POWDER VALLEY CONSERVATION NATURE CENTER

After driving more than 300 miles to see an important new quilt shop fabric customer in Sparta, Illinois I headed up north again to Hannibal, Missouri in order to be within 15 miles of my Friday morning appointment in Quincy, Illinois. First there was a stop at the Power Valley Nature Conservation Center for some hiking on some short, paved yet deeply elevated trails. The three trails were less than 3 miles added up together. My solution was to hike them all twice. This gave me a 6 mile hike. And the accumulated 'floors' climbed according to my fitbit were more than 100. 

Powder Valley has 112 acres of oak hickory forest. The name comes from the historical use of the general vicinity for manufacture and storage of explosive powder used in the Civil War and World War II.

A large frog stands guard at the entrance to the  conservation center building.

Your Food Diary For:

Thursday, October 13, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Costco - Bagel, 2 Bagel	700	146	5	26	1,540	16
Kirkland Signature - Smoked Salmon	225	0	13	29	1,017	0
Philadelphia Cream Cheese - Original	100	1	9	2	105	1
Quaker - Grits - Instant - Original, 3 packet	300	66	0	6	930	0
	1,325	213	27	63	3,592	17
L U N C H
Jacks Links Original - Beef Jerkey, 3 oz	240	15	3	36	1,770	12
Met-rx Colossal Protein Bar - Cookie Crunch	410	41	14	32	400	26
DARK CHOCOLATE COCONUT CHEWS	400	40	28	4	50	26
	1,050	96	45	72	2,220	64
D I N N E R
Whole Foods Market - Tsunami Sushi Combo	590	102	10	24	770	14
Zico - Pure Premium Coconut Water (1 Liter) Tetra Pak	180	44	0	0	260	36
	770	146	10	24	1,030	50
S N A C K S
Bugles - Nacho Cheese	130	15	7	1	250	1
Kelloggs - Rice Krispies Treats	250	46	6	2	280	21
	380	61	13	3	530	22
Totals	3,525	516	95	162	7,372	153
Your Daily Goal	2,846	356	95	143	2,300	106
Remaining	-679	-160	0	-19	-5,072	-47
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 916 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 220.9 lbs in 5 weeks.

       Your Exercise Diary for:

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
SIX MILE NATURE HIKE ON PAVED PATH	94	990
Daily Total / Goal	94 / 30	990 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	375 / 210	4,121 / 4,130

A STRANGER 'MADE MY DAY'

While I was picking up dinner at a St Louis Whole Foods on the way to Hannibal, Missouri an older man stopped me and said something to me like this: "You're in great shape. Do you work out?" The man appeared to be much older than me, but I suppose he might have only been in his sixties (which is NOT MUCH older than me)  I think I shocked him when I told him, that I 'ONLY' walk.  His response was "I walk too."  (I think he might have been wondering to himself why his walking was not giving him the same results that I apparently was getting.) I answered him, that I walk fast. I thanked him for the compliment, and that was the end of the encounter. Still, this guy 'made my day.'  I was thinking that this has never happened before, but then I remembered some young kid gave me a similar compliment when I was shopping for sneakers a few weeks ago. I will tell you this, whatever people thought about my physique when I was 309 pounds - and I'll be they privately had some wicked unkind thoughts, they surely kept them to themselves. 

...and here is the 'O.Henry' twist to this story.  I actually agree that I look pretty good. Still I am officially obese as determined by standard height and weight charts posted by the government. It's not like the government can ever make a mistake - so I guess I am obese.  I am 6'1" and my last weight was 225.1 lbs.