Showing posts with label BOC. Show all posts

Saturday, August 27, 2016

BLUE ÖYSTER CULT

During the month of August I have had an amazing active hiking streak - I have not missed a day (yet). Lots of hiking. Each day, I try to find a new trail or park. For the past ten months or so, I have had a free BLUE ÖYSTER CULT concert in Skokie marked on my calendar. A normal person would have driven to this Chicago suburb or taken the CTA (subway). I am not a normal person. I took an urban hike which I extended to 13 miles before I found a seat at the SKOKIE BACKLOT BASH STREET FESTIVAL. The first time that I saw BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, I was a young lad, 18 years old. The date was December 31, 1975. During the interim 40+ years since that first show and the show that I saw last evening - I have probably seen this band at least 30 times. Virtually all of the shows in the past 20 years have been free concerts at various street festivals or 'fests' (for example, Cornfest and Ribfest are two that I remember well). My day started with an errand downtown, and that was turned into a four mile walk. My day ended after the concert, and I did chose to take the CTA (subway) back home, but still I had to walk one mile more to catch the 'YELLOW' line. By the time that the clock struck twelve on Friday, I had walked/hiked 18 miles. I call that a good day of fitness.

Blue Öyster Cult at Skokie Backlot Bash Street Festival August 26, 2016

After my 13 mile urban hike from Chicago to Skokie I found a spot about 15 feet from the stage.

Thirteen mile urban hike from Chicago to Skokie

After arriving home from my Kentucky trip at 2:30AM early Friday morning, I was getting tired, and although I considered walking back from Skokie after the concert, I was overtaken by common sense and took the CTA (subway) back home. The 'YELLOW' line is the extension from Evanston that runs into Skokie. I had always thought that it was fairly new. It is not quite as new as I thought. This extension has been running since 1964. Last night was the first time that I had utilized this part of the subway system.

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210.2 lbs

I weighed 214.6 lbs just one week ago on August 20, 2016

I weigh 210.2 lbs. today, August 27, 2016

I lost 4.4 lbs this week
(I did cut back on my walking - this week I 'only' walked 84 miles)

I have lost 98.8 lbs in 611 days. Today begins Day 612.

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

I weigh 210.2 lbs (611 days ago I weighed 309 lbs)

I have lost 32% of my weight since Dec 24, 2015

I have a BMI, body mass index of 28.12

I had a 42.0 BMI on Dec 24 just 604 days ago (Class III obesity)

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

ACCORDING TO MY BMI APP... even now, 98.8 lbs less than when I started on December 24, 2014 - I am 'officially' overweight. C'mon, really?
Even f I weighed 186.9 lbs, my BMI would be 25.00 and still classified as overweight!
I will need to get down to 186.8 lbs (BMI 24.99) to finally be considered NORMAL.
There is a possibility that I am not destined for life of normalcy...

Your Food Diary For:

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Questbar - Cookies & Cream	190	20	9	21	210	0
Oatmeal	300	54	5	10	180	2
Bacon Slice - Bacon	320	0	20	6	420	0
YOGURT ALMONDS	250	25	16	5	23	22
	1,060	99	50	42	833	24
L U N C H
Read - 3 Bean Salad	300	65	0	5	1,500	40
Kind Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Protein	200	17	13	7	50	9
	500	82	13	12	1,550	49
D I N N E R
Pot Roast Pork	200	1	9	28	0	0
Fried Shrimp	100	4	0	42	0	0
Roasted Cauliflower	100	3	10	1	497	1
	400	8	19	71	497	1
S N A C K S
Dark Chocolate Bar	500	48	34	9	341	34
	500	48	34	9	341	34

Totals	2,460	237	116	134	3,221	108
Your Daily Goal	6,081	760	202	305	2,300	228
Remaining	3,621	523	86	171	-921	120
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 4,151 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today... You'd weigh 168.1 lbs in 5 weeks

Your Exercise Diary for:

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
4 mile walk	58	707
13 Mile Urban Hike	195	2,228
1 mile walk	18	148



Daily Total / Goal	272 / 30	4,151 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	852 / 210	10,785 / 4,130

Ever since my high weight of 241.9 lbs during my recovery from my hernia surgery - my weight has been steadily headed downward - it is down a very significant 31.7 lbs since May 7, 2014

My weight loss journey began on December 24, 2014 when I weighed 309 lbs. For one week, I actually touched down at 209 lbs on December 12th. I came to realize that this was an aberrant false reading, as the very next week, December 19, 2015 my weight popped back up to 218 lbs. This current particular glide down that I am on has seemed much more real. My weight this morning at 210.2 lbs is down by a full 98.8 lbs from the day that I changed my life. I am convinced that this weight is real.

* * * * * * * * *

ALBUMS RELEASED BY BLUE ÖYSTER CULT...

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE

Global Warming strikes again! When I left Chicago for Minneapolis on Monday morning, it was a 'balmy' zero degrees outside. When I awoke this morning, in Bloomington, Minnesota, the temperatures was eight degrees colder. It does serve to remind me that I am glad that I have cured myself of the compulsion to walk outside every day, as I did just as the cold weather was starting to become a habit in December. In fact, the very first thing I did, before I left Chicago, was stop at my local YMCA to get a replacement ID card for the one that I recently lost. I was fairly certain that I was not going to be exploring any trails in Minneapolis this week.

from wikipedia.com

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a song written byFrank Loesser in 1944. It is a call and response duet in which one of the singers (usually performed by a male voice) attempts to convince a guest (usually performed by a female voice) that they should stay together for a romantic evening because the weather is cold and the trip home would be difficult. Originally recorded for the film Neptune's Daughter, it has been recorded by many artists since its original release. In the early part of its history, the song was seen as presenting a liberating stand for women because the guest decides to stay despite what the neighbors might say about her reputation; however, in the 2000s, critiques of the song have highlighted other parts of the lyrics such as "What's in this drink?" and his unrelenting pressure to stay despite her repeated statement of her desire to go home.

This song, Baby, It's Cold Outside, has been recorded by scores of artists in the 60+ years since it was first written. I personally own only one version of the song. Oddly enough, the version that I own is by Buck Dharma (Guitarist for Blue Öyster Cult) and his wife. Something about this song, makes it impossible not to enjoy if sung by anyone with just a little talent.

Your Food Diary For:

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
steel cut oatmeal - steel cut oat meal, 1 cup	600	108	10	20	0	4
Walgreens - Nutritional Shake, 1 Bottle	250	40	6	9	190	22
Starbucks - Reduced Fat Turkey Bacon,	230	28	6	13	560	3
	1,080	176	22	42	750	29
L U N C H
Subway - Double Chicken Chop Salad, 425 g	220	10	5	36	490	4
Roundy's - Oats & More With Honey & Almonds, 3 cup	520	104	8	12	600	24
Larabar Über - Dark Chocolate Pecan With Sea Salt, 1 bar	220	16	16	5	125	9
	960	130	29	53	1,215	37
D I N N E R
Deli Meat - Roast Beef (Deli), 4.5 oz	240	0	9	36	630	0
Kroger - Deli Sliced Ham, 4 slices	60	3	3	10	650	3
Crab Salad - Imitation Crab, Deli, 1 cup	225	18	2	26	680	2
Eggs - Hard Boiled - Large, 1 egg	78	1	5	6	62	1
HYVEE - HUGE SPINACH SALAD, 0.4 salad	200	0	0	0	0	0
WHOLE FOODS - YOGURT PRETZELS, 40 g (approx 8 pcs)	190	28	0	2	180	19
Hyvee - Wasabi Peas, 0.5 cup	200	32	4	12	360	6
HY-VEE - FRENCH VANILLA GRANOLA, 44.0 g (approx 3/4 cup)	200	32	6	4	44	11
	1,393	114	29	96	2,606	42



Totals	3,433	420	80	191	4,571	108
Your Daily Goal	4,007	501	133	201	2,300	150
Remaining	574	81	53	9	-2,271	42
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 2,077 extra calories from exercise today

Your Exercise Diary for:

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL	92	2,140
MFP iOS calorie adjustment	N/A	-63


Daily Total / Goal	93 / 30	2,077 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	93 / 210	2,077 / 4,130

total calories consumed 3433 calories

total calories burned (92 min elliptical) 2140 calories

total net 1193 calories

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fitbit day 137
12866 steps
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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

COMING ATTRACTIONS

All the way back on December 26, 2014 this blog was born. On that day I posted 'BEFORE' pictures... Obviously 'AFTER' pictures were a bit premature at that time since on December 26, I was into my new lifestyle for a grand total of 48 hours. The original 'BEFORE' photos attempted to show myself to the world in all my glorious fatness. I took front shots, side shots and I even included 'topless' photos. It took a bit of nerve to do that at a weight of 309 lbs. The anniversary date of my lifestyle change is now just three days away... I was thinking that when a new movie is due for release, there are usually coming attractions available prior to the release date. That is the model that I am using today. I am going to advance preview two sets of photos. The first photo was an absolutely goofy photo of myself taken on December 26, 2014. As I recall, the photo was so goofy that even I did not have the guts to post it originally. I guess you can say that this photo was left on the cutting room floor. One year later, I am ready to resurrect it. Here it is:

December 26, 2014

December 21, 2015

This set of two photos remove the mystery for me as to why my glasses are constantly falling off. In the first picture my glasses appear to be pressed tightly against both side of my head. In the second photo, my glasses look a lot bigger on my head. The glasses are the same, it appears that my head might be a bit smaller. (Hopefully my brain did not shrink.) I don't even care if you still think I look a bit goofy in the second photo. I would rather be a goofy healthy thin person than a goofy unhealthy morbidly obese person. I never claimed that this diet philosophy would reduce goofiness. In fact, it does not!

OK THAT IS ONE SET OF PHOTOS.... BUT I AM NOT DONE YET

The next photo was taken as my family was waiting for a Blue Öyster Cult concert to begin. (You cannot imagine how happy I am that I finally figured out how to add an umlaut to a letter on my mac!) This photo from September 2010 shows me and my daughter who would have been about 8.5 years old at that time. I probably had not even come close to reaching my maximum weight of 309 lbs... perhaps I was a fraction under 300 lbs, who knows? What one can see is that I was a blimp. Thank goodness that "things ain't what they used to be..."

Daddy/Daughter getting ready for the start of the Blue Öyster Cult concert, September 2010
........

I try to be a humble guy. I try to be modest guy. Here modesty is not an issue - I am a healthier and better looking and younger looking man that I was five years ago! And look at the beauty that my daughter became! Sure, it is true that she gained weight in the last five years, then again she also gained more than 12 inches in height! (That's the problem us adults face, we gain weight but we forget to gain height while we are doing it!) My daughter just had her Bat Mitzvah two weeks ago and there is one photo more that I would like to share.

This photo (December 5, 2015) shows the same two people that were waiting for the Blue Öyster Cult concert to start five years ago. The years have been kind to both of us - especially my daughter who is growing up into a young, beautiful, intelligent and talented woman.

I look at those older photos of myself and I can only stomach them as I no longer look like that. When I did look like I did in the past, I was not getting in front of a camera too often. It is not exactly shocking to wonder why I would be reluctant to be photographed. I guess I am glad that there are few photos of me in my portly state - as they serve to really show what changes I have made by diet and exercise. Yep, it was the Rabbi Hillel Diet plan that did the trick. I did not need pills. I did not need meals delivered to my home. I did not need to go to weekly meetings. I did not have to learn new specialized recipes. I did not have to eat licensed food from some licensed diet plan. I did not need to eat cabbage soup morning, noon and night. I did not need to cut out carbs. I did not subsist on only carrots or some other ridiculous food. I did not need to avoid eating in restaurants. Heck, I didn't even need to completely avoid drinking alcohol! I needed only to follow the Rabbi Hillel Diet. This seems like a good place to restate precisely what that means:

"What is unhealthy for you, do not eat. That is the whole plan; the rest is commentary - go and have lunch!"

The inspiration of this plan comes from a story about Rabbi Hillel who was asked to teach a prospective convert to Judaism the entire Torah while the prospect stood on one foot. Rabbi Hillel accepted the challenge. "What IS hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary - go and study it!" (artwork by Sara, my talented daughter)

TAKE A LOOK AT THE PHOTOS ABOVE. THE RABBI HILLEL DIET PHILOSOPHY WORKS. IT CERTAINLY WORKED FOR ME. IT CAN WORK FOR YOU. ONE YEAR FROM NOW, YOU WILL WISH YOU STARTED TODAY. IN MY FIRST YEAR, I HAVE LOST NEARLY 100 LBS.

This same philosophy should help me slowly shed a bit more weight - but equally important it should keep me where I am. I am not going back. I did that once before. It was about the dumbest thing that a person could do - and I did it. I vowed from the day that I started my lifestyle change on December 24, 2014 that I was going to be successful in losing the weight and that I was going to be successful in keeping the weight off. As I basically lost 85 lbs in the first four months - I have a small track record of keeping the weight off. I only have to continue to do what I am doing for the rest of my life. Just like everyone else. The reason that there are healthy, thin people in society is that they are working on it... It takes no effort to be lazy and obese, believe me I know. It takes some effort to be active and thin - and the payoff is great and so very worth it. I say to you today: Go for it!

Your Food Diary For:

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Trader Joe's - Organic Triple Ginger Instant Oatmeal, 4 Packet	560	108	8	12	360	40
	560	108	8	12	360	40
L U N C H
Omaha Steaks - Gourmet Franks, 1.5 Frank	360	6	30	17	1,170	2
Roundy's - No Salt Added Sweet Peas - Canned, 1 3/4 cup	210	35	2	14	53	18
libby's - Sweet Corn, 1.75 cup	210	32	5	7	700	25
	780	73	37	38	1,923	44
D I N N E R
Generic - Baked Lemon Sole, 1 filet	109	3	3	16	0	0
Wegmans - Herb Stuffing, 3 oz	120	15	5	3	270	2
Generic - Grilled Brussel Sprouts, 1 cup	65	13	3	6	23	0
Turkey - Turkey, 6 OZ	174	0	3	29	1,704	0
	468	31	14	53	1,997	2
S N A C K S
Banana Chips - Banana Chips, 54.4 g(1/2 cup)	235	26	14	2	3	16
WHOLE FOODS. 8497 - CHERRY VANILLA GRANOLA, 52.25 g (3/4 cup)	228	38	7	5	57	14
WHOLE FOODS - YOGURT PRETZELS, 80 g (approx 8 pcs)	380	56	0	4	360	38
	843	120	21	10	420	68

Totals	2,651	331	80	113	4,700	153
Your Daily Goal	4,349	543	145	218	2,300	163
Remaining	1,698	212	65	104	-2,399	9
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 2,419 extra calories from exercise today

.
	Your Exercise Diary for:

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL	92	1,545
Walking, 4.5 mph, very, very brisk pace	41	568
Walking, 4.0 mph, very brisk pace	31	337
MFP iOS calorie adjustment	N/A	-31


Daily Total / Goal	165 / 30	2,419 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	165 / 210	2,419 / 4,130

total calories consumed 2651 calories

total calories burned (elliptical machine, walking) 2450 calories

total net calories 201 calories

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fitbit day 110
25041 steps

um·laut

ˈo͝omˌlout/

noun

1.
a mark ( ¨ ) used over a vowel, as in German or Hungarian, to indicate a different vowel quality, usually fronting or rounding. Used by many rock and roll band names just to look cool, for example, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT

Saturday, August 27, 2016

BLUE ÖYSTER CULT

210.2 lbs

Your Exercise Diary for:

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE

Your Food Diary For:

Your Exercise Diary for:

fitbit day 137 12866 steps . . . . . . . .

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Your Food Diary For:

fitbit day 110 25041 steps

fitbit day 137
12866 steps
. . . . . . . .

fitbit day 110
25041 steps