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

ELLIPTICAL

Yesterday morning, after my 5AM weigh-in I hopped on the treadmill and spent one hour 'walking' at 4 mph for 60 minutes. I decided then that it was time to try something new.  I decided to start using the elliptical machine as much as possible.   Before lunch, I returned to the fitness room and set the elliptical machine to a 'calorie burn' program for 60 minutes.   I didn't have 60 minutes in me.   After 30 minutes I felt that I had had enough.   I have the rest of my life to improve my endurance - so there is no reason to try to do more than I am capable of doing.   After thirty minutes, the machine reported that I had 'burned' 322 calories.   I have a baseline from which I can improve.  I will continue to use the treadmill if the elliptical is not available during my workout times.

ELLIPTICAL MACHINE

The chart below only shows the last 30 days.  From January 1 (297 lbs) to January 31 (272.2) progress has been very steady.  If I keep doing what I have been doing - I should find myself in the 260's next week.   From the 'starting gate' of December 24, I have lost 36.3 lbs (11.7% of my body weight)

I have been giving more thought to my moderate weight loss this past week.   Although I was disappointed, I really had no reason to be.   When I analyze the graph produced by MyFitnessPal, I see that my weight has been dropping very regularly in practically a straight line for the past 30 days.   I have re-assessed and I realize that everything is going according to schedule.  I do think that the human body is programmed to try (try hard) to hold onto its warehouse of energy (energy stored in fat cells) as long as possible in the event of real famine.   I have learned that I should not try to predict weight loss in a specific week. Nevertheless, I am very hopeful that next Saturday I will break the '270' barrier and get into the '260's'    My overall weight loss from the 309 lb  'starting gate' is 36.3 lbs.

SATURDAY MENU

BREAKFAST   three poached eggs, 2 strips turkey 'bacon'                                           280 CALORIES

LUNCH             Panera Soba Noodle Bowl with Chicken (new menu item)                   390 CALORIES
DINNER           Salmon Burger, Creamy Corn Pepper Soup, Spinach w/Vinaigrette      257 CALORIES

TOTAL CALORIC CONSUMPTION         927 CALORIES

CALORIES BURNED

5AM  TREADMILL: 60 minutes @ 4 mph (4 miles) 600 CALORIES
11AM ELLIPTICAL MACHINE 30 minutes              322 CALORIES
7PM   ELLIPTICAL MACHINE  30 minutes              330 CALORIES

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED                                    1252  CALORIES

NET CALORIC DEFICIT      325 CALORIES

PANERA BREAD SOBA NOODLE WITH CHICKEN: Chicken raised without antibiotics, soba buckwheat noodles, fresh spinach, napa cabbage blend, roasted mushroom and onion blend, sesame seeds and cilantro in an umami soy-miso broth.  390 CALORIES