what do you want most?

I had to remember this quote this morning as I wanted so badly to hit the snooze button and go back to bed rather than wake up and workout. Thankfully, I thought about what I want in the future rather than wanting to sleep in the moment and worked out.


It's not easy! It is truly a struggle to get up and get moving. But with the Lord's help, I was able to do it. In case some of you are wondering, here is my weekly workout schedule...

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: I do the Bridalicious Bootcamp DVDs (yes, funny name, I know, but it sure makes you sore the next day.)

Tuesday, Thursday: I do my 2.15 mile run/jog

So overall, I am working out 5 times a week. That is a lot for me, but I am really determined to keep going and get toned for my sister's wedding.

Fight that urge to sleep in or watch TV instead of working out. Release that inner lion and fight your flesh and for what you want.

Now, I did not take pictures, but in case you are wondering about my eats for the day, here they are in list form...

Breakfast: chocolate chip pancakes with sugar free syrup
Morning Snack: Chai Latte
Lunch: turkey burger, broccoli, light cheese
Afternoon Snack: mixed berry cereal crunch
Dinner: smore crunch bar
Dessert: peanut butter milkshake (pb soft serve blended with water and ice)

So there you ahve it! Remember what you really want for your future. Question your eating habits...is this going to get you where you want to be? If not, then don't do it. Simple as that.

xoxo,
Toni

PS...Don't forget! This blog is moving to an official website on Friday, February 14!!!

12 week transformation...day twenty-four

Yesterday was so much fun! My dad surprised me tickets to go see the LA Lakers take on the Indiana Pacers. Fun fact about me...I love to watch sports...especially basketball and baseball.

My dad and I left work early and grabbed some coffee before dinner. It is currently, DineLA week right now, so we were going to go to a restaurant participating in the event, but ended up just going to Wolfgang Puck. And confession...I went off my plan for dinner. I won't lie though...it was pretty much the best burger I have ever had in my life. Seriously. But you know...usually I go all crazy and eat everything in sight since I already "broke my plan" but this time I didn't. I ate only half my dinner and was done. This is huge for me. I am changing. :)

Breakfast
So this morning I am back on plan and ready to attack the day! I made a dark chocolate shake and made my way to work. Don't you just love cloudy and gloomy mornings? I do!

Morning Snack
I was busy creating this morning, so time flew by! I made a chai latte for my morning snack while still working away. I learning that I love designing.

Lunch
I made a turkey burger wrapped in lettuce for lunch today with broccoli on the side. Simple yet oh-so-delicious.

Afternoon Snack
For my snack this afternoon I had a bag of mixed berry cereal. I love this cereal...so good!

Dinner
I ate a quick strawberry crunch bar before dinner. I wasn't too hungry, so this was perfect.

Dessert
After church I came home and made a peanut butter milkshake. I can have one of these every night and never get tired of them.

So there is my day in a nutshell! Friday is almost here!!!

Oh, and PS...the Lakers lost...but it was still a super fun game! :D

xoxo,
Toni

12-week transformation...day nineteen

This was my prayer this morning...and all day really. Such a a beautiful song by Hillsong United. If you can, take a listen to it...it's called "Oceans".

Breakfast
Pretty standard morning for me...made a french vanilla shake and am pretty sure I drank it in record time. For some reason I was really hungry this morning.

Morning Snack
It was overcast this morning here in Orange County, CA and I was so happy to have to some (California) winter weather. And sipping on a warm calorie burn cappuccino just made it all the better.

Lunch
So my family went and got mexican food for lunch and I was all like..."I want a treat too!" So I went to chipotle and ordered a steak salad. So good! :)

Afternoon Snack
Mixed Berry Crunch Cereal!!! This is my favorite snack of all time...at least right now anyways. It tastes kind of like fruit loops...but way better for you! ;)

Dinner
For dinner I whipped up a peanut butter milkshake and drank it while getting ready for church. I also forgot to take a picture.

Dessert
During church I snacked on a cinnamon roll crunch bar. It is so good and satisfying.

Also, almost forgot! Today was a weigh-in day! I weighed in at 139.6! Finally back in the 130's! It took about a month to undo all the damage I did at Christmastime.

Well, that is all I have for now! And don't forget! February 14, 2014 is my launch date for my new website...Pretty in Pink Peonies!

xoxo,
Toni

12-week transformation...day ten

Let's just say that this morning was pretty much the worst morning I have had in a while. You ever have those days when everything seems to be going wrong? Yeah, well...that was me.

To start of the day, I made a dark chocolate shake and when I went to take it out of the fridge, I dropped it and apparently the lid wasn't on all the way and my shake went everywhere. I mean, everywhere. I thought about taking a picture, but I was just so in awe of the mess I had to clean up that I just grabbed a towel and go to work. But just picture the entire inside of a fridge covered in a dark chocolate shake. Not fun.

So, it took me a good 15 minutes to clean everything up. But I had to still get ready...so dripping in sweat, I rushed to dry off, put on some makeup and get dressed. Oh...and make another shake. Then while putting on makeup, my blush ran out! Not a huge deal, but it is when your morning isn't going so well.

And to put the cherry on top of it all, I came into work and was feeling sick all morning. Stomach was killing me. So yeah, not the best start to the day.

But I did learn something...I learned why people (not just kids) cry over spilled milk (or shakes)! Why? Well, because it goes everywhere...that's why. ;) 

Breakfast
As I mentioned before, I first made a dark chocolate shake, but since I dropped it, I remade my shake, but used a mocha packet instead.

Morning Snack
Right after drinking my mocha shake, I had a really bad stomach ache and it continued all the way until it was time for my morning snack. I almost didn't even want it, but then a warm drink sounded pretty appetizing and soothing...so a chai latte it was!

Lunch
I was feeling better by lunch and decided to make a protein-style turkey burger with a side of broccoli.

Afternoon Snack
Still going strong with having a better day, I had some mixed berry cereal crunch for my snack. It cheered me up a bit...I love cereal!

Dinner
As I have been mentioning these past few days, our church is having a week of prayer. So before I attended tonight's service I ate a smores crunch bar.

Dessert
As the night's before, I was fairly hungry by the time my last meal of the day came around. I got home and made a coffee milkshake and then headed off to bed...I was eager to end today and see what tomorrow holds for me.

Hope you all have a better day than I did! ;)

Aren't these cats the cutest! Love them! :)

xoxo,
Toni

12-week transformation...day one

Today is day one of the 12-week transformation hosted by Take Shape For Life! If you haven't already signed up, you can do so by clicking here. You can also visit that link and find out more information about the challenge.

I technically signed up on New Year's Day but I got my first "day one" email today. I so excited and am feeling pretty motivated to keep going. This came a perfect time for me too...especially coming out of the holiday eating. I am thrilled to get back on track and stay on track!

Alright...so here is how my day one went!

Breakfast
I have to switch things up a bit on how I made my meals because I am working out of town and do not have all the luxuries of eating at home. With that said, I made a french vanilla shake by adding some water and ice to a bottle and shaking it up. I like my shakes freezing cold...in case you haven't noticed.

Morning Snack
I was hunnnnngry by the time my morning snack time came around. I was pretty excited to drink a calorie burn cappuccino to say the least...and it did not disappoint! It was divine.

Lunch
My lunch looks pretty good but unfortunately the lettuce was kinda wilted. Bummer! So I had to pick through the bad pieces and just eat the chicken and cheese and what was left of the crunchy lettuce. All is good though...I ate it and was satisfied.

Afternoon Snack
Lunch thankfully held me over until my afternoon snack, but I definitely had to add a coffee to drink with my cookie dough chewy bar...I was getting a little sleepy.

Dinner
I had breakfast for dinner! I love having breakfast for dinner...my favorite! So tonight, I ate some mixed berry cereal crunch.

After I ate my cereal, my mom and I went in to listen to Wayne Taylor. Such a wonderful message...the Lord totally spoke to me. Here is a panoramic shot I took during the study.

Dessert
To end the night, I heated up a brownie soft bake while drinking lots of (failed to drink 64 ounces today). I took a picture but it was just hideous...so I decided not to even post it. ;)

So there you have it. Day one of my 12-week transformation is complete!

xoxo,
Toni

trust and blessings

I was reading Psalms chapter 2 this morning and came across a verse that said, "Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him" (Psalm 2:12d)

Don't you just love that? All we have to do is put our trust in the Lord—the all-knowing, all-powerful God—and He will in turn bless us. Seems like a win-win to me.

That is my prayer today and for this year...that I would have trust in the Lord and that in every situation I will turn to Him rather than the things of this world. Amen? Amen!

Breakfast
Back to normal today...meaning, I am back to my regular work schedule. I have had the majority of the last two weeks off from work and am actually really happy to be back on my daily routine. I am a big fan of structure...which is probably why I like this program so much. Anyways, for breakfast I made myself a french vanilla shake. I put a tad too much ice in it, so it was quite cold, but still delicious!

Morning Snack
This morning I ate a cookie dough chewy bar with a cup of coffee. I have mentioned it before, but the only way I can really eat these bars is by dipping it in some coffee...but it works for me!

Lunch
For some reason I was hun-gry by the time lunch came around. But I soon quenched that hunger with a salad topped with a pizza burger, light cheese, and some light dressing. Simple yet delicious!

Afternoon Snack
I was once again pretty hungry once my afternoon snack came around, so I made myself a calorie burn cappuccino...this kept me quite full until dinner.

Workout
Went for a run after work today and never felt better. By the end of the first mile I was already getting tired, but I persevered through it and finished with flying colors!

Dinner
Once I got back from my run, I ate some mixed berry cereal crunch along with a bottle of water.

Dessert
To end the night I made a peanut butter milkshake and called it a night. I am so tired as I am writing this, so I am off to bed!

Remember..."Blessed are all those who put their trust in the Lord"!

xoxo,
Toni

day sixty-four...making progress

It has been a good morning...the weigh in...excited news! But...I will get back to that later. First, let's talk about my day and what I ate.

Breakfast
Woke up this morning with a smile on my face ready to face whatever the day had for me. I made myself an eggnog shake and headed into work. Today was our inventory day. Basically we count all the inventory in our warehouse. It was quick though, only took us about 30 minutes...I would say that's a record.

Morning Snack
I was hungry by the time my morning snack came around so I opted to make a chai latte and sipped on that for a good 45 minutes. It's amazing to me how much those drinks fill me up and keep me full!

Lunch
I was out and about doing errands at lunch so I decided to treat myself today and went to chipotle. I got a salad with steak, fajita veggies, and pico de gallo salsa. This has to be my favorite going out meal. So good!

Afternoon Snack
Lunch held me over for sure. But I did end up having some coffee with my afternoon snack. I sipped on some coffee first and then opened up and ate a bag of the mixed berry cereal crunch. Perfect afternoon snack.

Dinner
I had dessert for dinner today. Why not, right? I made a peanut butter milkshake using the peanut butter soft serve. I haven't made myself one of these milkshakes in a while, so it was a nice treat.

Now, I have to tell you...I spoke in front of my college group tonight! I was asked to give a word of encouragement before the study, and so I did! I was really nervous, but the Lord totally worked through me. It was a great feeling to be used by the Lord...despite my heart beating a million times an minute and my palms getting all sweaty. Oh well, God knows what He is doing, and He has a special plan for each and every one of us. Tonight is a night I will never forget.

Dessert
When it was time to eat my dessert, I was in the middle of church. But, I thought ahead and cut up a cinnamon roll crunch bar and brought it with me. I discreetly snacked on it while listening to the message. :)

And now...the moment you have all been waiting for! Okay...so last week I was 141.6 and I kept thinking all week that I just want to be in the 130's for Christmas. And as of this morning I am 138.0! I couldn't believe it! I don't even remember the last time I was in the 130's. God is so good and gracious. I could not have done it without Him.

Remember that this weekend...when you put God first, things just fall into place. I would not be where I am today if it were not for the Lord. Trust me, I tried doing every diet in the book on my own, but it was only when I surrendered my will to the Lord that I have succeeded. No turning back!

xoxo,
Toni

day fifty-nine...an unintentional mistake

So...I made a mistake today. It wasn't until after the fact that I realized it was a mistake though. Okay, before you start thinking the worst, let me just tell you. I had brussel sprouts for my lean and green meal. You may be thinking, gross, why brussel sprouts? But...I was working on a recipe to make them more delicious for you all and, they were...until I found out they are off-limits.

However, it wasn't until after I was entering in my foods on my Take Shape For Life app on my phone that I realized brussel sprouts weren't on the list of approved vegetables. So I looked it up online and found out that this particular type of vegetable is high in carbs and thus, not allowed on the program. Oh well...I guess you live and learn. And hey, I suppose it's better to eat a wrong vegetable than a cookie. ;)

Breakfast
I took advantage of this lovely Sunday and slept in until about 10am. Once I got up, I made a mocha shake. I added a tablespoon of instant coffee to up the flavor a bit. It's amazing what a simple tablespoon of coffee can do! The shake was so good!

Morning Snack
After church was over, I ate a strawberry crunch bar. After the first bite, I wasn't a fan. But after a couple more bites my taste buds adjusted and it wasn't all that bad.

Lunch
Here is where I messed up...on accident. I had some roasted parmesan brussel sprouts with a pizza burger on the side. It was crazy good, but I will not be having brussel sprouts again now that I am aware they are off-limits. I will still post the recipe later on this week for those of you who can eat brussel sprouts.

Afternoon Snack
Lunch kept me full so I was really only eating my next snack because I had to. I ended up having some mixed berry cereal as well as a bottle of water. I have been slacking on drinking water today, so I drank a bunch with the cereal.

Dinner
I had my next meal while my parents and I watched church online. I sipped on a calorie burn cappuccino while they drank just black coffee. Perfect pairing...coffee and the Word.

Dessert
I ended the night with a delicious and warm blueberry muffin soft bake. I allowed the batter to sit for a few hours and then microwaved it. Not sure if there was a difference by letting the batter sit around, but it was sure good...a little more dense than usual, but good.

I am going to Knott's Berry Farm tomorrow, so we will see how that goes food wise. I have all my snacks prepared and ready to go, so it will just be a matter of when and where I eat my lean and green meal. I will let you all know tomorrow night how it went! :)

I will leave you with a picture of tonight's sunset...so beautiful....looks like the sky is on fire. God is so amazing...it's like He painted this picture for all to see and stare in awe.

xoxo,
Toni