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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THE FIRST 72 HOURS AFTER SURGERY

It is now becoming increasingly clear to me that the biggest challenge facing my complete recovery from my hernia surgery will be successfully refraining from doing too much too quickly. Too much in this case is going to be defined as lifting more than the prescribed amount (15 pounds) before my doctor gives me clearance to do so. I say this because yesterday my family joined me on a walk around downtown Chicago. No lifting was involved, and therefore no risk to my recovery was involved. It is still true that I sit down and sit up with some trepidation, and a clear cut reminder that my midsection was recently patched up, but the actual walking about was completely pain free.  I had (repeatedly) asked my surgeon the question about walking. He was quite clear in his response: 'Let your comfort by your guide.' Well, yesterday, bopping around town, I felt no pain. This is in direct contrast to the walking in Minnesota with my daughter one week prior to my surgery. Although, I was walking in the Mall of America and the City of Duluth, there were times during that trip when I was clutching my abdomen in great pain. Yesterday, I was able to move about without any regard to my hernia. I suppose that I can be forgiven for thinking that I no longer have a hernia. Medically, this may be the case. Right now I do not have a hole in my muscles where my intestines are popping out. So, by that definition, I no longer have a hernia. This could be the simple explanation why I walking around pain free, and why the 4 mile walk around downtown Chicago was so enjoyable with my family yesterday. It could have been even more enjoyable had it been a nicer day. What's the deal with it being so cold in May? Yesterday's temperatures in Chicago were under 50° F.

Back in the 'old days' (last month) I would walk around town at and average 13 minute miles. My four mile walk yesterday was closer to 18 minute miles. Still, I am only within 72 hours of my experience on the operating table - so I currently have no complaints.  I am mending.  Right now, I am grateful for my mobility.

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Your Food Diary For:

Sunday, May 1, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Sage - Red Delicious Apple, 1 medium apple	95	25	0	1	2	19
Malt-o-meal Cereal - Honey Nut Scooters	480	96	6	12	840	36
	575	121	6	13	842	55
L U N C H
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich, 2 sandwich	520	70	30	18	700	26
	520	70	30	18	700	26
D I N N E R
Havarti - Costco Dofino - Cheese	220	1	18	12	420	0
Pepperidge Farm - Sourdough Bread	240	44	3	8	440	4
Minestrone - Homemade	400	68	5	24	690	7
	860	113	26	44	1,550	11
S N A C K S
Dreyer's - Outshine Fruit Bars Creamy Coconut, 2 bar	240	40	6	8	80	36
	240	40	6	8	80	36
Totals	2,195	345	68	82	3,172	128
Your Daily Goal	2,620	327	87	132	2,300	98
Remaining	425	-17	19	49	-871	-29
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 690 extra calories from exercise today

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WORKOUT ANYTIME

Yesterday I had my first appointment scheduled for 4:00PM, approximately 400 miles from Chicago in Bowling Green, Kentucky.   There was not enough time to get up early and workout prior to leaving Chicago at 6:00AM in the morning.  As I approached Bowling Green I was disappointed to learn that this was a town without a YMCA.

So, for the first time, I decided to check one of the more commercial fitness clubs.   I found a regional chain called WORKOUT ANYTIME.

The website invites people to try the facility at no charge.  I took them up on the offer.   The girl at the front desk who requested just some quick rudimentary information from me couldn't have been nicer.  The biggest difference between Workout Anytime and any of the YMCA's that I have visited is that one didnt have to master a maze to get from the desk to the locker room and then to the cardio area.   This was a storefront operation.   One walks in.   The locker room is in the back and all the cardio equipment is right up front.  It appears that the fee for membership is only $15/month.   I checked the website for the other locations - and this chain is mostly in the Southeast - so it is not a good match for me.   I do think that I might have to check out another chain location today as my next stop, Evansville, Indiana is also a town without a YMCA.

WORKOUT ANYTIME - LOCATIONS

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 Tuesday MENU

breakfast  Real Foods Corn Thins, Oatmeal w/apples, Apples                945 calories
lunch        Whole Foods bulk foods, cherries, peas, mango, goji, etc     1887 calories
dinner       Red Delicious Apples, KIND bar - almond, coconut               380 calories
SNACK   Kahuna Crunch Trail Mix, Strawberry Vanilla Hemp Granola 1521 calories

(I went a little overboard on my bulk selections at Whole Foods.  The good thing is that I know that I did.  It proves to me so well, why I gained back so much weight so quickly eight years ago after I initially discovered Whole Foods.  Back in those days, I was eating the bulk foods with complete reckless abandon - simply not knowing, or perhaps not wanting to know how calorie packed some of these NATURAL, HEALTHY FOODS are)

total calories consumed 4713 calories

calories burned

Elliptical machine (WORKOUT ANYTIME) INTERVAL LEVEL TWENTY, 130 minutes
CALORIES BURNED   1893 CALORIES

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Monday net calories 2820 calories

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BATMAN and ROBIN

As you finish reading today's blog entry...You will better understand what the 1960's Batman TV Show Logo is doing here... First, I would like to let you know that another important piece of equipment for the HALF DOME October hike has been secured....

There are many advantages of planning an ascent up HALF DOME in Yosemite National Park with an experienced hiker who has done it before.  My brother, has hiked HALF DOME seven times. This tells me, that it must be a very worthwhile adventure.  I have heard it referred to as 'life-changing.'   This is easy to imagine. Simply attempting to prepare for a HALF DOME hike is life changing!

The group of 6 or 7 of us that are scheduled to make this climb on October 1st will be leaning heavily on my brother to share his experiences with us.  It is likely that we will avoid a lot of 'rookie mistakes.'   We WILL likely pack enough water, an extra pair of socks, gloves for the final ascent 'up the chains' and we will take his advice on many other details.

On Monday, my brother advised me that he had purchased a CAMELBAK backpack on sale at R.E.I.  I determined that this would be a good day for me to make my backpack purchase as well.  Not only did I buy the same make and model, I even purchased the same color. I guess we will look like brothers on the rock (which should work out well as we ARE brothers.)

This pack which has a retail price of $143.99 at backcountry.com was on sale at 25% OFF with FREE 2-Day SHIPPING and as this store does not have a physical presence in Illinois, there was no sales tax. My purchase of this extremely important piece of equipment (perhaps really the only equipment needed for a day hike of this sort) was $107.99.

CamelBak Fourteener 24 Hydration Backpack - 1280 cubic inches

Once again, this trip in October became a little more real.  I am no longer fearful that I will not be able to complete this hike.  This does not mean that I don't expect it to be a great mental and physical challenge - because I do.

TUESDAY MENU
breakfast Steel Cut Oat Meal w/prune,  two fried eggs, two slices turkey 'bacon'   505 calories
lunch       spinach salad w/hearts of palm, beets, mushrooms, tomato, artichokes
                56 almonds, two red delicious apples                                                        449 calories
dinner     spinach salad w/hearts of palm, beets, mushrooms, tomato, artichokes
                bowl MISO SOUP, cucumber salad, Turkey Burger, Corn on the Cob (2)  549 calories
SNACK  TWO APPLES, baked rice crisps, KIND ALMOND BA                           390 calories

total calories consumed  1893 calories

CALORIES BURNED

ASCENDING 25 FLIGHTS OF STAIRS 4:28 MINUTES         60 calories
ELLIPTICAL MACHINE 32 MINUTES                                  491 calories
DESCENDING 25 FLIGHTS OF STAIRS 3:25 MINUTES      20 calories

total calories burned  571 CALORIES

MONDAY NET CALORIES   1352 calories

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Originally I had imagined the last part up this mountain 'on the chains' being something akin to BATMAN & ROBIN as they used to climb skyscrapers in the 1960's TV Show.  My brother has assured me that that is not the case.  There are any number of photos on the internet which sure make it seem that way.   For example:

I think only a moron could look at these photos taken at HALF DOME and not be scared out of one's wits! From these photos it looks a little too much like the DYNAMIC DUO when they were scaling skyscrapers on the 1960's TV Show.

Batman and Robin (Adam West & Burt Ward) meet Sammy Davis Jr.

Apparently it is NOT quite this way.  My brother's friend Jimmy Ferguson took this picture.  In this photo, it appears that part of this journey could be accomplished wearing flip flops! And yet, I am guessing that that would probably NOT be a good idea!

THE CHAINS AT HALF DOME  photographer: JAMES FERGUSON

FINAL THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:  IS IT JUST ME?  OR DOES THIS LOOK LIKE A HIKE ON SOME DISTANT PLANET?

YANKEES I KNOW. WHAT ARE METS?

The Yankees, I know.  I have been a fan since I was 10 years old, maybe even earlier.  Mickey Mantle was still on the team when I started paying attention.  And he wasn't the DH, as that ridiculous idea hadn't been invented yet.

The Mets, I know (and have always 'hated')   

But until recently, I had not noticed the word, 'mets' on exercise equipment.  The explanation is very technical and I have simply reproduced an entry from wikipedia.com to offer a definition.

• Scope of usage of the MET concept 

• MET (Metabolic Equivalent): The ratio of the work metabolic rate to the resting metabolic rate. One MET is defined as 1 kcal/kg/hour and is roughly equivalent to the energy cost of sitting quietly. A MET also is defined as oxygen uptake in ml/kg/min with one MET equal to the oxygen cost of sitting quietly, equivalent to 3.5 ml/kg/min. 

• Moreover MET is used to provide general medical thresholds and guidelines to a population.A MET is the ratio of the rate of energy expended during an activity to the rate of energy expended at rest. For example, 1 MET is the rate of energy expenditure while at rest. A 4 MET activity expends 4 times the energy used by the body at rest. If a person does a 4 MET activity for 30 minutes, he or she has done 4 x 30 = 120 MET-minutes (or 2.0 MET-hours) of physical activity. A person could also achieve 120 MET-minutes by doing an 8 MET activity for 15 minutes.

• Physical activity	MET
  Light intensity activities	< 3
  sleeping	0.9
  watching television	1.0
  writing, desk work, typing	1.8
  walking, 1.7 mph (2.7 km/h), level ground, strolling, very slow	2.3
  walking, 2.5 mph (4 km/h)	2.9
  Moderate intensity activities	3 to 6
  bicycling, stationary, 50 watts, very light effort	3.0
  walking 3.0 mph (4.8 km/h)	3.3
  calisthenics, home exercise, light or moderate effort, general	3.5
  walking 3.4 mph (5.5 km/h)	3.6
  bicycling, <10 mph (16 km/h), leisure, to work or for pleasure	4.0
  bicycling, stationary, 100 watts, light effort	5.5
  sexual activity	5.8
  Vigorous intensity activities	> 6
  jogging, general	7.0
  calisthenics (e.g. pushups, situps, pullups,jumping jacks), heavy, vigorous effort	8.0
  running jogging, in place	8.0
  rope jumping	10.0

As I understand this information, watching TV has the equivalent MET (Metabolic Equivalent) of 1.0.  Bicycling on a stationary bike with very light effort has a MET of 3.0.  The body needs three times the energy for biking as TV watching.  However, it could also be said that WATCHING TV FOR 3 HOURS would equal the energy needed to bike (lightly) for one hour.  JOGGING REQUIRES 8 TIMES the energy than TV watching.  However, if one could watch TV for 8 hours, one would use the same energy as a one hour jog.

CONCLUSION:  Although many of us use exercise to assist in weight loss, as we know that vigorous exercise will burn calories - SIMPLY LIVING BURNS CALORIES TOO.  This should not be a surprise as for many people that hardly exercise at all - we still burn nearly 2000 calories per day.

RIDICULOUS CONCLUSION:  You could watch one season of '24' and really burn some calories. Each episode without commercials runs about 42 minutes.  There are 24 episodes x 42 minutes/episode which is 1008 minutes.  This translates to about 17 hours.  So, if you sat on your couch and watched one complete season of '24' you would 'burn' even more calories than you would doing TWO HOURS OF VIGOROUS CALISTHENICS.  A 17 hour TV watching marathon would be a very dubious achievement. It doesn't really seem very practical.  Especially as a weight loss idea, as most of those 17 hours of TV watching would likely be augmented  by 17 hours of  TV SNACKING!  It's probably just best to burn some extra calories doing an actual physical activity.

Sit down, watch an entire season, 24 episodes of '24'  (17 hours) and you will burn even more calories than you would doing TWO HOURS OF VIGOROUS CALISTHENICS.  (NOT VERY PRACTICAL)

THURSDAY MENU

breakfast    apple & hard-boiled egg                                                              158 calories
lunch          Panera Soba Noodle Bowl w/Chicken                                         390 calories
dinner         two salmon burgers, spinach salad w/balsamic, pumpkin soup  372 calories

total calories consumed 921 calories

calories burned
6AM LaQuinta StarTrac Elliptical 30 minutes    310 calories
6PM  Home StarTrac Elliptical 31 minutes         420 calories

total calories burned 730 calories

net caloric consumption 191 CALORIES

...and one more thing...

Here is something else somewhat confusing.  I was very happy to discover the same brand of elliptical machine at the hotel I had stayed at the last two nights.  I set the machine with precisely the same settings that I do at home.  I was disappointed that in both of the two workouts on that machine I was only able to log a 310 calorie workout.  It seemed odd to me.  When I returned  home yesterday for my early evening session on the elliptical I was able to last for 31 minutes and log 420 CALORIES.  The question that I have for myself is this:  Why such a discrepancy between two machines with the same settings?   HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE?  

Tomorrow,  Saturday,  is the day that I look forward to with tremendous anticipation.  I only weigh myself once per week.  It is very exciting and gratifying to get a numeric value for my efforts the week before.  Basically it is my version of  'report card' day.   Unlike in school when my report card was not always reflective of my potential,  I have prepared well.  I am expecting a good grade.  


SEE YOU TOMORROW!