SHOOTING STAR (DAY 101)

Do you remember, 'Shooting Star' (Bad Company song)?

Don't you know
That you are a shooting star, (don't you know, don't you know)
Don't you know that you are
A shooting star
And all the world will love you
Just as long, as long as you are?

During my hike on Wednesday...
...I 'officially' became a SHOOTING STAR (according to fitbit, that is)

According to Fitbit, a 'floor' is about 10 feet measured by the fitbit's altimeter.... so if my lifetime 'floors' are 20,000, then that translates to 200,000 feet, which translates to approximately 38 miles... 

MOUNT BALDHEAD (DAY 88)

The highpoint (pun intended) of my day yesterday took place after my 5.5 mile hike at Van Buren State Park. The highpoint came when I successfully climbed the 300 steps at Mt. Baldhead in Saugatuck during an additional .75 mile hike at a second location about 20 miles north of Van Buren State Park.

Mt. Baldhead. Saugatuck, Michigan. In the first picture I am contemplating the 300 step climb. In the second picture, I am smiling having completed the 300 step climb.

Mount Baldhead, also known as Bald Head Peak, Baldhead, and Radar Hill is a summit of a hill in Allegan County, Michigan. Mount Baldhead is a hill and a sand dune, in the Sand Hills between Kalamazoo Lake and Lake Michigan. It is located northwest of Saugatuck. It has an elevation of 794 feet / 242 meters.

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INDIANA DUNES STATE PARK (DAY 61)

Saturday Morning.
The day I step on the scale.

I have lost 45.4 lbs since my disgust overwhelmed my fat lackadaisical slothful condition and made the decision, that enough was enough! 

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I only had one appointment in Northern Indiana on Friday morning.
So before heading home, I made a stop at Indiana Dunes.
It has been quite a long time since I have been to the Dunes.
When my hike was completed, I had trekked 14 miles.
When the day was over, I had completed my 61st consecutive day of low calorie consumption.
My definition of low calorie consumption has been what I describe as the 'neighborhood of 1000 calories'  During these past 61 days I think I have consumed as low as 800 calories in a day but nothing higher than 1400. That's the neighborhood that I have remained in for these past seven weeks.

I spotted a PRAYING MANTIS along the trail

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During my hike I 'discovered' something that I was not aware of... There are five 'Homes of the Future' along the lake that were moved from the Chicago CENTURY OF PROGRESS World's Fair that took place 1933-1934.   I love discovering new things by accident.

HEMPSTEAD LAKE STATE PARK

For the third consecutive day during my trip to visit my Mom in Lynbrook, I set out early to take a suburban hike. On Friday I decided to trek out to Hempstead Lake State Park. I have no recall of going to this park ever before. It is only about three miles away from the home I grew up in. I went to the park, and exited into Rockville Centre before returning home. This was an 8 mile hike. This completed my hiking schedule for my Lynbrook visit. I did walk only three days, Wednesday 17 miles, Thursday 6 miles and Friday 8 miles. I was satisfied with my level of exercise during the week. The warmest temperature that I experienced on any of these three hikes was 20°F.  The weather was cooperative with me, the temperatures in Chicago this week had been much colder. However the temperatures in Chicago when I return today are soon to be dipping even further into minus territory.  I don't foresee any long hikes in that kind of environment - but I am sure I will get out at least for a short excursion. I guess I will find out this week.

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Your Food Diary For:

Friday, December 29, 2017

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Trader Joe's Maple and Brown Oatmeal	320	64	4	8	480	26
Bagel, Lox and Cream Cheese	400	49	12	27	1,556	9
Trader Joe's Spiced Cider	120	30	0	0	10	24
	840	143	16	35	2,046	59
L U N C H
Cabbage Soup	200	20	0	5	157	11
	200	20	0	5	157	11
D I N N E R
Lasagna	800	86	28	46	1,340	10
Chicken Parmigian	350	46	11	18	594	14
Rataouille	200	44	3	8	216	44
	1,350	176	42	72	2,150	68
S N A C K S
Red Delicious Apple	100	26	0	1	2	20
	100	26	0	1	2	20
Totals	2,490	365	58	113	4,355	158
Your Daily Goal	3,373	421	112	169	2,300	126
Remaining	883	56	54	56	-2,055	-32
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 1,443 extra calories from exercise today

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Normally on Saturday I weigh myself. I will wait until tomorrow when I am home on my own scale. Since I don't trust that all scales are calibrated the same, the only way to know if one has gained or lost any weight is to use the same scale.

BEACH DAY

For most people, temperatures just a few degrees above freezing does not signal that it is time to go to the beach. I am not most people. After an extremely productive sales call in Ann Arbor, I headed back to Chicago. Before the night replaced day, I stopped at Indiana Dunes and hiked to the beach. My hikes at Indiana Dunes usually include a significant time in the woods, but I was unwilling to chance getting lost in the woods in the cold as I knew darkness would descend fairly soon. It's one thing to be mildly lost on a warm day during the summer, but I did not relish the idea of getting disoriented during this time of year. My hike took me to the Porter Beach and I returned to my car on very quiet roads as this community which is hopping during the summer, looks largely abandoned in the winter. As you can see, the beach was devoid of human activity.

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Your Food Diary For:

      Thursday, November 16, 2017

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Dannon Toasted Coconut Vanilla Greek Yogurt	480	54	0	72	270	42
	480	54	0	72	270	42
L U N C H
Market Sandwich Smoked Ham and Cheese	260	28	7	21	1,350	6
Arby's  Roast Beef Classic	360	35	14	23	970	6
	620	63	21	44	2,320	12
D I N N E R
Cranberry Bread Stuffing	400	91	3	6	346	37
	400	91	3	6	346	37
S N A C K S
Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich	220	39	5	3	190	23
Frozen Fudge Bars	300	63	3	9	165	60
	520	102	8	12	355	83
Totals	2,020	310	32	134	3,291	174
Your Daily Goal	3,042	380	101	153	2,300	114
Remaining	1,022	70	69	19	-991	-60
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 1,112 extra calories from exercise today

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

BUFFALO ROCK STATE PARK

My first appointment on Tuesday was at 8:30AM in Morton, Illinois (Peoria area) and my customer was right on time and it was close to 11:00AM when I was finished. My second appointment was in LaSalle Illinois which is right on Route 80 which cuts through the northern part of the state. By 3:30 PM I was finished and headed to Buffalo Rock State Park. This park turned out to be very small, and many of the forested trails were closed. I hiked one loop inside the park and then exited the park and walked across the street to a part of the I&M Canal Trail. The I&M trail runs about 90 miles. I entered the trail and hiked about 3.5 miles west, before I turned around and hiked the 3.5 miles back east to re-enter Buffalo Rock State Park, complete my days hike, retrieve my car, all before sunset. When I was done, I had logged 9 miles. 

from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources:

Buffalo Rock State Park is located on a bluff which once was an island in the Illinois River. Now standing majestically on the north bank, this promontory affords a magnificent, sweeping view of the Illinois River. Located approximately 3 miles west of Ottawa in LaSalle County, this 298-acre park has long been a favorite picnic area, as well as a nature lovers’ delight. The area of Buffalo Rock was the home of the Illinois Indians when Louis Jolliet, the French explorer, and the Jesuit missionary priest Father Jacques Marquette made their trip up the Illinois River in 1673. Later, the Illinois tribe was virtually annihilated in protracted warfare with the aggressive Iroquois.

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Your Food Diary For:

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Baymont Hotel Scrambled Eggs w/two Sausages	500	0	0	0	0	0
	500	0	0	0	0	0
L U N C H
Subway - Chicken Chopped Salad	220	10	5	36	490	4
Landshire Sandwiches - Ham & Cheese Wedge	260	32	8	18	1,240	7
	480	42	13	54	1,730	11
D I N N E R
Eel and Avocodo Sushi Roll	400	33	18	22	0	0
	400	33	18	22	0	0
S N A C K S
Cliff Builder's 20g Protein Bar Chocolate Mint	270	30	9	20	200	21
Fresh Thyme - Dark Chocolate Coconut Bites	200	21	13	2	25	18
General Mills - Pumpkin Spice Cheerios	150	30	3	3	163	11
	620	81	25	25	388	50
Totals	2,000	156	56	101	2,118	61
Your Daily Goal	3,240	405	108	163	2,300	121
Remaining	1,240	249	52	62	182	60
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 1,310 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 215.1 lbs in 5 weeks