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-four...I heard it through the grapevine

I was listening to a Bible study taught by Abraham de Alba the other night while running and he started talking about grapevines and brought up some really good points that I thought I would share with you.

When you look at a single grapevine, you will notice that all the branches are twisted and wrapping around each other. That is how our Christian lives are supposed to be...we are to be twisted and tangled with Jesus. He needs to be in every aspect of our lives.

Grapevines are also tangled together with other grapevines. A grapevine does not stand alone...it has other grapevines on either side of it. This is how we are to be with others...in unity. You don't want a church to be divided, but rather having the body of Christ joined together, working together to glorify God.

The same analogy can even be applied to the Medifast program or any other health program for that matter. You cannot stand alone. You just can't. You need the Lord and other people on either side of you, encouraging and working with you to reach your goals. A grapevine that is alone will not bear fruit. Don't be that lone grapevine...grab hold of those around you and hang on tight!

So anyways, that is my little encouragement to you all today. Hope it blesses you as much as it did me.

Breakfast
For breakfast I whipped together a mocha shake with a few drops of the capella coconut flavored drops. So really, I had a mocha coconut shake. Delish!

Morning Snack
I had some work errands to run so I made my chocolate chip soft bake in a disposable cup rather than the tray. I had no issues...worked like a charm. However, I do prefer the tray over the cup.

Lunch
Yep, you guessed it...I had another salad today. Today I had the chili lime chicken burger on a bed of romaine lettuce with some light Italian dressing. Hey...if it's good, why mess with it? :D

Afternoon Snack
I tried something new today for my afternoon snack...the mixed berry cereal crunch. I was skeptical about these, but they were not bad! The taste is very similar to froot loops. I love cereal, so this is a perfect alternative for me.

Dinner
I can't drink water or shakes right before church, so I had a simple lemon meringue bar for my dinner. Don't judge...I took the picture in my car while driving...in my defense, I was at a stop light. ;)

These bars are filling! I mean, they look so small (and they are), but I am always full after eating one. Love that full feeling.

It started raining as we were walking out of church!!! I love the rain and just want it to pour! Bring on the rain!!! Can you see that the leaves are wet...the shininess on them is from rain. :D

Dessert
After church was over, we came straight home and I made myself a peanut butter milkshake. For some reason I just love ice cream and other cold desserts when it is raining. I don't know why...I just do. I tried to capture the rain falling outside, but I obviously failed. At least you can see the wet pavement...or can you?

I pray you have a blessed day! Remember...don't be a lone grapevine! Grab a friend and get working together. :) 

xoxo,
Toni

day thirty-two...what's in the red cup?

I love the eggnog latte from Starbucks. It is my all time favorite drink...and I can only get it once a year...this time of year. I walked into Starbucks last night after doing a little shopping at Trader Joe's and saw that the holiday drinks were here and available. I will fully admit that it is going to be a challenge this season not to buy any of these drinks...especially the eggnog latte which is probably the worst one out of the bunch. So I am going to resist and not give myself any liberties to buy one. I can make my own at home, Medifast style. ;)

But please pray for me in this season when food and drinks are the center of attention...it is hard for me because my mind thinks, "You only get this once a year...just get back on track after Christmas..." But you know what? I don't want to stop doing the Medifast program! I love what I am doing and really love the results...why mess that up with a drink I will consume in less than an hour? It is just not worth it, right? Right.

Breakfast
It's nice to be back home and back on my normal routine. I made myself a dark chocolate shake and put a little less ice in it to make it more creamy...and it did. It was a delicious shake. Oh, and say hello to the family cat, Bristol...he likes to photo bomb pictures.

Before I had my morning snack, I sipped on some vanilla cinnamon tea I got from Trader Joe's last night. It was so good! I loved the taste of it...plus, it smells just like Christmas.

Morning Snack
After my tea, I made myself a chocolate chip pancake in a mug. I added way too much water, so instead of it becoming a muffin, it became a soft, crumbled mess. Either way it was fairly good. Tasted a tad too eggy for me, but the chocolate chips helped balance everything out.

While shopping last night, I also bought myself some flowers for my desk at work. It is going to be a long and busy week, so I thought these might brighten my day if things get too crazy and stressed. Aren't they pretty. :)

Lunch
I am just trying all these Trader Joe's products left and right today. For lunch I made myself a chili lime chicken burger chopped up and put on top of a bed of lettuce with a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese and Italian dressing. This burger is to die for. It is packed with flavor and tasts amazing. Loved it! This time the other family cat, Peggy, wanted to be in the shot.

Afternoon Snack
For my afternoon snack I had some cheese pizza bites. I was craving something crunchy ever since I finished lunch, so this snack was a perfect fit.

Workout
I didn't wake up early this morning...BUT...I did go for a run/walk after work. Yay! It was 2.11 miles...not a bad start.

After my run/walk, I came back home and did a 10-minute arm toning workout.

Dinner
After completing my workout, I ate my dinner for the day. I tried out a new bar...a chocolate crunch bar. My goodness...this is full of chocolate. If you are craving chocolate this is the thing for you. Just have some water handy because you are going to need it. Overall it was fairly good...not my favorite, (I don't think any bar can beat out the s'mores crunch bar) but still good.

Dessert
To end the night, I had a peanut butter milkshake while watching last week's episode of The Biggest Loser. Perfect combo. :)

Today was a good day...I stuck to the Medifast program and I even worked out!

Just remember to keep it clean when it comes to filling that red holiday cup. No eggnog, folks...stick to the skinny drinks or just keep the coffee or tea black. You can do it!

xoxo,
Toni

day twenty-eight...pasta for days

 No pasta for me of course. I just made it and everyone else ate it. And I am a-okay with that. I enjoy making food for people actually. We were celebrating my brother's birthday (yes a week late) as a family. It's hard getting everyone together with such busy schedules. But I love my family and am so happy we are all so close.

This is the second time I have made pasta in the past week. Why? Well, since I cannot taste the food, I am just cooking what I know how to cook. So pasta it is! Plus, you can't go wrong with a big bowl of spaghetti and sausage.

Everyone enjoyed it, so we will just leave it at that. :)

Breakfast
I was out of it this morning and totally forgot to snap a shot of my pineapple mango smoothie. This was my last one and I didn't order any more. I wasn't the biggest fan of them and I was basically just eating them because I already bought them. I mean, the taste wasn't terrible, but it was just a tad off for my liking.

I was so cold after drinking the smoothie, so I made myself a cup of hot tea. I chose the Tazo chai tea and it was divine.

Morning Snack
Last night, I bake some oatmeal cookies to take with me to eat for my morning snack. All I did was heat them up for a bit in the toaster oven...but you really can just eat them the way they are. I like my cookies a bit more crispy rather than soft.

Lunch
I had to run some errands today at lunch so I only had enough time to throw together a quick salad for lunch. I just heated up a pizza burger and mixed it together with some romaine lettuce and light Italian dressing.

Afternoon Snack
I was pretty busy after lunch so time flew by. Before I knew it, it was 3pm and time for my afternoon snack. I had the BBQ bites, which I am actually beginning to really like. I didn't order any more this past order, but I just might next time.

After work I rushed home and started cooking my brother's belated birthday dinner. I made some pasta with sausage, a crisp salad, toasted up some jalapeno cheddar bread with butter and garlic and ended the meal with a warm crumb topped apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream. Oh! and they drank some martinelli's of course...delicious!

I think they liked it too... :D

Dinner
While my family ate the spaghetti dinner, I made myself a peanut butter milkshake. I will take that over pasta any day...well, at least right now I will.

Dessert
Tomorrow is my one month weigh in day, so I wanted to end my day with something light. So I had a peanut butter crunch bar with some water. It was perfect. Just the right amount I needed.

I will update my pictures, weight, and measurements with you all tomorrow, so keep an eye out!

Have a good night!

xoxo,
Toni

day twenty-seven...medifast referral

Hey Guys!

You may or may not know that I started a weight loss & Optimal Health program a little over 3 weeks ago with this easy to follow program and the support of a free Certified Health Coach! Between these two things I am happy to report I have lost about 14 lbs in the last 3 weeks and feel amazing and have so much energy. If you would like to know more info or about the support of my health coach, Charlotte Jurekovic feel free to contact her directly by clicking here. She says she has room to support a few more clients right now.

I cannot tell you enough how much this program has already changed my life and I cannot wait to see what the next few months are going to bring. I highly encourage you to check out this program and maybe even start the program for yourself...I promise you, you will not regret it.

Breakfast
It was a chilly morning, but that didn't stop me from making a dark chocolate shake for breakfast. I drank it on the way to work and am pretty sure I was an ice cube by the time I was done, but boy was it good.

Morning Snack
My original plan was to eat a blueberry soft bake, but I didn't want the whole kitchen smelling like blueberries for the rest of the day, so I decided to just eat a caramel crunch bar. I will have the soft bake tonight at home.

Lunch
I am boring when it comes to lunch...well at least during the week. Today I had the same exact thing as yesterday—a simple salad with lemon pepper chicken and light honey mustard dressing. I also added 2 meatless meatballs because the piece of chicken wasn't that big. What can I say...I like the simple, yet delicious things in life.

Afternoon Snack
Lunch didn't really hold me over very well...most likely because of the lack of meat and protein. So in order to make it to my afternoon snack without binging on all the pastries just sitting in the kitchen, I decided to make a cup of hot tea. Worked like a charm. I was good all the way up to my snack.



For my snack I had the Parmesan cheese puffs. This is my last bag! I didn't order any more...but I just may in the future.

Dinner
I was stuck in traffic for about 30 minutes last night, so by the time I got home, I was hungry. So I made myself a warm blueberry soft bake. For some reason, it overflowed...but that's okay...still tasted delicious!

Dessert
I love dessert...it is the best part of the day. And despite it being cold outside, I still made myself a coffee milkshake. I know I am weird and it only makes me cold, but it is so good! And really filling too. Can't go wrong with a milkshake! Well, at least I can't.

So there you have it! And don't forget to contact Charlotte if you are interested in starting the Medifast program yourself... I promise you will not regret it! And don't wait until after the holidays, start now! I did, and it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.

xoxo,
Toni

day twenty-five...a girl walks into a bakery

Oh the things you find on Pinterest...this one is a keeper and perfect for my post today...

So today I walked into a bakery. Not just any bakery...French's Bakery. A family owned and established bakery loaded with delicious baked goods. The moment I walked in, the smell just overwhelmed me. It was the first time in a few weeks that I truly felt weak.

Let me rewind...the reason I was even there in the first was because I had to purchase a cookie tray for work—this was all work-related and had nothing to do with pleasure or torturing myself.

Okay, so I walk in, smell all the goodness and purchase the cookie tray. While the girl is helping me checkout, I am standing there just looking at all the cookies, cupcakes, eclairs, croissants, and cakes...I feel like they are talking to me...just buy me, it won't hurt...you deserve it. I should have turned away but I couldn't stop looking at all the different kinds of pastries they had. Thankfully, the girl finished the transaction and I was on my merry way out the door. No other purchases were made.

I will be honest...it was hard. I know I have been strong resisting temptation and it has been fairly easy, but today was not easy. Sweet treats are my all-time weakness. I am so thankful the Lord provided that exit door...that was my way out. I had to stop and think, is it really worth it? Nope, I am already sweet enough...I don't need that cupcake. ;)

Breakfast
I woke up around 6:45 this morning and got going on my day. Got ready, made my breakfast and headed out the door to get to work on time. I had some extra time on my hands, but I decided to make a quick mocha shake and just get on the road.

Morning Snack
My stomach was grumbling by the time my morning snack came around. I chugged some water and made an oatmeal muffin. For some reason, I have a bunch of the oatmeal packets left so I am trying to finish them off before I open my new boxes of food.

It was a good thing I ate my snack when I did because it was right after I finished eating that I was asked to go to the bakery. I am sure not having a growling stomach helped me resist that bakery temptation.

Lunch
I had originally planned to have a salad for lunch, but as I was getting out the lettuce, I noticed there was cabbage as well. So I nixed the salad and went for a cabbage and pizza burger hash. Glad I did because it was delicious!

Afternoon Snack
I made it! The time quickly passed between lunch and my afternoon snack. I tell you, it is the hardest time waiting after lunch...I don't know why. But anyways, as soon as 3:15 rolled around I broke open a bag of bbq bites and started snacking.

Dinner
After debating for a while on what to have for dinner I decided to just have a s'mores crunch bar. I was going to have mac and cheese, but I will save that for tomorrow.

Dessert
Like the oatmeal, I have a few more soft serve packets left, so I decided to whip up a peanut butter milkshake using the peanut butter soft serve. This is such a perfect treat to have when lying in bed reading or watching a movie or something. Totally feels like you are sipping on a calorie-laden milkshake...when you in fact, are not.

So, another end to a great day. The Lord is good and I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

xoxo,
Toni