DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

After weeks and weeks of lethargy, I have recaptured that desire and drive to be active.  Late yesterday afternoon, my daughter and I took an urban hike which was five miles. I noticed that our path through the neighborhood was shaped like a diamond. Diamonds are Forever.

Your Food Diary For:

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Egg - Poached Eggs	300	2	20	25	629	1
Quaker Oats instant grits - Instant Grits	200	44	3	4	620	0
	500	46	23	29	1,249	1
L U N C H
Turkey Sub on Wheat	700	90	16	50	2,597	7
	700	90	16	50	2,597	7
D I N N E R
Campbell's Chunky Hearty Italian-style Wedding	240	32	5	16	1,580	4
Trader Joes  Classic Water Crackers	120	24	2	4	80	0
	360	56	7	20	1,660	4
S N A C K S
Trader Joe's - Mango & Cream Bars	180	30	6	3	15	27
	180	30	6	3	15	27
Totals	1,740	222	52	102	5,521	39
Your Daily Goal	2,686	336	89	135	2,300	100
Remaining	946	114	37	33	-3,221	61
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 756 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 233.3 lbs in 5 weeks

AND LOVING IT!

Thursday was an extremely productive day. My first appointment was at 8:00AM Eastern Time in Bremen, Indiana.  By the time that I that I finished my third appointment, it was still only early afternoon. As I had crossed back into the extreme northwestern part of the Indiana where the time changes and I was back in Central Time. I had 'gained' an hour. I had time to visit Indiana Dunes (for the first time in a long time) and log a ten mile hike.  Before I got to the Indiana Dunes Visitors Center, I stopped at Jimmy Johns for an 'Unwich' (low-calorie lettuce wrap)  It has been ages since I have had one of these. I am being reminded how good food tastes when one is legitimately hungry. All the things that I learned during my initial journey from 309 lbs all the way down to 220 lbs, I didn't forget... I had simply ignored them. I am feeling so good lately, that I can scarcely believe it. I am once again making a serious effort to exercise, controlling my portions and to making good culinary choices - and loving it!

"...and loving it" was a catchphrase of Agent 86, Maxwell Smart from the 1960's TV Show, Get Smart

Your Food Diary For:

Thursday, September 7, 2017

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Quaker Oats instant grits - Instant Grits	200	44	3	4	620	0
	200	44	3	4	620	0
L U N C H
Jimmy John's - Bootlegger Unwich	320	3	22	28	1,120	0
	320	3	22	28	1,120	0
D I N N E R
Asian Chopped Salad	385	46	21	7	1,190	25
Two Cups of Chili	400	14	28	22	1,060	4
Jacobs - Cream Cracker (2 crackers)	70	11	2	2	80	0
	855	71	51	31	2,330	29
S N A C K S
Red Delicious Apple, 2 medium apple	190	50	1	1	4	38
	190	50	1	1	4	38
Totals	1,565	168	77	64	4,074	67
Your Daily Goal	3,270	409	109	164	2,300	122
Remaining	1,705	241	32	100	-1,774	55
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 1,340 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 226.6 lbs in 5 weeks.

Two days in a row, my steps exceeded 30,000

I have really enjoyed photos of myself with my brand new walking stick.

SEAN CONNERY

At the International Quilt Show in Houston, I continued to see people that I have not seen in over a year.  My body certainly casts a different shadow than the one it cast one year ago.  One year ago, in this very same city at this very same show, I weighed north of 300 lbs.  Fast forward one year later and I am 'only' 219 lbs.  There were a few people that I saw over the past two days that were 'shocked' at my new look.  A few people asked if I had lost this weight by design, half afraid that I might be suffering from some horrible illness responsible for this loss of poundage.  I am used to this line of questioning.  I take great pleasure in explaining that this change in physique has been purposeful.  In years past, I almost never hung out with my colleagues much longer after 11:00PM or Midnight as I was simply too tired.  I still do not aspire to do this every night - but it is fun to have enough energy to decide to join my colleagues after dinner once in a while.  Sometimes, things get accomplished in the wee hours of the evening.  After dinner, our group walked over to another hotel closer to the convention center where many of our Quilt Market associates are staying.  Aside from having some fun, drinking a couple (or a few drinks) I did run into one of my customers that I wished to see here at the show. I spoke with her and she and did promise to visit my booth today.  This little detail can't happen if I am holed up in my hotel room instead of mixing it up every once in a while.  I also met a customer of my brother, from Oregon, who denied that she had ever met me before. It's not like we are best friends or anything - but I do know that I barely resemble that blob that I used to be.  This woman told me that I looked like Sean Connery.  

I don't really think I look like Sean Connery - but I sure ain't offended to hear it

I am sure that it is highly possible that she was drinking a bit too much. But you know what.... I have been around inebriated people before and no one in my entire life has ever told me that I looked like anyone that I would want to look like.  For example, being told that I looked like John Goodman could have potentially happened but who would have wanted to be told that in the past. 

It would have been no compliment to be told that I looked like John Goodman in the past. It would be OK to be told that now as John Goodman recently shed a lot of weight.  Nevertheless, he has a lot of hair atop his head - so it is very unlikely that I would be told that I looked like him.  Still, I have always admired him as an actor.

By the way, John Goodman, has recently lost a lot of weight and he looks good too!  I still don't look like him, as he has a full head of hair.  Me and Sean Connery do apparently have the baldness thing in common.  It is likely that that is the only thing that we do have in common.  Still, hearing that comment that I resembled Connery made me smile.  Sean Connery has been the guy that I have always considered the number one best looking guy on the planet.  If some people want to believe that I look like him - who am I to argue?

Your Food Diary For:

Sunday, October 25, 2015

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Quaker - Instant Oatmeal- Maple, 2 packet	320	64	4	8	520	24
FORRELLI - MULTIGRAIN RICE CAKES, 18 SLICE	360	72	0	0	360	0
Apples - Apples, 3 medium apple	240	66	0	0	0	48
	920	202	4	8	880	72
L U N C H
FORRELLI - MULTIGRAIN RICE CAKES, 18 SLICE	360	72	0	0	360	0
WHOLE FOODS 7882 - GIN GINS ORIGINAL CHEWY GINGER, 96 g (2pcs)	320	80	0	0	0	80
Apples - Apples, 2 medium apple	160	44	0	0	0	32
	840	196	0	0	360	112
D I N N E R
Generic - Mahi Mahi, 3.5 oz.	108	0	1	24	112	0
Trader Joe's - Jumbo Sea Scallops - Frozen, 8 oz/113 g	200	6	2	38	360	0
Steak - 8 Oz Sirloin, 0.5 slice	228	0	14	23	0	0
Great Value - Can Corn, 0.5 cup	60	9	2	2	10	0
bread - French, 138 g	360	72	3	15	840	3
	956	87	22	102	1,322	3
S N A C K S
Dewars - Scotch 1 oz. Shot, 6 oz.	414	0	0	0	0	0
	414	0	0	0	0	0
Totals	3,130	485	26	110	2,562	187
Your Daily Goal	2,302	288	76	116	2,300	86
Remaining	-828	-197	50	6	-262	-101
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED 3130 CALORIES CALORIES BURNED ZERO CALORIES TOTAL NET CALORIES 3130 CALORIES ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  fitbit day 53 14220 steps ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH

Get Smart was a 1960's television comedy that satirized the secret agent movies that were so popular at the time.  The show was created by comedy legends Mel Brooks and Buck Henry and starred Don Adams at secret agent Maxwell Smart, Agent 86.  The show popularized many catchphrases including: "Would you believe...", , "Sorry about that, Chief", "The Old (such-and-such) Trick", "And ... loving it", "I asked you not to tell me that", "Missed it by that much!"

It was the phrase "Missed it by that much!" that I was thinking about yesterday.  I took my bike to the YMCA for my two-hour elliptical workout. Each time I step onto the elliptical machine at my hometown YMCA I set my 'goal' for the session to log 10 miles.  Yesterday afternoon, I felt that I was not running 'on a full tank' when my session started and apparently I was right.   I failed to achieve my 10 miles, in fact, the machine recorded that I logged 9.99 miles.  I was furiously pedaling away for the last ten minutes in order to reach my goal.  Nevertheless... I....'missed it by that much!'

.

After my 125 minute workout on the elliptical machine, I failed to  log 10 miles.  I missed it by that much!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  

 Sunday MENU

breakfast   popped caramel corn, turkey bacon                             475 calories
lunch         brisket, borscht, ginger, two fuji apples                       697 calories
dinner        spinach salad, borscht, steak, coconut balls                770 calories
SNACK    YOGURT RAISINS. popped caramel corn                 768 calories

total calories consumed 2710 calories

calories burned

elliptical machine 125 minutes, 4:3 interval,  level 20              1654  calories

CALORIES BURNED 1654 CALORIES

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  

Saturday net calories 1056 calories

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

.

KAOS assassin, associate of The Shark, who kills Agent 46 and the informer he was to contact, then sets his sights on Maxwell Smart.  [Episode #18: "The Dead Spy Scrawls"].  If the actor looks familiar to you, it is because he is Leonard Nimoy, much more well-known for playing Spock in Star Trek.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  

fitbit day 18

16935 steps

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

OUT OF CONTROL

OUT OF CONTROL is one on the more 'recent' songs from the Rolling Stones.  This particular song was released on their 'Bridges to Babylon' album in 1997 (considering the relative anemic output of new music for the past 20 years...this qualifies as recent)   Nevertheless, the song is terrific.  It sounded great on their studio recording and this song works well live in concert.  It does not work well as a lifestyle choice.

I know that I have been OUT OF CONTROL for the past few weeks.

I have been eating too many wrong foods too often.  I have (re)learned that it is true that one cannot use exercise to erase these types of mistakes.  This week I am going to make a conscious effort to keep my calories WELL UNDER 2500 per day and still keep up my aggressive exercising.   My recent caloric consumptions of 3000 and nearly 4000 calories are indicative of an out of control man. I want to regain control.  Now.  I will regain control.  Now.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

225.6 lbs

I weigh 225.6 lbs.

I gained 3.3 lbs this week

I have lost 83.4 lbs in 220 days. Today begins Day 221.

I have lost nearly 16 inches from my waist. 

I will always be at the beginning of a journey that never ends.

I weigh 225.6 lbs. (220 days ago I weighed 309 lbs)

I have lost 27.0% of my weight since Dec 24.

I have a BMI, body mass index of 30.18 

I had a 42.0 BMI on Dec 24 just 220 days ago (Class III obesity)

I have two words of advice for myself today: GET SERIOUS

...I know how to begin this week... I think it might be another good day to to burn 2000+ calories with a strenuous session on the elliptical machine.  

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  

 FRIDAY MENU

breakfast   center cut bacon, oat meal                                                   440 calories
lunch         1/2 four cheese Roundy's Pizza                                           450 calories
dinner        Mariano's Huge Spinach Salad, codfish, brussel sprouts  1169 calories
SNACK    mango, apples, ginger, medjool, coco curry cashews        1686 calories

total calories consumed 3745 calories

calories burned

HOME ELLIPTICAL 92 MINUTES, MANUAL SETTING, LEVEL '20'  2205 CALORIES

Friday net calories  1540 calories

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

In the 1960's TV Show, GET SMART, the good guys - CONTROL always battled wits with the bad guys - KAOS.  (AS YOU CAN SEE KAOS HAD A MUCH COOLER LOGO!)