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

pushing forward

Today was the first day I have felt totally back on plan. I had no cravings and was able to pass by candy and other goodies with ease. I thank the Lord! It feels great! I am packing to go and work at the Missions Conference in Murrieta, CA, so I am going to keep this post short. :)

Breakfast
Woke up around 9 this morning and watch the live streaming of the Take Shape For Life Conference going on in San Diego. Learned so much! While watching, I ate on a smores crunch bar along with some coffee.

Morning Snack
A little while later I made a french vanilla shake and drank that while cleaning the kitchen.

Lunch
After cleaning I went to the store to stock up for some lean and green meals to bring with me. I had a gift card to Rubios from Christmas and it is right next to the store, so my parents and I went there to grab a bite to eat. I ended up opting for the steak chopped salad with no chips or dressing. So good and filling!

Afternoon Snack
I wasn't really hungry at this point but had the munchies, so of course I still ate. I sipped on a coffee milkshake...I also added some extra instant coffee to give it a little boost.

Dinner
My stomach was growling by the time dinner rolled around so I ate some chili nacho cheese puffs while drinking a bunch of water.

Dessert
I went to church tonight, so after I got home it was time to eat my last meal of the day. I know coffee tends to keep you up, but it was cold outside and I was craving a cappucino. So I made a calorie burn cappuccino and am now calling it a night.

I will keep you all updated this week as I am away from home. Pray for me! :)

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 forty-five...being transformed

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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 thirty-six...friday favs and week five weigh-in

Is it just me or are you a little anxious on your weigh-in day? I just keep thinking...well, I did everything I could, so let's see what happens. Well, I will tell you what happened this morning...not now, but in a little bit. :)

So today I am eating all my favorite meals. It's Friday...and, I had a good weigh in, so why not?

There are days when you just need to "splurge"...in a healthy way, of course...and today is that day. All my splurge foods are of the Medifast kind, but they are all my favorites. It's Friday favorites day! Who knows...maybe I will do this every Friday.

Breakfast
This morning I had a vanilla pumpkin shake. How exactly did I do that? Well, I mixed the vanilla shake mix with some capella pumpkin drops. Every sip tasted like fall...and Thanksgiving! Can you believe Thanksgiving is in less than a week?! So crazy! How is this my favorite? Well...I love the vanilla shakes, but as you may have remembered, pumpkin is my all time favorite fall flavor. So making a pumpkin shake that I can actually have is like a dream come true!

Morning Snack
My favorite morning snack is the calorie burn cappuccino. It has the perfect amount of sweetness and leaves you feeling full for the rest of the morning. Words cannot explain how delicoius and creamy this cappuccino was today. I could literally have this every single morning...maybe I should... ;) PS...isn't that cup just the cutest! I got it from Starbucks...here is the link to buy it...but it looks like it may be sold out right now.

Lunch
I went out to lunch today with some dear friends. It was a sweet time of fellowship and much needed girl time. :) I went to GreenLeaf Chopshop and ordered the "build your own hot entree". Basically you get a piece of meat with a choice of two sides. For my meat, I went with the flat iron steak. I don't think I have had red meat since starting the Take Shape For Life program, so I thought I would "splurge". Steak is one of my all-time favorite meats. For my two sides, I ordered the Tuscan kale salad (basically just kale, shaved pecorino romano, lemon juice, and olive oil),  and the green beans and shallots. Everything was so delicious! The meat just melted in my mouth. Definitely a special treat for today.

If you are ever in the Costa Mesa area, I would highly suggest you try this place out. Click here to find a location near you. I went to the one at SOCO...just fyi. :)

Afternoon Snack
So continuing with my Friday favorites theme, I decided to eat my favorite snack...the brown sugar cereal crunch. These always remind me of french toast for some reason. I have mentioned before how much I enjoy cereal, so these satisfy my craving completely.

Look at this sky! So gorgeous seeing this driving home from work.

Dinner
After coming home from work, I was going to have a smores crunch bar, but I decided to make myself a milkshake instead. A peanut butter one to be exact. My favorite dessert turned dinner ever!

Dessert
On my way to church I ate a s'mores crunch bar. It was quick and easy to eat. It also ended my night with a smile...this is my favorite bar, so of course I smiled in delight. :) I cut it into little pieces so it would be easier to eat during church.

Weight Update
Okay, so you ready for my weigh-in news? Well...I lost another three pounds! I was shocked when I saw the number on the scale. I actually weighed myself three more times...just to make sure. So as of this morning, my weight is 147.2. It seems so surreal that I have lost 19 pounds in only five weeks! Take Shape For Life is the best thing that has ever happened to me...besides being saved and going to Heaven. ;)

I highly encourage you to look into this program. Start now or after the holidays, just do it! I am a living example that if you follow the program, you will lose weight. It's that simple. And I honestly don't work out all that much and I am still losing weight. What do you have to lose trying it?

xoxo,
Toni