All of you city girls know how difficult it can be to follow a weight loss diet AND have a social life. Well, Esther has been having a bit too much of a social life. It is difficult to lose weight if you have 17 alcoholic drinks in one week. After an amazing 12 pound weight loss, her weight has plateaued for the past month at ~ 135 - 136 lbs. Esther - it is time to end the party and get back on track.!  (Pic is of Esther’s last party for a while - Tina, Linda, Joanna, Margie, Susan & Esther. This adult birthday party took place in North Carolina)

My interview with Esther:

Martha: So Esther, 17 drinks last week alone…what is going on?
Esther:  I had been so strict for the past 10 weeks, I decided to give myself a break. Now, I kind of got it out my system and feel very motivated to get back on track this week.

Martha: Specifically, what were some of the problem situations that you encountered in these past 2 weeks?
Esther: It was a busy week. I had a Bruce Springsteen concert one night and a opening party at Pure Yoga, which is affiliated with Equinox. Martha: I read about that party. Supposedly it was attended by Bethany of the Real Housewives, Matthew Settle (Rufus Humphrey on Gossip Girl) and Robert Buckley (the guy who always has his shirt off in Lipstick Jungle) among other models and celebs.  Here was more info from a google search: “July 29th: I checked out the launch party for Pure Yoga NYC, which benefited Bent On Learning. Described as the East meets the Upper East Side (the other locations of Pure Yoga are in Asia). The event was packed, which made the tight space very muggy and hot (nothing that a couple of drinks couldn’t solve), so I dodged and weaved my way to the bar for a lychee martini. Other drinks included vodka lemonade with ginger and the White Martini (very citrusy with a hint of ginger). The menu was healthy/vegetarian inspired (theme-appropriate). Guests ate vegetable spring rolls, garden green cannolis (the event favorite), tofu cakes, and some sort of caviar concotion”.

Martha: Ok - enough about the party. What other problem situations did you encounter?
Esther: I visited my friends in North Carolina. When we get together, there tends to be quite a bit of eating and drinking going on. While I drank a bit too much, I tried to watch my food intake, but it was still too much.  (Pic is of Esther doing “upright rows” with Max the dog)

Martha: Any potential problem situations coming up?
Esther: A concert at Jones Beach on Tuesday night, and dinner out on Thursday night plus meeting friends our on the upcoming weekend.  I think I should be okay and will definitely watch what I eat plus make up for anything I did last week at the gym.  My trainer is on vacation and I promised her I would keep working hard while she is away !

Did Esther meet her goals from last week?
 

Breakfast
coffee
kashi go lean bar 180 calories
45 minute spinning class
Lunch
1 slice plain pizza
Dinner
3 glasses white wine
2 vodka and pellegrino 

3 days of Esther’s food records:

Saturday July 26, 2008

Tuesday July 22, 2008    
Breakfast    
2 hard boiled eggs    
hummus    
Lunch    
chop’t sald w/romaine, chick peas, beets, feta,    
black olives, turkey, ham & fat free balsamic    
ate 1/2    
1 nectarine    
Dinner    
mixed salad, romaine, red onion, feta,    
chick peas, w/ 1/3 roasted chicken, oil & vinegar    
15 almonds    
watermelon   

Thursday July 24, 2008 
Breakfast 
Kashi go lean bar 180 calories 
coffee 
Lunch: 
kashi go lean chicken florentine 
Dinner: 
steamed jumbo shrimp, chicken, 
zucchini, asparagus, carrots, broccoli 
w/ginger sauce (5 tbspn) and 1 cup 
brown rice 
 

My Comments on Esther’s food/exercise records for the past 2 weeks:

1. Esther kept only 6 days of food records in the past 2 weeks, therefore it is not possible to get an average of her caloric intake. The days she kept look good and were averaging ~ 1300 calories. 2. What has happened to Esther is not unusual. She had been strict for the most part for the past 9 weeks and had really good results with losing weight. Most people hit a plateau around this time for several reasons:
- they become a little less disciplined with their eating and exercise regimen
- their bodies get used to the new lower weight and stop losing pounds for a period of time.  The good news is that plateaus can be broken if you are patient and stick to the eating/exercise plan.

3. It is really important that Esther get back to keeping a food record. In my experience, food records equal success  in losing weight. Studies back this up!

4. Esther needs to cut back on the alcohol. She was getting her best results when she was sticking to 2 alcoholic beverages a week.

Esther - remember this is short term eating plan. Once you meet your weight goal, we can be a little more lenient with your calories and you can enjoy a few more cocktails or food when eating out. But you will really need to tighten up if you want to continue losing weight! I will post some tips on how to break a plateau in the next day or so.

Esther’s goals for this week: 1. End the party and get back on track! Get back to keeping the detailed food records you were doing before.
2. Aim for 1300-1400 calories a day
3. Continue with 2 personal training sessions, one pilates session and 3-4 intense cardio sessions. Continue to increase your walking
4. Two alcoholic beverages a week - be serious with this one!!
5. Weigh your protein and measure your olive oil on occasion so I can get a more accurate calorie count.

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