PENN PAL

I don't know if people still have traditional pen pals these days like some of us had in the 'old days.'  A pen pal was someone who you wrote to, usually from far away, often a far away country and described a little about yourself.  In return your pen pal would periodically write back to you and tell you about his life where he lived.  In the days of instantaneous communication - I would think that pen pals might have become passe' to the younger generation.   Nevertheless, this past week I discovered that I have a pen pal of sorts.

Perhaps not everyone recognizes the name, Penn Jillette.   Many more would recognize the names, Penn & Teller.  From Wikipedia: "Penn Fraser Jillette (born March 5, 1955) is an American magician, juggler, comedian, musician, inventor, actor and best-selling author know for his work with fellow magician Teller in the team, Penn & Teller.  His is also known for his advocacy of atheism, scientific skepticism, libertarianism and free-market capitalism."  Penn Jillette is the tall one in the Penn & Teller team.

Penn & Teller

Apparently right before December 2014 started, Penn Jillette was 6' 7" (I am guessing that he still is) and he weighed 330 lbs.  Even though, Jillette weighed 21 lbs more than I did when I started to turn my life around, I was surely the fatter of the two of us, as I am not quite 6' 1".  Sometime in December, Jillette visited his doctor and was told that if he lost weight, just 30 or 40 lbs, he would be much better able to control his high blood pressure and reduce the dosages of the blood pressure medications he was taking.  Further, his doctor advised him if he lost even more weight, he might not need any blood pressure medications at all.  This apparently inspired Penn Jillette to start dieting by consuming just 1000 calories per day (sound familiar?) and he dropped from 330 lbs to 225 lbs from December to March until he reached his goal weight of 225 lbs.   Penn Jillette's weight loss was nearly 1 lb/day in just over three months time.   In the first 108 days of my journey I have lost .8 lbs per day!   I guess great minds think alike. (although, God knows,  I certainly don't share Penn Jillette's atheisim.)

There is some kind of weird coincidence that sometime after Penn Jillette started his diet, I started my diet on December 24th, after visiting my doctor and embarked on a 1000 calorie per day diet. I started after him, and I have 'only' lost 89 lbs so far and have not reached my goal weight yet. But the similarities in our results and and plan explain why I consider him my Penn Pal.

This account of Penn's weight loss was made public all over the news just last week.  It is somewhat weird to me that our stories are so very similar.   Apparently Penn Jillete has already reached his goal weight, my journey is still chugging along and I am not exactly sure where I will end up... My thinking at this time has me getting down to a weight below 195 lbs - and then I may decide to continue further or not.   Nevertheless, our stories are eerily similar.  (as have been our results)

One thing we have in common, is that neither of us used MAGIC to to quicken our results.  We both had our successes the olde fashioned way - LESS CALORIES CONSUMED=MORE WEIGHT LOST. The formula is simple, just not necessarily easy to implement without a boatload of willpower and desire.

SUNDAY MENU

breakfast  Oat Meal w/prune, two poached eggs, 2 slices turkey 'bacon'               365 calories
lunch        Jimmy John's #14 Bootlegger UNWICH w/extra veggies                     280 calories  
dinner      spinach w/tomato, salmon burger, zucchini pancake, Cabbage Soup    303 calories

TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED 948 CALORIES

calories burned
7AM elliptical machine 32 minutes 495 Calories

NET CALORIES SUNDAY   453 CALORIES

This is a 2014 photograph was used to promote the Penn & Teller show in Las Vegas

Penn & Teller as they appeared on The Simpsons

Is there anyone or anything that The Simpsons has not spoofed?
I don't think so....