BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (DAY 107)

The morning temperature in Danville, Illinois when I woke up was 15° - a perfect day to return to the elliptical machine for the second day in a row, after not working an elliptical machine for more than a year.

Oh boy, did I fall off the wagon yesterday.
Ate far too much.
All I have to do is stop it.

Did I really 'need' the popcorn that I bought when I went to see 'Bohemian Rhapsody?'
I did walk over to the theatre from my Baymont Hotel in Litchfield, Illinois.
I don't think the theatre was more than 300 steps away.

The movie was very good. The actors that played the band members of Queen - looked like their counterparts. What a great reminder about how great Queen music is.  Turns out, I don't need to be reminded... I have liked Queen for a very long time.

THE RETURN OF BALACLAVA MAN

Yesterday, the temperature in Chicago was in the mid twenties. On Friday I had let my streak of consecutive days taking some kind of walk lapse. On Saturday, I had the choice of starting a new streak. Two consecutive days of not walking or one consecutive day of walking. I chose the second. With the temperatures in the mid twenties, it was time for the return of balaclava man.

Standing in from of this giant threee story high mural, I found myself singing Bicycle Race by Queen.

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Your Food Diary For:

Saturday, December 9, 2017

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Grits	400	88	6	8	1,240	4
Egg - Poached Egg, 4	300	2	20	25	629	1
Bread - Whole-wheat, toasted	200	37	3	8	427	16
	900	127	29	41	2,296	21
L U N C H
Meatballs, 10 meatballs	540	12	40	32	1,220	4
	540	12	40	32	1,220	4
D I N N E R
Plain Kaiser Roll, 3	450	84	6	18	840	3
Sensational Seafood Salad	380	18	28	18	960	6
	830	102	34	36	1,800	9
Totals	2,270	241	103	109	5,316	34
Your Daily Goal	3,675	459	122	184	2,300	137
Remaining	1,405	218	19	75	-3,016	103
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 1,745 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 213.7 lbs in 5 weeks.




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I don't quite understand the fascination with this Mexican Artist from the 1950's, Frida Kahlo.  I sell fabric today, that uses her image and it is very popular. I found this mural painted on the side of a building on Milwaukee Avenue.

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JUBILATION

It took 108 years.
It took 7 games.
It took 10 innings.
It took 4 hours 28 minutes (including  17 minute rain delay)
The Chicago Cubs are the World Champions!
The moment, that the last out was recorded at first base, there were cheers throughout the city.
Fireworks could be heard coming from many different directions.
I can only imagine the bedlam going on in Wrigleyville by Wrigley Field.
Final Score Cubs 8 - Indians 7
What a game!

time for a new logo!

time for a new license plate!

As it was raining throughout the day, it was time to take refuge indoors and spend some time on the elliptical machine. I did something different than usual. I often set the 'resistance' to the top setting and pedal along at a comfortable pace. Yesterday I set the 'resistance' to 'only' half of what I usually set it, but pedaled much faster and much harder and had an equivalent calorie burn in only 60 minutes.

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Your Food Diary For:

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Quaker - Grits - Instant - Original, 6 packet	600	132	0	12	1,860	0
Nature Valley - Cherry Dark Chocolate	200	30	5	10	150	15
	800	162	5	22	2,010	15
L U N C H
Subway - Footlong Turkey Breast on Wheat	560	92	17	36	1,890	11
Whole Foods - Banana Chips	225	26	15	2	0	15
Fresh Thyme - Dark Cocoa Melting Wafers	500	55	30	7	102	48
	1,285	173	62	45	1,992	74
D I N N E R
Banana (2)	270	70	1	3	3	38
Manhattan Clam Chowder, 2 cup	240	36	6	10	1,600	6
Read - 3 Bean Salad	300	65	0	5	1,500	40
	810	171	7	18	3,103	84
Totals	2,895	506	74	85	7,105	173
Your Daily Goal	3,011	376	100	151	2,300	113
Remaining	116	-130	26	66	-4,805	-60
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 1,081 extra calories from exercise today

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Your Exercise Diary for:

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL	60	1,081
Daily Total / Goal	60 / 30	1,081 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	376 / 210	6,228 / 4,130

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My 59th birthday is still a little more than one week away... yesterday my daughter made this cake at school during one of her special elective classes. This was presented to me on the night of the 7th game of the World Series. I loved the baseball theme. What a nice surprise.

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DRIVE TO MINNEAPOLIS

Yesterday, my daughter and I drove to Minneapolis.  We arrived around 9:00PM.  Our first stop was at Whole Foods to pick up a dinner. The ride confirmed what I have long known. My daughter has questionable taste in music. Here I am thinking how lucky she is that her Dad owns virtually everything from Led Zeppelin, Queen, Kinks, Blue Öyster Cult, The Who, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Mott the Hoople, and The Rolling Stones. My daughter simply could not care less. Why should she care? She likes Taylor Swift! Nevertheless, the ride was enjoyable and today we will visit the Mall of America before we see some of my customers starting tomorrow.

Your Food Diary For:

Sunday, April 17, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Egg, whole, cooked, poached	300	1	20	26	624	1
Butterball - Bacon Style Turkey	210	3	18	12	900	0
Nice! - Honey Grahams	650	120	15	10	850	40
	1,160	124	53	48	2,374	41
L U N C H
Apple - Apple, Red Delicious, Medium	285	75	0	0	6	57
Select Choice - Chewy Oat & Honey Granola Bar	200	36	5	2	110	14
	485	111	5	2	116	71
D I N N E R
Whole Foods - Chicken Breast, Baked, 5 oz.	184	0	4	34	444	0
Turkey - White Meat, 12 oz.	420	14	1	58	3,452	12
Generic - Grilled Brussel Sprouts, 2 cup	130	26	5	11	46	0
	734	40	10	104	3,942	12
S N A C K S
WHOLE FOODS 8497 - CHERRY VANILLA GRANOLA, 82.5 g (3/4 cup)	360	60	11	8	90	23
	360	60	11	8	90	23
Totals	2,739	336	78	162	6,522	146
Your Daily Goal	2,038	255	68	102	2,300	76
Remaining	-701	-80	-10	-59	-4,221	-70
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 108 extra calories from exercise today

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BICYCLE RACE

BICYCLE RACE is a weird, fun and terrific song from QUEEN originally released in 1978, on their album, Jazz.  The lyrics start like this:

Bicycle bicycle bicycle

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride my bike

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride it where I like

Yesterday, I 'rescued' by bicycle from 'mothballs' where it was being kept in the bike room in the garage of my building.  I have not used my bicycle in more than 3 years.  Our family is going to be part of the Chicago 'Critical Mass' bike ride this Friday - so it was time to see if my bike was in working order.  After dusting if off a bit and pumping some air into the tires I was back on the roads again.  I don't think that I actually forgot how much fun bike riding can be.  It was NOT fun when I was 300+ pounds.  It WAS fun yesterday.  I think I am going to be biking around town much more these days.  What a great way to get to my local YMCA - rather than driving the car.  Yep, I am a bike rider again!

My set of wheels: DIAMONDBACK 

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 Sunday MENU

breakfast  steel cup oatmeal, rice cakes                                               545 calories
lunch       spinach, hearts palm, clam chowder, kale crunch                626 calories
dinner      spinach, hearts palm, chowder, salmon fillet, rice cakes     851 calories  
SNACK   mango, wasabi peas, granola, kahuna trail mix                  770 calories

total calories consumed 2792 calories

calories burned

elliptical machine 92 minutes, manual, level 20              2191 calories

CALORIES BURNED 2191 CALORIES

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Saturday net calories 601 calories

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QUEEN - 'SIMPSONS' STYLE

KEEP YOURSELF ALIVE

QUEEN.  Freddie Mercury. Brian May. Roger Taylor. John Deacon.  What a great band! EVERYONE knows them for some of the HUGE HITS: We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, Bohemian Rhapsody, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Another One Bites the Dust. QUEEN was much more than that. They were a great sounding band right out of the gate with their first release in 1973.  Queen.  The song, Keep Yourself Alive, sounds as good today as it ever did. The lyrics start like this...


I was told a million times
Of all the troubles in my way
How I had to keep on trying
And get better every day
But if I crossed a million rivers
And I rode a million miles
Then I'd still be where I started
Bread and butter for a smile

KEEP YOURSELF ALIVE - QUEEN 1973

I was told a million times that I should take better care of my health.  I was told by my wife, my brother, my mother and my father,  I was told through reports in the media and I was told by myself. For the longest time, I did not listen (or if I did listen - I did not act)  I think I know why. Pure laziness.  Pure inertia.  It takes effort to change a lifestyle.  It takes no effort to continue all the bad habits that one is engaged in. It takes no effort to eat cake, candy, cookies and ice-cream.  It takes no effort to sit on a couch and watch TV endlessly.  It takes no effort to refrain from exercise.  Things that take no effort, bring results that are indicative of the lack of effort.  That amazing thing about losing nearly 90 lbs in a little over 3 months time - is that while it took some effort, it did not take some kind of super-extraordinary effort.  I am convinced that anyone can do this. And yet, for eight years while I roamed in the obesity wilderness, this belief eluded me.  It appears that no one was able to reach me until I found the ability to reach myself.  I am glad that I finally did.  You can too.  The formula is simple, although it is not easy.  It is also not impossibly difficult either. Cliches are cliches because they are true. A weight loss journey truly begins with one step - the decision to make smart choices today - at your next meal.

WEDNESDAY MENU

breakfast   two hard-boiled eggs, one apple                                                              236 calories
lunch         Jimmy John's Bootlegger UNWICH                                                       230 calories
dinner       PANERA BREAD Asiago Steak 1/2 sandwich, Caesar Salad 1/2, Apple 640 calories

total caloric consumption 1106 calories

CALORIES BURNED
Ann Arbor Elliptical 7AM 40 minutes 517 calories

WEDNESDAY NET CALORIES 589 CALORIES

PANERA BREAD: HALF CAESAR SALAD (no dressing) 160  CALORIES

PANERA BREAD: HALF SANDWICH ASIAGO STEAK 400 CALORIES

QUEEN - SIMPSONS STYLE