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-three...a girl's night in

Tonight I threw a girl's night in party...I made a ton of food, and guess what? I didn't even have one lick of it! That is such a huge success for me! I know I took a risk by cooking, but I felt confident knowing I wouldn't eat any of it. My parents were also there for a bit and ate what I made. They said it turned out pretty good, so I didn't even have to try the food.

The only thing I will say is that you need to really think about it before you throw a party or cook a big meal. Why? Well, you don't want to stumble yourself. I could not have done this two weeks ago without eating something. So, don't rush anything. Stop and think. Ask the Lord to be with you...it will all turn out okay.

Breakfast
I was able to sleep in this morning...it was soooo nice! But with that said, I got a late start on my eating. So I made a calorie burn cappuccino just to get me started with the day. It was perfect!

Lunch
I went to Starbucks for a bit and when I returned home, I ate my lunch. I tried out these new boca brand meatless crumbles and topped my romaine salad with them. I wasn't the biggest fan of them, but they weren't bad either. I miss the meatballs from Trader Joe's, they are still out of them.

Afternoon Snack #1
I don't know what it was about this bag of pretzels, but they were so good! Like, better than usual. I don't know...maybe I am just getting used to all the odd tastes in some of the food. ;)

Afternoon Snack #2
I had a little time to kill before my guests started arriving, so I thought I would attempt to make waffles using the pancake mix. And it totally worked! All I did was mix the pancake packet with a dash of cinnamon and 4 tablespoons of water. I then let it sit for about 5 minutes to thicken up a bit. I poured the mix into the waffle maker and voila! Waffles! I have actually never made waffles before, so this was a first on many levels. I am just thankful it turned out.



Dinner
At this point, some of my friends had started to arrive along with my parents, so I began making the appetizers for them to munch on while dinner was cooking. While I was doing that, I began munching on a caramel crunch bar. It kept my mouth busy and also helped me not want to pop some food into my mouth...intentionally or unintentionally.

Dessert
After dinner was eaten, I made the girls my top secret chocolate molten lava cakes. And while they were eating those, I decided to eat my dessert as well. So I microwaved a blueberry soft bake and ate with everyone else. And you know what, never once did I feel like I was being left out or wishing I could eat what they were eating. I was content the entire night. And never once did the girls question my not eating the food I was making. They all know about my plan and supported me last night 100%. I love my friends dearly...it is good to have friends who love and care about you when you are on this journey.

Overall, it was a fun night of food and fellowship and watching these two cuties...

I pray your Sunday is a blessed one!

xoxo,
Toni

day nineteen...the wonder of it all

I took this photo at Pirates Cove, Corona Del Mar, in August 2013

I woke up this morning singing the hymn entitled, Wonder of it All. How wonderful it is that God saved us. He created us perfectly in His image.

Here are the lyrics to the hymn. Just meditate on the Lord while you read each word and really know in your heart that everything—whether good or bad—is wonderful. Why? Because God is in the center of it all. And when God is in the center, it will surely turn out wonderful.

There's the wonder at sunset at evening

The wondrous sunrise I see

But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul

Is the wonder that God loves me

The wonder of it all

The wonder of it all 

Just to think that God loves me

Oh the wonder of it all 

The wonder of it all  

Just to think that God loves me

There's the wonder of spring time and harvest

The sky, the stars, the sun

But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul

Is the wonder that's only begun

The wonder of it all

The wonder of it all 

Just to think that God loves me

Oh the wonder of it all 

The wonder of it all  

Just to think that God loves me

Breakfast
Since I woke up singing such a beautiful hymn, I was in a very good mood to say the least. And the calorie burn cappuccino only made my morning better...until I burned my entire mouth. PS...don't you love the new red cups from Starbucks! I haven't liked the past couple designs, but this year it is very sophisticated and...well...just cute! :)

Morning Snack
As always, the cappuccino kept me quite full, so I had an apple cinnamon oatmeal muffin...made in a mug. I think I microwaved it just a tad too long because it was a little dry. But other than that, I loved it. Notice my Christmas fox mug? I am busting out the Christmas stuff early! I love Christmas! You will see that soon enough.

Lunch
I almost made another pizza burger salad, but had some green beans to eat before they went bad. So I made a pizza burger with green bean "fries" and marinara as dipping sauce. Delish!

Afternoon Snack
Pretzels were on the menu for this afternoon. I didn't reorder them on my next order (which shipped out today!) but maybe I will next time. I am beginning to like them...as I am running out of them. Go figure.

Dinner
I had to eat on the go tonight and so I took a picture in the back of my car. Surprised it didn't come out blurry!

Dessert
Dessert totally hit the spot tonight. I ate it in the middle of church, and it was perfect! It didn't make crunching sounds like last week, so that was a plus!

That's all I have for today! May your day be extra blessed and remember what is the wonder of it all!

xoxo,
Toni

day sixteen...running the race

taken after the race

 Today I ran a race...both physically and spiritually. Let's start with the physical race.

Well, I woke up this morning, got ready, and headed out with my parents to run a 5k color run. Now, before I began Medifast, I would run about 3-4 miles three times a week with no problem. Yes, I would get tired, but I would always push through it. Today however was a different situation...totally different. My health coach told me to take it easy with my running for the first two weeks of the program—which I did.

I am in week three now, so I thought I could just breeze through the run like I have in the past. But I was wrong...like way wrong. I pretty much struggled the entire time. The first mile went pretty good, not too much pain, but soon after I was hurting. I definitely had to listen to my body—it was screaming for me to stop and walk. It was humbling, but I did. My mom was also with me the entire time and did not leave me in the (color) dust...she's a keeper. ;) After walking for a few minutes, we would pick the pace up again and begin running...only for me to call a break and start walking once again. We did this for the rest of the run, but it worked. We ran the majority of the run, so that is an accomplishment. But I can honestly say that I did the best I could.

taken before the race

Moral of the story...listen to your body and know that you will not be able to do all you could do before the Medifast program. I am going to begin a workout plan beginning Monday, but it will mainly consist of toning exercises. I will probably add some cardio as well, but just try to shoot for 1 mile of running rather than 3. Some things will have to be adjusted because I am not feeding my body all the calories and energy I used to. My body is still adjusting to the low calorie diet. I'm just taking it little by little.

Okay, so here is the spiritual side of the story...after the run and me realizing just how weak I was, the Lord gave me a verse that spoke wonders to me. Now, I have heard this verse more times than I can count, but in this particular moment, it was just what I needed to hear. Taken from Hebrews 12:1, it says,

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." 

How great is that! I may not have broken any records running today, but I did endure and finish the race! Even with my new health program. It is helping me lay aside the sin of overeating and turning my focus to the Lord rather than my flesh. Keep running your race. You may have just begun (like me), but the finish line is there, we just need to keep enduring and we will eventually see it.

my mom and me right after we crossed the finish line

Anyways, I hope that this encourages some of you today who may be struggling with endurance. Keep going! It may hurt physically, but you will win greatly spiritually.


Breakfast
I had to make a quick breakfast to eat on the go to the race. So I made a pancake muffin in a mug. I then cut it in half and stuck it in a toaster. Delish!

Morning Snack
I had my morning snack a little after I finished the race. I wasn't too hungry after that difficult run, but I ate it anyways. I chose something small and easy to eat (because I was in the car). Also, I came prepared and pack multiple snacks. You just never know what will happen and you don't want to be without your meals! And yes, those are my running pants...covered in color!

Lunch
Lunch was a little late for me today, so I ate a simple meatball salad. It is quick and easy to make and tastes delicious too!

Afternoon Snack
At this point, I was just relaxing, so it was nice to eat a crunchy snack while doing my nails. It was easy to eat too so I didn't mess up my freshly painted fingers.

Dinner
After my fingers dried, I decided to try out a little recipe. I took the brown sugar oatmeal and made granola out of it. But I will get to that next. For dinner I made a dark chocolate shake. I was going to a friend's house and this was a perfect meal to make and take with me to drink on the drive over.

Dessert
I made granola, and it wasn't half bad. I baked it in advance because I had to take it with me to eat at my friend's house—didn't want to be unprepared and tempted. While they were eating pizza, dr. pepper, and brownies, I munched on my oatmeal granola. And you know what? I didn't feel left out! No one even mentioned or asked why I wasn't eating pizza too. They all understood! Love my friends! Just make sure that you have supportive friends who won't drag you down.

So that's it! Quite a busy day, but it was a good one. I hope your Sunday is a fun one!

xoxo,
Toni

day twelve...take every thought captive

"...bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5).
When you are having a tempting thought, immedietly take it captive and release it to the Lord. Trust me, He will get rid of it for you—but only if you are willing. I have found that singing a song of worship when a tempting thought comes into my mind helps me to switch my thoughts from sin to praise. Next time you are struggling, stop and pray. Sing a song. Begin reading the Bible. There are so many options. But it is up to you to make that step to stop and do what pleases the Lord.   

Breakfast: calorie burn cappuccino

Have I mentioned before how much I enjoy these? Well, I do...a lot. It not only wakes me up a bit but the taste is delicious and it keeps my stomach full all morning. I wasn't hungry whatsoever when it was time for morning snack.

Morning Snack: blueberry soft bake

Yes, I know this looks unappetizing, but it is quite the opposite. It was soft, chewy and and bursting with blueberries (which seem to hide within the soft bake). Perfect meal after a wonderfully hot cappuccino.

Lunch: chicken salad

Lunch was amazing. I sauteed some chopped chicken with a few pieces of purple onion and it turned out perfectly moist and packed full of flavor. So simple, yet so delicious.

Medifast Lean and Green Breakdown:
Lean: 6 ounces of chicken (breast)
Green: 2 3/4 cup of romaine lettuce, 2 tablespoons of purple onion
Healthy Fat: 2 tablespoons of light Italian dressing

Afternoon Snack: cheese pizza bites

This crunchy snack is so good! Highly recommend it to anyone looking for something to crunch on. My only suggestion is to have some water with you because they are kind of dry. ;)

Dinner: attempted pancake muffin turned into giant pancake

So I attempted to make a pancake muffin in a mug, but...I accidentally put twice the amount of water the recipe called for, therefore, it did not work...like not at all. In my attempt to salvage my gooey mess, I decided to pour the half-cooked batter into a pan and fry it up like I would a normal pancake. It worked to an extent, but obviously it looks hideous. I almost didn't post this picture, but then I thought, hey, we all make mistakes...why not just post it. We can all learn from our mistakes. The next time I try and make a muffin out of pancake mix, I will think twice before I add the water.




Dessert: caramel crunch bar

I actually had to eat this in the middle of church tonight. I thought it would be okay because the bar is soft, but I was wrong...it still had some crunch to it. I began eating very slowly so I would not annoy the people around me, but it still had a loud crunch at every bite. Oh well, you do what you gotta do.

Overall, today was a fantastic day. I was able to put my focus on the Lord when my mind began thinking fleshly thoughts. I thank the Lord that I made it through yet another day—to God be the glory!

xoxo,
Toni

day eight...the big weigh in

Today is the day. The first day of my second week, and my weight in day. Let's just say...I was a little nervous. Not because I went off the diet (because I didn't), but more of just doubting myself and thinking, did I eat everything right and how and when I was supposed to? Well, I got my answer when I saw the number on the scale. But I will reveal all that at the end of the post. Keep the suspense building.

I was crazy busy (again) all day and had to eat most of my meals on the go. Why? You ask. Well, I was setting up for the Men's Conference which is tomorrow. Here is what I helped do...

Lots and lots of books to set up. But it's pretty fun. Kept my mind busy and not wandering and thinking about food—which usually tends to happen when I have an idle mind. I am sure many of you know what I am talking about.

I was also faced with a temptation...a giant box of chocoalte (I didn't take a picture of it, because I don't want to stumble anyone), and it was hard not to just grab one and eat it. No one had to know. But even though I could smell the chocolate, I resisted and asked myself, is it really worth it? And the answer is no, it's not. And it never will be. That's that.

Breakfast: Mocha Shake

photo cred: theveggiehouse.com—I forgot to take a photo, so I borrowed this one :)

I don't think I will ever get tired of this shake...it's just that good.

Like I mentioned earlier, I was busy today, so I had my next meal while driving. I wasn't driving though, so that made it a bit more easier to eat.

Morning Snack: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins

I wasn't a big fan of the oatmeal, so I found a recipe that made these delicious muffins using the apple cinnamon oatmeal mix along with the spiced pancake mix. Click here for the recipe.

Then I got to work making those tables look pretty, and before you know it, two and a half hours passed and it was time to eat...again!

Lunch : Parmesan Cheese Bites

I know I usually have my lean and green meal at lunch, but there was just no time. I did think ahead and brought all my snacks just in case—which was good, because I didn't end up having my lean and green meal until dinner, so I was covered.

For my afternoon snack, I was in the car once again. I forgot to snap a photo, but that's ok. I just borrowed one from Medifast. :)

photo credit: medifast1.com

Once again, the picture shows two bars, but I only had one. Just to clear up any confusion. :)

Now comes the fun part. Dinner. I did something a little different tonight. Thanks to my health coach, Charlotte, who gave me tons of ideas on what to eat. One thing she suggested were these vegetarian pizza flavored burgers from Trader Joe's. Oh my, they were so good! I also had some mini zucchini just laying around, so I decided to make mini pizza bites.

Dinner: Mini Pizza Bites

They look pretty good right? It was a nice change up from my usual salad. Click here for the recipe.

Lean: Trader Joe's Meatless Pizza Burger, 1/4 cup of light mozzarella cheese
Green: 2 cups of mini green zucchini, 1/4 cup of Trader Joe's marinara sauce
Healthy Fat: 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

Now on to dessert...

Dessert: Coffee Milkshake

I did it again. Same thing as last night. Only difference is, this is coffee flavored, whereas I had the peanut butter last night. Which one is better? Well, I think the peanut butter tastes a bit better, but they are both delicious.

Well, before I sign off, I guess I should let you all know what my weight was this morning. You ready? Okay...so as of today, I weight 158.8 pounds! That is a total weight loss of 7.4 pounds in only one week! And to be honest, it feels like I am not even on a diet. I love most of the Medifast food and actually find myself looking forward to it! Can't wait to see the results next week. The number on the scale is only going down from here—I promise you that.

Blessings!

xoxo,
Toni

day four...an evening stroll and a lesson learned

I cannot believe I have completed day four! Time seriously is flying by. I can't tell you how happy I am and how much I am looking forward to how I will feel and look a month from now or even six months from now <---I am hoping it takes about six months to get to my goal weight of about 105 pounds. I am only 5'1", so this weight is in the healthy weight BMI range for me. :)

okay, moving on to breakfast! I had a smoothie today. An orange mango smoothie to be exact. I can't put my finger on what the taste reminded me of, but it tasted so familiar. Who knows. Overall it was a nice, icy cold and fairly thick smoothie—components for a perfect smoothie.

Moving on to my morning snack, I had a blueberry soft bake...that I did not "bake" but rather cooked  in the microwave. This tasted pretty similar to a blueberry muffin. Actually, it tasted like a real muffin a lot (minus the vitaminy taste. All the Medifast foods are stock full of vitamins). I also thought I would switch up the pictures a bit and show you a step-by-step of how I made this little morning treat. I promise you, there are blueberries in the batter, they just all sunk to the bottom.

So for lunch, I switched it up and had some chicken rather than ground turkey. I also added some sauteed red peppers and put it all over a bed of romaine lettuce and added some light Italian dressing to it.

It was at this time after my lunch up until my afternoon snack that I struggled a bit. I wasn't tempted by other foods, it was more of a I just have to eat something right now. But by eating every 2-3 hours (not every hour) is how my body stays in a high metabolic, fat burning mode. So I waited and practiced discipline.

So, when it was time for my snack I decided on the cheese pizza bites. And you know, they actually did taste like cheese pizza. I was pretty shocked! The cracker part, which acts like the crust, is covered with a cheese and tomato flavor which just comes out to be a pretty delicious snack. I definitely like these better than the BBQ flavored ones I had yesterday.

Around 5pm, I got off work and began to eat my next Medifast snack: A Caramel Crunch Bar! I am not the biggest fan of caramel (I prefer chocolate over anything), but this bar wasn't too bad! I am liking all of the Medifast bars so far!

I ate my bar while driving with my mom to the backbay so we could take a leisurely walk through nature. While walking we listened to a message by Cheryl Brodersen and it just taught me a lesson for sure. <---This is my lesson learned. ;) She had given this message the day after Pastor Chuck (her father) went to Heaven. The joy she had in the midst of a difficult and sad time was incredible. I am currently going through a time at home where it is hard to find joy and love for those who just get on your nerves. You know? But the Lord spoke to me and was telling me I had to show love for these people. I not only think of how Jesus would treat these guys, but also of how Pastor Chuck would have treated them? Both would do it in love.

So we strolled along the beautiful nature path quite briskly while listening to a message, along with all the different birds and animals sounds in the distance. It was such a peaceful moment. After we got back to the car I told my mom, "Wait! We have to take a picture for my blog!" And so we did. :)

All in all, we only walked a bit under 3 miles (we were shooting for 4 miles). But hey, we still burned 235 calories in about 47 minutes...and all we did was walk! Plus, it was nice spending time with my mom.

When we got home, I began making my last meal of the day. It was oatmeal again. But this time it was a brown sugar flavor and I decided to attempt and make a muffin out of it. It didn't turn out exactly how I thought it would, but I will get it right eventually.

So there you have it! My day in a nutshell. Tomorrow I face day 5!

xoxo,
Toni