TO THE CHABAD HOUSE

I have made friends at my local Chabad House since moving into this neighborhood nearly 4 years ago.  A Chabad House is a center of traditional (Orthodox) Judaism.  A Chabad House is run by a Rabbi (Shaliach, Emissary) and his wife, a Shlucha (female word for emissary).   A Chabad House seemingly can be found almost anywhere there are Jews. Whether it is a place where Jews live or where Jews travel.  I always enjoy hearing radio talk-show host, author and public speaker, Dennis Prager recount a story about how he once went to a Chabad House in Cambodia! There are nearly 5000 Chabad Houses around the world and one can be found in 49 of the 50 states of The United States. I am blessed to live within 100 feet of a Chabad House. It is at my Chabad House where I have been exposed to authentic Judaism in ways that I had never been before.  The traditional Jewish lifestyle is not something that I am interested in as a full-time proposition.  It is something that I am greatly interested in on an 'a la carte' basis.  I have made terrific friends at my Chabad House.  One of my friends, is moving back to New York with his wife in a few short weeks.  We made arrangements to make sure that we both selected this Friday to be there so that we can enjoy the wonderful camaraderie of friends,  joy of Judaism,  the serenity of Shabbat, a delicious meal prepared by the Rabbi's wife and a L'Chaim (or two, or three).  So, tonight, Friday....It's to the Chabad House!

Chabad House, Dearborn Street, Chicago

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For lunch, I visited a Whole Foods Market which is less than 2 miles from my home.  I managed to stretch this two mile trip into an eight mile walk.  Afterwards, I naturally walked home.  Another day,  another day of walking ten miles.  The last couple of days, my exercise had been working out on the elliptical machine. It was good to get back outside.  

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Your Food Diary For:

Thursday, December 17, 2015

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Malt O Meal - Honey Nut Scooters, 60 g	240	48	3	6	420	18
steel cut oatmeal - steel cut oat meal, 1 cup	600	108	10	20	0	4
Red Delicious - Medium Apple, 2 apple	160	44	0	0	0	34
	1,000	200	13	26	420	56
L U N C H
WHOLE FOODS - SALAD BAR	375	0	0	0	0	0
WHOLE FOODS BANANA CHIPS	170	16	10	2	5	1
WHOLE FOODS  VANILLA GRANOLA	500	80	16	10	120	30
	1,045	96	26	12	125	31
D I N N E R
EARTHBOUND FARM - ORGANIC BABY SPINACH	60	0	0	6	195	0
365 - Hearts of Palm: Salad Cut, 1 cup	50	10	0	4	580	0
libby's - Sweet Corn, 0.88 cup	105	16	3	4	350	12
Honey Nut Scooters - Cereal, 3 cup (30g)	330	72	5	6	630	30
Apple - - Honey Crisp - Small, 1 apple	55	15	0	0	0	15
	600	112	7	20	1,755	57
Totals	2,645	408	46	58	2,300	144
Your Daily Goal	3,874	484	129	194	2,300	145
Remaining	1,229	75	82	136	0	0
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 1,944 extra calories from exercise today

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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking, 4.5 mph, very, very brisk pace	102	1,627
Walking, 4.5 mph, very, very brisk pace	28	372
MFP iOS calorie adjustment	N/A	-55
Daily Total / Goal	131 / 30	1,944 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	547 / 210	8,308 / 4,130

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total calories consumed 2645 calories

total calories burned (walking 10 miles) 1999 calories

total net calories 646 calories

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fitbit day 106
19002 steps

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Each year, Chabad of the Loop, Gold Coast and Lincoln Park, directed by my friend, Rabbi Meir Chai Benhiyoun erects a huge Chanukkah Menorah in Daley Plaza.  Daley Plaza is Chicago's premier civic center and permanent home of the famous Picasso statue.  The Menorah is 30 feet tall and 18 feet wide and it is designed in the traditional style of menorahs used by Chabad.  Although, I missed the lighting ceremony this year, as I was out-of-town, I was able to visit the menorah before Chanukkah with my Mom who was visiting from New York earlier this month.
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When Batman and Robin need to step it up a notch....They go...TO THE BATMOBILE!

When I need to a refresher in Judaism, or need to authentically celebrate a Jewish Holiday....I go...TO THE CHABAD HOUSE!

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This information comes from What's Not Wrong... a blog by Gary Anderson

Untitled (1967) by Pablo Picasso: What the heck is it? A horse? Seahorse? Dragon? That’s part of the fun and the puzzle involved in this huge sculpture so closely identified with Chicago. When the sculpture was dedicated in 1967, Mayor Richard J. Daley said, “We dedicate this celebrated work this morning with the belief that what is strange to us today will be familiar tomorrow.” Today the Picasso is familiar, but it’s no less strange. Chicago’s Picasso is interactive in a couple of ways. First of all, looking at the sculpture from the front (with your back to Washington Avenue) yields the most common view and the view that is most abstract. But if you walk toward the Daley Center and view the sculpture from roughly a 10:00 or 2:00 angle, you will more clearly see the silhouette of a woman. This is one of my favorite things to show students and visitors.   The Picasso is also highly interactive because you can sit on it, climb on it, and slide down it.

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.

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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.

L'CHAIM! TO LIFE!

Could anything be more true?

Some of my best friends are Jewish.   This is really not so amazing as I am Jewish.  When Jews gather together to celebrate Shabbat (the Sabbath) and other happy life events - we toast, "To Life." (L'chaim)   Many people familiar with the musical, Fiddler on the Roof,  remember the song, "To Life"  (L'chaim)  In fact, L'chaim is really plural, and the toast is better understood as 'To Lives.'   None of us lives alone, we all count on each other to experience meaningful lives.  So, why am I telling you all this?  In two weeks, I will be attending the birthday party of my dear friend, and Rabbi at my neighborhood Chabad House.   I know that there will be many 'L'chaims' during this celebration. When we toast L'chaim it is usually with 1oz of vodka or whiskey or scotch.  I need to plan in advance how I can participate in the 'L'chaims' without busting my calorie budget. It is not complicated. I will just fill my 'L'chaim' cup only 1/3 full, so that I can enjoy the camaraderie of sharing 'L'chaims' with my friends.

I am lucky that I am not a regular drinker.  Alcohol consumption can greatly interfere with weight loss.   I was curious how many calories are in some of the drinks that I have enjoyed in the past.

GREY GOOSE VODKA 1oz               69 CALORIES
MAKER'S MARK BOURBON 1 oz.  69 CALORIES

It appears that if I only 'fill' my cup 1/3 full, I will be able to fully enjoy myself.  And that, is my plan.
L'Chaim!

Tevye and Lazer Wolf toast 'L'Chaim' as they have sealed the deal on the marriage of Tevye's daughter.

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I have enjoyed virtually every meal I have eaten since December 24th, when I started my lifestyle changes.   Today, at Costco, something caught my eye that I would never have seen or considered in my previous life.   Something called: Vegetable Yakisoba (Japanese Noodles)  

This product was described as "Japanese-style stir fried noodles with crisp vegetables and a savory sauce."   It sounded good to me.   A 4.5 oz serving has 250 calories.   On Wednesday evening, I tried the Yakisoba and it was in fact, delicious!  Experimentation is fun.  

WEDNESDAY MENU

breakfast  3 poached eggs, 2 strips turkey 'bacon'                                280 CALORIES

lunch        3 oz beef, sweet potato bisque soup, spinach w/balsamic   327 CALORIES

dinner      4.5 oz YAKISOBA JAPANESE NOODLES

                sweet potato bisque soup                                                       350 CALORIES

TOTAL CALORIES      957 CALORIES

calories burned

6AM  30 minutes elliptical  380 CALORIES

6PM   30 minutes elliptical  390 CALORIES

total calories burned 770 CALORIES

NET CALORIES 187 CALORIES

YAKISOBA JAPANESE NOODLES w/Sweet Potato Bisque Soup  350 CALORIES

And finally.... a last word

A favorite quote from my Rabbi, goes something like this:  "Jews don't drink, we L'chaim!"   I think he means that there is a spiritual benefit when we L'chaim.   I have to admit, it does sometimes kinda feel like drinking!

More dubious 'wisdom' from Homer Simpson