24

On the morning of July 30th, I weighed 283.6 lbs.
It hurt to walk around the block.
I was really in bad shape, and heading to worse shape.
24 days later, of drastically reduced calorie consumption with some modest exercise...
...I can hike (walk) again.
24 days

I took a 7 mile hike Tuesday afternoon
On Wednesday I took a 5.6 mile hike.
Don't know what my weight is, although I am looking forward to finding out on Saturday
I already feel like a new person....
I am guessing I have dropped something in the neighborhood of 20lbs
I can look at myself in the mirror again.
I can take a picture of myself without cringing.
I am not quite back yet.
But I am on my way.

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THINKING ABOUT MAINTENANCE

Weight Loss is Fun.  Weight Loss is Exciting.  Weight Loss is Exhilarating.
I suppose Maintenance is a little less fun, exciting or exhilarating.
I wouldn't know from experience - I have never been involved in a successful maintenance program.
THAT CHANGES NOW.
When I approached this challenge I vowed to myself, that I would be successful in dropping at least 100 lbs and that I would manage to maintain my new physique once it arrived.
I am not completely at the end of the weight loss part of this trip - but I can see it the end of this phase on the horizon.

It is time to consider how I will keep this weight off - once my goal ceases to be weekly weight loss.

I was 57 years old when this journey began on December 24th, 2014.
I am anticipating that I will be closer to 58 years old when my goals switch from weight loss to maintenance.

I have plugged in some numbers to see how many calories (allegedly) that a 58 year old man, 6' 1/2" who exercises at least 5 times per week needs to consume to maintain a weight of 195 lbs.  That screen shot form my calculator.net application appears below.

calculator.net application which calculates calories needed to lose, maintain or gain weight

If I am reading this correctly, and honestly it does not seem too complicated - all I need to do to maintain of weight of 195 lbs is to 'LIMIT' myself to 2407 CALORIES PER DAY.   This now seems almost too good to be true.   Now I am aware that the way that I ballooned up to 309 lbs was by eating perhaps up to 6000 calories per day.   I believe that I have cured myself of this disgusting habit.   I have been surviving and thriving on a diet of 1000 calories per day for the past four (4) months.   HOW HARD CAN IT BE TO LIMIT MYSELF TO 2400 CALORIES PER DAY?

I am aware that this charts are imperfect and are meant to provide guidelines.   Before I jump in head first and start consuming 2400 calories, my plan will be to increase my calorie count to something far short of that number and carefully monitor my weight.   I will take it very seriously if my weight fluctuates up a two or three pounds.   I will not let that type of increase go unchecked.  

However, if I keep up my exercise and don't go crazy and start personal all-you-can-eat contests - I have to believe that I will be successful with my maintenance.  I am getting a little bit ahead of myself - I still have about 25 pounds to drop to get to 195.   I just no longer need the HUBBLE TELESCOPE to see my destination - I can see my destination with the naked eye!

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MONDAY MENU

breakfast  two eggs, oatmeal w/prune two slices turkey 'bacon'                               355 calories
lunch        spinach salad, w/three crab legs, hard boiled egg, 8 cherry tomatoes
                 Campbell's Homestyle Italian Wedding Soup                                         330 calories
dinner      Jimmy John's Bootlegger UNWICH w/xtra cucumber, tomato, Dijon
                Baby Spinach Salad w/8 cherry tomatoes, large honey crisp apple, pickle 433 calories

TOTAL CALORIC CONSUMPTION 1118 CALORIES

calories burned
6:30AM elliptical 32 minutes   460 calories

MONDAY NET CALORIES  658 CALORIES

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SPINACH SALAD w/crab legs, hard-boiled egg, 8 cherry tomatoes   210 CALORIES

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....

THERE'S ALWAYS ANOTHER MEAL IN SIX HOURS

On December 24, 2014, these words, "There's always another meal in six hours" changed my life.  I asked permission from my doctor today if I could use him name in my blog and he said that was perfectly fine.

I met Dr. John Tenhundfeld (Lincoln Park Family Physicians, 1317 West Diversey Parkway, Chicago) on two separate occasions prior to my December 24, 2014 'wellness' exam.   I immediately liked everything about him. This man is friendly, approachable and knowledgeable. He has a great personality and I find that I can speak with him with complete honesty. He is simply the best of the best.  Eight weeks ago, when I was a 309 lb blob sitting in the examination room we were discussing weight loss. He casually said that the thing with eating is..."there's always another meal in six hours."  He added that we just need to eat enough to survive until the next meal.  These ideas changed my life.  

It is these ideas that have propelled me into a fat-burning, muscle-building machine over these past few weeks.  I made sure to tell Dr. Tenhunfeld that it was these words there were so instrumental to my new way of thinking.  Expressing gratitude to someone who has been so helpful is a great thing to do.

My doctor was somewhat stunned today.  He was impressed with my success and my attitude. Honestly, the whole experience was very emotional for me. 

We discussed all the issues that I wanted to clarify.

He did say that a 1000 calorie per day cap on my eating was very aggressive. He added that as long as I am eating a balanced diet I could continue to do this. He added that I could easily bump that up to 1200 or 1300 when I am ready to do so.

My blood pressure which was elevated two months ago is now completely healthy.  

Blood pressure is 123/75.   (two months ago 158/82)

Resting pulse today was 67   (two months ago 75)

One recommendation made was to increase the fiber that I am eating.  His suggestions included adding to my diet: prunes, raisins, whole grains, and steel cut oatmeal with wheat germ.  I will follow this advice.

We discussed the Zero Calorie Sparkling Water that I drink.  While not as healthy as water,  Dr. Tenhundfeld said that as long as I drink some water during the day, I should be OK.  I do drink water exclusively with my lunches and dinners.  The 6 cup per day minimum that we all read about virtually everywhere is a false fact without scientific merit.   

Another blood test was taken, and the doctor expects that my glucose levels should have receded to a normal level.

Dr. Tenhunfeld said that I "made his day."  It really meant something to him, that I took to heart his advice 8 weeks ago.   He said that in his career he had never seen anyone lose so much weight so quickly.  Although, he said that the speed of my weight loss was way outside what could reasonably be expected, my attitude and the fact that I am not starving myself do not indicate any trouble.

I think he got a kick out of the fact that I started my weight loss program on December 24th.  Not too many people start their new diets or lifestyle changes on Christmas Eve.   Since I am Jewish, for me, December 24th was simply a Tuesday.  Even so, not too many people start their new diets or lifestyle changes so close before New Year's Day.  Apparently I am not like everyone else.   I never have been.  Likely I never will be.

And lastly, right as he left the exam room, he said something that I will never forget.  Before he entered the exam room, naturally he looked at my chart.  He wondered who had weighed me as the weight looked ridiculously wrong.  The scale that I was weighed on cost him around $2000.  On December 24, 2014 his scale indicated that I weighed 313 lbs (with clothes on).  That very same scale, today registered 252.8 lbs. From his perspective, it was simply not possible that a patient could weigh 60 lbs less in 8 weeks.  Even my home scale showed a little less weight loss.  I will continue to report my weight from my own scale just to be consistent.

No wonder the nurse taking my blood pressure could not understand when I said the purpose of my visit was "obesity"    I must admit, although my BMI still has me classified as obese - I do not look obese sitting here in the chair getting my blood pressure reading.

My wife, Jennifer did a good job of documenting my doctor visit today.  Here I am  being weighed.

252.8 lbs  (I weighed myself at home this morning and my scale indicated 255 lbs and I and could barely believe it)  I will contine to use my home scale to calculate my progress just for consistency.   Tomorrow, Saturday is the 'official' day to record my weight loss progress.

And the last thing that I can think of that was memorable today was that the nurse who took my blood pressure, temperature and weight measurements asked my why I was seeing the doctor today.   I said "obesity."   She looked at me funny.   Although I was not trying to be funny - I admit, when I look at the photos that my wife took of me today - I do not see an obese person.

Never before has a visit to the doctor been so much fun!

I will repeat one more time.  Dr. Tenhundfeld, you changed my life.   Thank you.