12-week transformation...day nine

I highly encourage you to attend Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa any night for the rest of the week and join together with the church in a time of prayer. I have gone the past two nights and it has been such a sweet time of prayer and fellowship.

As a random side note...I am creating a wedding website for my sister and her soon-to-be-husband and I think I may be switching over my blog to a new site. The website I am creating is pretty easy and it looks great and clean. I don't know yet...we will see. As for now, I are still here.

Breakfast
Nothing too special about breakfast this morning. Made my last french vanilla shake and headed off to work. I drank it pretty quickly though! Must have been hungry...or thirsty...or both.

Morning Snack
I will be honest...these hot drinks from medifast (chai latte and the calorie burn cappuccino) have really helped me to stay on the Take Shape for Life program. I feel like I am treating myself to a delicious coffee shop coffee drink everyday! Today I had the calorie burn cappuccino and loved every sip of it!

Lunch
I have a new burger from Trader Joe's! Last night I bought some turkey burgers and boy-oh-boy are they good! I think I have found a new favorite! I topped my romaine salad with a turkey burger, some shredded parmesan cheese, and light chipotle dressing. Delish!

Afternoon Snack
It is hot outside today, but that didn't stop me from having a coffee with a cookie dough chewy bar. These bars taste so good when dipped in the coffee. Not a fan of them by themselves, but dipped in coffee...amazing.

Dinner
Once again, I went to church tonight for the week of prayer. But before I left I had some honey mustard pretzel bites.

Dessert
By the time I got home, I was really hungry! So I made a brownie soft bake and drank it along with a ton of water and called it a night.

Don't forget! If you are in the area and are free any night this week, stop by Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and pray it up with fellow believers in Christ!

Lastly...check out this full moon! I love it when the sun is setting and you can see the moon!

xoxo,
Toni

12-week transformation...day four

Today's transformation email was great! All about breaking habits and how to break them...here is what Dr. A says:
  
Changing your habits is a four-step process:

1. Identify the foundational choices that support optimal health, and implement a plan to incorporate them into your daily choices.
2. Become aware of the daily choices you make that don’t support health.
3. Think long term.
4. Create a microenvironment of health by removing as many negative stimuli as possible. If you have a Health Coach, you have already begun to build a powerful microenvironment of health and support!

Good advice, right? Seems pretty reasonable to me!

Now, I won't lie...this week has been tough. As I mentioned before, I usually eat all sorts of junk when I am working a conference, but this time, I am sticking to my plan and I feel better than ever. I love this feeling, but it's hard...especially when everyone else around you is not on a diet and eating all sorts of goodies.

But...I have made it this far...I can finish out the week. Can you believe it's Thursday already? Time is just flying by this week! I am pretty happy about it because I cannot wait to get back into my own bed and be able to work in my own kitchen without a cooler or walking everywhere to get ice...it's the little things in life.

Breakfast
So I don't know if I was really hungry or something, but for some reason my mocha shake this morning tasted like heaven. It was delicious! Nice and smooth and creamy...with a bit of thickness to it. Just divine I tell you.

Morning Snack
The morning was pretty busy, so time flew by. By the time I looked at my watch I realized it was time to eat! Praise the Lord because it has been quite difficult craving wise...so I am hanging in there.

Lunch
Well my lettuce is all gross now, so my salad wasn't all that great...so sad. :( I will just have to treat myself to a yummy lean and green meal tomorrow. The salad was the same as all the rest and included romaine lettuce, chicken, parmesan cheese, and light chipotle dressing. I will be honest and admit that I added some more cheese to cover the not-so-great taste of the lettuce.

Afternoon Snack
I don't think I was really hungry, but I definitely had the munchies. I think it was more me wanting to taste something yummy...because of the whole lunch debacle. So I did end up eating some honey mustard pretzel bites along with a sugar-free zero monster. I don't drink these often, but today was just one of those days, you know?

Dinner
It was semi-busy this afternoon, so time semi-flew by. I kept looking at the clock for some reason. Oh well...I was able to eat eventually. I ended up having a strawberry crunch bar, which seemed to satisfy my non-hunger-munchies. Check out that giant dried strawberry on the top! :P

Dessert
I had a sweet tooth around dessert time...like major sweet tooth. I really wanted to eat some chocolate...like really bad. But then I thought about why I am doing this program (Take Shape For Life)...so I heated up a chocolate chip cookie soft bake instead. Satisfied me right away and now I am going to bed feeling fantastic.

Tomorrow is a weigh-in day and I can't wait to see what the scale reads! I am excited! Hopefully I will have reached the weight (138.0 pounds) before my holiday weight gain.

xoxo,
Toni

12-week transformation...day three

Well hello! Great quote, right? I just love it! Even if you had an off-plan day, today is a new day and a fresh start. Take advantage of it and stick with your plan! :)

So this morning I woke up feeling pretty good...had a little pep in my step! Well, okay, let's be real...I was really tired, but I was feeling good. It's funny though, because I had a dream I ate every junk food known to man...so waking up this morning and realizing I am still sticking to the plan felt pretty good.

Today is day three of my transformation and I am expecting a new shipment of Medifast to arrive hopefully next week. I always get all giddy when a new shipment comes in. I'm weird...it's okay, I know.

Breakfast
As I mentioned, I was feeling really good this morning, but I woke up with a growling stomach. Maybe it was all the imaginary food I ate in my dream last night...who knows. But either way, I was ready for my morning shake. I made a french vanilla shake and added some ice to it...because even though it was a chilling (for me anyways) morning, I still like my drinks icy cold.

Morning Snack
I was pretty good hunger wise by the time my morning snack came around. I just love the calorie-burn cappuccinos...feels like I am getting a delicious and creamy-smooth drink from a coffeeshop!

Lunch
Well...my lettuce is getting a tad worse as the days go by, but I was still able to pick through the bad pieces and create a mediocre salad that consisted of romaine lettuce, chopped chicken, parmesan cheese, and light chipotle dressing...not bad, but not great either.

Afternoon Snack
Did the same thing as yesterday and drank a coffee while enjoying a s'mores crunch bar...perfect and lovely pairing!

Dinner
I looooove cereal...I have heard that most people are not a fan of the Medifast cereals, but I just love them! The brown sugar cinnamon crunch cereal smells and tastes like french toast...how can you not like that? Beats me...I like it whether or not anyone else is a fan.

Dessert
Best dessert ever...well, not ever, but it was pretty good. I made a cookie dough milkshake using a chocolate chip soft bake packet and blending it with some water and ice. Easy peasy and delicious!

Hope your day is crazy fun and blessed...it's almost Friday!!!

xoxo,
Toni

12-week transformation...day two

So today's 12-week transformation challenge was all about recording what you eat and how much exercise you are doing throughout the day.

Well, as you know, I already record everything I eat, so that is one check down. However, I am slacking this week on exercise being out of town and my normal day to day routine. But when I do workout, I will always record it and let you know. I am doing quite a bit of walking around here though, so that is definitely burning calories.

Breakfast
Same old today for breakfast...just a dark chocolate shake with some ice in it.

Morning Snack
I was hit with the munchies immediately after drinking my shake, but thankfully there was a session, so my mom and I went in to listen and by the time it was done, it was time to eat again! The Lord is go good! Once I was able, I made a chai latte and drank it quite quickly...I guess I was hungry!

Lunch
I had to pick through the bad lettuce, but was able to put together a decent salad that included romaine lettuce, chicken, Parmesan cheese, and light chipotle dressing. Simple and delicious!

Afternoon Snack
I was lagging a bit by the afternoon so I made a cup of coffee and sipped on it while eating a cinnamon roll crunch bar. Seriously, the best pairing ever! Felt like I was eating a sinful pastry with my coffee. ☺

Dinner
The chili nacho cheese puffs are becoming one of my favorite meals! I love to munch on them while drinking some water...plus, it takes the hunger away...and keeps it away for some time!

Dessert
I did end up bringing my blender, so in my room I was able to blend up a peanut butter milkshake (using the peanut butter soft serve and blending it with water and ice). It was so perfect and hit the spot after a long day.

And what a long day it was! I am exhausted and cannot wait to put my head to my pillow...I hope you have a happy Wednesday!

PS...wasn't the sunset tonight just beautiful! Well...it sure was for me! Here is a picture of it...although it doesn't do it justice.

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

cheesy spinach and kale dip

I love spinach artichoke dip. Well, loved it. I know that I cannot have artichokes so I substituted them with kale. I promise...you won't even notice a difference. This dip is going to rock your world.

Step One
Gather your ingredients and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. You will need:

1/4 cup egg beaters
1/2 cup spinach
1/2 cup of chopped kale
4.5 oz 1% cottage cheese
1/4 tsp Mrs dash garlic and herb seasoning
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
1/2 tbsp light butter
1/2 cup of celery or pepper strips

Step Two
Combine all ingredients in a bowl except parmesan cheese and shredded cheddar cheese.

Step Three
Pour into a casserole dish sprayed with non stick cooking spray and bake for 40 min.

Step Four
Sprinkle cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese on top and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Step Five
Allow it to cool a bit, and dip some celery or peppers in it and enjoy!

This entire recipe counts for one lean and green meal.

xoxo,
Toni

day sixty-three...if it was easy, everyone would do it

Today was kind of tough. Not really for food reasons (although having an entire box of see's candy in my office doesn't help) but rather for exercise reasons. I went for a 2.17 mile jog and just struggled with it. Then I saw this quote and thought, how true! I mean, if running was easy, everyone would be healthy and in shape, right? But the fact is, is that working out is hard! There is just no easy way if you want to see results. Simple as that.

With that said, I am not feeling discouraged, but rather encouraged. Weird, right? But I am excited to see my weight for tomorrow morning. And you know...if I don't reach my goal of 2 pounds, that is okay. I know I am due for a plateau and I am ready for that, but I also know that I have tried my hardest this week and have stuck to the plan. 

But all the glory goes to the Lord for helping me get through my run tonight and also through this week.

Breakfast
Okay...enough with my "life is hard but keep going rant"...let's move onto my eats for the day. For my breakfast this morning I made a mocha shake and added some instant coffee to it. Totally enhances the flavor of the shake...you should try it.

Morning Snack
I was out and about on an errand when my morning snack time came around. My stomach started grumbling and I realized, Oh, it's time to eat! Funny thing though, in about ten minutes my stomach stopped grumbling and I wasn't hungry anymore! Just goes to show that when those hunger pangs do come, stop, drink some water, go for a walk, etc...I promise the hunger will dissipate. :) But anyways, when I did make it back to the office, I made a calorie burn cappuccino and sipped on the hot goodness for about 30 minutes. 

Lunch
Back to the daily grind for lunch today. I had a romaine salad topped with a pizza burger, some parmesan cheese, and light chipotle ranch dressing. Perfection. It was raining outside which is why the table has puddles on it. ;)

Afternoon Snack
For my afternoon snack I had some nacho cheese chili puffs. These are fairly good...just remember to have some water on hand...well, at least for me. They can get spicy at times.

Workout
As I mentioned earlier, I went for a run today. Nothing out of the ordinary, just my same 2.17 mile run. It was hard but fun at the same time. Maybe the difficulty was due to the cold? I don't know. At one point I couldn't even feel my nose! Oh well...I fought through the pain and finished the run.

Dinner
After my run, I made a java chip frappuccino. I just mixed instant coffee with the chocolate chip soft bake and blended it with some water. Easy peasy and delicious!

Dessert
To end the night, I had a strawberry crunch bar. Something light and small...because tomorrow is a weigh in day!

And now I am off to bed! Isn't this picture of my cat, Peggy, just the cutest! Even cat haters have to love this. I mean, how can you not. ;)

Goodnight!

xoxo,
Toni