PURIM 5775

The Jewish holiday of Purim ended yesterday.  The Jewish calendar indicates that this is the year 5775.  Purim calls for much joy and at least a few 'L'chaims.'  I checked the chabad.org website for a quick description of Purim.

The festival of Purim is celebrated every year on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar. It commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia from Haman’s plot “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day.”

Haman's plot didn't work quite as planned.  We Jews, are still here.  At the conclusion of Purim we like to celebrate. My friends at my Chabad House know how to celebrate and we know how to have fun.

It's not everyday that you get your Rabbi to pose for a picture with you... 

...wearing a PINK HAT.

PURIM IS ONE OF THOSE DAYS WHEN THIS IS POSSIBLE.

LAST NIGHT WAS SPECIAL TO ME FOR ONE OTHER REASON...Last night was the first time in nearly a decade that I wore a pair of blue jeans that were a size 42"waist. (I admit that they were tight - but it felt very good to wear them.) Approximately 70 days ago, I was wearing 50"waist blue jeans - and they were getting tight!


THURSDAY MENU

breakfast   2 poached eggs, 1 cup oatmeal w/prune, 2 slices turkey 'bacon'    355 CALORIES
lunch         Spring Mix Salad, Chicken Broth, Salmon Burger                        140 CALORIES
dinner       Rotisserie Chicken, Salad (no dressing), one potato slice               200 CALORIES

L'Chaims   maybe eight?    8 shots of Whiskey @ 69 calories per shot          552 CALORIES

TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED   1247 CALORIES

1227 calories consumed, is by far, the most calories I have consumed in one day since I started my 'Rabbi Hillel Diet' on December 24, 2014.   I definitely over-indulged on the L'Chaims.   Purim only comes once per year   Tomorrow it is back to  my normal 1000 calorie per day routine.

CALORIES BURNED
ELLIPTICAL    33 MINUTES (level 13)      515 CALORIES

NET CALORIES       732 CALORIES

EXTRA LOW CALORIE LUNCH: in preparation of overindulgence at Purim Party   140 CALORIES

PURIM DINNER AT THE CHABAD HOUSE:  chicken and salad (no dressing) and one potato
estimated   180 CALORIES

TRIPLE CHEESEBURGER? I'LL PASS. OR TRIPLE BYPASS

I was driving to an appointment in Chicago to sell some buttons when I passed a billboard touting McDonald's newest creation - TRIPLE CHEESEBURGER.  I think I might have missed my calling in life.  Back when I was 17 years old and working at Burger King, (earning the minimum wage of $1.85 per hour) there was a deduction on my pay for each day worked as it was assumed that we would be eating our meals during our breaks at the restaurant.  We were allowed to have anything we wanted.  I used my creativity.  It was nearly 40 years ago that I thought that I had invented the TRIPLE CHEESEBURGER.   As I recall, even back then, I always had two of them.  When I look at the calorie count of this recent introduction by McDonald's I see that one of these triple cheeseburgers has more than half the calories that I have had in a typical day since I changed the course of my nutritional life.  It will be a long, long time before I get the urge to eat one of these things.  Never seems like an appropriate time frame.  (Just for laughs, someday if you ever order one of these things, take good look at it - I promise it will not look anything like you you see in this picture!)

McDonald's Triple Cheeseburger
CALORIES 510
PROTEIN 31g
FAT 27g
CARBS 36g

I need to remember to thank God that I have the health that I do.  I think I will pass on the opportunity to eat this menu item offered by McDonald's.  (That should not be too difficult as I am avoiding everything at McDonald's.)  This triple cheeseburger is the type of food that can lead to something called a triple bypass.  I don't really know what that completely means - and I am not anxious to find out.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I made an effort to cut back a little bit on my breakfast, lunch and dinner so that I could have some calories to spare that I could 'spend' on some 'L'chaims' at the Farbrengen last evening.

WEDNESDAY MENU
breakfast   three poached eggs                                             220 calories
lunch         Jason's Deli Cup of Spicy Seafood Gumbo       200 calories
dinner       5 oz Irish Lamb Stew, Chicken Tortilla Soup    280 calories

FARBRENGEN  6 'L'chaims' (shots of whiskey)               420 calories

TOTAL CALORIES (including breakfast, lunch, dinner and 6 'L'chaims' was 1120.  (This was the first day since December 24, 2014 that I consumed more than 1000 calories in a single day.  It was a good streak while it lasted.  The streak was broken for a good cause - the birthday farbrengen of my dear friend, Rabbi Meir Chai Benhiyoun)  I had anticipated the possibility that I might overindulge a bit - therefore I worked out for three sessions yesterday.  Even after my meals and 'L'chaims' were tallied up - my caloric intake yesterday still came out to a deficit of 130.

calories burned
6AM   elliptical 31 minutes      415 calories
6PM    elliptical 31 minutes      415 calories
8PM    elliptical 31 minutes      420 calories

net caloric deficit   -130 calories

My good friend, neighbor and Rabbi - Meir Chai Benhiyoun, whose birthday we celebrated last evening.

FARBRENGEN

This week, Jews around the world will usher in the month of Adar.  Adar is the month when Jews are commanded to experience joy.  There will be great joy in my neighborhood as our beloved Rabbi and friend celebrates his birthday this evening.  Rabbi Meir Chai Benhiyoun who with this wife, Rivka, are the directors of the Chabad House just two doors down from my own home will host a farbrengen this evening.  When a Chabad Rabbi celebrates a birthday, he doesn't exactly have a birthday party - he has a farbrengen.  Here I (mostly) duplicated a definition from wikipedia.com.

A Farbrengen (/fɑrbrɛnɡɛn/, from the Yiddish פארברענגען, meaning "joyous gathering"; German verbringen "to spend [time/solidarity/festivity together]") is a Chasidic gathering. This term is used by Chabad-Lubavitch Chasidim. It may consist of explanations of general Torah subjects, with an emphasis on Chasidic philosophy, relating of Chasidic stories, and lively Chasidic melodies, with refreshments being served. It is regarded as a time of great holiness. Farbrengens are public events open to non-Chasidim as well.

I am not a Chabadnik (Chabad-Lubavitch Chasidic Jew) - I have amazing friends who are Chabadniks.  I always enjoy spending time with my Chabadnik friends.  Chabadniks are the happiest people that I know.  Their  joy for life is extremely contagious.

An important part of a farbrengen is wishing L'chaim to one another.  I again consulted wikipedia.com for a definition.

All attending wish L'chaim, blessings of life, to one another. The reason for the L'chaim is to open the hearts of the participants to be inspired to want to change, and internalize what is being spoken at the farbrengen.... However, (alcohol) is only meant to be drunk sparingly, as the Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson forbade drinking more than four shot glasses of alcohol ("L'chaims") for anyone, especially those under the age of 40.

In my experiences with my Chabadnik friends, this (limitation  of four L'chaims) restriction is much more of a guideline than a strict rule! 

Tonight, I will see many friends that I have not seen for about two months.   And in those two months, I have lost nearly 50 lbs.   It should be great fun to see everyone again.   I will be 'armed' with my new 'Rabbi Hillel Diet' business cards should anyone want to learn about my eating/dieting philosophy.    And I will be careful to drink my 'L'chaims' sparingly.  

I may sacrifice the volume of liquor that I enjoy, but I will not sacrifice the joyousness of the occasion.

TUESDAY MENU
breakfast   three poached eggs, two strips turkey 'bacon'                                               280 calories
lunch         Salmon burger, Sirloin Burger Soup, Organic Salad, balsamic, asparagus    327 calories
dinner       turkey burger, sirloin soup, organic salad, balsamic, artichoke hearts            382 calories

total consumption  989 CALORIES

calories burned
6AM    elliptical machine  31 minutes    410 calories
6PM     elliptical machine  31 minutes    430 calories
8PM     elliptical machine  30 minutes    405 calories

total calories burned    1245 calories burned

NET CALORIC INTAKE     NEGATIVE -256

LUNCH: Salmon burger, Sirloin Burger Soup, Organic Salad w/balsamic dressing, asparagus    327 calories