I'LL BE BACK

That was easy. No it wasn't'. That was simple. Yes it was.
It is not easy to lose weight.
It is, however, simple to lose weight.
The secret to weight loss is the most poorly kept secret in the universe, and it is very simple.
EAT LESS.
As I began to adhere to this program this past week (past five days) I was gratified to to see my results on the scale today:
256.7 lbs.
The last time I crossed this weight barrier in the wrong direction in the middle of the summer, I felt completely disgusted with myself. And then I had to balloon all the way to 263.3 lbs before I reached my upper limit of disgust with myself. And now, after only 5 days of carefully watching what I stick into my face, I immediately reversed course and made 6.6 lbs disappear. Success is contagious. I have great confidence that I will continue this week and log another successful week.
Like Arnold Swarzenegger, who famously said. "I'll be back."
I too, will be back.
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Your Food Diary For:

Friday, September 1, 2017

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Quaker Oats instant grits - Instant Grits, 2 package	200	44	3	4	620	0
Sage - Red Delicious Apple, 3 medium apple	285	75	1	2	5	57
	485	119	4	6	625	57
L U N C H
Culvers - Butterburger "the Original"	360	39	16	20	510	6
	360	39	16	20	510	6
D I N N E R
Beef Brats Smoked Beef Bratwurst	180	3	16	7	600	1
Asian Chopped Salad	385	46	21	7	1,190	25
	565	49	37	14	1,790	26
S N A C K S
Quaker - Chewy Granola 90 Calories, 1 bar	90	19	2	1	80	7
	90	19	2	1	80	7
Totals	1,500	226	59	41	3,005	96
Your Daily Goal	1,985	248	66	100	2,300	74
Remaining	485	22	7	59	-705	-22
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 55 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 238.8 lbs in 5 weeks     

I AM BACK

Weeks ago when I was mired in self-pity with my hernia, I knew that eventually I would be back. I can now report that I am back. I am back in Chicago after spending 5 days in Salt Lake City. Much more importantly, it is clear that I am back regarding my recent setback, that is, the hernia issue. I am completely back. I have no residual pain. It is as if it never happened.

It amused me to calculate how much stepping I have accomplished in the past seven days in comparison to the total stepping that I accomplished in April when my injury first began.

PAST SEVEN DAYS                 182,756 STEPS
ENTIRE MONTH OF APRIL 170,430 STEPS
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I am very pleased with my physical progress. The hernia is now officially a distant memory.
Good Riddance!

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Your Food Diary For:

Monday, May 23, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Cliff Bar - Chocolate Chip, 1 bar (68g) 2.4 oz	250	45	5	10	150	22
Wendy's Artisan Breakfast - Biscuit Sandwich With Bacon and Eggs, 1 sandwich	400	38	19	19	820	5
Nugo - Vanilla Yogurt Bar, 2 bar (50g)	340	52	5	22	300	26
	990	135	29	51	1,270	53
L U N C H
Apples - Apples, 4 medium apple	320	88	0	0	0	64
Lundberg - Organic Koku Seaweed Rice Cakes	420	98	4	7	525	7
	740	186	4	7	525	71
D I N N E R
Homemade - Lasagna	760	50	24	38	1,000	20
Caesar salad - Salad, 1 plate	200	10	14	5	380	2
	960	60	38	43	1,380	22
S N A C K S
Nabisco - Southwest Airlines - Plane Cookies	390	63	12	6	270	21
	390	63	12	6	270	21
Totals	3,080	444	83	107	3,445	167
Your Daily Goal	2,989	373	99	150	2,300	112
Remaining	-91	-71	16	43	-1,145	-55
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 1,059 extra calories from exercise today

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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Monday, May 23, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking	72	894
MFP iOS calorie adjustment	N/A	165
Add Exercise Quick Tools
Daily Total / Goal	73 / 30	1,059 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	73 / 210	1,059 / 4,130

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HUMOROUS SIDENOTE:

When I returned to my home, the doorman in my building was advising me to take it easy as I was managing two suitcases.  I explained that I was completely healed from my hernia.  She asked me if I had the hernia removed. I tried to explain that it doesn't quite work that way. But there was no convincing her - she was steadfast in her belief that I should have had a hernia removal. Technically, it may not have been removed - but it is gone.
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THE PROCRASTINATOR

I am in the middle of a temporary and undesired lifestyle change.  For the next week (maybe two) I cannot exercise with the reckless abandon with which I have become accustomed.  Yesterday, after just a few days of removing ALL EXERCISE from my daily routine, as I allow myself to recover from a groin pull, I stepped on the scale and was aghast at my weight of 236 lbs. I should have decided then and there to REVERSE COURSE immediately. However, I chose to procrastinate. In fact, my procrastination will continue today. Call be THE PROCRASTINATOR. 

Tomorrow, I am going to make an effort to return to those 'thrilling days of yesteryear' when I was existing on a 1000 calorie per day diet. If I should allow myself to get to 1500 calories - that will be perfectly OK. What I cannot do is allow myself to continue to consume 3000, 3500 or nearly 4000 calories per day as I have been doing which was at least partly offset by vigorous exercise sessions. If I cannot exercise, I cannot eat with the same modified reckless abandon with which I have recently become accustomed to. I should start today - but I just don't feel like it. Tomorrow it begins.

.
Hopefully, it will not be too long until...

I'll be recovered from my groin pull.
I'll be exercising again.
I'll be see my weight below 230 lbs.
I'll be back.

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Your Food Diary For:

Saturday, April 2, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Cinnamon & Spice Instant Oatmeal, 4 packet	640	128	8	16	840	44
Red Delicious Apple, 2 medium apple	190	50	1	1	4	38
	830	178	9	17	844	82
L U N C H
Cabbage Soup	300	31	1	7	235	17
Flatbread Cracker, 6 cracker	300	36	12	12	570	6
	600	67	13	19	805	23
D I N N E R
Homemade Vegetable Beef Stew	500	58	10	48	904	7
YOGURT PRETZELS	380	56	0	4	360	38
	880	114	10	52	1,264	45
S N A C K S
Endangered Species Chocolate - Natural Dark Chocolate With Cherries, 1 Bar	500	44	32	6	0	22
	500	44	32	6	0	22
Totals	2,810	403	63	93	2,913	172
Your Daily Goal	2,090	261	69	105	2,300	78
Remaining	-720	-141	5	11	-612	-94
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 160 extra calories from exercise today

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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Saturday, April 2, 2016

NOT APPLICABLE - NO EXERCISE

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.

total calories consumed 2810 calories

total calories burned (from additional exercise) 0 calories

total net 2810 calories

. . . . . . . . . . .   

fitbit day 213

5003 steps

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TIME TRAVELLER

The stupid thing about me losing 90 pounds this past year and dropping from 309 lbs to 220 lbs is that I have 'been here before.'   As I wrote many times in the past, about eight years ago I tipped the scale at 300 lbs and dropped 80 lbs and briefly touched upon a weight of 220 lbs (for about five minutes) before I reversed course and zoomed back up and beyond where I had started.   This time I have no plans on repeating that stupidity.    

As I travel the countryside I often pass things that make me believe that I am a time traveller.   Last week on the way to Evanston, Indiana I was surprised to pass a bonafide DRIVE IN MOVIE THEATRE.   At first glance though, the marquee might have looked like it was from a long-closed theatre as the movie titles were from long ago:  TERMINATOR and JURASSIC WORLD.   Of course, I realized that this is a statement about HOLLYWOOD constantly revisiting movies that have been released in the past.  Nevertheless, this DRIVE IN MOVIE THEATRE is currently active.  I checked the internet to discover that there are only about 300+ DRIVE IN MOVIE THEATRES left in America these days.   

Another thing that I have passed in my approximately half million miles travelled in my automobile in the past 20+ years is an actual phone booth.  I think I have seen less than half dozen of these antiques.  Seeing an actual telephone booth is an extremely rare thing to see.   

Although it is said that history repeats itself...

I do not ever expect to see drive in movie theaters making a comeback.
I do not ever expect to see telephone booths on every other street corner
I do not ever expect to weigh 300+ lbs again.  (or anywhere near there)

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 Thursday MENU

breakfast    Steel Cut Oat Meal                                                              300 calories
lunch          WHOLE FOODS SALAD BAR, mixed vegetables         1207 calories
dinner         WHOLE FOODS SALAD BAR, various bulk items         865 calories
SNACK      pineapple ring, superfood cereal hemp & greens granola  548 calories

total calories consumed 2921 calories

calories burned

THE ANN ARBOR YMCA LIMITS THEIR MACHINES TO 45 MINUTES PER SESSION.
Although I remained on the same machine, I simply did two sessions: one longer than the other.
YMCA Ann Arbor PRECOR EFX 50 minutes         629 calories
YMCA Ann Arbor PRECOR EFX 30 minutes         401 calories

CALORIES BURNED 1030 CALORIES

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Monday net calories 1891 calories

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In the fictional 'old days' Clark Kent utilized a telephone booth in order to shed his suit and become Superman.

GOTTA GET AWEIGH

GOTTA GET AWAY.   This song was released by The Rolling Stones as a 'B' side to their hit single, As Tears Go By in December of 1965.  (I can't say I remember when this was released as I was 7 years old.) Is it just me?  Or does anyone else find it amazing that The Rolling Stones who released this song 50 years ago, is currently touring North America?  Actually, I know that it is not just me who finds this amazing, the thousands of fans who have purchased tickets certainly find this amazing - and this includes folks like me who have seen The Rolling Stones multiple times over the years and people seeing them for the very first time.

My weight was starting to go in the wrong direction and I said to myself, that I GOTTA GET AWAY from some of the less intelligent eating decisions that were beginning to consume me.  It amuses me a little bit, that in the old days I had no remorse, no anxiety, no guilt about walking over to the frozen yogurt store two blocks from my home and filling a pint container with high calorie frozen yogurt and pouring God-knows how many calories of topping on this tasty delight.   Was my delicious treat 800 calories?   1000 calories?  1500 calories?   I don't know - but it had to be quite a lot.   These days, I feel remorse, anxiety and guilt if I have eaten too many apples or other fruit.  I will tell you this - It would be quite challenging to eat 1500 calories just eating fruit.  (although it appears quite doable if one is consuming nuts and/or granola)

My point, and there is one, is that recently I have been eating with a little more reckless abandon.  Mostly good food.  The worst of what I have recently consumed is too much fruit, and too many nuts and too much granola.   I have also just wrapped up two national trade shows where I have had some delicious meals in restaurants which were usually preceded (and followed) by some serious drinking.   Once I discovered that a Tanqueray & Tonic was higher calorie than I had thought - I converted to Glenlivets on the rocks.  Only in my mind, do I consider this a low-calorie alternative.  Thank God, I don't battle drinking as an ongoing problem.  I am a true social drinker.  I NEVER drink alone.  NEVER.  I only enjoy drinking with others - and I have always been this way.  Back in my college days - it was never too difficult to find 'others' to drink with - so back then I drank much more. Much, much more.

Although I 'officially' weigh myself on Saturday (that is the day that I record my weight) I do occasionally step onto the scale mid-week to see where I am at.   After my swing of 3 different trade shows in five consecutive days in three different states - where I had too many wrong meals - I stepped onto my scale with great trepidation.  That scale displayed a number which gave me great hope and much comfort.  So here it is....Saturday morning....time for my 'official' weigh-in.

I GOTTA GET AWAY from some of the bad habits that have crept into my life and continue to embrace the good habits which I am trying to develop.  I do believe that I have been very successful making these lifestyle changes.  Still it is enjoyable (a little bit) to make a bad decision once in a while...

I am only human.  I am not a robot.

Robots have no trouble focusing on the task assigned to them.
For example, this robot, aka The TERMINATOR,  focused on desiring to terminate, Sarah Connor.
Thankfully, for Mankind, the robot failed in his task - but not because he lost his focus.
Human Beings sometimes have more difficulty staying on task.
Thankfully, we are not robots.
God gave us free will.
Some of us exercise our free will to eat too many cookies (among many other poor choices.)

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216.0 lbs

I weigh 216.0 lbs.
I lost 7.6 lbs this week.
(This makes no sense, I did suspect that last week's weigh-in was giving me a false number...)
I lost 93.0 lbs in 164 days. Today begins Day 165.
I have lost 14 inches from my waist. 
I will always be at the beginning of a journey that never ends.
I weigh 216.0 lbs. (164 days ago I weighed 309 lbs)
I have lost 30.1% of my weight since Dec 24.
Considering how different my calorie count has been - eating much larger portions of still mostly nutritious foods - I am satisfied.  I must consider cutting back just a bit to continue to lose weight.
I have a BMI, body mass index of 28.89 (far away from obesity!)
I had a 42.0 BMI on 12.24.14 just 164 days ago (Class III obesity)
I wonder about achieving a 'normal weight' - the charts say 186.8 lbs - I'm not too sure about that...
I know this, regardless of what the BMI charts show - Marc Jacobs is no longer a fat man!
I have three words to describe how I feel right now - back on track!

...I know how to begin this week... 
32 minutes ELLIPTICAL, but before that... I will take the elevator to the ground floor and climb up 25 flights of stairs to the fitness room...

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 FRIDAY MENU
breakfast     STARBUCKS low-fat turkey bacon sandwich, two apples  420 calories 
lunch           2 apples, fruit/grain bar, oat/honey granola bar                     360 calories
dinner          Yu Sing Teriyaki Chicken, 2 Oat/Honey bars                       510 calories
snack           apple, pear                                                                              192 calories
                        
total calories  1452 calories

calories burned
STAIR CLIMBING (ground floor to 25th floor)  65 calories
6AM ELLIPTICAL 25 MINUTES ONLY (level 16, manual setting)  527 calories
(I had just had an extremely vigorous workout at 9PM, late Thursday evening - using level 16, manual setting for the first time - and on Friday morning at 6AM - I simply ran out of gas and stopped at 25 minutes.  I didn't have the energy at that time to descend the 25 flights of stairs back to ground floor - BUT I DID CLIMB UP 25 FLIGHTS BEFORE I HOPPED ONTO THE ELLIPTICAL MACHINE.

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED  592 CALORIES

Friday net calories  calories 860 calories

"As Tears Go By"
Single by The Rolling Stones
from the album December's Children (And Everybody's)
B-side	"Gotta Get Away"
Released	18 December 1965 (US)
Format	7"
Recorded	26 October 1965, IBC Studios, London
Genre	Baroque pop[1]
Length	2:45
Label	London 45-LON9808
Writer(s)	Jagger/Richards/Oldham
Producer(s)	Andrew Loog Oldham; engineer:Glyn Johns

I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN ME

It appears that today, I will be getting in touch with my feminine side.  Just so you know, it takes a REAL MAN to admit that he has a feminine side. Yes, I know that that it counterintuitive.

I am going to share with you part of the lyrics to a song sung by Maria (Julie Andrews) in the extraordinary 1965 film, THE SOUND OF MUSIC.   The lyrics come from the song, I Have Confidence. (Rogers and Hammerstein)

I've always longed for adventure
To do the things I've never dared
And here I'm facing adventure
Then why am I so scared?

I really do have a feminine side. I have a few favorite movies.  They are Star Trek (2010), Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Field of Dreams, The Fiddler on the Roof, most James Bond films (especially with Sean Connery or Daniel Craig), The Ten Commandments, and THE SOUND OF MUSIC. 

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUSIC
HALF-DOME (YOSEMITE PARK) IS A BIT MORE THAN A 'HILL'

Do you remember how Darth Vader in Star Wars says about Luke Skywalker, "The force is strong with this one."  Given the opportunity, one could correctly say of me, "The femininity is strong with this one."  How else to explain tearing up watching parts of The Sound of Music, particularly emotional parts of Field of Dreams, or the self-termination of the 'good' Terminator in Terminator II?

One more time, I just want to remind you that it takes a REAL MAN to admit this.

Moving on...

The reason that these lyrics were speaking to me is that although I am signed up for the expedition (now 7 of us - The Magnificent Seven?) for the hike up HALF DOME in YOSEMITE PARK in October.  I have been very concerned that I would not be able to do it.   As the song lyrics go..."to do the things I've never dared. And here I'm facing adventure. Then why am I so scared?" Me hike (climb) HALF DOME? Yes, I have been thinking about it just about every day since my brother invited me to join his expedition, and especially since the 5 minutes it took me to make the decision and say, "yes, count me in."  THE RAMIFICATIONS OF THIS DECISION HAVE SCARED ME.  It's not even the final ascent using the chains that has scared me so much (although it certainly did) - I have been more concerned that I would never get to that approach in the first place...

My confidence started to uptick when I did nothing more exotic than bounding up five flights of stairs on the way to my workout on Saturday.   On Sunday, my confidence SOARED when I discovered that I could walk up 13 (thirteen) flights of stairs from my 12th floor apartment to the 25th floor where the fitness room is located.  If I can do this, and I can, because I did, then maybe I really can train to ascend 4800 feet from the base in the valley of HALF DOME to its Summit.  I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN ME.  It feels great. No longer scared, I am more excited than ever.  I am going to continue stair climbing. My building is 25 floors from ground floor to the top where the fitness room is located.  I will work on navigating all 25 floors prior to working out... Once I accomplish that, I may start to time myself to get better at this.  Now I also know that I don't have to be fearful of stepping onto a STAIRMASTER machine if/when I see one at a YMCA.  I should, and I will embrace the opportunity.  

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SUNDAY MENU

breakfast   cup Steel Cut Oat Meal w/prune, 3 slices turkey bacon, two eggs   355 calories
lunch         7 ounce Salmon, asparagus
                  2 ounces Glenlivet's (L'Chaims at Chabad House - It's Shavuous)    585 calories
dinner       Huge Supermarket Salad, Red Delicious Apple
                 Honey Nut & Banana Granola                                                         1272 calories

total calories consumed  2242 calories

CALORIES BURNED
I was a bit 'wired' late Saturday night, which technically was EARLY Sunday morning.  My Sunday workout took place at the ridiculous hour of 2:00AM.  This was the time that I chose to climb the 13 flights of stairs to the fitness room.   After my workout, I walked down the same 13 flights to return to my apartment on the 12th floor.  (My thinking is, at HALF DOME, we will be climbing up and ultimately climbing down)  I believe the leader of this expedition, my brother, Andy, has indicated that climbing down is no picnic either.  So I better be prepared for both.

2:00AM  climbed up 13 flights of stairs to fitness room                 
               32 minutes elliptical machine 507 calories
               walked down 13 flights of stairs back to apartment

SUNDAY NET CALORIES  1735 calories


This information was lifted from livestrong.com

How Many Calories are Burned Going Up & Down Stairs for Ten Minutes?
For a person who weighs 200 lbs., walking up and down stairs burns 127 calories in 10 minutes.

I don't think it took too long for me to traverse the 13 flights of stairs, perhaps only a minute or so (I did not time myself)... I definitely see  STAIRMASTER MACHINE WORKOUTS in my future... 

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SOUND OF MUSIC TRIVIA (from imdb.com)

When Maria is running through the courtyard to the Von Trapp house in "I Have Confidence", she trips.  This was an accident, however, director Robert Wise liked this so much that he kept it in the movie.  He felt that it added to the nervousness of the song and of the character.

The Sound of Music Box Office

Budget:

 $8,200,000 (estimated)

Gross:

 $163,214,286 (USA)

Seems to me, like this is a pretty good ROI (RETURN ON INVESTMENT)

CYBEX

Before my workday began yesterday, I finally had an appointment with a fitness trainer at the local YMCA to get a 'tour' of all the CYBEX STRENGTH TRAINING MACHINES.   I think there were at least a dozen that I sampled today.  I am really a novice.  Without the instruction, I did have not had any idea how to do anything on these machines.  In some cases, it was barely obvious to me which way to face when getting ready to work the weights.

So, now, finally I have a clue how to proceed with my exercise regimen.   The trainer that worked with me today, suggested that I try to use the Strength Training Machines twice per week.   He suggested that I do a 15 minutes cardio session to loosen up first.  The suggestion was that I do three sets of 10 'reps' on four machines to get started.   As the tour progressed this morning, from one machine to the next, I heard the names of muscles that were completely unfamiliar to me.

This is clearly the next step for me.  Once I get more familiar with these machines I am sure that I will be able to create a challenging workout for myself.   Early today before my first appointment, I am going to head back to the YMCA and do some 'Strength Training.'

TUESDAY MENU

breakfast   two poached eggs, cup oatmeal w/orune, two strips turkey 'bacon'             355 calories
lunch        My wife sent me off today with a pre-made salad to eat 'on the fly'
                 Baby Spinach salad with PINK SALMON and Roma Tomato and egg       305 calories
dinner      Baby Spinach salad w/roma tomato, CABBAGE SOUP, Turkey Sausage    283 calories

total calories  943 calories

CALORIES BURNED
7AM elliptical machine 38 minutes  595 calories

NET CALORIES  348 CALORIES

I knew that I would not have any spare time between my visit at the YMCA for my CYBEX tour and my first business appointment.   I left my home 'armed' with a salad that I was able to 'eat on the fly.'

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CYBEX should not be confused with CYBERDYNE.

CYBEX MANUFACTURES THINGS LIKE THIS:

In the future, CYBERDYNE will be responsible for manufacturing things like this:

THE TERMINATOR