22° (DAY 103)

It is clear to me that I will not be walking every day with cold temperatures and early darkness descending upon me.  I woke up Saturday to clear skies and 22° F.  So I suited up and headed outside for a 7 mile Chicago urban hike.  It felt great... and somehow, since I was dressed properly it just did not seem so cold....

ANOTHER DAY LIKE SO MANY OTHERS (DAY 83)

Saturday was another day like so many others.
I ate. (although a bit too much)
I walked. (nine miles before most people wake up in the morning)

BACK IN CHICAGO THURSDAY (DAY 74)

I have upped my calories no into the neighborhood of 1800 for the past few days.
After my rain shortened four mile walk on Wednesday I bounced back Thursday with a 10 miler.
The weather has finally changed....
Monday it was 90° and during my Chicago hike on Thursday it was 40° cooler!

TEN WEEKS (DAY 70)

It is hard for me to believe that just 70 days ago, precisely ten weeks ago, I was still ballooning up in weight. As I have been immersed a bit in reviewing pre-calculus with a certain young student, I guess that that was my 'maxima'. I did a quick look at the scale on Sunday morning, and I saw 235 lbs. Down nearly 50 pounds from that day just 10 weeks (70 days) ago.
(283.6 lbs - 235 lbs = 48.6 lbs that disappeared into 'thin' air)

not bad, lost nearly 50 lbs in ten weeks

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I keep a windbreaker hood in my backpack all the time to protect my head (and headphones) from rain. It only took me about two years to figure out that this was a worthwhile item of clothing to always keep in my backpack.

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DAY 55

Day 55
I ate a bit more than usual, but still in the neighborhood of 1000 calories
Walked six miles.

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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.

HUMBOLDT PARK (DAY 48)

On the 48th day that I maintained my low calorie consumption, I took a TEN MILE urban hike before lunch. I headed out to Humboldt Park (not a particularly wise place to visit at night, but ostensibly OK in the height of mid-morning on a gorgeous late summer day in September)

BACK IN THE 240's (DAY 47)

For the 47th consecutive day, my caloric consumption was in the neighborhood of 1000.
Saturday is the day that I weigh myself to gauge my progress.

BACK HOME IN CHICAGO DAY 40

Friday was the 40th consecutive day that I maintained my low calorie consumption.
It was another day when I managed to find time to take a walk.
Things are going well with 'Operation Weight Loss'

Saturday is the day that I step on my scale, which is exactly what I did this morning...

252.1 lbs

I have lost 6.3 lbs since last Saturday.
I have lost 31.5 lbs since Monday morning July 30 (seven weeks ago) when I finally got disgusted enough with my massive weight gain to reverse course.

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