Citygirlbites has received a plea for help. Esther, a loyal citygirlbites reader, is trying to lose weight and thought taking her “case” public would help keep her motivated. Esther is a typical city girl. She works long hours, gets home late, minimal time (or sometimes motivation!) to exercise, has an active social life, eats out frequently, likes her wine…

Esther  has been battling her weight for the past few years (maybe more). Unfortunately, she has been losing her battle. Like many of you, she has tried numerous diets and exercise routines. Lost a few pounds here and there…but nothing significant or sustainable. If anything, her weight has been slowly going up. So Esther has decided to take her case to citygirlbites. She feels “going public” may help keep her motivated as well as control her urges to stray if she knows she will need to “cheat” (don’t like to use this word, but I will anyway!) in front all the readers. She has even agreed to put her pic on the blog.

Esther’s Story:
Martha:Esther, tell us why you decided to approach citygirlbites to “broadcast” your story.
 Esther: Since I am a city girl bites loyal fan I thought why not ask Martha to put me on her blog so I could not only feel accountable for myself but to make myself accountable to any blog readers.
 
Martha: Tell us a little bit about your weight history.
Esther: I have always been weight conscious and dieted on and off since junior high school.My weight fluctuated but usually it was a five pound difference up or down.I don’t know exactly when my weight increased a substantial amount but somehow my weight went from 121 to 131 to a high of 146 which is still a little unbelievable for me only being 5″2.

Martha: What kinds of “diets” have you tried?
Esther:In the past I would try anything that came along from the Scarsdale diet to drinking and eating grapefruits to “ burn fat “.  Since the weight I would usually lose would come right back on I realized that I needed a nutrition plan that didn’t deviate that much from how I normally eat. I then tried Jenny Craig which didn’t seem to take any weight off and I didn’t like eating foods that were prepared in advance and prepackaged.  The most recent plans I’ve tried are Atkins, South Beach and just plain Mediterranean eating ( from my origin ).  I’ve been avoiding processed foods and “fat free” “fake” food.  My main problem seems to be my portion control.

Martha: Tell us about your exercise program:
Esther:I’ve been a member of Equinox gym for seven years and when I go, I love being there, but getting there has not been consistent. I received an email from Equinox for a weight loss challenge so I decided it would be an opportunity to push myself and try to commit hoping for results.  During the challenge I’ve committed to working out with my personal trainer Anastasia twice a week as well as going to the gym for pilates & spinning classes.

Martha:Esther, tell us what your major problem areas are when it comes to controlling your weight (ie. eat out a lot,  alcohol, have trouble with bread basket, not enough consistent exercise, etc.)
Esther:I think aside from my portion control, I seem to be out of control when I socialize.  I try to stick to healthy meals but tend to sample other peoples plates.  I also have a habit of snacking in the evening whether it be more than one 100 calorie pack, too many nuts… and a few glasses of wine. I also attend a lot of industry events ( a few a month ) that pass around hors d’ouevres and champagne, wine… When I do go to industry events or out to dinner with friends, I end up skipping the gym.

Martha: Now that you are in serious weight loss mode, please tell us what you are eating on a typical day.
Esther: Here was a typical day (although there is really no such thing as typical for my schedule)
Friday May 9th: 
Breakfast: 
coffee 
once small cheese pie ( eggs, cheese) 
 
Lunch: 
2 small pieces of chicken 
1 smart ones pasta w/ vegetables in tomato sauce 
 
Snack: 
1 piece string cheese 
grapes & strawberries 
bite of dessert 
 
Dinner: 
1 1/2 glasses of white wine 
tapas:  steamed clams, 1 bite fresh mozzarella, 1 artichoke, 2 pieces zucchini sauteed in olive oil, 1 piece grilled octopus with lemon & olive oil 
chicory salad with oil & anchovies 
1/2 piece of steamed striped bass, one slice of steamed potato 
strawberries w/ one spoon of zabalone 
1 small espresso 
No exercise this day

Martha: I can see that eating out is a bit of a problem… more on this later!

Here are my recommendations to get you started:  
1. I would recommend a 1300 - 1400 calorie diet plan for you, assuming you are following  my exercise recommendations.

2. Keep daily food and exercise records, including beverages. We will post one weekday and one weekend day (I will choose the days to be posted!!) on citygirlbites.

3. Exercise recommendations:
a. trainer 2x/week
b. cardio 2-3 sessions/week
c. optional 1 pilates sessions/week
d. walk home from work at least 2 days a week. (this is a 45 minute walk)

4. Each week you will set goals and then report if you met them the next week. You also must report each “cheat”. Send in weekly reports of your weight, exercise schedule and how you did on your eating plan.

Martha:Now that we have your picture up,  if any of you city girls or guys see Esther on the street, give her some words of encouragement. On the other hand, if you catch her in a cheese shop purchasing chunks of cheese or see her grabbing food from others plates  in restaurants or see her ordering one too many glasses of wine, PLEASE confront her. She needs our support!

 Esther, BTW - I heard you are attending a potential problematic event Monday evening … Toast of the Town . For those of you who aren’t familiar with this event, here is a description “Well-dressed New Yorkers of all ages attend Wine Enthusiast’s Toast of the Town at the New York Theatre at Lincoln Center for an opportunity to sample over 500 different wines and dishes from select New York City restaurants”. Be careful Esther - we are watching you!!! We look forward to your first report this Friday.

Related posts

• Your Plate or Mine? An Excerpt from my Colleague’s Book (4)
• When it’s No Longer a Diet (0)
• Week 8 & 9 New Hampshire Biggest Weight Loss Competition Progress Report (0)
• Week 4 Results of New Hampshire’s Biggest Loser Competition (1)
• Week 2 Results of New Hampshire’s Biggest Loser Competition (0)