IT'S ELECTION SEASON - LET'S HAVE A POLL

Here in the United States our 2016 Presidential election is already underway.  There are candidates from the Republican and Democratic sides vying for support to be the nominee of their respective political party.  Every week, there are scores of new polls being released to show that this or that candidate's support is rising or falling.

So, I thought, maybe the Marc Jacobs Weight Loss Journal should have it's own poll.

I am planing on letting this poll run through the end of the year.

On the right of this blog entry you will see a poll where you can select your favorite blog entry from a list of twelve that I have selected.  These blog entries are among my favorites.   If you have not seen some  of these posts - I fervently recommend them.

I have not voted in my own poll - but if I did - I am sure that my favorite blog post was the one from Sunday July 5th, 2015 where  I discussed where weight 'goes' when one is dropping pounds.  (LOST WEIGHT? WHERE DID IT GO?) I am most proud of that post - as it is informative and (mildly) amusing.

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Two days ago I was wondering if I still had the ability to limit myself to 1000 calories in a day.  I did precisely that successfully on Wednesday.   Yesterday, I was back at it with a relatively high calorie day.  This time, I balanced my eating with a wildly rigorous workout schedule.

I spent 90 minutes on the treadmill at 12:30AM Thursday morning.

and then I was back at it at 3:30PM completing another 90 minutes.

For the day, I burned 4000+ calories.

As we have discussed in prior posts, the calories burned that various exercise equipment report is some approximation of what is actually burned.   However, I am certain that if one spends a total of 3 hours within a 24 hour period on an elliptical machine set to maximum resistance - that there is little question that the calories burned = MANY.  (Whether it really is 4000, or 3000.... who knows, but it surely is a lot!)

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 Thursday MENU

breakfast  two apples                                                                                190 calories
lunch        spinach, tomato, hearts palm, lentil soup, corn thins                322 calories
dinner      Mariano's salad, codfish, mango, granola, trail mix                 1949 calories
SNACK    chewy ginger, zing granola, red delicious apple, wasabi           822 calories

total calories consumed 3284 calories

calories burned

Thursday Morning 12:30AM Star Trac elliptical machine 92 minutes 2189 calories
Thursday Afternoon 3:00PM Star Trac elliptical machine 92 minutes 2198 calories

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED 4387 CALORIES

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Wednesday net calories NEGATIVE 1103 calories

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These two recent polls show support for various candidates in Nevada as of July 2015. As of today, July 30, 2015 Americans have not seen the first televised debate, most of these candidates are unknown to most Americans, and most Americans are too busy enjoying their summer to be bothered with a minor detail like presidential politics 16 months before the actual election in November 2016!

 It will be interesting to see how this particular election cycle develops.  At this time, inexplicably Donald Trump is atop the candidates in the Republican Party and Hillary Clinton is the Queen of the Democratic Party.  America will likely not survive another 'flaming socialist liberal.'   Let me amend that.   America will survive.   It will simply be completely unrecognizable - as it is starting to become already.   

As you know, I have tried to be apolitical with my blog.  That will become increasingly difficult as this election cycle unfolds.  I will try to be as apolitical as possible.  Or as Bart Simpson says: "I will try to try"

"I'll try to try."  - Bart Simpson

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At the very bottom of the pack of the Republican candidates is former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum.  He is a good man with good values. Apparently he will not be the President of the United States.   Nevertheless, It was an honor for me to meet him four years ago when he was campaigning in Iowa.

Back then, in 2011, I likely had not reached 309 lbs yet, but  I was well on my way....

This photo, also from 2011 shows my daughter with a 'cardboard cutout' of President Ronald Reagan.  Dixon, Illinois is a town that young Ronald Reagan lived in as a young boy.  His Dixon, Illinois home is now a museum and open to the public, I thought I would post this picture as a public service. That way people from around the world could see what a genuine American Leader looked like in the past. President Ronald Reagan was admired by his friends and respected by his enemies.  For the past 35 years, American Conservatives have been wondering where a leader like this might be found once again.   If you ask me, and I know you didn't - I nominate Ted Cruz or Scott Walker.

PIZZA PARTY

I accomplished two BIG things yesterday.

1. I managed to satisfy my craving to enjoy some pizza
2. I managed to string together one consecutive day of under 1000 calories!

For the past few weeks and months - I have let my appetite and my food cravings swerve out of control.  It was not a total abdication of the program but I was starting to really turn in the wrong direction.  I absolutely needed to prove to myself that I could summon the willpower necessary to get through the day without consuming 3000+ calories.  The funny thing about this was that since I woke up yesterday morning with this goal - it was not so difficult.   Please remember, IT IS ALWAYS EASIER TO EAT WHATEVER ONE WANTS - but it is likewise NOT SO difficult to cut back if one desires.

Since December 24th, 2014 I have not had a hamburger.  Considering that I used to average eating 6 or 7 hamburgers per day - this was no small lifestyle change.  I also have refrained from eating pizza. That particular itch needed to be scratched.  While shopping in Mariano's Market, one of the sample stations had a tasty low calorie boxed pizza for their customers to try.  I tasted it and it was quite good.  And with that one taste, my dinner was decided.   I ate only enough to maintain my extreme low calorie consumption for the day.

I am not sure if having 1/2 of a boxed pizza qualifies as a Pizza Party - but from my perspective, it did!

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 Wednesday MENU

breakfast   John McCann Steel Cut Oat Meal                                   300 calories
lunch         Organic Baby Spinach Salad w/hearts of palm, tomato    80 calories
dinner        1/2 Roundy's Organic four cheese pizza, chicken broth  470 calories
SNACK     one apple, corn thin                                                          123 calories

total calories consumed  973 calories

calories burned

HOME STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL 92 minutes, level 20                     2260 calories

CALORIES BURNED 2260 CALORIES

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Tuesday net calories NEGATIVE 1287 calories

Yesterday, my net calories consumed was MINUS 1287

AND WHILE WE ARE ON THE SUBJECT OF THE NUMBER 1287....HERE IS A COMPLETELY USELESS FACT:

A famously long sentence in Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner contains 1,287 words.

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It has been so long since I have had an actual LOW CALORIE salad - THIS SALAD WAS ONLY 80 CALORIES!
This salad was simple, spinach with hearts of palm and tomato - NOTHING ELSE!

one half pizza is only 450 calories - and that was my dinner (although I did add a chicken broth soup as well)

from wikipedia:

The 1983 Guinness Book of World Records claims the "Longest Sentence in Literature" is a sentence from Absalom, Absalom! containing 1,288 words. The sentence can be found in Chapter 6; it begins with the words "Just exactly like father", and ends with "the eye could not see from any point". The passage is entirely italicized and incomplete. Some claim that the Guinness Book of World Records is wrong about the longest sentence. The Molly Bloom soliloquy at the end of James Joyce's "Ulysses," is 4,391 words, not to mention dozens of stream of consciousness novels such as Bohumil Hrabal's Dancing Lessons for the Advanced Age which is an entire novel written in one 13000 word sentence. However, it should be understood that Absalom, Absalom! has the longest grammatically correct sentence in literature, whereas a sentence like Molly Bloom's soliloquy is really just many sentences with no punctuation.

BAD HABITS ARE LIKE BIKE RIDING (YOU NEVER FORGET)

Let me explain.
Bad habits are bad.  (<----not the most clever thing I have ever written)
It said that there are some things one never forgets - like remembering how to ride a bicycle.
Bad habits are like riding a bicycle - one does not forget bad habits.

There are many things that have either surprised me and/or given me joy over the past half year.
Of course, I am overjoyed that I have lost approximately 90 lbs from my starting point of 309 lbs.
I am pleased (and no longer shocked) that I have successfully ended my habit of eating at McDonalds, Burger King, White Castle and similar unhealthy restaurants. (Considering that I ate at establishments like this three times per day nearly every day for a large portion of my life - this was no small accomplishment.)  This lifestyle change is secure.  Nothing is pulling me back into that particular bad habit.

The habit that I have not broken myself from is the habit of overeating.
I tamed this habit for 4 months when I limited myself to 1000 calories per day and dropped 90 lbs.
As I increased my calories, I have increased the intensity and the time spent exercising.
In fact, I have developed a habit of exercising and I have embraced this new habit.

The habit of overeating has not been so easy to tame.
In fact, it is not tamed.
I do still eat too many apples, too many 'nutritional' energy bars.
I do eat too often and too much at the bulk foods section of a few different grocery stores.
.
I have seen my calories consumed per day first approach 3000 and then exceed 3000 per day.
I have been maintaining my aggressive workout schedule so I think I have been masking this problem fairly well.  I am still wearing all the 36" or 38" waist pants that I was wearing two and three months ago.  So, I have not developed a major problem here - although I have bounced up and down five or six pounds in the past few weeks.

The absolute worst thing that I have done  - is said to myself....
I WILL START TOMORROW.
I have been thinking that I should string together a one or two or three 1000 calorie days just to insure a good week at the scale.   As each day unfolds and I am considering this, I find myself saying to myself: I WILL START TOMORROW.

This is the really bad habit that I have (apparently) not forgotten.
I should have a real low calorie day today, Wednesday....but maybe I WILL START TOMORROW.
THIS IS A BAD HABIT - AND IT IS A TOUGH ONE TO BREAK.

I have heard that one cannot cure oneself of a problem without first recognizing the problem.
At least I have that first step solved.  I know that I have a problem.
Me thinks it might be time for step two - take a new action.
On the other hand....if  I don't start today....I WILL START TOMORROW. (Wrong answer.)

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 Tuesday MENU

breakfast  John McCann Oatmeal, bacon, poached eggs                             590 calories
lunch        Jimmy Johns BOOTLEGGER UNWICH, pickle                       300 calories
dinner       Panera Bread Onion Soup, Half Asiago Steak sandwich
                 wasabi peas, mango slices, yogurt almonds, granola
                 wasabi rice crackers                                                                 1784 calories
SNACK   APPLE, CLIFF TRAIL MIX BAR, bulk foods                       1007 calories

total calories consumed 3682 calories

calories burned

HOME STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL 92 minutes, level 20                     2285 calories

CALORIES BURNED 2307 CALORIES

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Tuesday net calories 1375 calories

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THE BEST INVENTION FOLLOWED BY THE DUMBEST INVENTION

Two days ago while working out at the David Barton Gym I saw a commercial on one of the televisions with no sound that was touting a new product - OREO THINS. This new product was  introduced within the past couple of weeks.

For those of you who are fans of Oreo Cookies - let's face it, the best invention ever was OREO DOUBLE STUF.   This product doubled the best part of the Oreo Cookie - the creme filling.  Basically every kid that ever ate an Oreo cookie had already invented this.  The Nabisco Corporation simply manufactured what every kid in the world had already figured out!

This month, the same people who brought you DOUBLE STUF have now created HALF STUFF - which they are calling OREO THINS.

One Oreo Cookie is 53.3 calories.
One Double Stuf Oreo Cookie is 70 calories.
One Oreo Thin Cookies is 35 calories.

Isn't this how Apple Computer markets their iPhones and laptops?
(bragging about their thinness?)

My claim is that EVERY FOOD IS DIET FOOD - IF YOU CONTROL YOUR PORTION.  I do not think that those that eat OREO THINS are really eating diet food.  If this product is so good, why not create a product that has two wafers and has no creme filling?  Would that not be an even better 'improvement.?    Of course, that would be ridiculous.... just as OREO THINS seem a bit ridiculous. No one thinks that Oreo cookies are tasty simply because the wafers are so delicious. Or do they?

My recommendation... if you are making the attempt to cut down on your calories.... EAT 1/2 of a DOUBLE STUF and you will get the same calories found in one OREO THIN - except it will taste TWICE AS GOOD!  (mathematically speaking...it should taste four times as good!)  Better yet, skip the OREO and eat an apple - surely it is the healthier choice!

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 Monday MENU

breakfast   three poached eggs, center cut bacon, oatmeal                         590 calories
lunch         lentil soup, homemade salad, apple, KIND bar                        552 calories
dinner        Mariano's salad, mango, granola, trail mix, choc chips          1451 calories
SNACK     sesame crunch, chewy ginger, date pieces, pineapple ring      820 calories                                                                        

total calories consumed 3414 calories

calories burned

HOME STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL 90 minutes, level 20                    2340 calories

CALORIES BURNED 2340 CALORIES

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Monday net calories 1074 calories

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four of these OREO THINS are 140 calories.
Wouldn't it be easier to simply eat two Oreo Double Stufs?
(and would it not be tastier?)
TWO OREO DOUBLE STUFS would also be 140 calories.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE HOW AMERICANS RESPOND TO BRANDING AND NAMES OF PRODUCTS.  PART OF ME THINKS THAT THIS PRODUCT WILL HAVE THE SAME FATE AS NEW COKE.  ANOTHER PART OF ME THINKS THAT THIS NEW PRODUCT WILL BE A GIANT SUCCESS.  Now we both know why I am not in marketing.

DAVID BARTON GYM

I have mentioned previously that I intend to visit a bunch of other gyms located in Chicago, with an emphasis on gyms that have other locations around the country that I can use. I already do belong to the YMCA and I admit the more that I take advantage of my membership at the YMCA,  the more I appreciate what it has to offer.  Andy yet, I keep on wondering what I am missing at other places.

Yesterday, I made arrangements to check out the DAVID BARTON GYM.  This gym has 11 locations in the United States.  I was very surprised to learn that membership in one gym at one location provides no reciprocal privileges in other cities.  Each of the eleven gyms is a business unto itself - apparently the only thing in common with other David Barton Gyms is that they are connected by name and on the same website.

David Barton Gym - perhaps this place is simply too hip for me.

As I approached the front desk, the ambience of the gym seemed more like a trendy nite club than a gym.  (Not that I know what a trendy nite club looks like these days - or even in the old days or that matter)   I guess I can see that there was some modern and ultra modern furniture and architectural design elements.  Once one actually entered the gym - It looked like a gym. The lighting keeps the place very dark (another element making it seem like a nite club) even though I was there in the middle of the day.  Mirrors on opposite sides of the gym made the gym appear to be huge beyond all imagination.

The Chicago David Barton Gym that I visited look more like a nite club than a gym - I presume that that is the point.

It turns out that this gym was in a huge office building occupied largely by the corporate headquarters of Groupon in Chicago.  This gym caters mostly to corporate clients and does not seem to be seeking neighborhood memberships too aggressively.   Although I had made the appointment, I will say that there was no 'hard sell' put upon me.  In fact, if I had not inquired about the price of membership - I don't think my 'tour guide' was making any effort to sign me up at all.  Maybe I don't look cool enough for this club - who knows?

I was able to enjoy my visit by working out for two hours on a LifeCycle Elliptical machine.  I was also trying my new Bluetooth headphones as my first pair stopped working properly...  The workout was fine.  The locker room had some amenities that I have not seen before in a gym: deoderant, mouthwash, shaver, shaving cream - but not enough to justify an $80/month membership to a stand alone gym with no reciprocal travel privileges.

The David Barton Gym was certainly interesting.  They treated me extremely well during my visit - but this club is not really an improvement over the YMCA for me.   I am still going to periodically visit other places at times permits.

Sure the philosophy is a bit risqué - but nothing about it I disagree with... Fit people look better in clothing.
(and presumably fit people look better naked as well!)

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 Sunday MENU

breakfast  three poached eggs, oatmeal, center cut bacon                          590 calories 
lunch        MARIANO'S SALAD BAR, figs, ginger, cacao chocolate       927 calories     
dinner       spinach salad, salmon burger, potato pancake,  asparagus         300 calories                                                             
SNACK   wasabi peas, cherry vanilla granola                                          1470 calories

total calories consumed 3288 calories

calories burned at DAVID BARTON GYM
maximum time the elliptical machine could be set was 60 minutes.
I did two consecutive sets.  65 minutes each includes 5 minute cooldown.

65 minutes LifeFitness elliptical   965 CALORIES
65 minutes LifeFitness elliptical   940 CALORIES

CALORIES BURNED 1905 CALORIES

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Saturday net calories 1383 calories

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first 65 minute workout at David Barton Gym

second 65 minute workout at David Barton Gym

IS IT PURPOSEFULLY CONFUSING?

I really enjoy buying bulk foods at the various grocery stores that sell them.  I can purchase nuts, granola, dates, dried fruit, and other exotic low and high calorie treats in as small a quantity as I like.  These sections of the grocery store are self-serve - so there is no issue with embarrassing oneself asking for as tiny a portion as you want.   One simply takes what one desires, bags it, and marks it with an identifying number and it is paid for at the counter.   It is no more difficult at checkout buying six or seven bulk items in tiny quantities than buying anything else sold by weight at the market.

HOWEVER, THERE IS ONE THING THAT IS QUITE ANNOYING ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE.

In each store, the nutritional information is plainly marked on each product.  The calories, the fat, the carbs, the protein, etc.... It's all there... And it's all there marked in grams.

In each store, each item is sold by the pound.

Why is that?

Wouldn't it be much less confusing for the consumer if these products could be sold by the gram?   Would it not be at least more beneficial to the consumer if the weight that was printed on the label at least gave the weight and the grams.  This would be a simple programming change and would cost the store nothing to do.   I suspect that this is purposefully kept confusing.

The reason that I say this is that each food looks so reasonable in its caloric content.   Is a food that is 150 calories per 28 grams high calorie?   Well, it is, if one buys half a pound and eats it at one sitting.

Anyway, I have trained and continue to train myself to take very small portions.   Usually before I eat these treats I go through the mathematical contortions of changing the pounds purchased to the correct number of grams and figuring out how many portions I did buy.

As a recovering food addict, less recovered, and more addict.... I seem incapable of buying these delicious foods and NOT finishing whatever it is that I have bought.   That is why it is so important to me to buy small quantities at the outset.

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 Saturday MENU

breakfast   three poached eggs, oatmeal, center cut bacon, bulk foods  1161 calories
lunch         SEAFOOD SALAD, SESAME SEAWEED SALAD            530 calories
dinner       SALAD BAR, cherry vanilla granola                                      780 calories
SNACK    BULK FOODS                                                                         949 calories

total calories consumed 3420 calories

calories burned

elliptical machine 92 minutes, manual, level 20              2217 calories

CALORIES BURNED 2217 CALORIES

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Saturday net calories 1203 calories

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RUMSPRINGA

My daughter and I just spent two days in Holmes County - Amish Country.  I think I might have had a little too much too eat for dinner at the DER DUTCHMAN buffet for during two consecutive dinners.   We also walked over to the local chocolate factory, COBLENTZ CHOCOLATES,  and sampled some (too many) of their offerings and purchased some (too many) of their offerings.    I think for two days, I got away from the Rabbi Hillel philosophy.   I think I did eat some (too many) things that were probably not good for me.  In other words... It's as if I had my own personal RUMSPRINGA for the past two days.   Now you, of course, are saying to yourself...."What is a Rumspringa?'   And your humble blogger, is about to provide the service and let you know....

I found this essay on RUMSPRINGA on a website of Elibatbethtown Collge.

Rumspringa

In many communities, Rumspringa is a period when some Amish youth, boys more than girls, experience greater freedom. They are no longer under the control of their parents on weekends and, because they are not baptized, they are not yet under the authority of the church. During this time, many Amish youth adhere to traditional Amish behavior. Others, however, experiment with “worldly” activities—buying a car, going to movies, wearing non-Amish clothes, buying a television or a DVD player. In the larger Amish settlements, an adolescent’s behavior often depends on the peer group he or she chooses to join. Amish parents may worry about which group their child will join because the choice will influence the teen’s behavior.

Traditional youth activities may include volleyball, swimming, ice skating, picnics, hiking, and large outdoor “supper” parties. The most typical gatherings are “singings.” Groups meet in a home and sing German hymns and English gospel songs for several hours and then enjoy a time of conversation and food. The “faster,” more rebellious groups sometimes drive cars, rent a building for parties, or go to bars and nightclubs in nearby towns.

A fling with worldliness reminds Amish youth that they have a choice regarding church membership; however, most of the forces of Amish life funnel them toward church membership. Knowing they have a choice likely strengthens their willingness to obey church standards and, in the long run, the authority of the church itself.

The practice of Rumspringa varies greatly from community to community. Some church districts provide adult supervision, but others do not.  Rumspringa as a wild rebellious experience is virtually unknown in some smaller settlements and in certain affiliations. In fact the practice would be suppressed among some Amish subgroups, including many New Order groups.

In short, I just think I might have 'rebelled' against my good eating policy for the past two days.  And it appears as if - now I must pay the price as I step onto the scale this morning.   I believe that as long as I return to a more balanced approach to eating over the next week I will see my weight dip down again closer to 220 lbs.   

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222.3 lbs

I weigh 222.3 lbs.

I lost 2 lbs this week

I lost 86.7 lbs in 213 days. Today begins Day 214.

I have lost nearly 16 inches from my waist. 

(I am just beginning to wear (squeeze into) 34" waist blue jeans and slacks.

I will always be at the beginning of a journey that never ends.

I weigh 222.3 lbs. (213 days ago I weighed 309 lbs)

I have lost 28.0% of my weight since Dec 24.

I have a BMI, body mass index of 29.73 (far away from obesity!)

I had a 42.0 BMI on Dec 24 just 206 days ago (Class III obesity)

I have two words to describe how I feel this morning: all right

...I know how to begin this week... I think it might be another good day to to burn 2000+ calories with a strenuous session on the elliptical 

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 FRIDAY MENU

breakfast  steel cut oat meal, apples                                                         840 calories
lunch        PANERA BREAD SOBA NOODLE, turkey, apples            1070 calories
dinner      CORN THINS                                                                          668 calories
SNACK   BULK FOODS - KROGER                                                     700 calories

total calories consumed 3278 calories

calories burned

HOME ELLIPTICAL 92 MINUTES, MANUAL SETTING, LEVEL '20'  2245 CALORIES
(I expected to give myself two days off from exercising... but I did return home early enough from OHIO to jump on the elliptical machine at home for a quick 92 minutes session!)

Friday net calories  1033 calories

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Even a peach has too many calories - if you eat too much.
(no worries here - this was just a wooden sign advertising fresh peaches in  Amish Country)

TWO DAY BREAK

Since the first week after I decided to change my lifestyle I have been working out once per day. Circumstances in the Amish town that I have been the past two days have precluded me from working out as I normally like.  The hotel that I am registered does not have a fitness room.  Furthermore, the nearest YMCA is nearly one half hour away.  My trade show starts very early in the morning, 8:00AM and I am traveling with my young daughter.

I was aware that the fact that I had not given myself a break for working out was actually counter-productive - I have now decided not to fret too much about this two day break.  I will likely be home in time tonight in order to exercise - but I think I will allow myself to have this two day break without getting crazy about it.  I might have compounded my weekly weight fluctuations by eating at an Amish buffet two nights in a row.  Last night I did return to the buffet for 'seconds' although I mostly piled on some cabbage and green beans

Since my weight has been bouncing up and down the past few weeks - I am mentally prepared for an annoying weigh-in on Saturday.  Whatever the scale says on Saturday, I will get 'back on program' and back on track immediately.  This will mean more strictly regulating my calories and daily trips to the fitness room.

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I invited my daughter to accompany me on this trip as I expected that we would have an enjoyable 400 mile drive to our destination - and we did.

I invited my daughter to accompany me on this trip as I expected that we would have an enjoyble 400 mile drive back home - and we will.

Daddy and daughter take a selfie with the beautiful Amish countryside in the background

I did not invite my daughter to accompany me on this trip to assist me during the trade show - BUT SHE DID.   My daughter did not write just one order with customers yesterday - she wrote two orders!   It was so much fun for me to see her interacting with real customers and taking their button order.  When I submitted the order to Dill Button Company - the president of the company and the customer service department both responded extremely enthusiastically to my daughters contribution.

My daughter writing her first button order with real customers at a fabric show!

I invited my daughter to accompany me on this trip as I thought it would be fun - We have had a treat time together and the trip was wildly memorable.

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 Thursday MENU

breakfast  INN AT WALNUT CREEK OATMEAL, 3 APPLES               540 calories
lunch        COLDCUTS, POTATO SALAD, TOMATO                            828 calories

dinner       DER DUTCHMAN BUFFET w/SALAD                               1000 calories

SNACK   SNACK:  COBLENTZ CHOCOLATES                                   300 calories

total calories consumed 2668 calories

calories burned

NO WORKOUT

CALORIES BURNED - not applicable

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Wednesday net calories 2668 calories

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DER DUTCHMAN BUFFET SALAD - LOW CALORIE, VERY HEALTHY

DER DUTCHMAN BUFFET MEAL - PAN ROASTED CHICKEN, GREEN BEANS, CREAMED CORN, CABBAGE, SMALL PORTION BREAD PUDDING, STUFFING (This was a combination of some high calorie choices and some very healthy low calorie choices)  THE DINNER WAS DELICIOUS.  I HAVE JUST RANDOMLY ASSIGNED 1000 CALORIES TO THIS MEAL - although I do assume (and hope) that the reality would have been significantly less.