missions day

Today was missions day at my church (Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa). It was so neat to see and hear from different missionaries around the world.

Right after church I had to get packed and head up to Murrieta, Ca to work the missions conference that is taking place this entire week (well until Friday). I am going to stay on plan and have packed all my Medifast meals as well as prepped some salad fixings (lettuce, chicken, light dressing, parmesan cheese) for my lean and green meals. I will keep you updated on the week as it goes on.

Today was technically day one and I did well...until about 7pm when I had just the worst cravings! It's funny though because I was talking with a dear friend who is going to be starting Take Shape For Life very soon, so we were discussing all the different meals, what I liked and didn't like, and how happy I was being on the program...then came those cravings. Thankfully, I stuck to my diet and did not cave into the evil food thoughts that were lurking about in my mind.

Breakfast
Woke up fairly early for a weekend and made a dark chocolate shake to sip on while I packed and prepped for the upcoming week.

Morning Snack
Before I left for church, I made one super fluffy chocolate pancake using a large biscuit cutter. By doing this, I can create a delicious cake like pancake. Love it!

Lunch
I didn't have my lean and green meal until dinnertime, so for lunch I made an iced chai latte. Yes, iced! It was the first time I made it, and I was not disappointed. I loved it and will be making it more often for sure. I also drank it on the way up to Murrita and totally forgot to take a picture of it. Oh well, next time!

Afternoon Snack
While setting up the resource room (we are working the book tables) I snacked on some honey mustard pretzel bites. I would eat one, set up some books, drink some water, and do it all over again until the bites were gone.

Dinner
Here is where my lean and green meal came into play. After we were done setting up, my mom and I went to Chipotle. I ended up getting a salad topped with steak, sauteed fajita vegetables, and some pico de gallo. This has to be one of my absolute favorite lean and green meals. Not only does it taste divine, but it is also filling.

Dessert
This is when my cravings started to rise and take over, but I chewed on a piece of gum and waited to eat my last meal of the day...a strawberry crunch bar. By the grace of the Lord, I made it through the night and am ready to see what tomorrow brings.

Blessings to you all! I will let you know how tomorrow goes!

xoxo,
Toni

day fifty-seven...month two update

Hi friends! Can you believe that it has already been two months!? I mean, where has the time gone? It's flown by, that's for sure.

The reason for my quote above is because I was so concerned about my weigh-in this morning and what would happen...what if I gained? But you know what? Instead of worrying about it, I should be excited to see how my hard work has paid off! :D Future notes to myself.

I have to tell you, that I am the happiest I have been in a long time. I know that I am not at my goal weight yet, but I feel so much better and am even more confident when speaking with people. The shy girl who stood in a corner is gone...hopefully for good. :)

But anyways, let's move on to what I ate today so you can see my updated photos and measurements!

Breakfast
It's Friday, so it is going to be a fun eats day. With that being said, I made myself an eggnog shake this morning. This has got to be my favorite shake...by simply mixing the vanilla shake with some eggnog capella drops, I can create the drink of my holiday dreams.

Morning Snack
I just love the hot drinks in the morning. I am so happy I ordered enough to have one every day. At first I liked the calorie burn cappuccino better, but now I am leaning towards the chai latte. I don't know...they are both so good! But today, I had the calorie burn cappuccino and loved every sip!

Lunch
I got a little creative for lunch today! It's Friday, so why not? I made cilantro-lime cauliflower rice and topped it with some chicken and light shredded cheese. So stinkin' good! The lime totally compliments the cauliflower. I will be posting the recipe for the rice soon!

Afternoon Snack
Keeping up with the favorites for today, I had some brown sugar cinnamon cereal crunch while sipping on some coffee as well.

Dinner
For dinner, I made something new again. I guess I was just in the mood to try out some new recipes. I made a pumpkin pie custard. And yes, it is as amazingly delicious as it sounds...and then some. So good! Definitely a holiday favorite. I will be posting the recipe for this as well fairly soon.

Dessert
I sort of wanted a chai latte for dessert rather than a crunch bar, so I made one and brought it with me to church. It was perfect because I put it in a red holiday Starbucks cup and I was able to drink it without anybody wondering what it was. ;)

Update
Okay...the moment you are all waiting for...the updates! Well, for starters, I only lost one pound this week, but considering all that has happened with me being sick, etc. I count that as a victory. And let's be real...I am still going down on the scale and have not gained, so double victory. I am excited to see what 2014 has in store for me!

Click here to see my starting pictures
Click here to see my month one update pictures

...and here are my month two update pictures...

Measurements

weight: 141.6 (-8.6 pounds)...I only lost 1 pound however from last week's weigh in
total lost: 24.6

biceps: 12" (-.5") 
total lost: 1.25"

forearm: 9.6" (-.4") 
total lost: .9"

chest: 35" (-2") 
total lost: 5"

waist: 29" (-1") 
total lost: 5.5"

hips: 36.5" (-2.25") 
total lost: 4.5"

bottom: 39.5" (-1.5") 
total lost: 3.75"

thigh: 23.4" (-1.1") 
total lost: 2.85"

knee: 16.5" (-.5) 
total lost: .75"

calf: 15.2" (-.8) 
total lost: 1.3

neck: 12.5" (-.25") 
total lost: .25"

Total inches lost this past month: 10.3" 
Total inches lost overall: 26.05"

I am over the moon...it's amazing how much your body changes day by day. Even though I don't see it, my body is slowly making progress. I hope this encourages you somehow today. I mean, I am a living example that if you stick to this program, you will lose weight and inches.

Please keep me in prayer for this next month and that I would stay on plan and be able to encourage and help others around me. Also, if you ever have any questions, feel free to contact me at confessionsandfood@gmail.com...I would be more than happy to help!

xoxo,
Toni

day fifty-one...how I survived two Christmas parties

Yep...you read that right...I had not one, but two Christmas parties today. And guess what? I stayed on plan! My timing was off a bit, but I definitely stuck to my Medifast snacks and a proper lean and green meal (which I divided into two meals).

Breakfast
I woke up this morning and started getting ready for my first Christmas party. I made a quick French vanilla shake and drank it while curling my hair. Too bad I don't have a picture of that...would have been a funny sight I'm sure.

Morning Snack
Right before I left for the staff Christmas party, I heated up a blueberry soft bake. It looks terrible, but it did the job and held me over until lunch was served.

Lunch
This is where I ate half of my lean and green meal. It is seriously funny how easy it was to say no to the bread basket going around the table and even dessert! Dessert is a huge one for me. I love all things sugar. I have a giant sweet tooth. But anyways, I ended up just eating a salad and the broccoli. Easily passed over the chicken parmesan and pasta. Funny story...my dad actually ate most of the food on his plate and then we switched plates so it looked like I ate some of it. ;) tricky, tricky, but it works!

Here is apicture of me and my brother at the CCCM Staff Christmas party. Isn't he handsome?

Afternoon Snack
Once I got home from party number one, I broke open a pack of mixed berry cereal crunch. I eat it alongside a cup of coffee and relaxed for a few minutes...then it was time to start getting ready for party number two...which was a formal one. :)

Dinner
So dinner at my second party was a bit tough. They basically had salad and pasta. Oh and bread...all catered by Maggianos. So, for the second half of my lean and green meal I ate some salad (picked out the dried cranberries) and then took some chicken from one of the pastas. It was on the top, so there was no sauce on it! Yay! The Lord is so good and is always looking out for me.

Dessert #1
They had a coffee bar so what I did was I brought a chai latte packet with me and poured it in one of the cups and filled it with some coffee and hot water. Perfection in a cup!

Dessert #2
I had my final meal of the day as soon as I got home around 11:45pm. I broke open an oatmeal raisin crunch bar and ate it while starting to write this post.

And...here is a picture of me and my best friend, Kiera at the second party of the night. It was with my college Bible study group. So much fun! Love my friends...they are the best. I mean, you know you have good friends when they bring you up and encourage you rather than tear you down.

So...there it is—my day in a nutshell. Just be encouraged and know that you can get through a Christmas party this month and still stay on plan. Don't be shy to bring your own snacks!

It felt good at the end of the day knowing that I stuck to the plan even though I attended two parties filled with food. But it can be done! I promise you, you will not regret saying no to that tempting food and staying on plan. Plus, it doesn't hurt when you are getting a ton of compliments all night about how great you look...just a little motivation for you right there.

Oh and tell people about the program or diet you are on! It helps you not only to stay on track but then you will also have a ton of people keeping you accountable. Accountability is key.

xoxo,
Toni

day forty-five...being transformed

[source]

Church tonight was amazing. Pastor Brian Brodersen taught on Romans 12...which is a pretty common and popular passage, but it really hit me more than usual tonight. And what makes it even better is that my health coach, Charlotte came up to me afterwards and we talked about it...confirming all that the Lord spoke to me about.

This health journey I am on is a transformation of my body. But not only am I changing on the outside, I am changing on the inside as well. This is also a heart issue. I can deny food and be bitter about it, or I can deny food and rejoice in the Lord for the great victory He just allowed me to have.

This is a slow process but one I have to go through—to get healthy and to grow spiritually. I encourage you to read Romans 12 and meditate on it. If you are open, the Lord will surely share something with you. Heed it and take it to heart.

Breakfast
Once again I slept in today. Tomorrow is going to be a fun wake up call getting back on my normal schedule...not really. :P So once I did get up I made myself a mocha shake and then headed to church.

Morning Snack
I brought a chocolate crunch bar with to church so I would be able to eat it right after church was over. We always seem to talk afterwards and I get caught without a snack, but this time I was prepared and ready.

Lunch
After church we went over to my grandparents house and helped them put up their Christmas lights. During the middle of it, I ate a Chipotle salad that consisted of lettuce, steak, fajita vegetables, and pico de gallo. I went to lunch with my parents earlier and just got mine to go. It's actually pretty funny how easy it was to say no to black beans and rice. God is good. :D

Afternoon Snack
After we got done helping my grandparents, we went to Home Depot and got our Christmas tree...a 9-foot Christmas tree! I just love Christmas...like a lot. This is my all-time favorite holiday. While putting up the lights and ornaments I snacked on some mixed berry cereal crunch.

Dinner and Dessert
We barely finished decorating the tree when we left to go to church. Once I got back home, I ate my last two meals at the same time so I didn't have to wait up just to eat again. I ended up making a chocolate chip pancake muffin in a (Christmas) mug and a chai latte. Perfect and delicious pairing.

Well, that is all for today. Don't forget to read and meditate on Romans 12.

xoxo,
Toni

day forty-three...thanksgiving road trip day three

Woke up this morning to this weather report. Ummm...just a little cold. It didn't end up snowing, but it was still bundle-up weather. And bundle-up we did.

Breakfast
Before we headed out for some adventure, I made a chai latte using some hot water provided by the hotel. While drinking my chai, my parents and I read a few chapters of the Bible and prayed. Lovely start to the day.

Morning Snack
After our mini Bible study we headed out. We walked around the shops in Mammoth and then decided to go back to Bishop and attempt to hike up the snowy hills to the mine shafts. I made a egg nog shake (french vanilla shake packet mixed with some egg nog capella drops) before we left the hotel and it stayed cold for two hours easy...it was 30 degrees outside after all. PS...this is the best shake I have had to date. Perfect start to the Christmas season.

On our way back to Bishop, we stopped at Convict Lake. Story behind the lake is that back in the 1800's, a bunch of convicts escaped from prison and the chase ended at this lake with a big shootout. Bummer story, but beautiful lake. This is a picture of my mom and I with the lake and the snowy Sierra Mountains in the background.

We finally made it to Bishop, and we drove back to the hiking spot to attempt the climb. Here is the starting point. The end point is about the middle of the picture where the cluster of trees are.

Let me tell you...walking through fluffy snow is not easy...especially when it is about knee deep. It was quite the challenge and workout. Near the middle of the hike, we had to cross a bridge covered in snow. You couldn't see what you were walking on, so I was just waiting for my foot to go through some hole. Thankfully, that didn't happen and we made it across safely. Do you notice how the snow glistens? So beautiful.

After about 40 minutes, we finally made it to the mines. These mines were used back in 1879 during the gold rush. That little creek in the picture above is a part of where they would sift their pans in search of gold. I love history, so this was pretty neat to see. The wooden structure is connected to the mountain, where you can also see holes where the miners used dynamite to blow up the sides of the mountain.

On the way back from the mines, I took these pictures of the aspen trees...they are just so pretty against all the white snow.

Here is another portion of our path with the aspens on either side of us.

Lunch
After we got back into the truck, we headed back to town to find something to eat. There isn't a lot, so we just went to Carl's Jr. We never eat here, but the options were extremely limited for me. I looked up what I could have, and Take Shape for Life suggested I order the grilled chicken salad. Honestly, this salad wasn't that great...not TSFL's fault, but Carl's Jr's fault. The only thing that was okay, was the chicken. I won't be ordering this again.

After lunch, we made the decision to head back home. We were going to travel to Kern Valley and stay another night, but we just wanted to get home. But before we did get back on the road, we stopped at the famous Erick Schat's Bakery. They make a delicious sheepherders bread. Walking into this bakery was tough (with the sweet smells and free samples), but I made it through without eating any of the free samples. ;)

Afternoon Snack
After our bakery visit, we hoped back in the car and made our way home. On our way back, I ate a cinnamon raisin crunch bar. These bars are delicious...it was a great snack after such a bummer lunch.

Dinner
By the time dinner rolled around, it was dark and I didn't take a picture of my nacho chili puffs. But all the other pictures I posted today can make up for that...hopefully. :)

Dessert
We finally made it back home!!! I got everything unpacked and settled in and then I made myself a brownie and called it a night.

All in all, it was a really fun and exciting road trip and even more exciting staying on plan. I could not have done it without the help of the Lord.

Pray you have a blessed night!

xoxo,
Toni

day thirty-seven...from the rising to the setting sun

So today I watched the sun rise and the sun set...meaning I have been up since 5am. Today we had a warehouse sale at my church and it was crazy busy all day long. My mom and I were non-stop from about 8am to 3pm. It was tough, but fun. Despite all the madness going on, I still managed to eat all of my Medifast meals and my lean and green meal for the day. There were times when I had to sneak a bite in between helping customers, but it all worked out.

Breakfast
I ate breakfast around 6am. I wasn't all that hungry, but I knew I had to eat. So I made myself a quick chocolate chip pancake muffin to take with me and eat on the go.

Morning Snack
For my morning snack, I had a strawberry shake. I totally spaced and forgot to take a picture of it. It was right when we opened the sale and things were crazy. I was only able to take sips in between helping customers.

Lunch
We were still busy at lunch, but I was able to sneak in a time to make a chai latte. I just added some hot water and stirred. It was perfect to have a drink at this point...a lot easier to drink than eat. ;)

Thought I would share a cute picture from the sale...this is The Bear Hug Band! It was so precious to see the kids dancing around to the music while their parents shopped. So, many thanks to The Bear Hug Band! I am sure the parents thank you too for keeping their children occupied while they got some shopping done distraction free. ;)

Afternoon Snack
As we were nearing the end of the sale, things were slowing down and I was able to eat a chocolate crunch bar. Once again though, I was eating it intermittently while helping people. But it all worked out. There were only a couple times people caught me with my mouth full. Whoops!

Afternoon Snack #2
I ate my second snack while cleaning up. I was so hungry I just devoured my bag of cheese pizza bites. By the time I was more than halfway through the bag I realized I didn't snap a picture of it! I am just all off today. Oh well...next time.

Dinner
I had my lean and green meal for dinner...and my goodness it was delicious! I was thinking of something for Thanksgiving that I could make that was TSFL approved. Now, I don't like turkey (I know I am weird), so I thought...what else goes with Thanksgiving dinner? Well, casserole does! So I made a broccoli and cheese casserole. This is one of the best things I have ever eaten! Click here for the recipe. This is comfort food at its finest.

Well, I am off to drink an espresso because it is going to be a late night for me. My friends and I are going to watch the Hunger Games: Catching Fire. So excited!

 Have a good night, my friends!

xoxo,
Toni

day thirty-three...the great pumpkin

Thanksgiving is quickly coming up and surprise...pumpkin is everywhere. It seems like everything has pumpkin in it. For some, this is not a problem...but for me, it is...or at least used to be.

I love all things pumpkin...pumpkin bread, muffins, pie, pancakes, scones (my all time favorite), lattes, you name it. Even this year, before I started Medifast, I was eating everything out there! Now, I am able to say no and instead eat my own Medifast approved snack.

If I can resist the pumpkin temptation, so can you. Seriously, I am the biggest pumpkin fan out there (ask my family), and I am, by the beautiful grace of God, able to easily say no to all things pumpkin. It just ain't worth it. So this Thanksgiving, say no that pumpkin pie and instead whip up a pumpkin shake using a french vanilla shake packet and a few drops of the Capella Pumpkin Flavor drops. Chances are, people will want what you are having instead of that pie. ;)

Breakfast
Had a strawberry shake this morning and it was goooood. I am really liking everything lately. Love it!

Morning Snack
A couple hours after breakfast I had a chai latte. It was cloudy and cold at the time and it warmed my shivering body. The drink is a tad powdery even after you mix it, but still delicious. A wonderful alternative to a fat laden chai tea latte, which is also loaded with sugar.

Lunch
I am so predictable when it comes to my lean and green lunches...today I had the same romaine salad but topped it with a vegetable burger (chopped up) from Trader Joes. It sort of tasted like an egg roll for some reason. That's a good thing...the egg roll taste. At least to me it is.

Afternoon Snack
For my snack this afternoon I finally finished up the bbq bites from my last order. I didn't order more, so these were officially my last ones.

Workout
I think I am going to be working out after work. It is so hard for me to get up in the morning let alone having to get up and workout. So, today after work I did a 30 minute toning workout. I used the workouts from one of the SHAPE DVD's. I love it. The moves are simple, but it still works your muscles and let me tell you...you will feel it the next day. That's a promise. ;)

Dinner
After my workout I made some macaroni and cheese, and I didn't overflow it! All that cheesy goodness (thankfully) stayed inside the mug. I apologize because there is just no way to snap a flattering picture of this meal, but here it is.

Dessert
I had to eat dessert in church again...but it was a smores crunch bar so I was okay with crunching a little bit. And yes...that is the smores bar hiding in my purse. I tried to be discreet. ;)

Besides my pumpkin rant, today was a good day! I am thrilled to see what tomorrow brings...it's Wednesday! I love Wednesdays. Why? Well, I love going to church on Wednesday nights and I am also halfway through the week! Plus...I hear rain is coming!!!

xoxo,
Toni