IT'S TRUE - WEAR BLACK - APPEAR THINNER! (DAY 93)

You have probably heard that wearing dark black clothing can make someone appear thinner. That may or may not be true - but in this photo below, I don't think it's only the color of my outfit that is making me appear thinner. I am guessing that is has something to do with the fact that these two photos, taken about 12 weeks apart show me about fifty pounds lighter.  Me in the yellow shirt, August 6 at a White Sox game, was before my first week of concentrated fat-losing effort had just ended and I probably weighed about 280 lbs. and me in black was taken just a couple of days ago when I most recently checked in at about 230 lbs. I believe I look thinner now. I also believe it ain't just the color of my outfit.

The difference between Mr. Yellow Shirt (me at 280 lbs on August 6th) and Mr. All-Black Sports Outfit (me just two days ago about 230 lbs) is about a foot, that is, twelve inches. My waist has shrunk from a giant bloated 50" to a much more reasonable 38".  This means that once again, I can shop for clothes at a regular store where normal people go to shop. Now the thing is, even at 230 lbs, I am NOT thin, but I am thinNER!

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After a two day abbreviated trip to the middle of the Illinois I returned home to Chicago and did what I often do. I changed clothes and took a walk.  Tuesday's walk was ten miles.

THESE GUYS ALL LOOK THIN.

JUST YOUR BASIC 18 MILE MONDAY HIKE (DAY 92)

I expected that my one appointment on Monday would take five or six hours as I had lots and lots of fabric to show a customer who had not seen me in more than one year. I did not expect that the weather on this late October day in the middle of Illinois would be quite so spectacular. I left my appointment in Pekin after 3:00PM, stopped at a Subway for a quick lunch  and drove to my hotel in Morton. I quickly changed clothes and I hiked to Peoria crossing the Illinois River. And then I hiked back. And when this hike was over, I had logged 18.5 miles. That was a serious Monday hike.

CHICAGO PARALLELOGRAM (DAY 91)

I went out for a walk early Sunday and I walked the path of an eight mile parallelogram. I stopped to take a couple of pictures by my favorite outdoor mural on Milwaukee Avenue: GREETINGS FROM CHICAGO

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NEARLY 18 MILES (DAY 90)

I needed to pick up my daughter from her ACT testing location on Saturday. I took a rather long circuitous route to get there. 13 miles. I met my daughter after her test, and we walked home nearly 5 miles. When the day was over I had hiked nearly 18 miles.

Montrose Avenue under Lake Michigan

The walk home from the ACT testing site was a bit more direct than my walk to get there.

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL WEEK (DAY 89)

I returned home to Chicago late Friday afternoon.

I immediately changed clothes and took a ten mile hike.

It's been a long time since I have not walked/hiked on any given day.

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and here is one more fun fact, that I am likely the only guy in the world who cares about. When I initially made the decision to lose weight (even though I gained so much of it back before I recently lost it again) I was 309 lbs on December 24, 2014. So here is something that I can 'hang my hat on.' I am down 80 pounds from my all-time fattest. The thing is...even at 229.4 lbs I am ain't slim, in fact, if I check the charts, I am still officially obese. Damn those charts!  I feel good!

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This chart 'only' shows a loss of 53.6 lbs in the past 3 months.... That is because, I 'dipped' UP another .6 lbs from the initial weight shown here.... At my most recent fattest, I was 283.6 lbs on July 31, 2018.  On Saturday morning, today, October 27, 2018 I checked in at 229.4 lbs. I am in  a very good mood right now. I think I am going to celebrate...

...and I know just how to do that...

I am going to take a hike!

MOUNT BALDHEAD (DAY 88)

The highpoint (pun intended) of my day yesterday took place after my 5.5 mile hike at Van Buren State Park. The highpoint came when I successfully climbed the 300 steps at Mt. Baldhead in Saugatuck during an additional .75 mile hike at a second location about 20 miles north of Van Buren State Park.

Mt. Baldhead. Saugatuck, Michigan. In the first picture I am contemplating the 300 step climb. In the second picture, I am smiling having completed the 300 step climb.

Mount Baldhead, also known as Bald Head Peak, Baldhead, and Radar Hill is a summit of a hill in Allegan County, Michigan. Mount Baldhead is a hill and a sand dune, in the Sand Hills between Kalamazoo Lake and Lake Michigan. It is located northwest of Saugatuck. It has an elevation of 794 feet / 242 meters.

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HOW I WALKED TO MICHIGAN (DAY 87)

Yes, I walked to Michigan on Wednesday morning, long before sunrise.
It really was not such a major accomplishment.
My hotel was in HOWE, Indiana less than one mile from the state line.
An eight and a half mile is a healthy walk considering I still had 30 minutes to drive to my first appointment at 9:00AM.