Sunday, July 10, 2016

LIES, DAMNED LIES AND STATISTICS

"Lies, damned lies, and statistics" is a phrase describing the persuasive power of numbers, particularly the use of statistics to bolster weak arguments. It is also sometimes colloquially used to doubt statistics used to prove an opponent's point..
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Yesterday I posted a graph showing my most recent 13 pounds weight loss. It is a thing of beauty, it shows almost a straight line going down over the past two months. Here it is:

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However, if I expand the length of time to be examined out one more month. My progress is far less impressive.  In fact, one can see that in three months, I have made NO PROGRESS, in fact, I GAINED 0.1 pounds.

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And if I extend the timeline out to six months?  Things look even worse, this chart highlights how I have GAINED nearly 14 pounds in the past six months.
Well, if one can go back six months, how about going back one year? In this chart, perhaps there can be made a case that things are not so bad, as I have ONLY gained 8 pounds in the past 52 weeks (one year).
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It is on this last chart that I can take solace in my weight loss achievement. Since I started my WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY on December 24, 2014 - I have LOST 80 POUNDS. This is something to be proud of, and I am proud of this achievement. It has not been easy. It is clear that it will never be easy to hold onto this achievement.  But hold on, I will.


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Yesterday was an unremarkable day regarding my calorie burning.  In the morning, I spent 97 minutes on the elliptical machine. In the evening, I took a walk to REI to pick up some new socks and made that trip a five mile trip before returning home.
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Your Food Diary For:

BREAKFAST Calories Carbs Fat Protein Sodium Sugar
Sage - Red Delicious Apple, 1 medium 95 25 0 1 2 19
Kroger - Instant Country Grits 500 105 5 10 1,700 5

595 130 5 11 1,702 24
L U N C H
Breaded Fried Chicken (Drumstick) 520 16 28 48 1,000 0

520 16 28 48 1,000 0
D I N N E R
Hebrew National - Beef Franks - 4 Franks 680 8 52 24 1,800 0

680 8 52 24 1,800 0
S N A C K S
88% Dark Chocolate, 1 bar 420 34 40 8 0 10

420 34 40 8 0 10
Totals 2,215 188 125 91 4,502 34
Your Daily Goal 4,022 503 134 202 2,300 150
Remaining 1,807 315 9 111 -2,202 116
Calories Carbs Fat Protein Sodium Sugar
*You've earned 2,092 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 199.6 lbs in 5 weeks     
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your Exercise Diary for:


Cardiovascular Minutes Calories Burned
97 1,132
71 910
Ic_i N/A 50

   
Daily Total / Goal 169 / 30 2,092 / 590  
Weekly Total / Goal 1174 / 210 11,951 / 4,130             
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This quote is often attributed to Mark Twain, although it is also attributed to Benjamin Disraeli. 

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and on a completely unrelated topic....
My personal Kobayashi Maru. Star Trek predicted that Donald Trump will win the presidency, and annihilate  the Rupublican Party.  I know this going in.  I am going to vote for Donald Trump.  If Hillary Clinton were to be elected, it will not just be a political party that she destroys, but America itself. Not a great choice for a Republican to make: vote to destroy the Republican Party, which will lead to the destruction of America in the future or vote to destroy America immediately. (Oh, you don't know what a Kobayashi Maru is.... let me offer an explanation)
from wikipedia...
The Kobayashi Maru is a test in the fictional Star Trek universe.
It is a Starfleet training exercise designed to test the character of cadets in the command track at Starfleet Academy. The Kobayashi Maru test was first depicted in the opening scene of the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and also appears in the 2009 film Star Trek. Screenwriter Jack B. Sowards is credited with inventing the test, naming it after a friend whose last name was Kobayashi. The test is sometimes mentioned or depicted in ancillary Star Trek media, including novels and video games. The test's name is occasionally used among Star Trek fans or those familiar with the series to describe a no-win scenario, or a solution that involves redefining the problem and testing one's character.

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