As long as I am sticking to the TSFL program, I am one day closer to my weight loss goal.

Remember that today. It can really apply to anything in your life. Just make it through the day and you will be one day closer to that goal. Even if you mess up...start again the next day or better yet, the next minute and continue going. Don't beat yourself up. We all make mistakes, but it also our choice to get back up and start walking forward again.

Breakfast
I am back to my normal schedule today (unlike yesterday). I woke up, got ready, and made myself a mocha shake. I think these shakes are one of the things keeping me going on TSFL. All of the flavors are so good!

Morning Snack
Because it was the first day back to work since the warehouse sale on Saturday, we had a lot of clean up to do. I was busy all morning, but I was able to take a quick break and eat an oatmeal raisin crunch bar. I love being busy...makes the time fly by! PS...these bars are amazing!

Lunch
Back to my normal salad today. I made a pizza burger and put it on top of some chopped romaine and mozzarella cheese. I then topped it all off with some light Italian dressing. It was really good! I thought I wouldn't be able to taste the cheese all that much, but it was very prominent in the meal. And I love cheese.

Afternoon Snack
The salad didn't hold me over all that well because I was hun-gry by the time my snack time came around. Whenever I do get hungry, I just tell myself that I am going to eat in an hour...so just hold on. I also drink some water and chew gum which seems to help.

So for my snack I had the nacho chili puffs and drank a ton of water while eating them...they had a spicy kick to them!

Dinner
I made some macaroni and cheese tonight but decided to put a twist on it. I sprinkled some parmesan cheese in it to help thicken it up...it worked too! After I cooked it in the microwave I put the dish under the broiler to attempt to brown the top...but it only burned. Whomp, Whomp. It was actually pretty good though! Kind of tasted like a grilled cheese sandwich.

Dessert
To end the night, I had a peanut butter milkshake. This is the best dessert! Can't believe I get to have milkshakes on the TSFL program and still lose weight! Love it.

I pray your day is blessed and that you will continue to strive toward your goals. Just take it day by day.

xoxo,
Toni

day thirty-five...washed away

I woke up this morning to this beautiful sight. The rain was falling...washing away all the old dirt that covered the cars, trees, and streets. It was such a refreshing smell too. The Lord will do the same thing in our lives...He washes away all of our old dirt and sins and makes us clean...whiter than snow. We don't smell like the old sin but rather we have a sweet aroma about us.

Even being on Medifast, I feel like my old binging habits have been washed away and I now feel new and refreshed. When I was eating all the time, I felt gross, fat, and was just unhappy. Now, I feel more confident and I actually look forward to what the day will bring. The rain washed away my habitual sin and now I am living a clean life full of joy.

Breakfast
In case you haven't figured it out, I love the rain. It is a rare treat here in Southern California, so I take advantage of it when I can. :) For breakfast, I had a dark chocolate shake. And of course I had to take a picture of it outside on the wet grass.

Morning Snack
I made an apple cinnamon oatmeal muffin for my snack and it was so perfectly warm! It was pouring rain as I was eating this steamy muffin at my desk, and I was just looking out the window watching the rain fall. It was a wonderful moment.

Right after I finished my snack, I couldn't resist...I just had to make myself a hot cup of tea. Rainy day perfection.

Lunch
Today for lunch I had yet another chili lime chicken burger on a bed of romaine topped with some light Italian dressing. These burgers are so delicious and really low in calories. If you have a Trader Joe's by you, I would highly recommend you try these out. You will not be disappointed. PS...doesn't this picture just scream fall? This was taken in my backyard on one of our wooden pallet benches. Love it! Also...there is no filter on this photo...this is how it really looked!

Afternoon Snack
I tried a new snack today! Last Medifast order I got the cinnamon pretzel bits, but this time around I got the honey mustard pretzel bites. The verdict? Loved them! I have a sweet tooth so I wasn't sure if I would like these better than cinnamon. I have to admit that I prefer the cinnamon ones, but these are a close second.

I was debating on whether or not to go for a quick jog after work because my neck has been hurting all day...I think I slept on it wrong. But just when I was about to call it quits, I found myself changing into my workout clothes. What's 30 minutes of my life, right? I can relax after. Plus, tomorrow is a weigh-in day so I need to give it all I got. :)

With that said, I went on a 2.18 mile jog (I didn't walk at all!)...in the rain I might add. Running in the rain just gives you that extra push you need. It is a good feeling. And a little side note...I actually enjoyed this jog. I was pretty happy the whole time...except when I was nearing the end...at that point I just wanted to get home.

Dinner
After working out, I came back home and ate a oatmeal raisin crunch (these are delish!). It was exactly what I needed after a fun rain run. I literally just got back when I ripped open this bar...I was hungry!

Dessert
To end the night, I whipped up a brownie. This dessert is the best! If you are looking for a great alternative to a "real" brownie, this is the one for you. Seriously, I feel like I am cheating! ;) I slowly snacked on this while watching The Hunger Games...can't wait for the second one! I am going to see it on Saturday...I'm a nerd, I know. :P

Well, I pray you enjoy your day and I will update you all tomorrow on my weight!

xoxo,
Toni