From the Inside Out

On Thursday, people across the US will celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday by gorging themselves with food. It’s a tradition that I’ve never fully understood. I get the point of pausing to be thankful for our blessings, and I know the origin of Thanksgiving. However, I don’t understand why everyone uses the holiday as an excuse to overeat. Given that food was scarce in the Pilgrim days, I doubt they ate to the point of gluttony.

Yes, we’re supposed to be thankful for our blessings and our food, but we shouldn’t make ourselves sick because of it. Personally, I think it’s a little sad that people get more excited about preparing and eating their food than they do about being thankful for their blessings, but I digress. That’s a blog topic for another day. Today’s post is all about tips for staving off those extra holiday pounds.

If you have a problem keeping holiday eating under control, here’s a what the experts recommend: drink more. You’ve probably heard this before (especially if you’ve been on a diet), but it’s true. Drink at least one glass of water before your meal. This simple step can help you eat less. In fact, scientists at Virginia Tech, who studied overweight subjects for three months, found that people who drank 2 cups of water before every meal lost 40% more weight than those who didn’t. Other studies have shown similar results with a 13% reduction in calorie intake when people drank water before breakfast.

Most people gain at least one pound between Thanksgiving and the start of the new year, so start drinking that water now — and watch how much you eat on Thursday — to help stave off those extra pounds.

Have you been wondering where I’ve been since I returned from Israel? If so, this is the blog for you. The day after returning from our trip, I caught a nasty cold which wouldn’t necessarily be too bad except for the fact that the week I returned was also “hell week” at work. It was the last week before our annual Collaboration Summit which also coincides with the biggest product launch of the year for our team. Not only was I extremely stressed, but I was also sick — not a good combo!

I spent the last week (Nov. 15-19) at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, AZ working at the Collaboration Summit and launching our new solutions into the market. It was a busy, stressful week, but I’m also glad to report that it was also a huge success. Whew, what a relief! And I’m so glad to be home!

The view from the lovely Arizona Biltmore hotel

Lounge area outside of my room

Getting ready for the opening keynote from the Collaboration Summit

Live Cisco TV broadcast from the Summit

Sunday started early…no, seriously, it was REALLY early. We left the hotel at 1 am for our trip back to the airport. Our plane from Tel Aviv to Frankfurt departed at 5:30 am, and we arrived back in Dallas around 2:30 central time.

It was a long road home, but if I had the choice to do it all over again, I would — no doubt, no hesitation. It was a fantastic trip with an amazing group of people. We got to spend time with our friends from church and also formed bonds with some new friends. I can’t imagine experiencing Israel any other way. It was perfect…except for the food.

Tel Aviv airport

The newest sleeping mask — so fashionable…NOT!

Waiting for the plane

Heading home

On our last day in Israel, we explored the Old City of Jerusalem and walked down the famous Via Dolorosa (the path that Jesus walked as He was led out of the city to be crucified).

Streets of the Old City

Beginning of the Via Dolorosa, the way of suffering

One of the spots where Jesus fell on the way to the cross

Church of the Holy Sepulchre — according to Catholic tradition, this is the spot where Jesus was crucified. And of course, they’ve built a huge shrine to worship the spot. For pictures inside the church, check out my Israel photo albums.

Our next stop was the Mount of Olives where Jesus would go with His disciples to pray. This is the view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. The short trees in the foreground are all olive trees.

A bit farther down on the Mount of Olives is the Garden of Gethsemane — also full of olive trees. This one is over 400 years old.

Across the valley from the Mount of Olives is the field that Judas bought after betraying Judas. On the hill where we were standing was also the location of Caiphus’ palace and the cells where Jesus was held when He was imprisoned. After visiting these locations, we ended our tour with lunch at a local restaurant. Since Gary and I were sick of the awful food they feed to the tour groups, we ditched the group and headed back to the Old City for a decent meal.

A restaurant in the armenian quarter of the Old City…cheeseburgers and french fries…yum!

After lunch, we went shopping in the old city and met up with others from our group to do more exploring and shopping.

It was our last night in Jerusalem, so we headed to Ben Yeduda Street for our final meal. We had dinner at a little Italian food restaurant, and then walked back to our hotel to pack. Our bus was departing at 1:00 am for the airport. We would spend the better part of Sunday on the plane traveling back to Dallas. Even though the ride was long, it was completely worth it. If you ever have the chance to experience Israel, take it. You won’t regret it!

On Friday, we ventured outside of Jerusalem to visit some of the “dead” tourist attractions — the Dead Sea Scroll caves, the Dead Sea, and Masada (site of a mass suicide).

On the way, we traveled through the mountains surrounding Jerusalem. Many Bedouins still live in these mountains today. The picture above shows a temporary Bedouin settlement. Our tour guide indicated that Bedouins will settle for a few months and then move on — such an interesting and intriguing way to live.

The barren mountains outside of Jerusalem

Qumran, an archeological site in the West Bank near the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.

One of the eleven caves near Qumran where Dead Sea Scrolls and other religious texts were discovered.

View of the Dead Sea, mountains of Jordan, and ultralights flying overhead

Area where David went to hide from Saul

The Dead Sea!

You can see the city of Masada on top of the mountain. It was originally a retreat for Herod the Great, but it was later taken by Jewish rebels who were fighting against Roman rule. It was the last Jewish stronghold when the Romans conquered the rebels. To get into the fortress, the Romans built a ramp on the back of the mountain so they could access the city. Instead of being taken captive alive, all of the rebels committed suicide.

Ruins of Masada — a city capable of supporting 1,000 soldiers for 3 years. Herod had a great palace located here, a spa, and synagogue.

The ramp that the Romans built to re-take the city of Masada

Swimming in the Dead Sea — without a doubt, it was one of the most fun and memorable experiences of the entire trip. You literally do not have to lift a finger to float in this water. It’s amazing and SO MUCH fun!

Our last stop of the day (or night) was the city of Jericho. We traveled through it on the bus and stopped at the bottom of this mountain. The green area shown in this picture is where people think Jesus went to be tempted in the desert. Now, a monastery sits on the site.

For more pictures of our trip, be sure to check out the Israel albums in the photo section of blog.