GOOD LUCK, JACK

Last night, I met my young friend Jack at my Chabad House for a final evening of L'Chaims prior to him packing his car and moving back to Brooklyn, New York after 3 years in Chicago.

Jack is a special friend, as we had many shared experiences at the Chabad House.  For some reason, a lot of those experiences seemed to revolve around 'L'Chaims.'  It is true that my renewed enthusiasm for Judaism seemed to be in direct proportion to my discovery that Orthodox Jews like to 'weaken' their bodies with alcohol just a bit, to more easily allow greater inspirational spiritual thoughts enter the mind. Anyway, that's the theory.

from the Chabad.org website:

This "weakening of the body" allows the soul to shine through. After taking a l'chaim one is more easily inspired, because the body offers less resistance. This obviously applies only when one drinks in moderation, and on special, holy occasions in an attempt to make them a bit more festive and to introduce an inspirational ambiance

I am going to miss my friend Jack.  Jack and his bride are about to start the best journey that anyone can ever start. The journey of parenthood. Their doctor has given them a date in February, so I will be keeping an eye out for confirmation of this wonderful blessing to come.  Among the things that I liked about Jack is that we had plenty of things in common despite the fact that I was old enough to be his father's older brother. I don't know if he considered me his unusual 'old' friend or just a friend. It matters not. He is a good guy. Jack I wish you the best.

My friend Jack and I had one last memorable evening at the Chabad House last night. I expected to have plenty of L'Chaims. I actually do try to count them as I intend to log them into my food diary.  (Although, when I do, I usually get a disapproving email from my Mom, who is among my most regular blog readers)  Nevertheless, I think we didn't quite get into double digits last night - but I do know that our bodies were weakened plenty to discuss some big issues.  All kidding aside, the discussions last night included discussing quantum physics and God.  This is precisely what the 'L'Chaims' are purported to do - open pathways to new inspirational ideas.

I will simply look forward to my next L'Chaim with my friend...whether it is in one year or ten years.

I was well aware that last evening was going to be an evening of eating and drinking... although it is more or less useless to try to pre-burn calories prior to overindulging... It is something that one can't be blamed for trying.... Yesterday, my first workout on the elliptical machine was from 5:00AM until 6:30AM and my second workout was from 3:00PM until 4:30PM which was prior to my 7 hour visit to the Chabad House.

5:00AM elliptical workout

3:00PM elliptical workout

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Your Food Diary For:

Friday, January 15, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Walgreens - Nutritional Shake, 2 Bottle	500	80	12	18	380	44
Nice - Quick Oats	600	112	10	20	0	0
	1,100	192	22	38	380	44
L U N C H
Cafeteria - Sweet Butternut Squash, 4.5 oz	120	20	5	0	8	6
Tender Greens - Kale Salad With Albacore Tuna	195	4	15	12	224	0
Generic - Teriyaki Salmon Steaks, 6 oz	270	3	8	47	365	5
	585	27	27	58	596	11
D I N N E R
Homemade - Challah Bread, 3 slice	351	57	8	12	312	0
Home Made - Matzah Ball Soup, 1 cup	118	10	6	0	450	0
Home - Boiled Chicken Breast	262	0	6	49	0	0
Homemade - Chocolate Birthday Cake, 1 Slice	294	35	10	0	0	35
	1,025	102	29	61	762	35
S N A C K S
Cliff Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt - Trail Mix Bar, 1 bar	200	19	13	5	160	9
Roundy's - Oats & More With Honey & Almonds	520	104	8	12	600	24
Crown Royal - Crown Royal, 9 ounce	576	0	0	0	0	0
	1,296	123	21	17	760	33
Totals	4,006	444	100	175	2,498	123
Your Daily Goal	5,901	737	196	296	2,300	221
Remaining	1,895	293	96	121	-198	98
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 3,971 extra calories from exercise today

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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Friday, January 15, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL	92	2,166
STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL	92	2,128
MFP iOS calorie adjustment	N/A	-323
Daily Total / Goal	185 / 30	3,971 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	656 / 210	13,013 / 4,130

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total calories consumed 4006 calories

total calories burned (184 min elliptical) 4294 calories

total net 288 calorie deficit

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fitbit day 134

19382 steps
. . . . . . . .
SATURDAY WEIGH/IN   219 LBS.

. . . . . . . .
I just now noticed the date...January 16.  I do not have the strongest faith that my Dad will receive this message in heaven...but just in case... Happy Birthday, Dad.

SETBACK

Last week the scale shouted back at me that I was 209 lbs.  I should have accused it of lying and moved on.  Perhaps I had exercised late on the previous Friday night and I had not completely rehydrated.  It matters not.  I suspected that it might be a little too good to be true and it was.  So here's the situation, I am apparently not down 100 lbs - I am only down 91 lbs.  And you know what, for all practical purposes - it's the same difference.  All my clothes fit me. Perhaps last week, the scale was showing something artificially low.  Surely this week the scale is showing something artificially high.  Perhaps I had 10,000 mg of salt this week and I am retaining water.  Honestly, I do not know.   I do not think it would have been possible to actually gain 9 lbs in one week if I had gorged myself on an all-you-can-eat cruise.  Maybe my scale is broken.  Maybe I had too much whiskey last evening, and my body has not got itself back into its normal equilibrium. What I do know, is that this 9 pound weight gain is not and can not be real.  Whatever variables are causing it will be wiped clean in a day or two.  That's my story - and I am sticking to it!  I feel great and I am happy about my progress.  The next stop on my journey is to seriously get to 209 lbs and make sure that the reading is legitimate. From there, I can see another 10 lbs need to be shed to just get under 200 lbs.  This is my goal.  This will happen.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Walking has become a method of transportation for me.  I needed to go to the dentist today. In years past, I have either driven or taken the subway.  It had never occurred to me to walk the four miles.  Let me amend that, it had never occurred to me prior to yesterday morning.  I walked to 4.5 miles to the dentist.  Actually, I walked an additional half mile to log an even five miles.  (That is a mathematical oxymoron as five is not an even number, but I am sure you know what I mean)  After my dental work, I walked two miles to a Jason's Deli for lunch.  And after a quick stop at a nearby Whole Foods, I walked another four miles home.  When the day was over, I had logged 11 miles of walking at a very, very brisk pace.  It is so liberating to be able to use my own two feet as a method of transportation.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

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Your Food Diary For:

Friday, December 18, 2015

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Malt O Meal - Honey Nut Scooters	240	48	3	6	420	18
Sage - Red Delicious Apple, 3 medium apple	285	75	1	2	5	57
	525	123	4	8	425	75
L U N C H
Jason's Deli - SPICY SEAFOOD GUMBO, 1 Bowl	230	26	8	12	1,710	3
Jason's Deli - Turkey Wrap, 0.5 Wrap	195	21	9	12	540	3
	425	47	17	24	2,250	6
D I N N E R
CHABAD - SHABBAT DINNER	750	0	0	0	0	0
Clyde May's - Whiskey, 6 oz (L'chaims)	396	30	0	0	0	6
	1,146	30	0	0	0	6
S N A C K S
WHOLE FOODS NATURAL WASABI GREEN PEAS	192	30	5	6	384	3
WHOLE FOODS CHERRY VANILLA GRANOLA	228	38	7	5	57	14
WHOLE FOODS SEMI SWEET CHOCOLATE	105	15	5	0	0	14
WHOLE FOODS BANANA CHIPS	147	16	9	1	2	10
WHOLE FOODS DATE PIECES	198	49	0	2	16	36
	870	149	26	14	460	77
Totals	2,966	349	46	45	3,135	163
Your Daily Goal	4,117	514	137	206	2,300	154
Remaining	1,151	164	90	161	-834	-9
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 2,187 extra calories from exercise today

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Your Exercise Diary for:

Friday, December 18, 2015

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking, 4.5 mph, very, very brisk pace	67	963
Walking, 4.5 mph, very, very brisk pace	27	382
Walking, 5.0 mph	49	863
MFP iOS calorie adjustment	N/A	-21
Daily Total / Goal	144 / 30	2,187 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	691 / 210	10,496 / 4,130

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total calories consumed 2966 calories

total calories burned (walking 10 miles) 2208 calories

total net calories 758 calories

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fitbit day 107
26471 steps

.....................

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~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

218 lbs

I weigh 218 lbs.

I allegedly gained 9 lb this week?

I have lost 91 lbs in 360 days. Today begins Day 361.

I will always be at the beginning of a journey that never ends.

I weigh 218 lbs (360 days ago I weighed 309 lbs)

I have lost 29.4% of my weight since Dec 24.

I have a BMI, body mass index of 29.16

I had a 42.0 BMI on Dec 24 just 353 days ago (Class III obesity)

.......................

December 24 is the one anniversary of the day that I made the decision to change my life.  I am going to weigh myself again on December 24, 2015.  I am also going to post some side-by-side before and after pictures.  It is a day that I am looking forward to... See you then (if I don't see you before)

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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

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

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.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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