GOLDFINGER

GOLDFINGER was the villain from the James Bond, agent 007, Ian Fleming novel (and 1964 movie) who loved all things gold.   Not sure if you should call me Goldfinger or not....but clearly....

This is how James Bond first meets 'Goldfinger' in the movie - cheating at cards

Sometimes expectations are not quite met.
This is true in movies, and real life.

...Congratulations are in order.   Apparently I have graduated from Starbucks 'Green' level to Starbucks 'Gold' level.   The remarkable thing about this that amuses me is that prior to six months ago - I was not a Starbucks customer at all. I was hardly a coffee drinker.   I started visiting Starbucks for breakfast as they do offer low calorie, healthy choices that agreed with my new lifestyle.  Once I learned about the various zero calorie sweet flavorings that I could add to coffee, I did start drinking AND ENJOYING COFFEE.  Apparently lots of coffee - as I have graduated to 'GOLD' status.  'Green' level did not merit an actual card.  Yesterday in the mail I received my 'GOLD' card!

Yesterday at my local Chicago YMCA, I had a great workout.  I have recently been enjoying the PRECOR EFX elliptical machines and setting the workout to 4:3 Interval.  The 'miles' registered on by the machine after a 125 minute workout have neared or just cleared 10 miles.  Yesterday I stepped onto the machine and set the machine to MANUAL, I set the elevation to maximum level 20, and I set the resistance to maximum level 20.  I did not know what to expect from myself.  Since I had set the machine to 120 minutes, out of habit I set the machine to a 'goal' distance of 10 miles. I had assumed that I might not reach it as my strides per minute would be reduced at maximum levels for the entire workout.  I surprised myself.  I completed the workout and the machine recorded that I had 'travelled' 10.6 miles (and burned 1738 calories.)  This was by far, my best, hardest, most effective workout on this machine.  

Sometimes when I am struggling to complete a workout on one of these machines, there is one major thing that propels me to the 'finish line.' It is my desire for the workout to run to completion so that I can enjoy the 'high' I feel when I snap the photo of my 'Workout Complete Totals' that display on the screen when I am done.  This is why I so often post these photos on my daily blog - especially when I work on the specific machines that display this information.

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 Saturday MENU

breakfast   Whole Foods Steel Cut Oatmeal, Caco Goji, Cherries     631 calories
lunch         Whole Foods Spicy Tuna Roll, various bulk items         1103 calories
dinner        HOME COOKED turkey burger, salad, asparagus
                  various bulk items                                                           1441 calories
SNACK     GIN GINS CHEWS, YOGURT ALMONDS                   195 calories

total calories consumed 3371 calories

calories burned

YMCA PRECOR EFX ELLIPTICAL 125 MINUTES, 1738 CALORIES

CALORIES BURNED 1738 CALORIES

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Saturday net calories 1751 calories

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dinner: home prepared salad, Costco Turkey Burger, Asparagus
after dinner I visited a Whole Foods for some 'desserts' that added to the calorie total

from the Starbucks website....

Keep the Free Drinks & Eats Coming

Collect 30 Stars within 12 months and step up to the Gold level for one year. At Gold level you get:

• A free drink (including bottled items such as Evolution Fresh™ juices) or food item for every 12 stars

• A personalized Gold Card

• Special Offers just for you

Once you’re at Gold level it takes another 30 Stars to maintain Gold level for another 12 months. And since you get a free drink or food reward every 12 Stars, you get at least two rewards for just staying Gold!

If you don’t qualify for the Gold level again by your anniversary date (i.e. the date you qualified for the Gold level), you’ll revert to the Green level and lose all your Stars. Don’t let that happen!

If it does though, don’t worry—if you earn 30 Stars again within 12 months, you’ll move from Green level right back to Gold level.

 and finally...some random 'GOLDFINGER' photos

Here's an 'important' heads up for all you 'Bond' fans out there.... The next James Bond movie, starring Daniel Craig will be released in theaters on November 6.  The movie is titled: 

S P E C T R E

JAMES BOND 007

Sean Connery, as James Bond, secret agent 007, saved the day by diffusing a time bomb inside of Fort Knox in the 1965 movie, GOLDFINGER.   I have also recently diffused a time bomb.  In my case, I was the time bomb - perhaps ready to 'go off' at any moment.

It's never easy to diffuse a time bomb.  Compared to the the obstacles faced by Sean Connery as  James Bond in GOLDFINGER, one might argue that my task of diffusing the time bomb that was me was far easier. I didn't have to defeat a super-strong, golf-ball crushing, mute Korean named OddJob!   I only had to defeat my own deeply entrenched poor habits.

Since I am no longer obese...I no longer must deal with...
25% increased likelihood of becoming depressed
200% increased likelihood of contracting multiple sclerosis
33% increased likelihood of contracting asthma
50% increased likelihood of developing diabetes,
10% increased likelihood of contracting cancer
150% increased likelihood of suffering from high blood pressure
104% increased likelihood of experiencing heart failure
or
30% increased likelihood of succumbing to dementia.

Any of these unpleasant things can still occur... but I have tipped the scales a little bit in my favor against them happening to me.

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TUESDAY MENU

breakfast   two hard-boiled eggs, one apple                                                     156 calories
lunch         SUBWAY double chicken spinach salad w/tomato                        220 calories
dinner       JIMMY JOHN'S bootlegger UNWICH, Campbell's tortilla soup  490 calories

total calories consumed   1026 calories

calories burned
ANN ARBOR YMCA ELLIPTICAL 8AM 40 minutes   523 calories

TUESDAY NET CALORIES 503 CALORIES
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USA. USA. USA.  WE'RE NUMBER 1!

In this case, nothing to be proud of...

I used to be the guy on the extreme right.... now, I am the second guy from the left.
AND IT FEELS REAL GOOD!

I noticed yesterday when I visited a JIMMY JOHN'S  in Ann Arbor, Michigan that this particular
restaurant is rather adamant that folks stay out of their parking lot unless they are a customer!