LOST MY FOURTH TURKEY

December 24, 2014 I woke up and visited my doctor for a 'wellness' exam. I weighed 309 lbs.

January 21, I reported my weight loss was the equivalent of of one turkey.  I weighed 284.7 lbs

February 15, I reported my weight loss was the equivalent of two turkeys. I weighed 262.6 lbs.

March 15, I reported that my weight loss is the equivalentof three turkeys. I weighed 239.5 lbs.

April 12, I report that my weight loss is the equivalent of four turkeys. Today I weigh 220.2 lbs.

April 11, I reported I have lost 88.8 lbs in 108 days.

I admit that I am completely flabbergasted that I have lost on average .8 pounds per day for 108 days.

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SIDE-BAR: Is flabbergasted a good choice of words to describe how I feel?  FLABbergasted?  FLAB? Isn't flab what I have been trying to eradicate?  Perhaps I need to invent my own word? Now that I think about it... I believe I have been DEFLABBERGASTED!

flab·ber·gastˈflabərˌɡast/verb

informal

past tense: flabbergasted; past participle: flabbergasted surprise (someone) greatly; astonish.
"this news has left me totally flabbergasted"

de-flab·ber·gastˈde-flabərˌɡast/verb

informal

past tense: deflabbergasted; past participle: deflabbergasted surprise (someone) greatly; astonish by an amazing loss of flab
"this 1000 calories per day diet has greatly deflabbergasted me, and I lost nearly 90 pounds"

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1.   

88.8 lbs = FOUR TURKEYS

Naturally, I needed to return to the supermarket four a fourth time to take a new picture.  Photographs don't always have sequels.  This one does.  It is Turkey IV.

April 11, 2015: These four turkeys that I appear to be struggling to hold weighed about 80 lbs. (close enough to approximate the 88.8 lbs that I have lost so far) It is not just that I appear to be struggling, I was struggling!  (Believe me, trying to hold nearly 80 lbs of frozen turkey is not so easy - which of course, is the point.  I was carting around an extra 88.8 lbs, 24 hours per day prior to December 24, 2014, and that's not so easy either!)  I am wearing for the very first time, a pair of 38" waist cargo shorts - but soon enough, I will be fitting into a pair of 36" shorts which I have already managed to squeeze into.

March 15, 2015: These three turkeys that I appeared to be struggling to hold weighed about 65 lbs. (close enough to approximate the 69.5 lbs that I had lost at this point of my journey) It was not just that I appeared to be struggling, I was struggling!  (Believe me, trying to hold 65 lbs of frozen turkey is not so easy - which of course, was the point.  At this point, I was remembering that I had been carting around an extra 69.5 lbs, 24 hours per day prior to December 24, 2014, and that was not so easy either!)  At the time, I was wearing for the very first time, a pair of 42" waist slacks.

FEBRUARY 14, 2015:  Back on this date, I weighed myself

and discovered that I had lost 46 lbs since December 24.

I had wanted to hold two turkeys that weighed 46 lbs, and 

the two turkeys that I did find only weighed 42 lbs.

For the purposes of the photo - that was close enough!

(I was wearing my 44" waist blue jeans at the time.)

JANUARY 21, 2015: Way back on that date, I had lost 24 lbs and posed with a 23 lb turkey to visualize my accomplishment.  On that date, I was happy to wear my size 48 waist blue jeans.  They have long since been donated to Goodwill. 

SATURDAY MENU

breakfast    two sunnyside up eggs, two slices turkey 'bacon'                     190 calories

lunch          CHICK-FIL-A  hearty chicken soup, Asian Salad                         600 calories

dinner         CABBAGE SOUP BOWL, 2 CUPS CABBAGE SALAD                 138 calories

total calories consumed 928 CALORIES

CALORIES BURNED

7AM elliptical 32 minutes   497 calories

SATURDAY NET CALORIES     431 CALORIES

Today, I took a long walk with my daughter all over Chicago.  Our first stop was going to be Jason's Deli.   We walked the 1.6 miles from our home directly to Jason's Deli only to discover that since it is in downtown Chicago in the heart of the business district - it is closed on Saturdays!   So, instead we went to Chick-Fil-A.   Chick-Fil-A is a place that I used to enjoy when I was heading towards 309 lbs - I often had two classic Chick-Fil-A sandwiches (Each classic Chick-Fil-A sandwich is 440 calories plus waffle potato fries 400 calories. My typical Chick-Fil-A meal in my 'old days' was 1280 CALORIES! )  Today, before I ordered, I perused the nutritional information online and discovered that I could have a rather large and delicious meal by selecting a soup and salad.   And that was how my daughter and I started our day.   So, now I have another 'new' place to visit and find a quick, good, and healthy nutritious meal.   Above is a photograph of my Asian Salad.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT.  We have all heard this before. The reason we have all heard this is that it is true. Those of us who load up on high fat, high calorie, low protein, processed junk food become more miserable, irritable, and slothful. (I have seven years experience in this category, I am definitely speaking from experience.)

Those of us who eat low fat, low calorie, high protein, healthy natural foods become more cheerful, easy-going, and energetic. (I have seven weeks experience in this category.  I can tell you that I prefer being in this group)

It is true, you are what you eat.  Or, as the extremely talented musician, Frank Zappa wrote nearly 35 years ago...."You Are What You Is." 

YOU ARE WHAT YOU IS (and you are what you eat)

Of course, if it is true that you are what you eat, after reviewing my menu for the past few weeks...I might start looking like this...

I have been eating a lot of spinach lately....I wonder if I am getting stronger

I am definitely going to discover the 'skinny person' hiding within me.  (I know that he is in there somewhere.)

MONDAY MENU
breakfast   3" SUBWAY SUNRISE MELT on FLATBREAD                         240 CALORIES
lunch         Jason's Deli Bowl Spicy Seafood Gumbo                                      230 CALORIES
dinner        Jason's Deli Salmonwich 1/2, sandwich, Beef Stew 1 cup             480 CALORIES

total calories consumed 950 CALORIES

calories burned
6AM    LaQuinta Elliptical Machine 30 minutes                              500 CALORIES
6PM     LaQuinta Elliptical Machine 30 minutes                              500 CALORIES

total calories burned  1000 CALORIES

NET CALORIC DEFICIT       50 CALORIES

Jason's Deli Dinner: 1/2 WILD SALMONWICH, CUP of BEEF STEW     480 CALORIES  

SUBWAY BREAKFAST:   3" SUNRISE SUBWAY MELT w/tomato      240 CALORIES   ($2.50)
The Subway Melt is a good value, at about a penny per calorie!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Late Saturday evening I drove from Chicago to Bloomington, Illinois for a two-day mini wholesale fabric show.   I am staying at a LaQuinta Hotel because it has a fitness room.   I don't think that my morning workout on the elliptical machine was as strenuous as the workouts that I have had at home, as I am dealing with a different machine and different settings - nevertheless, the machine reported that my half hour workout burned 300 calories yesterday morning at 6:00AM.   I will be using this machine for the next two days, so I started with my evening workout to increase some settings to make it more challenging.

The hotel offered a 'free breakfast.'  However there was absolutely nothing that was suitable for me.   I did 'harvest' a couple of apples, just in case, I needed them for an 'emergency' meal.   I had planned on trying a breakfast item at Subway which was directly across the street.   Apparently Subway is not open at 7:00AM on a Sunday.  So, I started driving.  I found a Bob Evans restaurant.  After I sat down, I visited the nutritional website for Bob Evans and found a Western Omelette.  And that is precisely what I ordered for breakfast.  It was a sizable portion and was only 278 CALORIES.  Of course, I avoided home fries, and toast and jam - the kinds of things that could easily have doubled the calorie count of this breakfast.

Bob Evans - 10.4 oz Western Omelette w/Egg Lites  278 CALORIES

Within a 5 minute drive of the location of my mini wholesale fabric show is a Jason's Deli.  I had lunch and dinner at Jason's Deli yesterday, and I am sure to have lunch and dinner there again today.  Jason's is my favorite restaurant!


The Jason's Deli in Bloomington, Illinois had a drive-thru window.  I was able to scoot away from my show for just 15 minutes to get my lunch to-go.

Jason's Deli - Spicy Seafood Gumbo (to-go) 230 CALORIES

After my show and before I returned to my hotel, I stopped at Jason's Deli again for dinner.  (The only thing that kept me away Jason's for breakfast was that the restaurant didn't open until 10AM.  For Dinner, I tried something new: ASIAGO POT ROAST SANDWICH (half) with Fire Roasted Tortilla Soup. The meal was absolutely delicious.

Jason's Deli - Fire Roasted Tortilla Soup & Asiago Pot Roast Sandwich (half)     460 CALORIES

SUNDAY MENU

breakfast  BOB EVANS western omelette w/egg lites                            268 CALORIES

lunch        JASON'S DELI spicy seafood gumbo                                    230 CALORIES

dinner       JASON'S DELI Asiago Pot Roast, Tortilla Soup                   460 CALORIES

total calories consumed 958

CALORIES BURNED

6AM   LaQuinta Elliptical Machine 30 minutes               300 CALORIES

7PM    LaQuinta Elliptical Machine 30 minutes               500 CALORIES (I increased settings)

(The elliptical machine at the LaQuinta Hotel has a feature that my home elliptical does not have. This machine counts the number of steps taken during a workout. This machine indicated that in my 30 minute evening workout, I had taken 2030 step.  I have nothing to compare this to, but it seems like a lot!)

total calories burned      800 CALORIES

NET CALORIC INTAKE  158 CALORIES

WHAT IS A CALORIE?

Many of us consume too many calories.
Lots of us try to burn off excess calories.
In order to survive and thrive we need the proper amount of calories.
Some foods are rich (or super rich) in calories.
Some foods are low (or void) of calories.
People paying attention to their weight, often count calories.
Weight gain is a result of consuming too many calories.
Weight loss is a result of a deficit of calories.

OK, here is a question that I am going to ask myself:  WHAT IS A CALORIE?
(It is at this point of my blog entry that I will 'save' what I have written and do a little research on the internet - because one thing I know for sure - I do not know what a calorie is)

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Hi, it's me...I'm back.  Here is what I have learned from GOOGLE definitions:

cal·o·rie

kal(ə)rē

noun

noun: calorie; plural noun: calories; noun: cal.

1. either of two units of heat energy.

   • the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through 1 °C (now usually defined as 4.1868 joules).

     noun: small calorie; plural noun: small calories
   • the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water through 1 °C, equal to one thousand small calories and often used to measure the energy value of foods.

     
     

This definition is a bit technical.  But there is one useful part of the definition that we can try to understand.  A calorie is 'often used to measure the energy value of foods.'    This starts to make sense to me.  Food is fuel.  Calories are the measure of how much fuel a particular food has.   Still there are good fuels and bad fuels.

I was searching for a very simplistic explanation of what a calorie is and I found something useful on kidshealth.org:

You can find out how many calories are in a food by looking at the nutrition facts label. The label also will describe the components of the food — how many grams of carbohydrate, protein, and fat it contains. 

Here's how many calories are in 1 gram of each:

• carbohydrate — 4 calories

• protein — 4 calories

• fat — 9 calories

That means if you know how many grams of each one are in a food, you can calculate the total calories. You would multiply the number of grams by the number of calories in a gram of that food component.    I always tell my daughter to 'check her work' when she does a math problem - so here I will take my own advice.  I want to check if this information is actually correct - Up until this very moment I had no idea that the calories of any food were based on the calories in the three components: carbohydrates, protein & fat.  

So, I borrowed a Hershey's Chocolate Bar that my daughter has in the refrigerator.   It proudly proclaims that one bar contains 210 calories.   Back in the old days, I would have thought nothing of having two chocolate bars before dinner.  I have not had too many 400 calorie  meals in the past five weeks.  Sorry, I digressed.... now back on topic:

Hershey's Chocolate Bar 'Nutrition' Facts
SERVING SIZE   1 BAR
CALORIES 210
TOTAL FAT           13 GRAMS                            13x 9=117 calories
PROTEINS              3 GRAMS                                3x4=12  calories
TOTAL CARBS     26 GRAMS                              26x4=104 calories
117+12+104=233 CALORIES (perhaps the slight different result is from rounding errors - but it certainly gives us a good idea of what types of foods are high calorie)

We need calories (fuel) to exist.   We all know that we will 'burn' an elevated number of calories if we vigorously exercise.   We also 'burn' calories simply by sleeping.  We burn calories every moment of every day.  It takes energy for our body to function and our body is functioning 24/7.

We gain weight when we consume more calories than we need.   Our body is very good at storing calories for a time when we might need them later.   Many people take vitamins each day to supplement their diet.   The reason that we take them every day is that our body DOES NOT STORE THEM.  Whatever excess vitamins we consume on Monday are expelled by the body on a daily basis.  We don't have that 'problem' with calories.  Our body is an efficient calorie storing machine.   Our body will convert excess calories into fat.

And here is the most obvious analysis of the year:

EXCESS FAT MAKES US FATTER.

Conversely, a deficit of calories will encourage the body to use that storehouse of fat and convert to calories to fuel our bodies.  This is how we lose weight.

The current scientific consensus is that for every 3500 excess calories that the body turns to fat - the scale will reflect an additional pound.   The reverse is true - for every accumulated deficit of 3500 calories less than the body needs - our body will use fat to convert to calories and our scale will reflect the one pound loss.

The less technical definition of calories

THURSDAY MENU

BREAKFAST   two poached eggs, 2.5 oz SALMON                                   275 CALORIES

LUNCH             Jason's Deli Spicy Seafood Gumbo                                     301 CALORIES

DINNER            Turkey Burger, Spinach, Vinaigrette, Zucchini Pancake
                            cup of chicken broth soup                                                   328 CALORIES

                 TOTAL CALORIC CONSUMPTION        904 CALORIES

CALORIES BURNED

6AM  30 minutes ELLIPTICAL   380 CALORIES
6PM  30 minutes ELLIPTCAL     390 CALORIES
                                    TOTAL CALORIES BURNED 770 CALORIES


NET CALORIC CONSUMPTION   134 CALORIES

Kirkland Turkey Burger, Zucchini Pancake, Spinach w/Vinaigrette, Chicken Broth Cup   328 CALORIES

Another week has gone by.  Last week I was disappointed as I thought I would have lost more weight than I did in that particular week.  This week, I am trying to keep expectations low.  I did everything possible to have a good weigh-in tomorrow.   I worked out 1 hour per day (two sessions, 30 minutes each) and I kept my caloric intake on meals under 1000 calories each day.   Today, Friday, is Day 45 of my program.  When I woke up 45 days ago to visit the doctor, I was 309 lbs. Last Saturday, I was 272.7 lbs.   I am hopeful that my metabolism will have been cooperative this week and shed at least the three pounds to get me into the 260's.   I will know in 24 hours.    See you tomorrow!

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ELLIPTICAL IMPROVEMENT IS SWIFT

I started using the elliptical trainer on Saturday.   On Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesay I used the elliptical twice per day.  Each time I limited myself to 30 minutes.  (That's almost funny - I promise when I got off the machine each time - I didn't have a minute more in me!)

Each time I get on, I plug the same information into the machine: weight 273 (my last official weight) and I set the machine to 'calorie burn.'    I start pedaling with no particular goal in mind relative to speed, I am just pedaling along at a rate that seems natural and comfortable.   Still without trying to improve, the improvement has come naturally.


SESSION                CALORIES BURNED
SATURDAY AM              322
SATURDAY PM               330
SUNDAY AM                   340
SUNDAY PM                    360
MONDAY AM                  350
MONDAY PM                   360
TUESDAY AM                 370
TUESDAY PM                  380

I am in awe of how fast one can improve in such a short period of time.   As I have improved, I remain just as winded (or more winded) than when I first began using the machine.   I am definitely 'getting more bang from my buck' from the 60 minutes that I am devoting to exercise each day.

TUESDAY MENU
breakfast   three poached eggs, two slices turkey 'bacon'                                    280 CALORIES
lunch         Jason's Deli Bowl Spicy Seafood Gumbo                                          301 CALORIES
dinner        Mahi Mahi burger, iceberg lettuce w/balsamic, Spinach Pancake
                  Sweet Potato Bisque Soup                                                                  312 CALORIES


TOTAL CALORIES       893 CALORIES

calories burned
6AM elliptical  30 minutes   370 CALORIES
7AM elliptical  30 minutes   380 CALORIES

total calories burned  750 calories

NET CALORIC INTAKE   143 CALORIES

photograph by Sara Jacobs, age 12

Mahi Mahi Burger, Spinach Pancake, Iceberg Lettuce wedge, Sweet Potato Bisque Soup  312 CALORIES 

TWO FOR TUESDAY

Back in the days when I listened to the radio, that is before I had access to my entire music library on my iPhone,  rock radio stations often had 'Two for Tuesday' promotions.  They would simply play two songs from the same artist back-to-back.   A good way to start any day is with two tracks from The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin or Blue Öyster Cult.  Today was my own personal 'Two for Tuesday.'

I completed TWO (2) workouts.  The first at 5AM, the second at 6PM.  Each session had me on the treadmill walking at a 4 mph pace for 45 minutes.   1000 CALORIES BURNED.

I also managed to enjoy two three-course meals.

My first appointment today was in Topeka, Kansas.   For lunch I visited yet another Jason's Deli and sampled something different for lunch.

ORGANIC VEGETABLE SOUP BOWL  150 CALORIES
MEDITERRANEAN WRAP - HALF        180 CALORIES
FRUIT SIDE ORDER                                  60 CALORIES              ($9.34)

I only had one banana for breakfast (120 Calories)  I had plenty of calories 'in the bank' so I was able to enjoy my second three-course meal of the day at Jason's Deli back in Lawrence, Kansas where I was lodging for the evening.

In the spirit of continuing to try new things at Jason's I ordered something different yet again.

SPINACH VEGGIE WRAP - HALF       185 CALORIES
FRENCH ONION SOUP CUP                 180 CALORIES
FRUIT SIDE ORDER                                60 CALORIES                 ($7.92)

I checked the Jason's website for the caloric content of the 'fruit dip' that they insist on serving with the strawberries and melon.    That fruit dip is listed at 150 calories.    I have not tasted it.  I don't intend to taste it.   It does not seem reasonable that the garnish on a food item is more than twice the caloric content of the food item!  This same warning should be applied to high calorie salad dressing on low calorie salad.

TOTAL TUESDAY CONSUMPTION                                         935 CALORIES
LESS TOTAL CALORIC EXPENDITURE ON TREADMILL 1000 CALORIES
NET CALORIC CONSUMPTION FOR THE DAY                    -65 CALORIES <---NEGATIVE

I still feel that I am still breaking out of the starting gate on this race that never ends.   Once again, I am eagerly looking forward to stepping onto a scale again at the conclusion of the week.

Wednesday morning started off excellently.   I was back on the treadmill this morning at 5AM and this time I logged 60 minutes @4mph which is precisely 4 miles.   Burned 679 CALORIES.  I did weigh 290 lbs last Saturday.  I don't know what my weight is this morning.  I do know it is less than 290.

Jason's Deli LUNCH 390 CALORIES

Jason's Deli DINNER 425 CALORIES

THREE COURSE MEAL - 510 CALORIES

Yesterday I started out with two apples for breakfast and Jason's Deli spicy shrimp gumbo for lunch.  Since I have established a routine of keeping my caloric intake under 1000 calories per day, I still had more than 500 calories 'in the bank."

I returned to Jason's Deli (Lawrence, Kansas) and was able to order what I now define as a three-course meal.   There is nothing that I have ordered at Jason's which has not been delicious and satisfying.   I am trying to make an effort to explore the many possibilities available to me.   Last night I ordered something new:

BEEF STEW - BOWL    250 CALORIES

TURKEY WRAP HALF  200 CALORIES 

FRUIT SIDE ORDER        60 CALORIES (served with a creamy fruit dip which I ignored!)

TOTAL DINNER (three-course meal) 510 CALORIES         ($9.98)

After I was finished with this delicious dinner I was completely satisfied.   The chances of me ordering a fruit side with my meal prior to this lifestyle adjustment would have been zero.   Surely I would have ordered chips.   Basically every decision I ever made with regard to food was usually either wrong or very wrong.   If I may borrow the title from a Jim Carrey movie, my choices were 'Dumb and Dumber.'  The time has been long overdue for me to 'Get Smart.'  These days I feel like I am in CONTROL.

I visited two websites this morning, WebMD.com and healthstatus.com which both have a CALORIE BURN CALCULATOR.   I discovered that I might have been underestimating the caloric benefit of exercise.   This morning I walked 3 miles, @ 4 mph (45 minutes).  Both calorie calculators on these two websites indicated that my calories burned was 500!   This is amazing.   I guess it goes a long way to explain my weight loss results with my 1000 calorie per day intake.
 
Weight loss is supposed to be simple (exercise more, eat less) but not easy (it takes perseverance) These days it does seem easy. So where was I the last 7 years?   I'll tell you.... I don't know.

Jason's Deli: 3-course meal: beef stew, half turkey wrap, side order fruit: 510 calories

MY NEW FAVORITE RESTAURANT

Jason's Deli is fast becoming my new favorite restaurant.   There are only a handful of cities in the midwest where I travel that I can visit them.  I will be visiting a Jason's Deli as often as possible when I am traveling away from home.  The amazing thing is that there is one of these gems 1.5 miles (2.4km) from my home in Chicago.  I have never even seen it, certainly I have never noticed it before.  I will surely be checking it out soon.  This has been an introduction to announce that I ate lunch at Jason's Deli again today:

Amy's Turkey-O Half Sandwich           240 CALORIES
Spicy Seafood Gumbo Soup Bowl         230 CALORIES
                           TOTAL LUNCH          470 CALORIES   $9.16

I have never before purposely ordered anything anywhere that was labeled as spicy.   Either this Gumbo was not very spicy, or I am not quite as totally intolerant to spicy foods as I previously thought.   Perhaps it makes a difference that I was eating it slowly and really trying to savor it.
Tomorrow is Friday.  I will be driving back home to be with my family over the weekend.  I am eager to get on the scale on Saturday morning to measure my results this past week.   Metaphorically speaking, I expect to be nearing Interstate Highway 290.  (290 lbs, that is.)

Jason's Deli: Amy's Half Turkey & Spicy Seafood Gumbo Bowl 470 CALORIES

JASON'S DELI

I searched the internet for the healthiest fast food style restaurants in America.  I found a FORBES article that listed Jason's Deli as one of the best.  I had never heard of Jason's Deli.  They have nearly 250 restaurants sprinkled among 28 states. I have now discovered that there are a half-dozen in my hometown of Chicago.   What is more important to me are the restaurants that I can visit when I am on the road.   I learned that Cincinnati had one restaurant.  After my morning appointment, instead of driving to the nearest McDonalds or Burger King as I have done for the past 7 years, I drove 10 miles to get to Jason's Deli.  This restaurant chain specializes in organic ingredients and offers many healthy sandwiches, soups and salads.   This was the healthy and delicious choice I made today.

Fire Roasted Tortilla Soup - Bowl              200 CALORIES
Asiago Pot Roast Roast Sandwich - Half  310 CALORIES
                                       TOTAL LUNCH      510 CALORIES     $11.72

Eating properly is fun when some effort is used to pick interesting places and make healthy decisions. Tomorrow, I will finish in Cincinnati and head to Indianapolis for an appointment Friday morning.  Before I live Cincinnati I will return to this Jason's Deli for lunch.  There is a Jason's Deli in that Indianapolis.   I know where I am having lunch on Friday.

Jason's Deli: Totilla Soup Bowl, Asiago Pot Roast Half Sandwich 510 CALORIES