YIKES! HOW MANY CREAMERS DID YOU SAY?

Oh boy... When I buy a coffee at Starbucks I often add Zero Calorie Vanilla syrup. This ain't health food - but at least it has no calories.  When I am having by free included breakfast a hotel in the morning, I often add three or four 'creamers' to a cup of coffee. Really? Not any more. Not after today. That ship has sailed! Each of these little packages contain 35 calories!  Who knew?  Not I. The information is not hard to find, but one does have to look. The calories are not printed on this ubiquitous container.  Yikes!

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DUNKIN' DONUTS HIKE

Last evening my daughter wanted a donut at Dunkin' Donuts. In fact, she wanted more than one. There is a Dunkin' Donuts literally around the corner from our home in downtown Chicago. My daughter also knows me quite well. She knew that we would walk there.  A couple of years ago, in the midst of my laziest, most lethargic lifestyle, even I did not drive around the corner! The temperature was approximately 30°F so we dressed appropriately. We walked outside our home. We then walked nearly 3 miles downtown to Polk Street, walked east two blocks more, and then walked back out to our neighborhood and to the Dunkin' Donuts. The store did not have the exact donuts that she wanted in the quantities that she wanted them - so she settled for just one. Once the donut was secured, we walked around the corner back home. That is how one can take an urban hike of 6 miles to get to a place around the corner. It may seem bizarre to some. Bizarre it may be, but healthy it is too.

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Your Food Diary For:

Thursday, December 29, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Quaker - Instant Oatmeal- Maple, 4 packet	640	128	8	16	1,040	48
Kirkland - Pre-Cooked Bacon, 5 slices	200	0	15	15	875	0
	840	128	23	31	1,915	48
L U N C H
French Baguette	750	150	5	25	1,850	5
Fresh Market - Thai Lobster Salad	550	25	43	13	0	0
	1,300	175	48	38	1,850	5
D I N N E R
Minestrone Soup, Homemade	550	78	17	32	0	0
	550	78	17	32	0	0
S N A C K S
Protein Plus Protein Bar - MET-Rx, 1 bar	310	29	10	32	95	1
Dark Chocolate Melting Wafers	500	55	30	7	102	48
	810	84	40	39	197	49
Totals	3,500	465	128	140	3,962	102
Your Daily Goal	2,873	359	95	144	2,300	107
Remaining	-627	-106	-33	4	-1,662	5
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 943 extra calories from exercise today

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Your Exercise Diary for:

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
SIX MILE URBAN HIKE	88	1,061
Daily Total / Goal	88 / 30	1,061 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	628 / 210	6,860 / 4,130

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DAVINCI GOURMET ZERO CALORIE WHITE CHOCOLATE

A few days ago, I purchased something called DaVinci Gourmet Zero Calorie White Chocolate Syrup which is used to flavor coffee.   I have been sampling different zero calorie syrups and this is by far the most delicious.  However, no matter how hard I searched, I could not find it again, anywhere.
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DaVinci Gourmet Zero Calorie White Chocolate Syrup

This syrup is made from Splenda and makes a cup of coffee an amazing experience.   I purchased ten bottles of this online directly from the manufacturer.  It should be arriving within a few days.  I am not making any claims that this is a 'health food.'   Although, I have been trying to eat much more healthier than I did in the past - I am going to allow myself this treat.

DaVinci Gourmet White Chocolate Syrup:

• All the sweetness and none of the calories
• Easily add your favorite flavors to coffee, drinks, iced tea, lemonade, cocktails, sodas, milkshakes, smoothies, desserts, entrees and more
• Sweetened with Splenda
• Naturally flavored with other natural flavor
• Kosher

Ingredients:  Water, Natural Flavor, Cellulose Gum, Sucralose (Splenda Brand), Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Citric Acid.

THURSDAY MENU

breakfast STARBUCKS reduced-fat Turkey 'bacon' sandwich                             230 calories  
 lunch       PANERA BREAD turkey chili bowl                                                     280 calories
  dinner      JIMMY JOHN'S bootlegger UNWICH, bowl Italian Wedding Soup   470 calories

TOTAL CALORIC CONSUMPTION  980 calories

CALORIES BURNED

7AM Wolf Creek Maumee YMCA elliptical machine 45 minutes  597 calories

THURSDAY NET CALORIES   499 CALORIES   

STARBUCKS

I am not a big coffee drinker. Starbucks was not a place that I visited too often. Until now. In my continuing quest to find places that serve healthy low calorie food - Starbucks has now become a new favorite place.

Two days ago, I ordered, for the first time, a Blueberry Whole-Grain Oatmeal which is only 220 calories. Yesterday, I returned and ordered a Spinach & Feta Breakfast Wrap which is only 290 calories.

This morning, Thursday, I tried the Bacon & Gouda Breakfast Sandwich (350 calories)
I will continue to not drink Starbucks Coffee - but Starbucks is now one of my favorite breakfast stops when I am on the road.

Starbucks Blueberry Whole-Grain Oatmeal 220 CALORIES

WEDNESDAY MENU

breakfast   Starbuck Spinach & Feta Breakfast Wrap                        290 CALORIES

lunch         Jimmy John's Bootlegger Club Unwich w/Provolone      280 CALORIES

dinner       Applebee's Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad & an Apple     450 CALORIES

total calories consumed   1020 CALORIES

CALORIES BURNED
9AM YMCA Royal Oak, Michigan Elliptical 880 CALORIES
9PM  Days Inn Stairmaster 40 minutes            400 CALORIES

total calories burned  1380 calories

CALORIC DEFICIT -260 CALORIES

Starbucks Bacon & Gouda Breakfast Sandwich 350 CALORIES

Starbucks Spinach & Feta Breakfast Wrap 290 CALORIES

CURB YOUR METABOLISM

Curbing one's metabolism is precisely what one does not want to do if one is trying to lose weight.  Losing weight is a balancing act.  The rate of one's metabolism is the rate at which one's body is 'burning' calories.  A faster metabolic rate means that your body is burning calories faster. There are some things that one can do to reduce one's metabolic rate that should be AVOIDED when possible.

SKIPPING MEALS Bad idea. Skip a meal and your body starts rearing up for famine. If a famine  is on the way, the metabolic rate slows down to conserve strength.

SLEEP DEPRIVATION One that does not get enough sleep can become less active on the following day.  Less activity, lower metabolic rate, slower calorie burn.

FREQUENT NAPS Too much sleep has the same bad effect.   It takes awhile for the body to firing on all cylinders after slowing down to nap.

DEHYDRATION   'Burning' calories requires enough water. If one's cells are insufficiently hydrated, metabolic rate can slow.

LACK OF EXERCISE As one adds fat to the body, the metabolic rate slows.

FATTY FOODS  Body receives 'fat' and tries to store as much of it as possible for the future. This slows your metabolism.

DENYING YOURSELF CAFFEINE If you drink caffeine. That is one habit that should not be ended for weight loss. Caffeine raises your metabolic rate.  This does not mean that you should have 3 cups of coffee with heavy cream before breakfast. It does not mean a Starbucks Venti Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino (590 CALORIES)

WEIGHT GAIN This is my 'favorite'.  Let's see, gaining weight makes it harder to lose weight. When one gains weight, one's metabolism slows.  Not good.

 BALANCING ACT....
 GET ENOUGH SLEEP - DON'T SLEEP TOO MUCH
 MAKE SURE TO EAT REGULARLY - DON'T SKIP MEALS
 EAT ENOUGH TO FUEL YOUR BODY - DON'T EAT TOO MUCH

I have already made my request for my home-cooked dinner this evening when I return home.   My wife has been amazingly supportive.  Thank you, Jennifer.

I am very much looking forward to stepping onto my scale tomorrow morning.   This is what I have to promise myself before I do that.... If my results are less than I am anticipating, I cannot let any disappointment curb my enthusiasm for going forward.  This was the type of mistake that derailed me  seven years ago.   I am repeating my successes.  I am not repeating my mistakes.