BAD PARKING SPOT

This picture is one type of bad parking.  My 'bad' parking spot yesterday morning was nothing like this.

Yesterday morning, before my appointment, I wanted to buy  coconut water at a Walmart in the suburbs. I parked my car and I walked three miles before I entered through the front door. One might think that I had found a particularly bad parking spot. That was not the case at all. I simply found a way to squeeze in a three mile walk before I crossed through the front door of the store.  As it turned out, this mini three mile suburban hike was my longest walk of the day, so I was glad to have squeezed it into my schedule.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line - but  that's no way to accumulate steps on your fitbit.

Your Food Diary For:

Friday, October 20, 2017

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Grits	300	66	5	6	930	3
	300	66	5	6	930	3
L U N C H
Mostaccioli w/Meat Sauce	350	51	9	16	728	9
Shrimp - Cooked, breaded and fried	250	12	13	22	355	0
	600	63	22	38	1,083	9
D I N N E R
Shrimp Spring Rolls	250	26	13	6	647	1
Vita Coco - Pure Coconut Water	270	66	0	0	450	66
	520	92	13	6	1,097	67
S N A C K S
Colby & Monterey Jack cheese	160	0	14	10	260	0
Dark Chocolate Almonds	220	17	15	4	0	12
	380	17	29	14	260	12
Totals	1,800	238	69	64	3,370	91
Your Daily Goal	2,597	324	86	130	2,300	97
Remaining	797	86	17	66	-1,070	6
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 667 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 219.5 lbs in 5 weeks     

.

SATURDAY - WEIGH IN

238.0 lbs

underwhelming progress for the week, but progress nevertheless.

.

I am down 24 pounds in the last two months. This is a testament to how far backwards I had gone. The good thing is that I finally reversed course and I am now skiing downhill!

.

HELP WANTED: WILLPOWER

Honestly, I don't feel like writing much today.  I am very disgusted with myself.  My weight this morning was 241.9 lbs.  I have been steadily gaining a pound or two for the past few weeks. This is likely what it is like to be an alcoholic that knows that he should stop drinking.  I am not an alcoholic. But I am an overeater.  I need to find, once again, the willpower that allowed me to be so successful for so long. Yesterday, I did manage a 10 mile urban walk back from my dentist appointment - so that was something positive. That's it... I am done for the day.

My smile is masking my underlying depression that my weight is heading in the wrong direction

.

Your Food Diary For:

Friday, May 6, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Malt-o-meal Cereal - Honey Nut Scooters	480	96	6	12	840	36
	480	96	6	12	840	36
L U N C H
Jason's Deli - Pumpkin Cheddar Flatbread	400	40	16	24	760	0
Jason's Deli - Salad Buffet	850	28	78	18	875	15
	1,250	68	94	42	1,635	15
D I N N E R
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich	575	58	31	22	586	22
Butter Cookie	220	23	12	7	70	18
	795	81	43	29	656	40
S N A C K S
Apples - Apples, 3 medium apple	240	66	0	0	0	48
	240	66	0	0	0	48
Totals	2,765	311	143	82	3,131	139
Your Daily Goal	3,919	490	130	196	2,300	147
Remaining	1,154	179	-12	113	-830	8
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 1,989 extra calories from exercise today

.

.

DAY OFF

Yesterday, I (basically) did not exercise (too much)
I spent all day with a customer who is not particularly speedy when making decisions and it took all day from 9AM until 5PM for her to complete her business with me.  When the day was over, plenty of business was concluded.
After concluding my appointment, I did drive to a spot where I expected to find a YMCA.  My information was outdated, and a YMCA no longer existed in Warren, Ohio.
Perhaps, I just didn't have it in me yesterday... I was happy to skip the day.
Still I spent one hour in my room walking in place while watching a recent episode of Better Call Saul directly from the AMC website.  I simply will not allow myself to live an entire day and fail to accumulate 10,000 steps (if at all possible).

So, more or less, yesterday was my day to take a day off - although my day was not quite as interesting as Ferris Bueller's!
.

Your Food Diary For:

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Cinnamon & Spice Instant Oatmeal, 5 packet	800	160	10	20	1,050	55
	800	160	10	20	1,050	55
L U N C H
Cheese Pizza	480	64	14	26	1,180	6
	480	64	14	26	1,180	6
D I N N E R
Rice Cakes Butter Popcorn Flavor, 7 rice cake	245	49	1	7	315	0
Red Delicious Apple, 2 medium apple	190	50	1	1	4	38
Campbell's Manhattan Clam Chowder	240	36	6	10	1,600	6
	675	135	8	18	1,919	44
S N A C K S
two-bite original - coconut macaroons, 7 macaroons	385	49	21	4	105	39
Clif Bar  - Coconut Chocolate Chip, 1 bar	250	42	6	10	180	21
	635	91	27	14	285	60
Totals	2,590	450	59	78	4,434	164
Your Daily Goal	2,128	266	71	107	2,300	79
Remaining	-462	-184	12	29	-2,133	-85
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 198 extra calories from exercise today

.

       Your Exercise Diary for:

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking in Place	60	300
MFP iOS calorie adjustment	N/A	-102
Daily Total / Goal	61 / 30	198 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	274 / 210	1,964 / 4,130

.

.

total calories consumed 2590 calories

total calories burned (walking in place) 300 calories

total net 2290 calorie

. . . . . . . . . . .   

fitbit day 202

11084 steps  

.

.

Hopefully, my blog readers don't think that I am guilty of this too often.

.

NOODLES & COMPANY

For lunch today, I set my GPS to direct me to the nearest Whole Foods for lunch.  I parked the car and noticed that I was parked right in front of a Noodles & Company franchise.

I have wanted to try their menu offerings for quite some time and I ventured inside.  First I checked online for the nutritional information offered by this establishment and found many different possibilities.   I settled on the BUFF JAPANESE PAN.

BUFF JAPANESE PAN: Marinated steak sits atop a bed of spinach, rich in vitamins and minerals, plus a double amount of veggies like broccoli for a healthy dose of vitamins C & K, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, a good source of fiber, Asian sprouts, black sesame seeds and cilantro, dressed with a sweet soy sauce.  (320 CALORIES)

I am sold!  Very delicious, healthy, low calorie lunch.  I need to find more of these Noodle & Company restaurants during my travels.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
  

 Wednesday MENU

breakfast   HOUSE RECIPE INSTANT OATMEAL                            690 calories

lunch         Noodles & Company BUFF Japanese Pan, apples         605 calories
dinner        corn thins, wasabi, granola, date pieces, chewy ginger 1400 calories
SNACK      dark chocolate ginger                                                       272 calories

total calories consumed 2967 calories

calories burned

NEW HOPE, Minnesota YMCA PRECOR elliptical machine 120 minutes              1670 calories


TOTAL CALORIES BURNED 1670 calories

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  

Wednesday net calories 1297 calories

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

MARC @ MARC'S

In the past few months I have visited and discovered some fabulous regional grocery stores around the country.  In my old lifestyle I almost never visited a grocery store.  Yesterday, I visited a store that had a what I thought was a catchy name.  I ended up buying some flavored waters and when I checked out I couldn't figure out why my credit card was not being accepted.  It turns out that this particular chain accepts cash, checks or Discover Card only.  One must admit that that is a bit odd.

On my current trip to Ohio, I specifically selected a hotel that purported to have a fitness room.   Upon arrival at this Howard Johnson's (which turned out to be re-branded Baymont Inn) I was advised that the Fitness Room was closed.  Although I had not pre-checked to see if any YMCA's were close by - I did find one within 4 miles of my hotel.   I was able to fit in a 95 minute session on an elliptical machine in the evening.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  

 Tuesday MENU

breakfast  oatmeal, poached eggs, bacon, rice cakes                       386 calories
lunch        salad bar, oat n' honey bar                                               690 calories
dinner       peas, papaya, chewy ginger, sesame crunch, veg chips  938 calories
SNACK   rice cakes, apples                                                             706 calories
  

total calories consumed 3171 calories

calories burned

YMCA elliptical machine 95 minutes, level 20 resistance, level 20 incline,  1238 calories

CALORIES BURNED 1238 CALORIES

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  

Tuesday net calories 1933 calories

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

ELLIPTICAL

Yesterday morning, after my 5AM weigh-in I hopped on the treadmill and spent one hour 'walking' at 4 mph for 60 minutes. I decided then that it was time to try something new.  I decided to start using the elliptical machine as much as possible.   Before lunch, I returned to the fitness room and set the elliptical machine to a 'calorie burn' program for 60 minutes.   I didn't have 60 minutes in me.   After 30 minutes I felt that I had had enough.   I have the rest of my life to improve my endurance - so there is no reason to try to do more than I am capable of doing.   After thirty minutes, the machine reported that I had 'burned' 322 calories.   I have a baseline from which I can improve.  I will continue to use the treadmill if the elliptical is not available during my workout times.

ELLIPTICAL MACHINE

The chart below only shows the last 30 days.  From January 1 (297 lbs) to January 31 (272.2) progress has been very steady.  If I keep doing what I have been doing - I should find myself in the 260's next week.   From the 'starting gate' of December 24, I have lost 36.3 lbs (11.7% of my body weight)

I have been giving more thought to my moderate weight loss this past week.   Although I was disappointed, I really had no reason to be.   When I analyze the graph produced by MyFitnessPal, I see that my weight has been dropping very regularly in practically a straight line for the past 30 days.   I have re-assessed and I realize that everything is going according to schedule.  I do think that the human body is programmed to try (try hard) to hold onto its warehouse of energy (energy stored in fat cells) as long as possible in the event of real famine.   I have learned that I should not try to predict weight loss in a specific week. Nevertheless, I am very hopeful that next Saturday I will break the '270' barrier and get into the '260's'    My overall weight loss from the 309 lb  'starting gate' is 36.3 lbs.

SATURDAY MENU

BREAKFAST   three poached eggs, 2 strips turkey 'bacon'                                           280 CALORIES

LUNCH             Panera Soba Noodle Bowl with Chicken (new menu item)                   390 CALORIES
DINNER           Salmon Burger, Creamy Corn Pepper Soup, Spinach w/Vinaigrette      257 CALORIES

TOTAL CALORIC CONSUMPTION         927 CALORIES

CALORIES BURNED

5AM  TREADMILL: 60 minutes @ 4 mph (4 miles) 600 CALORIES
11AM ELLIPTICAL MACHINE 30 minutes              322 CALORIES
7PM   ELLIPTICAL MACHINE  30 minutes              330 CALORIES

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED                                    1252  CALORIES

NET CALORIC DEFICIT      325 CALORIES

PANERA BREAD SOBA NOODLE WITH CHICKEN: Chicken raised without antibiotics, soba buckwheat noodles, fresh spinach, napa cabbage blend, roasted mushroom and onion blend, sesame seeds and cilantro in an umami soy-miso broth.  390 CALORIES

THE WEIGHT IS OVER

I have anticipated weighing myself today with great enthusiasm.

This morning the wait is over. (at least until next week)

276.4

I weigh 276.4 lbs.
I lost 8.3 lbs this week.
I lost 32.6 lbs in 31 days. Today begins Day 32.
I have lost more than one pound per day for 31 straight days.
I have lost 4 inches on my waist.  Size 50 to 46.
I no longer buy XXL.  I am 'only' XL.
My new 46" waist black jeans don't just fit, they are comfortable.
I have exceeded my wildest expectations, I am only just starting.
I weigh 276.4 lbs. (31 days ago I weighed 309 lbs)
I know just how to celebrate - good morning treadmill.

HERE IS HOW I DID IT

CALORIES CONSUMED THIS WEEK         TIME ON TREADMILL       'MILES WALKED'
SATURDAY                                       661                           60 minutes                                   4
SUNDAY                                            841                           60 minutes                                   4
MONDAY                                          736                          120 minutes                                   8
TUESDAY                                          956                         120 minutes                                  8
WEDNESDAY*                                  876                           60 minutes                                  4
THURSDAY                                       936                          120 minutes                                  8
FRIDAY                                              879                          210 minutes                                14

*on Wednesday I also logged 60 minutes on an elliptical machine which I am not counting in miles.

CALORIES CONSUMED  5885    12.5 HOURS        50 MILES 

Somehow, I managed to consume even less calories this week than last week.  I do continue to surprise myself.   Please remember, it is possible that as recently as 5 weeks ago, I might have had nearly 6000 calories in one day.   I wasn't counting back then, but I am also not exaggerating. (I am definitely not bragging about it.)

My doctor's orders after my 'wellness' visit on December 24, 2014 were quite specific.
"Exercise regularly.  Aerobic exercise like fast walking, jogging, biking or swimming 4 to 6 days per week"     I think I got that covered, this week, at least.

I realized on Friday morning that I had the opportunity to 'walk' 50 miles in one calendar week which for me is Saturday 12:01AM until Friday 11:59PM.    I decided that I 'needed' to return to my treadmill again at  9:30 PM to log a third hour for the day.... and return again at 11:00PM to log an additional 30 minutes to log the last 2 miles so that I could take pride in the fact that I had 'walked' 50 miles in one week.

How far is 50 Miles?    (1 mile = 1.6 kilometers)
I 'walked' 80 Kilometers (I like that, it sounds like a longer distance)

I do intend to continue to enjoy sub 1000 calorie days.  My follow-up appointment with my doctor is scheduled for February 20.   At that time, I will seek his advice as to how to proceed.  (and if I like the advice, I will follow it)

FRIDAY MENU

BREAKFAST   3 poached eggs, two slices turkey 'bacon'  (I am a man of habit)  280 CALORIES
LUNCH            cup Sweet Potato Bisque Soup, one salmon burger                       240 CALORIES
DINNER           spinach pancake, 4oz salmon filet, cup French lentil soup            358 CALORIES

TOTAL CALORIC INTAKE   878 CALORIES
TOTAL CALORIES BURNED 600+600+600+300 = 2100 (Is this really possible?)

1. 
   

   Chicago is 92 miles from Milwaukee.   It takes about 90 minutes to make the drive without traffic.  It's as if I walked more than halfway to Milwaukee from Chicago this week.

   
   

   I do not know if I will ever log that many walking miles in one week again. I certainly had no idea that I was going to do that this week.   Let's just say that that is not my goal.   My goal remains precisely what the doctor ordered: regular exercise.   At least 4 to 6 times per week.

I have been recently burning the candle on both ends, and I must admit that I took an unplanned nap for nearly 3 hours in the late afternoon/early evening.   Look, I woke up on Friday morning around 5AM and started my day - I guess I am not immune from exhaustion
.

Dinner: Lentil Soup, 4 oz salmon, spinach burger 358 CALORIES

    

Friday Evening 11:30PM completing my 50th mile for the week.

BEFORE/(no after) PICTURES

Do you share this concern? Every time you see a before and after set of photos from someone who has lost weight - the before photos are always fuzzy and your are never really sure if the photos in the  after are even the same person? I don't have have the after photos yet. My weight loss journey only started 48 hours ago, right around the time I visited my doctor for a 'Wellness" visit and discovered that I weighed nearly 315 lbs. When I returned home to measure my waist and neck - I was more dismayed to discover that the measurements were 52" waist and 18.5" neck. I didn't need to visit the doctor to discover that I was overweight - mirrors that I passed as well as my belt were extremely effective in transmitting this data to my mind. I always figured that I could start a new diet (lifestyle change) 'tomorrow.'  Tomorrow was yesterday. It should be obvious that I only have the before photos. I am aware that this journal could become a bit more interesting with some comparative after photos.  That is the plan.  Marc