it's a new week. Passover cleaning and shopping is starting today.

It's Monday, and my weight is 275.9, a loss for the week of 7.3.  I am very excited.

There was no real loss from yesterday to this morning even though my calories were only 1362.  I ate okay at Bravo Cucina Italiano and ordered from their "light" menu where they had printed calorie counts. I ordered the grilled mahi mahi that came in a light cream sauce with couscous and veggies.  It was marked 570 calories.  I also ate three of their piece of herb bread that was in the basket in front of me.  That was 225 calories.  My breakfast and lunch were very reasonable, and I only ate a banana for a late night snack.  There was no formal exercise yesterday, although I did lead a two hour rehearsal at the Cove, mostly on my feet.  I am only down one-tenth today from yesterday,which really is nothing since the scale can't measure that accurately.  It is plus/minus .2 at best.  However, the weekly amount is fantastic!  I am quite pleased.

I know from so much experience that it's not possible to lose a significant amount of weight every day, in fact one or two pounds a week is the average.  I know, also, that the first week of a strict diet is always the best week because there's usually a lot of extra water that is excreted.  One time when I re-started Weight Watchers, I lost eleven pounds in the first week.  The real test is what I do next.  I need to settle into these routines that I have established this week and lose two more pounds this week.  That would be a milestone, in a way, in that I weighed 273.something when I went to Hawaii last August.  I was upset with myself for weighing that much for my 65th birthday, but now I'm trying to get back to that weight on the way to the next milestone and the next and the next.

Passover is less than two weeks away.  This morning Mark and I plan to clean out enough for the fridge and freezer to get the first round of Passover food in there.  After lunch, we are going to our local Publix for a few boxed and canned items and then up to the Winn-Dixie with the big kosher sections for everything except fresh foods.

We could have up to 11 people for our first seder night because people have cancelled; I replaced them; others forgot they were invited; they said yes then no!  We really don't know what's happening, although we have a definite seven: me and Mark, Jonathan and Susan, Susie and Ed, and Frank.  After that, the other three always seem to be in flux.

The concert last night was fantastic.  The Maccabeats really excited that sold out crowd last night.  I didn't take my camera, but there are plenty of pictures on Facebook from our friends who posted.  It was just fun going to an auditorium of 650 people, all Jewish, and seeing lots of synagogue friends and dozens of Solivita friends.  Twelve of us went to the restaurant, and that was just a wonderful loving feeling.