I fasted this past weekend for Yom Kippur and then proceeded to eat a ton on Saturday night. The next day I did about an hour of cardio at the gym. Did this make up for the extra 1000 calories I consumed?  

I had made a mental note of what I had eaten.  Of course I don't normally just eat with no regard for the calorie count.  As I started to record what I inhaled I realized that it didn't matter that I hadn't eaten in 24 hours. One bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon was 14 points. So one item was more than I normally eat in two meals.  I definitely ate more than one item too!  Pretty disturbing. What would I do. 

On Sunday I did the only thing I knew. I went to the gym and tried to work some of it off.  Maybe I burned off a quarter of it. That is the thing. You can eat something that is so fattening and it is literally impossible to burn it off in one gym session.  I think that is why it is so important not to eat it in the first place. Also one eat crap it is that much harder to get back on track and stop eating crap. I am definitely waiting a few days to weigh myself. 

L'shana tova to those that celebrated the Jewish New Year last week.

As it's the new year it seems like the perfect time to focus on some recent observations I've made since I've lost my first 38 pounds. If I count down from my heaviest and not just since I've started this blog I've lost a total of 68 pounds. Now that is a lot of weight to lose so there are some differences in my every day life.

During my travels the last few weeks I stayed in three different hotels with three different types of towels and bathrobes. This is very embarrassing but at my heaviest no standard towel or one size fits all bathrobe would fit me. I am happy to report that now they all do with extra room.

Then there were the airplane seats, seat belts and even movie theater seats. I used to be so uncomfortable never getting into quite a good position. The seat belt on the airplane not digging in but it certainly was never loose where I could fit two of me in it like I can now :)

There is also the walking. I could never really walk around. After about 30 minutes my legs and my back would always start to ache. I successfully walked miles and miles all over Chicago and San Francisco without any pain. I realized how much I love to walk. No more taxis for this girl!

It is the little things in life that bring happiness and contentment. I still have a long way to go but in the interim I am just so comfy in my new body.

This past week was a very difficult week for me emotionally and with my diet. Aren't those two items always linked for us one way or the other? I literally flew all over the country the last few days. New York to Chicago on Monday. Chicago to New York Thursday night not getting home until 1am because of flight delays and then New York to San Francisco yesterday morning.

I enjoy traveling to a certain extent but I can honestly say I would have been happier at home going to spin class and navy seals. All these trips played havoc on my hunger, stress levels and time for the gym. I was able to get three workouts in but they were only maybe 40 minutes of cardio each and some abs. Nothing compared to what I normally do in a week. I also consumed many more calories this week so no weight loss but I managed to maintain which is van actual miracle.

In San Francisco there is a Crunch Fitness close by the hotel so just maybe I can get a free week pass and get some spin classes in. There are also some great organic restaurants to try. The issue will be not to overindulge which is still tough for me. I have learned however if I mess up at one meal the whole day doesn't have to be a wash. I can do an extra workout and eat healthy the rest of the day.

My saga of weight loss continues another week. Some weeks like this past one are much harder to get through. Experience and learning about being healthy now will only make the rest of my life that much richer in the future.

38 pounds loss this week. I tried something new this week which was a three day juice cleanse. I had gotten a tad off track with my travels consuming just a bit too much alcohol and sugar. I thought this would be the perfect plan to get me back on track and feeling extra healthy. Little did I know how hard it would be.

My friends sent me the instructions and warned me to eat healthy the day before I started. To prepare for the juice cleanse you are supposed to only eat fruit and vegetables the day before. I don't think any of us adhered to that goal unfortunately. Maybe it would have been easier. For day one I was at work. I started my day with a large iced green tea and water with lemon. I thought this would keep my tummy semi full as my normal coffee with skim milk actually does. I was wrong but still ok. I drank my juices every two hours. I had a slight headache the whole day and was hungry. It was kind of like Yom Kippur but for three days. I didn't know how I was going to sleep being starving but your last juice of the day is a cashew with cinnamon drink and it is actually filling. The spices seem to relax you. I slept well and woke up feeling great.

Day two was easier but by Saturday afternoon I was starving again and my juices kept me less and less full. The headache from the day before continued. I tried to go about my day but the only thing that distracted me from the hunger was playing angry birds on my iPad. I spent a lot of this weekend playing angry birds and catching up on my dvr shows to try not to think about the cleanse.

Day three is ending as I write this. I have my cashew cinnamon drink to consume and I am done :). Would I do this again? Yes but for one day or two days max. Three was a bit much. We did the Blueprint Cleanse which I've been told is the best. The juice is light and blended well so you can drink it with a straw. Aside from my headache and feeling very hungry I feel good. My skin looks and feels great, I'm not bloated and I'm glad that I did it. I'll let you know next week how I fare for my first meal after the cleanse. It will be at the airport so we'll see how I do!

I am 35 pounds down. The biggest change in myself that I've noticed is how I've learned to deal with my emotions. Instead of letting myself feel my emotions in the past I would stuff them away by stuffing myself with food.  

 A recurring example of this was when I would have a bad day at work. When that occurred I would take a trip to Taco Bell which isn't necessarily a problem in itself. You see if I just grabbed a taco no big deal.  Aside from the fact it is junk food and has lots of chemicals one taco isn't the end of the world.  Would I eat just one taco? Of course not :(

My experience at Taco Bell would be one of total disregard for normal portion sizes. I would eat a days worth of calories in one sitting.  I felt disgusting and stuffed each time I did this but I guess I got exactly what I was looking for-to feel stuffed!  Did it solve the days problems? Not at all. It was a way to just not deal with things and ignore them. 

Now if I have a bad day, I have a bad day. I go to the gym or relax with a great book. Most importantly I let myself get upset and then move on. I don't use food as a substitute for feeling my emotions. Not anymore and never again. 

Happy Labor Day to all. I was at the US Open the last few days. What a great tournament and so much fun to attend. Seeing the athletes compete was such great motivation for my workout this morning. As I become more fit I am excited to try new things each week.

I also noticed at the US Open that they now really cater to the health conscious fan. There are so many great choices for cuisine. Several years ago the choices were only hot dogs and greasy french fries. Now they have sushi, great salads and even yogurt with fresh fruit.

I find more and more as I go to concerts, sporting events and even restaurants that it is easy to eat healthy and stay on my plan as the venues offer so many options. Additionally, I find that after an intense workout I don't want to eat junk food so that helps. There are those times when I do have strong cravings. To combat this, I keep a list of reasons why not to eat junk food on my iPhone. I try to read it when I really want something. It usually works!

Have a great week and be healthy :) zoftig princess

Getting back to my unfortunate pancake experience from last Sunday I felt extra hungry all day long. In addition the pancakes didn't even taste that great. I guess my body is so used to not having any type of real sugar it didn’t know what to do.

This weekend there is an impending hurricane. I will admit I am a little nervous about the power going out for several days. I've become quite addicted to my electronics as well as having running water not to mention what the power outage will do for my diet. I have fruit and veggies but wouldn't be able to cook anything and that scares me. Will I have enough self control even if I feel hungry not knowing when I will have a normal meal? Time will tell. Hopefully the power won't go out but no one knows.

I also think that the feelings of being a little nervous makes you feel more hungry. It isn't real hunger. It is just like last Sunday when I was feeling sad and reacted by eating two pancakes. This time I recognize the feelings and won't make the same mistake twice.

To all my friends and family on the East Coast: I hope you are safe and make it through the storm unharmed with no incident.
xoxo zoftig princess