Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #1
Esther has asked citygirlbites for support in losing weight. She has just finished the first week of her weight loss journey and has sent us an update. (We omitted the first week because she was on vacation and didn’t do so well….). Esther has lost one pound this week. Initial weight = 146 Weight May 23 = 145 She was a little discouraged as she felt she made many changes, however I pointed out the she ate out quite a bit. Eating out will almost always increase your caloric intake. In addition. losing one pound a week is right on target! (Pics are of Esther and her trainer, Anastasia from Equinox, working out)
Here are Esther’s goals from week one:
| Esther's Goals for Week One | Did Esther Meet Her Goals? |
|---|---|
| 1. Keep food record (I told her I would choose 3 days to post each week. I will pick some of her best and worst days to post!) | Yes - Esther kept daily food records |
| 2. Two personal training sessions per week | Yes - Esther had 3 personal training sessions this week (because she only had 1 last week) |
| 3. One to two pilates sessions each week | Yes - took 2 pilates classes |
| 4. Walk home from work as much as possible | Walked home from work once |
| 5. Three cardio sessions each week | No - I did not see any cardio |
| 6. Consume an average of 1300-1400 calories a day | Averaged 1600-1700 calories due to eating out 4 nights |
Here are 3 days of her food records:
Saturday May 10th (2100 calories approximately)
Breakfast: coffee , Kashi toasted almond bar
Snack: Two hard boiled eggs , 1 piece laughing cow cheese , gardenia salad
Lunch: 1 sushi roll 1/2 salmon 1/2 yellowtail
Snack:15 almonds
Dinner: 2 glasses white wine, 3 1/4 pita bread with Greek spreads
grilled striped bass, Greek french fries ( handful ), 1/4 piece roasted corn
Snack: Berry Apple Sauce
Tuesday May 20th ( 1000 calories approximately)
Breakfast: coffee, banana
Lunch: pea soup , 1 breadstick
Dinner: 1 hamburger, grilled onions, shirataki noodles, grated cheese 1 teaspoon
Wednesday May 21st (1700 calories approximately)
Breakfast: coffee, peppermint tea
Lunch: turkey club wrap, water
Dinnner: 2 glasses white wine, 1/4 piece chicken quesadilla, salmon tartar appetizer, shaved fennel salad
My observations:
1. Esther had some really good days (1000-1200 calories - even a little 
too low!) but some other not so good days (1800 calories or more).
2. Last week she had 4 nights of eating out. Even though she has been making great choices for entrees and not eating desserts or bread, the appetizers and wine are bringing her daily caloric intake to 1800 calories or more.
3. This coming week, I’d like to focus on helping her cut back on calories when eating out. Areas to work on:
- cutting back on wine
- low cal appetizers without oil (tuna sashimi, shrimp cocktail, salad without cheese and dressing on the side - add sparingly)
- skip the appetizer altogether and just order a healthy entree
- restaurant food, even when grilled, tends to be cooked with a lot of oil. Avoid sauces and ask for minimal oil used in cooking.
- since you have an active social life, direct your 
friends to restaurants that you know have healthy choices. Japanese is always a good bet. Check out my post on calories in sushi.
4. Her dinners at home look great. Make sure to add a lot of veggies to help yourself fill up.
5. I would suggest that she has more salads for lunch with lean protein. Just make sure you either use low fat salad dressing or small amounts of the “real thing”. Check out my post on salad dressings.
6. We will also judge her progress from her measurements or by how her clothes fit rather than just by the scale. Esther has dramatically increased her exercise. This can cause development of muscle mass which will make her lose inches but can slow the loss on the scale.
Starting measurements:
arm: 12″
natural waist: 30 1/2 “
lower abs : 36″
hips: 42 1/2 “
thighs: 25 3/4 ‘
BTW - Esther didn’t make it to Toast of the Town last Monday. She got sick from eating possible bad sushi (she thinks!). In any case, she avoided a diet disaster with unlimited wine and food!
Goals for this week:
1. Continue food records
2. I would challenge her to have only 2 glasses of wine for the whole week
3. Eat out only 2 times this week and be very careful!
4. Add in 2 more cardio sessions this week. Walking home from work and doing interval training with your trainer is great - but try to add 2 more sessions for 40 minutes or more (i.e. spinning class, speed walking on the treadmill or the eliptical machine).
Good luck! BTW - I heard you are attending a Sex and the City Party next week. Be careful!
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June 26th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Hi several months ago i bought in a supermarket in Flatbush Brooklyn 2 bottles of Esther’s salad dressing. It had a kosher certification and it was the most delicious dressing we ever ate. ever since I have been trying to buy it again and cannot find it. Where is it available in Brooklyn?