NORTHERLY ISLAND (DAY 62)

I definitely had an extra bounce in my step from the moment I stepped on my scale on Saturday morning. The euphoria that I felt, realizing just how much weight I have shed since July 31st made me feel terrific. The last seven days included another drop of 4.4 lbs. I am officially in the 230's. Nine weeks ago, I was an astounding 283.6 lbs. I literally was having trouble just walking around the corner. I set out for a walk on Saturday morning, with the intention of talking a ten mile urban hike with Northerly Island as a destination.  By the time I returned home, I had logged fifteen miles. 

And here's a fact that just about no one in the universe could possibly care about but I do.  This weekend marks the third anniversary since I successfully made the summit at Half-Dome in Yosemite.  It was one of the most memorable and best days of my life. On that day, I weighed 227 lbs. Just ten months prior to the epic climb, I had weighed 309 lbs.  I had shed 82 lbs when I climbed that rock in Yosemite, and on that day I weighed 227 lbs.  Today it is three years later and I am only 11.2 lbs from that weight.  I might return to that weight before the month of October ends. That ain't bad.

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SEPTEMBER STARTS WELL

September 1 was Day 34 on my drastically reduced caloric consumption plan.

This is turning into a sushi diet, I have had sushi for lunch or dinner many times.

I expected to take a significant walk on Saturday.

By the time I had finished, I had longest 18 miles.

It was longest urban hike since my Long Beach hike back on December 27, 2017 on Long Island.

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I would like to say that this extra long 18 mile hike felt great.

And it kinda did....

But when I had a sushi meal and got up to walk home the four tenths of a mile, I was hobbling like an old man... 

This is often how I feel after one of my extended hikes... so no worries there.

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I do know this, in late July when my weight catapulted over 280 pounds, I was finding it difficult to walk half a block... so I can safely say that I have completely eradicated that very lame condition.

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I think on Sunday, I might not walk at all... or I might walk just two miles or so..... just to keep my legs loose... 

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THIRTY MILES!

Sometimes I set out for a walk and I leave with the goal of walking 5 miles minimum. Sometimes I set out for a walk and leave with the goal of walking a bit more. I think that yesterday was one of those days. The weather was spectacular, and kept chugging along until I had walked 30 miles. I was convinced that this week, a week where I was well aware that I hadn't eaten too well, that I would  show weight gain when I stepped on my scale. I think I might have erased a pound or two yesterday. My Saturday weight was 239.2 lbs. I lost a half pound from last week. Considering how poorly I ate this week, I am actually happy about this.

My 30 mile hike only registered as 28.8 miles on my app, as I had to 'save' the workout as my iPhone battery was about to  die. Just so there is no dispute about my claim that I walked 30 miles yesterday, I took an additional 2 mile trip to the grocery store with my daughter late last night. Now that it is Saturday morning, me thinks me legs are a bit sore.  

My hike included a visit to Northerly Island

Your Food Diary For:

Friday, December 1, 2017

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Grits	400	88	6	8	1,240	4
Vita Coco - Pure Coconut Water	100	25	0	0	167	25
	500	113	6	8	1,407	29
L U N C H
Philadelphia Roll - Sushi	300	60	14	14	120	0
	300	60	14	14	120	0
D I N N E R
Taco Bell - Soft Taco, 4	760	68	36	36	2,000	4
	760	68	36	36	2,000	4
S N A C K S
Roasted Seaweed Snacks	320	60	6	0	760	4
	320	60	6	0	760	4
Totals	1,880	301	62	58	4,287	37
Your Daily Goal	6,629	828	221	332	2,300	248
Remaining	4,749	527	159	274	-1,987	211
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 4,699 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 180 lbs in 5 weeks.

Yesterday, I earned my second 'genie shoe' badge from fitbit. I had earned my first one on October 11, 2015.  On that day, I had mirrored the path of the Chicago Marathon coupled with some additional walking on that same day.

TAKE ME TO THE RIVER

Sometimes I start my urban hikes with no plan whatsoever, and I go wherever the wind blows me. Yesterday, I actually had a rudimentary plan when I began. I wanted my hike to take me to the river'. I wanted to shadow the Chicago River through as much of downtown as I could.  Then I wanted to get onto Roosevelt Road and head east towards the Museum Campus and Northerly Island. I knew that if my urban hike began this way I was going to pack on some miles. Indeed I did just that. When I finally arrived home, a bit more than four hours after I set out, I had travelled 17 miles. This was my longest hike since January 4th, more than eight months ago. Seventeen mile hikes are not something I aspire to do every day, but when the legs are willing and time permits and the weather is perfect... well sometimes seventeen miles hikes just happen.

This is the view of Chicago looking north from Northerly Island (which is south of the City)

I found this mural as I went under the pedestrian bridge that leads to  the Museum Campus (and Soldier Field)

I have always liked this spherical stone sculpture that stands guard near Soldier Field

Normally, I am not a fan of graffiti, but I will make an exception for this  display of patriotism found off the beaten path at Northerly Island. This painted concrete is normally only visible to passing boats.

This view is from the walkway that circles the Adler Planetarium.

Here is something that you don't see every day. This giant head is part of the 'Floating Museum' that was set up at Navy Pier during the summer.

Your Food Diary For:

Thursday, September 14, 2017

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Egg - Poached Eggs	300	2	20	25	629	1
Quaker Oats instant grits	200	44	3	4	620	0
	500	46	23	29	1,249	1
L U N C H
Kikka Spicy Tuna Avocado Roll	500	81	13	16	1,364	11
	500	81	13	16	1,364	11
D I N N E R
Campbell's Chunky - Manhattan Clam Chowder	240	36	6	10	1,600	6
Johnsonville Smoked Turkey Sausage	240	8	12	20	1,480	4
	480	44	18	30	3,080	10
S N A C K S
Roundy's Oats & More With Honey Almonds	520	104	8	12	600	24
	520	104	8	12	600	24
Totals	2,000	275	62	87	6,293	46
Your Daily Goal	4,509	563	150	226	2,300	169
Remaining	2,509	288	88	139	-3,993	123
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 2,579 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 217.7 lbs in 5 weeks     

Chicago has changed over the years, but the river has always been there.

NORTHERLY ISLAND WITH MY DAUGHTER

One of my favorite places to hike around Chicago is Northerly Island. Northerly Island was once the home of a small airport which our previous Mayor bulldozed away in the dark of night nearly 15  years ago. It was turned into a beautiful quiet park with stupendous views of Chicago. My daughter who has accompanied me many times on urban hikes has wanted to keep the hiking to the city streets. Finally, she agreed to join me in Northerly Island.  I would hope that she will hike with me there more often. It is a great place to take pictures and a great place to enjoy some moments of solitude for a city dweller.

'Panoramic' view of Chicago skyline from Northerly Island.

Your Food Diary For:

Saturday, January 14, 2017

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Omelette - 3-egg Omelette With Cheese, 3 eggs	425	0	21	28	650	2
Kirkland - Pre-Cooked Bacon	160	0	12	12	700	0
Trader Joes - Hash Brown Patties	260	28	16	2	500	0
	845	28	49	42	1,850	2
L U N C H
Cabbage Soup	400	41	1	9	313	23
Pepperidge Farm - Sourdough Bread	300	55	4	10	550	5
	700	96	5	19	863	28
D I N N E R
Bob Evans - Blackened Whitefish	300	8	11	43	3,612	1
Broccoli Cheese Casserole	400	19	27	27	790	1
Fire Roasted Corn	200	32	15	5	404	3
	900	59	53	75	4,806	5
S N A C K S
Dark Chocolate Coconut Chews	400	40	28	4	50	26
	400	40	28	4	50	26
Totals	2,845	223	135	140	7,569	61
Your Daily Goal	4,314	539	143	216	2,300	161
Remaining	1,469	316	8	76	-5,269	100
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 2,384 extra calories from exercise today

Your Exercise Diary for:

Saturday, January 14, 2017

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
THIRTEEN MILE URBAN HIKE	199	2,192
Daily Total / Goal	199 / 30	2,192 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	647 / 210	5,445 / 4,130

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from wikipedia.com

Meigs Field was demolished by a mayor Richard M. Daley in 2003. It is now Northerly Island in 2010.

Meigs Field Airport alongside Burnham Harbor in 2002, before its demolition.

Merrill C. Meigs Field Airport (ICAO: KCGX) was a single runway airport in Chicago which was in operation from December 1948 until March 2003, on Northerly Island, an artificial peninsula on Lake Michigan. Northerly Island was also the site of the Century of Progress (1933–34) in Chicago. The airport sat adjacent to downtown Chicago, the second largest business district in North America. Meigs Field airport was closed when the then-mayor of Chicago, Richard M. Daley, ordered the runway destroyed, with bulldozers, without the thirty-day notice required by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations.

Meigs Field airport was opened on 10 December 1948, and, by 1955, had become the busiest single-strip airport in the United States. The latest air traffic tower was built in 1952 and the terminal was dedicated in 1961. The airfield was named for Merrill C. Meigs, publisher of the Chicago Herald and Examiner and an aviation advocate.

Northerly Island, owned by the Chicago Park District, is the only lakefront structure to be built based on Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago. The island was to be populated by trees and grass for the public enjoyment by all.

ROOT CANAL TRAIL

I have recently hiked along part of the Illinois and Michigan Canal Trail. Yesterday I was hiking on the Root Canal Trail. No, there is not actually a root canal trail, but I did have a root canal yesterday. I started my day by walking the four miles to the dentist. I 'paused' my workout as recorded on the MapMyWalk Application, and resumed it after my fun time at the dentist was completed. Before the day was over, I had hiked 22 miles. The high point of the day was visiting the lions that stand guard at the Art Institute on Michigan Avenue.  The lions were wearing their brand-new Cubs hats.

This was how my day started.  It was all uphill from here.

The weather in Chicago yesterday was simply fabulous. The sky was a deep blue color and there was little wind and the temperature was perfect for an urban hike. The first three pictures below were taken on Northerly Island.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Chicago is my Kind of Town!

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This is the 'South' Lion that stands guard at the Art Institute. He is wearing a Cubs Baseball hat for the first  time - ever.

This was reported by WGN...

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs championship run is making them part of another tradition in Chicago. For the first time ever, the lions outside the Art Institute of Chicago will be wearing Cubs caps. The caps were installed around 8 a.m. Monday. The lions also wore helmets for the Bears, White Sox, and the Blackhawks during their championship runs also.

In the evening, I needed to be at my daughter's school for a group meeting with the guidance counselor. After the meeting I continued my walking for another 5 miles. When the day was over, I had walked 22 miles.
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Your Food Diary For:

         Monday, October 24, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Quaker - Grits - Instant - Original, 4 packet	400	88	0	8	1,240	0
	400	88	0	8	1,240	0
L U N C H
Greek Mac & Cheese	200	18	11	9	332	2
Homemade - Pasta w/Marinara	150	23	5	3	705	15
Blackened Whitefish	300	8	11	43	3,612	1
Organic Date Pieces w/Oat Flower	240	60	0	2	20	44
	890	109	27	57	4,669	62
D I N N E R
Generic - Grilled Brussel Sprouts	100	20	4	9	35	0
Cream corn - Cream Corn	100	23	0	0	0	0
Clif Bar - Chocolate Brownie, 2 Bar	480	88	9	18	320	44
Cafeteria - Fried Chicken Tenders	401	23	26	19	1,023	2
	1,081	154	39	46	1,378	46
S N A C K S
Nestle - Dark Chocolate Bar	500	52	30	6	0	0
Kelloggs - Rice Krispies Treats	250	46	6	2	280	21
	750	98	36	8	280	21
Totals	3,121	449	102	119	7,567	129
Your Daily Goal	5,959	745	198	298	2,300	223
Remaining	2,838	296	96	179	-5,267	94
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 4,029 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 183.8 lbs in 5 weeks     

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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Monday, October 24, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
17 mile urban hike	235	3,158
5 mile urban hike	74	871
Daily Total / Goal	309 / 30	4,029 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	309 / 210	4,029 / 4,130

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