GOATS HEAD SOUP

I had a hearty soup for lunch, not quite as hearty as this faux choice from Campbell's, but hearty nonetheless.

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ONE WEIGH STREET

ONE WAY STREET is a song by Aerosmith, written by Steven Tyler.  ONE WAY STREET dates back to their 1973 self-titled debut album,  Aerosmith.  

Weight changes do not take place on one way streets although sometimes it can seem that way especially when one it tacking on the pounds.  Unlike one way streets in the real world, one can always make a U-Turn to change the direction of weight changes.  All it takes is desire and a plan.  Navigating a course of losing weight is also does not take place a one way street.  One has to be careful that a U-Turn is NOT made, as there are many forces are always trying to steer one away from the chosen direction.  

If you are headed in the wrong direction,  you can always make a U-TURN.

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218.9 lbs

I weigh 218.9 lbs.
I gained 2.9 lbs this week.

I lost 90.1 lbs in 171 days. Today begins Day 172.
I have lost 14 inches from my waist. 
I will always be at the beginning of a journey that never ends.
I weigh 218.9 lbs. (171 days ago I weighed 309 lbs)
I have lost 29.2% of my weight since Dec 24.
Considering how different my calorie count has been - eating much larger portions of still mostly nutritious foods - I am satisfied.  I must consider cutting back just a bit to continue to lose weight.
I have a BMI, body mass index of 29.28 (far away from obesity!)
I had a 42.0 BMI on 12.24.14 just 171 days ago (Class III obesity)
I wonder about achieving a 'normal weight' - the charts say 186.8 lbs - I'm not too sure about that...
I know this, regardless of what the BMI charts show - Marc Jacobs is no longer a fat man!
I have two words to describe how I feel right now - get focused!

...I know how to begin this week... 
32 minutes ELLIPTICAL, but before that... I will take the elevator to the ground floor and climb up 25 flights of stairs to the fitness room...

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 FRIDAY MENU
breakfast    two eggs, turkey bacon, oatmeal w/raisin                           345 calories
lunch         spinach salad, turkey burger, three apples                           574 calories
dinner        Campbells tortilla soup, cucumber salad, almonds,
                   2 Kind Almond/Coconut bars, apple                                1246 calories
snack         POPPED RICE CAKES POPCORN FLAVOR MINIS      420 calories
total calories 2585 calories

calories burned
STAIR CLIMBING (ground floor to 25th floor)  65 calories
elliptical 32 minutes                                                 587 calories
STAIR DESCENDING (25th floor to ground floor) 15 calories
TOTAL CALORIES BURNED  667 CALORIES

Friday net calories  calories 1918 calories

Aerosmith, recently

Aerosmith, 1973

Aerosmith, cover art, DRAW THE LINE by one of my favorite artists, HIRSHBERG

Albert 'Al' Hirschfeld (June 21, 1903 - January 20, 2003) was an American caricaturist best known for his black and white portraits of celebrities and Broadway stars.

ROLL AWEIGH THE STONE

Roll away the Stone was a single recorded by MOTT THE HOOPLE and released on their 1973 album, The Hoople.   Ian Hunter handles the vocals with Lynsey de Paul handling the 'vocal bridge.' 

Roll Away the Stones was released as a 'single' in 1973.

Since December 24th, 2014 I have been rolling away the pounds, the kilos and the stones.   So far, I have been lucky to avoid having any 'plateau' weeks - with definitive results each and every week, although this week was very close to a plateau.  My biggest weight loss was 9 lbs one week and my least weight loss was 0.6 lbs.   When I started this journey I weighed 309 lbs (22 Stone)    Before I stepped onto the scale this morning, Saturday, I had previously reported that I had shed 88 lbs - which was 6.3 Stones that I had rolled away!

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219.6 lbs


I weigh 219.6 lbs.
I lost 0.6 lbs this week.
I lost 89.4 lbs in 115 days. Today begins Day 116.
I have lost 13 inches on my waist. 
I have recently squeezed into 36"pants
I will always be at the beginning of a journey that never ends.
I weigh 219.6 lbs. (115 days ago I weighed 309 lbs)
I have lost 28.9% of my weight since Dec 24.
I have lost 0.27% of my weight since last Saturday.
I have had an extremely mildly successful week losing 0.6 lbs.
I have a BMI, body mass index of 29.37 (no longer obese!)
I had a 42.0 BMI on 12.24.14 just 115 days ago (Class III obesity)
I wonder about achieving a 'normal weight' - the charts say 186.8 lbs - I'm not too sure about that...
I have one to describe how I feel right now - determined
...I know how to begin this week... 
32 minutes ELLIPTICAL

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FRIDAY MENU

breakfast STARBUCKS reduced-fat turkey bacon sandwich                                     230 calories
lunch       JIMMY JOHN'S #14 Bootlegger UNWICH                                               230  calories
dinner     cabbage soup, spinach w/tomato, salmon burger, zucchini pancake           303 calories

TOTAL CALORIC CONSUMPTION   763 CALORIES

calories burned
YMCA INDIANAPOLIS elliptical 45 minutes   490 calories

FRIDAY NET CALORIES  273 CALORIES

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There was an 'elephant' statue at the Indianapolis YMCA.  I don't know why.
Nevertheless, I took a photo of myself with it after my workout.

KEEP YOURSELF ALIVE

QUEEN.  Freddie Mercury. Brian May. Roger Taylor. John Deacon.  What a great band! EVERYONE knows them for some of the HUGE HITS: We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, Bohemian Rhapsody, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Another One Bites the Dust. QUEEN was much more than that. They were a great sounding band right out of the gate with their first release in 1973.  Queen.  The song, Keep Yourself Alive, sounds as good today as it ever did. The lyrics start like this...


I was told a million times
Of all the troubles in my way
How I had to keep on trying
And get better every day
But if I crossed a million rivers
And I rode a million miles
Then I'd still be where I started
Bread and butter for a smile

KEEP YOURSELF ALIVE - QUEEN 1973

I was told a million times that I should take better care of my health.  I was told by my wife, my brother, my mother and my father,  I was told through reports in the media and I was told by myself. For the longest time, I did not listen (or if I did listen - I did not act)  I think I know why. Pure laziness.  Pure inertia.  It takes effort to change a lifestyle.  It takes no effort to continue all the bad habits that one is engaged in. It takes no effort to eat cake, candy, cookies and ice-cream.  It takes no effort to sit on a couch and watch TV endlessly.  It takes no effort to refrain from exercise.  Things that take no effort, bring results that are indicative of the lack of effort.  That amazing thing about losing nearly 90 lbs in a little over 3 months time - is that while it took some effort, it did not take some kind of super-extraordinary effort.  I am convinced that anyone can do this. And yet, for eight years while I roamed in the obesity wilderness, this belief eluded me.  It appears that no one was able to reach me until I found the ability to reach myself.  I am glad that I finally did.  You can too.  The formula is simple, although it is not easy.  It is also not impossibly difficult either. Cliches are cliches because they are true. A weight loss journey truly begins with one step - the decision to make smart choices today - at your next meal.

WEDNESDAY MENU

breakfast   two hard-boiled eggs, one apple                                                              236 calories
lunch         Jimmy John's Bootlegger UNWICH                                                       230 calories
dinner       PANERA BREAD Asiago Steak 1/2 sandwich, Caesar Salad 1/2, Apple 640 calories

total caloric consumption 1106 calories

CALORIES BURNED
Ann Arbor Elliptical 7AM 40 minutes 517 calories

WEDNESDAY NET CALORIES 589 CALORIES

PANERA BREAD: HALF CAESAR SALAD (no dressing) 160  CALORIES

PANERA BREAD: HALF SANDWICH ASIAGO STEAK 400 CALORIES

QUEEN - SIMPSONS STYLE