TUESDAY NIGHT FAST BEGINS (DAY 51)

Yom Kippur began at sundown on Tuesday. I will spend some time in Synagogue on Wednesday. Upon finishing my dinner, the fast began and I will not eat again for 24 hours, until Wednesday evening. I did allow myself a couple of extra indulgences for dinner... I had some fruit and some yogurt covered raisins in addition to my normal meal. Still, my calorie consumption remained in the neighborhood of 1000 on Tuesday.

7 WEEKS

It has now been seven weeks (49 consecutive days) that I have limited my caloric consumption within the neighborhood of 1000. 

Only a couple of times did I exceed 1300 and more than a few times, I was under 900. It is extra-ordinarily difficult for me to come to terms with the fact that I am a complicated (moronic) person.  When I am eating with reckless abandon as I have throughout most of my life, I can't muster the strength of will to limit the number of OREO's I eat to four, or five, or six, or seven... OK, you get the idea... But somehow for the past 49 days (seven weeks, without exception) I have successfully summoned the willpower to restrict my caloric consumption to something very near 1000. How can this be one person? I don't know but I am the same guy - so my job is to ride this train as long as I can... In these seven weeks I have dropped 35 lbs. I started at the mind-numbing weight of 283.6 lbs and now I am just hovering under 250 lbs. By the way, I am aware that 250 lbs for many, many people would be mind-numbing. Considering where I just recently started, it's  a good (certainly better) weight.

IT'S BEEN A WHILE...

IT'S BEEN A WHILE since I have walked as much as I did last week.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE since I have accumulated as many steps as I did.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE since I have lost 3 pounds in one week.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE since I have been so confident.

Last week, I walked....92 miles

...17 miles on Saturday
...12 miles on Friday
...16 miles on Thursday
...16 miles on Wednesday
... 7 miles on Tuesday
...11 miles on Monday
...13 miles on Sunday

Last week, my total steps as recorded by my fitbit 229,176
The last time, I stepped so much was the week that ended November 26, 2016 when I hit 231,085.

I do not aspire to walk this much all the time. There were weeks during the past summer where my urban hiking was zero. Somehow, I had lost my desire to traipse through Chicago neighborhoods seeking some level of fitness. I am glad that I have recaptured the desire in recent weeks. Walking is good exercise, it contributes very little when it comes to weight loss, but it sure doesn't hurt.

Compared to some of my more recent jaunts, my hike on Sunday was a low key affair. It was just 7.5 miles. This particular urban hike was with my 15 year old daughter, and I always enjoy when she joins me.

Your Food Diary For:

Sunday, September 24, 2017

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Quaker Oats instant grits - Instant Grits, 4 package	400	88	6	8	1,240	0
	400	88	6	8	1,240	0
L U N C H
Little Salad Bar - Asian Chopped Salad	385	46	21	7	1,190	25
365 Organic - Water Crackers, 4 crackers	70	12	2	1	50	0
Here - Beetroot dip, 2 oz	70	12	2	4	230	0
Vita Coco - 100% Pure Coconut Water	240	60	0	0	148	60
	765	130	25	12	1,618	85
D I N N E R
Hot Dog with Bun, 2	600	45	37	21	1,640	6
	600	45	37	21	1,640	6
S N A C K S
Whole Foods Wasabi Rice Crackers	250	52	3	4	177	0
	250	52	3	4	177	0
Totals	2,015	315	71	45	4,675	91
Your Daily Goal	3,042	380	101	153	2,300	114
Remaining	1,027	65	30	108	-2,375	23
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 1,112 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 227.3 lbs in 5 weeks 

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OH DEAR

One thing that amuses me about my urban hikes is that I often walk out my front door and I am not quite sure if I should start out walking north, south, east or west. I often have no plan and I make decisions about where to go as I am out and about. Yesterday I was walking along the river in downtown Chicago when I spotted a giant deer.  Naturally, once I spotted this in the distance I crossed the nearest bridge to get up close and check it out. This piece of outdoor art is 12 feet tall and 20 feet long. I always enjoy finding something unexpected. 

“Deer” by artist Tony Tasset, made of fiberglass, epoxy and paint, stands guard along the Riverwalk near Wolf Point.

I set out for my urban hike before dinner. I had not walked or hiked 12 miles since early July. 

Your Food Diary For:

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Egg - Poached Egg	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
Trader Joe's - Mahi Mahi Burgers, 2	220	2	10	30	640	0
Little Salad Bar - Asian Chopped Salad	385	46	21	7	1,190	25
	605	48	31	37	1,830	25
D I N N E R
Campbell's Manhattan Clam Chowder	240	36	6	10	1,600	6
Trader Joe's - Salmon Burger, 2 burger	220	6	7	30	660	2
Trader Joes Classic Original Water Crackers	120	24	2	4	80	0
	580	66	15	44	2,340	8
Totals	1,685	160	69	110	5,419	34
Your Daily Goal	3,753	469	125	188	2,300	140
Remaining	2,068	309	56	78	-3,119	106
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 1,823 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 222.1 lbs in 5 weeks     

PING

I often leave my home when I am about to embark on an urban hike with no idea where I am heading. There are times that I walk out the door and have not yet decided whether I will walk North, South or West.  (East is not really an option as within just four blocks or so is Lake Michigan)  Yesterday, I had a very specific goal to walk to PING TOM MEMORIAL PARK in Chinatown. Chinatown is only about 5 miles south of my home. I took a rather circuitous route to get there.  I did not arrive at Chinatown before I had walked approximately 14 miles. Although I had only visited Humboldt Park for the very first time on Friday, I decided to revisit it on Sunday morning. From Humboldt Park I walked south to Douglas Park. Douglas Park, like Humboldt Park has been available to Chicagoans since the 1800's. After cruising through Douglas Park I was finally headed to Chinatown to find and see for the very first time, Ping Tom Memorial Park.  I 'discovered' it online early on Sunday morning while trying to figure out where I should go.

The sign announcing Ping Tom Memorial Park was not particularly grand.

I made sure to take at least one photo that would show that I was in Chinatown while I visited Ping Tom Park.

Inside Ping Tom Memorial Park one is greeted by these four tall decorative concrete pillars.  The assumption is that they have some significance, but whatever that is was completely hidden from me until I learned a bit more from wikipedia...

The park's entrance is marked by four 20 feet (6.1 m)-tall columns, each etched with Chinese dragons and is modeled after a traditional Chinese courtyard. The park contains Chinese-influenced gardens that include ginkgo trees and bamboo. 

On Saturday my urban hike was only 7 miles, apparently I had stored up a lot of energy by the time I set out on Sunday morning. I don't think that I planned on walking 20 miles. One does not often plan on walking 20 miles - it sometimes just happens. At least it does to me.

Sunday's 20 mile urban hike covered a lot of ground.

Ping Tom Park was not so easy to find. Unlike most parks which can be accessed from anywhere around its perimeter, this park had a narrow entrance/exit. There was only one way in and the same way out. 

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Your Food Diary For:

Sunday, September 25, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Roundy's - Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal	360	72	6	12	780	12
	360	72	6	12	780	12
L U N C H
Philadelphia Roll w/Brown Rice, 8 piece	320	40	12	8	520	8
WHOLE CASHEWS (RAW), 35 g (approx 1/4 cup)	180	8	14	5	0	2
Whole Foods - Pulp-free Coconut Water, 32 ounces	200	56	0	0	240	44
Homemade - Breakfast Burrito	300	26	20	12	790	2
Roundy's - Center Cut Bacon, 3 Slices	70	0	4	7	220	0
	1,070	130	50	32	1,770	56
D I N N E R
Codfish - Codfish fillet	250	0	3	54	186	0
Fried Okra, 1.0 Cup	175	14	6	2	123	2
Brussel Sprouts - Roasted	50	12	0	4	29	3
Cream corn - Cream Corn	60	14	0	0	0	0
Bread - Cornbread	150	28	3	3	0	0
85% Dark Chocolate Bar	400	32	36	8	0	13
	1,085	100	48	71	338	18
S N A C K S
Trader Joes - 73% Extra Dark Chocolate	80	7	5	1	10	4
	80	7	5	1	10	4
Totals	2,595	309	109	116	2,898	90
Your Daily Goal	7,192	899	239	360	2,300	269
Remaining	4,597	590	130	244	-598	179
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 5,262 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...
You'd weigh 163.3 lbs in 5 weeks     

I think congratulations are in order... All I need to do for the next five weeks is keep my daily consumption of food to 2600 calories and walk 27 miles each day.  If I can do that for the next 35 consecutive days, I will soon weigh 163.5 pounds.  This may be a bit difficult to attain - but it is fun to contemplate. If nothing else, somewhat like Steve Martin, I am a wild and contemplative guy.

Your Exercise Diary for:

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
20 MILE URBAN HIKE	264	3,907
7 MILE URBAN HIKE	125	1,043
MFP iOS calorie adjustment	N/A	312
Daily Total / Goal	390 / 30	5,262 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	1345 / 210	19,537 / 4,130

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For most people a long 20 mile hike in the early morning would be quite enough for one day. I am not most people. I managed a seven mile hike which included meeting my family at a nearby store in the early evening.

some history from the Chicago Park District website.

The Chicago Park District acquired the site for Ping Tom Memorial Park in 1991. For years, its surrounding Chinatown community had suffered a total lack of open space and recreational facilities. The only nearby parks, Hardin Square and Stanford Park, had been demolished 30 years earlier to make way for the Dan Ryan Expressway. Two full generations of children in Chinatown grew up without access to a neighborhood park or any recreational area. Ping Tom Memorial Park's 12-acre site was originally a Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad yard located along the edge of the South Branch of the Chicago River. In 1998, the Chicago Park District began transforming the old rail-yard into a beautiful rolling green space, taking full advantage of impressive river views. The park has a children's playground, community gathering areas, and Chinese landscape design elements. The park was named in honor of the leading force behind its creation, Chinatown's most noted civic leader, Ping Tom (1935-1995). A lifelong resident of Chinatown, Ping Tom formed the Chinese American Development Corporation in 1984. The private real estate firm transformed a 32-acre rail yard site into Chinatown Square, a $100 million dollar residential and commercial expansion of Chinatown. Active in numerous prominent civic and cultural institutions, Ping Tom was also an advisor to U.S. senators, Illinois governors, and Chicago mayors. In 2002, the Chicago Park District acquired 5 additional acres on the northeast side of the park. Landscape improvements to the expanded area of Ping Tom Memorial Park will soon follow.

NORTH SHORE CHANNEL TRAIL

It is summertime and I am home in Chicago. It was perfect weather to work a half day. I did not take a two week vacation this summer, so I am allowing myself some downtime as I see fit. In the afternoon, I wanted to check out the 'nearby' NORTH SHORE CHANNEL TRAIL.  This is a seven mile point to point trail in Chicago that includes Skokie as well. The trail is nearly completely paved and mostly flat. One of the high points is passing through the 'sculpture park' on McCormick Blvd. (Although I must say that too much of what passes for 'art' these days is absolute garbage.)

'CHARGER' (artist: Ted Gall) Painted Steel

A 'normal' person would determine that the trailhead for this park is nearly 8 miles away, so it might be prudent to drive or bike to the trailhead. If you have read this blog more than three times, you are aware that I am not a 'normal' person. I stretched the eight mile hike to the trailhead to nearly ten miles. After traversing the entire seven miles of the NORTH SHORE TRAIL I continued into Evanston for another four miles or so. After hiking 21 miles, I hopped on a subway train to return home. This was my plan all along.  I was NOT looking to complete a forty mile hike! Twenty One wins at BLACK JACK, and it was a winner for me too!

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The 'SEVEN MILE' North Shore Channel Trail

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Along the way I checked out the progress of the new FLAGSHIP WHOLE FOODS opening in Lincoln Park next Spring.

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It's not everyday that a person in Chicago sets out for a 'walk' and finds himself in Skokie.

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I always enjoy visiting STEEL ROOTS, only two miles from my home.

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Your Food Diary For:

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Generic - Canadian Bacon Ham, 4 slices	240	4	6	44	2,080	4
Omelette - 3-egg Omelette With Cheese	425	0	21	28	650	2
	665	4	27	72	2,730	6
L U N C H
Campbells - Beef noodle soup	140	15	5	9	820	0
BLT on White Bread	375	32	21	10	728	1
	515	47	26	19	1,548	1
D I N N E R
Pineapple, Fresh, Chunks	450	117	0	9	9	90
Whole Foods - Tuna Avocado Roll	420	70	1	18	680	0
DARK CHOCOLATE GINGER	170	29	7	1	5	25
365 - Dark Chocolate Chip Granola bar	130	0	2	2	0	0
	1,170	216	10	30	694	115
S N A C K S
MILK CHOCOLATE CHERRIES	250	35	14	3	14	29
DARK CHOCOLATE GINGER	200	41	5	0	50	36
Banana Chips	150	17	10	1	0	10
Whole Cashews	320	18	24	10	0	4
Dark Chocolate Coconut Chews	260	26	18	3	32	17
	1,180	137	71	17	96	96
Totals	3,530	404	134	138	5,068	218
Your Daily Goal	5,530	691	184	277	2,300	207
Remaining	2,000	287	50	139	-2,768	-11
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 3,600 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 192.8 lbs in 5 weeks.

Your Exercise Diary for:

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking	340	3,600
Add Exercise Quick Tools
Daily Total / Goal	340 / 30	3,600 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	732 / 210	7,940 / 4,130

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from wikipedia...

The North Shore Channel is a drainage canal built between 1907 and 1910 to flush the sewage-filled North Branch of the Chicago River down the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The sewage carrying duty has been largely taken over by the Chicago Deep Tunnel, but there are still occasional discharges due to heavy rains. The North Shore Channel flows from Lake Michigan to the North Branch of the Chicago River. A sluice gate usually prevents the canal from back-draining out to Lake Michigan in Wilmette, although the gate must be opened occasionally to prevent downstream flooding. The north end of the channel is near the Bahá'í House of Worship. The channel flows southwest, and then south, through or near Wilmette, Evanston, Skokie, and Lincolnwood, and into Chicago. The south end of the channel flows into the North Branch at approximately 5100 north and 3000 west in the Chicago street address numbering system. Chicago's only waterfall within the city limits, which looks like a concrete spillway, is in River Park, where the upper North Branch drops about 4 feet (1.2 m) through a dam into the confluence. In 1999, the system of which the canal is a part was named a Civil Engineering Monument of the Millennium (as part of the Chicago wastewater system) by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).