SUGAR IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU

Sugar is not good for you. I am guessing that this is probably not a completely surprising fact. A recent article in US News and World Report listed 9 Reasons why sugar should be avoided (and weight management was not on this list)  I have summarized the 9 reasons:

1. Risk of Cancer lessened. (Studies have found correlation between too much sugar and cancer.)
2. Increased Happiness. (Sure you get the 'sugar buzz' but that is followed by the 'letdown.'
3. Increased Mental Abilities.  (Sugar can inhibit normal brain functions.)
4. Increased Heart Health.  (Thin folks that consume too much sugar are still at risk of heart disease.)
5. Better Teeth.  (Your Mom (and mine) were right....sugar can rot your teeth and lead to decay.)
6. Healthier Liver. (You don't need to be overweight to damage your liver from too much sugar.)
7. Decreased risk of Type 2 Diabetes. (Here too, one does not need be overweight to be at risk.)
8. Better Skin. (less acne, and less aging - what's not to like about that?)
9. Increased Life. (If you are avoiding sugar completely... do you really want to live longer?)
.
Here is my question for God.... If sugar is so bad for us, why did you have to make it so tasty, delicious and addictive? 

.

Your Food Diary For:

Saturday, January 23, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Omelette - 2 Egg, With Cheese, 1 Omelette	250	2	10	5	468	0
	250	2	10	5	468	0
L U N C H
Campbell's - Chunky Clam Chowder, 2 cup (240ml)	360	36	20	10	1,780	2
Whole Kernel Corn - Canned, 1.75 cup	245	39	4	4	840	14
Rice Krispie Treat, 2 bar	180	34	4	0	210	16
	785	109	28	14	2,830	32
D I N N E R
Campbell's Chunky - Manhattan Clam Chowder, 2 cup	240	36	6	10	1,600	6
Roundy's - 8 grain hearty wheat flatbread, 10 flatbread	300	55	5	5	750	0
EARTHBOUND FARM - ORGANIC BABY SPINACH, 85 g (approx 3 oz)	20	0	0	2	65	0
Libby's - Sweet Corn, 0.88 cup	105	16	3	4	350	12
365 - Hearts of Palm: Salad Cut, 1 cup	50	10	0	4	580	0
Louis Kemp - Crab Delights Leg Style, 3 legs (85g)	70	11	0	6	430	1
Roundy's - Asparagus Spears, 1.75 Cup	70	11	0	7	1,225	11
Deli - Horseradish Cheese, 4 slice	320	0	28	16	1,360	0
Rice Krispie treat - Snack, 1 bar	90	17	2	0	0	8
	1,265	155	44	54	6,360	38
Totals	2,300	266	81	72	9,658	70
Your Daily Goal	3,891	486	129	195	2,300	146
Remaining	1,591	220	47	123	-7,358	76
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 1,961 extra calories from exercise today

.

       Your Exercise Diary for:

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL	92	2,146
MFP iOS calorie adjustment	N/A	-185
Add Exercise Quick Tools
Daily Total / Goal	93 / 30	1,961 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	794 / 210	11,812 / 4,130

.

.

total calories consumed 2300 calories

total calories burned (92 min elliptical) 2146 calories

total net 154 calories

.....................

fitbit day 141

10812 steps
. . . . . . . .

.

.

THE RELATIVITY DIET

I purchased a book a month ago at the thrift store which appeared to be interesting.  This 2010 book is: THE RELATIVITY DIET: A Diet Theory of Everything by Shaun J. Melarvie, M.D.

This book caught my attention as this individuals journey from obesity to health somewhat mirrored my own.  In fact, his book reminded me a bit of my own blog.  Chapter One is titled 'A Brief History of my Obesity.'  The story that Melarvie related that really hit a chord with me was the day he talked about eating 'truffles, chocolate pastries, a plate of cream filled somethings, frosted sugar cookies, and quart of ice-cold skim milk because it's hard to imagine the one without the others.'  On this day, Melarvie estimated that he had consumed between eight and ten thousand calories. He continues...

Was I crazy hungry from not eating all day? No. Did I even miss supper? No. Why, then, did I do it? Obsessive compulsive behavior, food addiction - I couldn't say for sure. What I do know is that it was a pattern of eating with me - not being able to stop.

I could have written this passage. One year ago, I have estimated that I was eating between five and six thousand calories every day.  Melarvie in self-examining himself asks why did he eat so much. In the end, he says he does not know for sure... What he did know, and what I still know about myself is that sometimes, I am not able to stop. This is why when I buy bulk foods at the market, I only buy enough that day. Even now, after successfully losing more than 90 lbs - I know myself too well.  Sometimes, I cannot stop.  I am not cured of poor eating habits.  I have a long way to go. This should not minimize the massive improvements that I have made in my life - I am simply admitting - that I am not done.

The author of this book, Melarvie spent hundreds of pages getting way off on a tangent... He really got into the 'weeds'.  He spent time talking about molecular and the atomic structure of matter and even Quantum Theory. His point, which took a long time to get to was that things in the universe are not pre-determined. We chose our own destiny. We are not prisoners of our genetics.  We are not prisoners of bad luck. We are only prisoners of our own behavior.  Unlike a prisoner behind bars, we sit behind bars with the key to unlock the door and escape.

After expanding on this thoughts for hundreds of pages, the author was kind enough to summarize his DTOE (Diet Theory of Everything) and I would like to summarize his summary.  There is plenty of wisdom in these words.

BY THINKING AND ACTING POSITIVELY YOU INCREASE THE PROBABILITY OF POSITIVE OUTCOMES. 

IT IS MUCH EASIER TO CONSUME 3500 CALORIES THAN IT IS TO LOSE IT. 

THE NATURAL TENDENCY IS TO UNDERESTIMATE THE DAILY CALORIE CONSUMPTION OF MACRONUTRIENTS. 

IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU, IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOUR FAMILY. 

THE NATURAL TENDENCY IS TO OVERESTIMATE THE CALORIC EXPENDITURE OF EXERCISE.

These five statements have much wisdom.  There was much more to this book.  As I said, during 300 pages in the middle of this 400 page book, the author veered way off course, although for me, I did find much of its discourse on the inner mechanisms of the universe to be extremely interesting.

In the coming days, and weeks, I expect to revisit these five tenets of the DTOE (Diet Theory of Everything) as they deserve further discussion.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Your Food Diary For:

Friday, January 1, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Red Delicious - Medium Apple, 2 apple	160	44	0	0	0	34
Trader Joe's - Whole Grain Sliced Bread, 8 slice (43g)	720	152	4	24	1,600	16
	880	196	4	24	1,600	50
L U N C H
Doctor Kracker - Pumpkin Seed Cheddar Crisp Bread	800	104	36	32	1,200	0
	800	104	36	32	1,200	0
D I N N E R
ROBERTO - GRISSINI TORINESI (BREADSTICKS)	140	22	3	4	280	0
Broccoli - Broccoli, 1 cup	60	6	1	5	49	0
Deli Meat - Roast Beef (Deli), 3 oz	160	0	6	24	420	0
Shrimp - Raw, 10 medium	64	1	1	12	89	0
French Baguette	360	72	2	8	880	0
Swiss Cheese Fondue, 1 cup	480	4	36	36	1,600	0
	1,264	105	49	89	3,318	0
S N A C K S
Oreo - Chocolate Cookie With Creme Filling	140	21	7	1	90	13
	140	21	7	1	90	13
Totals	3,084	426	96	146	6,208	63
Your Daily Goal	7,661	957	255	384	2,300	287
Remaining	4,577	531	159	237	-3,907	224
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar

.

       Your Exercise Diary for:

Friday, January 1, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL	92	2,257    11:15PM (December 31) - 12:45AM (Jan 1)
STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL	92	2,033    4:00PM-5:30PM
STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL	92	1,969    10:00PM-11:30PM
MFP iOS calorie adjustment	N/A	-528
Add Exercise Quick Tools
Daily Total / Goal	277 / 30	5,731 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	761 / 210	15,487 / 4,130

.

total calories consumed 3084 calories

total calories (276 minutes elliptical) 6259 calories

total net calories 3175 calorie defecit

.....................

fitbit day 120

23663 steps

.

I remember that more than 30 years ago, it was 1985, and I sat through three different movies at at least two different movie theaters on New Year's Day. I only know that the year was 1985 because one of the films, was DUNE, which had been released in late 1984. I recall hating that movie. I do not recall what the other two films might have been.   On this New Year's Day... I also pulled a 'hat trick' of sorts.  This one is just as ridiculous, although slightly more healthy.  I spent three separate sessions of 92 minutes on the elliptical machine. The first session was as the 'odometer' on the year turned over to 2016.  The second session was in the late afternoon.  The third session was after eating way too much delicious fondue for dinner.  The third session was from 10:00PM until 11:30PM.  This is further proof that the second tenet of the DTOE (Diet Theory of Everything) is true. It is far easier to consume 3500 calories than it is to lose it.  Sure, I already knew that. Every once in a while it is good to be reminded of it. Those that remember this, will be less likely to stuff their faces. On the other hand, every once in a while, even someone who is paying attention to what they are eating and logging their calories should allow themselves to eat with reckless abandon.  The trick is not to embrace that reckless abandon as a new lifestyle. 

.

January 1st would have been an excellent day to start embracing a new lifestyle as it was the first day of the new year. It was also the first day of the rest of your life. The great thing about this is that today, too, is the first day of the rest of your life. And even if you are reading the blog post one week from now, one month from now or sometime next year - Today, right now, is still the first day of the rest of your life.  It's a perfect day to make the changes in your lifestyle which will lead to more happiness for you. In fact, I am guessing you are seeing a trend here - Any day is a good day to make the required changes in your life. There is never a bad day to make the decision to change your life. Although it will be significantly easier for your if you make the decision to change your life before you wake up one day in the ICU of your neighborhood hospital (ICU, intensive care unit).  I was lucky, when I made my decision on December 24, 2014 - I was not yet completely debilitated. In retrospect, it seems as if I was daring God to strike me down with illness. Thank you, God, for giving me enough time to 'see the light.' (no, not the light at the end of a long tunnel - that light is not a good one!)

.

YOU CANNOT OUTRUN A BAD DIET

Today, I would like to share an editorial published online just four days ago from the BRITISH JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE which purports to bust the myth that weight loss can be controlled by exercise. This is something that I have recently learned and previously shared on this blog.  In fact, I learned this in a way that destroyed this myth as far as I am concerned when during the week of January 24-January 30 when I 'treadmill walked' 80 (eighty) miles, I lost only 3.7 pounds that week while maintaining my 1000 calories/day diet.  Mathematically, I was sure that my weight loss that week would have been closer to ten pounds.  That experience cured me of the expectation that weight loss could be controlled by exercise.  The editorial clearly states what should be obvious, that exercise has other important benefits.  It is simply that weight loss cannot be counted as a benefit of exercise compared to the benefits of eating carefully.  I found most interesting that the editorial lays the blame on the ubiquitousness of this myth at the doorstep of the food industry.  One can easily see that if the food industry can blame the worldwide obesity epidemic on a failure to exercise, perhaps their unhealthy, processed foods full of sugar can escape blame.

The various words and/or passages where the editorial is bold are the things that I found most interesting. Marc

British Journal of Sport & Exercise Medicine rips a few holes in the myth that exercise can control weight loss.

Br J Sports Med doi:10.1136/bjsports-2015-094911

• Editorial

It is time to bust the myth of physical inactivity and obesity: you cannot outrun a bad diet

1. A Malhotra1, 
2. T Noakes2, 
3. S Phinney3

+Author Affiliations
¹Department of Cardiology, Frimley Park Hospital and Consultant Clinical Associate to the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges²Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town and Sports Science Institute of South Africa, Newlands, South Africa
³School of Medicine (Emeritus), University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA

• Accepted 8 April 2015

• Published Online First 22 April 2015

A recent report from the UK's Academy of Medical Royal Colleges described ‘the miracle cure’ of performing 30 min of moderate exercise, five times a week, as more powerful than many drugs administered for chronic disease prevention and management. Regular physical activity reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia and some cancers by at least 30%. However, physical activity does not promote weight loss.In the past 30 years, as obesity has rocketed, there has been little change in physical activity levels in the Western population. This places the blame for our expanding waist lines directly on the type and amount of calories consumed. However, the obesity epidemic represents only the tip of a much larger iceberg of the adverse health consequences of poor diet. According to the Lancet global burden of disease reports, poor diet now generates more disease than physical inactivity, alcohol and smoking combined. Up to 40% of those with a normal body mass index will harbour metabolic abnormalities typically associated with obesity, which include hypertension, dyslipidaemia, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cardiovascular disease. However, this is little appreciated by scientists, doctors, media writers and policymakers, despite the extensive scientific literature on the vulnerability of all ages and all sizes to lifestyle-related diseases.
Instead, members of the public are drowned by an unhelpful message about maintaining a ‘healthy weight’ through calorie counting, and many still wrongly believe that obesity is entirely due to lack of exercise. This false perception is rooted in the Food Industry's Public Relations machinery, which uses tactics chillingly similar to those of big tobacco. The tobacco industry successfully stalled government intervention for 50 years starting from when the first links between smoking and lung cancer were published. This sabotage was achieved using a ‘corporate playbook’ of denial, doubt, confusing the public and even buying the loyalty of bent scientists, at the cost of millions of lives.
Coca Cola, who spent $3.3 billion on advertising in 2013, pushes a message that ‘all calories count’; they associate their products with sport, suggesting it is ok to consume their drinks as long as you exercise. However science tells us this is misleading and wrong. It is where the calories come from that is crucial. Sugar calories promote fat storage and hunger. Fat calories induce fullness or ‘satiation’.
A large econometric analysis of worldwide sugar availability, revealed that for every excess 150 calories of sugar (say, one can of cola), there was an 11-fold increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, in comparison to an identical 150 calories obtained from fat or protein. And this was independent of the person's weight and physical activity level; this study fulfils the Bradford Hill Criteria for causation. A recently published critical review in nutrition concluded that dietary carbohydrate restriction is the single most effective intervention for reducing all the features of the metabolic syndrome and should be the first approach in diabetes management, with benefits occurring even without weight loss.
And what about carbohydrate loading for exercise?
The twin rationales for carbohydrate loading are that the body has a limited capacity to store carbohydrates and these are essential for more intense exercise. However, recent studies suggest otherwise. The work of Volek and colleagues establishes that chronic adaptation to a high-fat low-carbohydrate diet induces very high rates of fat oxidation during exercise (up to 1.5 g/min)—sufficient for most exercisers in most forms of exercise—without the need for added carbohydrate. Thus fat, including ketone bodies, appears to be the ideal fuel for most exercise—it is abundant, does not need replacement or supplementation during exercise, and can fuel the forms of exercise in which most participate. If a high-carbohydrate diet was merely unnecessary for exercise it would be of little threat to public health, however, there are growing concerns that insulin-resistant athletes may be at risk of developing type 2 diabetes if they continue to eat very high-carbohydrate diets for decades since such diets worsen insulin resistance.
The ‘health halo’ legitimisation of nutritionally deficient products must end
The public health messaging around diet and exercise, and their relationship to the epidemics of type 2 diabetes and obesity, has been corrupted by vested interests. Celebrity endorsements of sugary drinks, and the association of junk food and sport, must end. The ‘health halo’ legitimisation of nutritionally deficient products is misleading and unscientific. This manipulative marketing sabotages effective government interventions such as the introduction of sugary drink taxes or the banning of junk food advertising. Such marketing increases commercial profit at the cost of population health. The Centres of Disease Control health impact pyramid is clear. Changing the food environment—so that individuals’ choices about what to eat default to healthy options—will have a far greater impact on population health than counselling or education. Healthy choice must become the easy choice. Health clubs and gyms therefore also need to set an example by removing the sale of sugary drinks and junk food from their premises.
It is time to wind back the harms caused by the junk food industry's Public Relations machinery. Let us bust the myth of physical inactivity and obesity. You cannot outrun a bad diet.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

SATURDAY MENU

breakfast  cup oatmeal w/prune, two poached eggs, two strips turkey 'bacon'   355 calories

lunch        Spinach salad w/mushrooms, hearts of palms, 8 cherry tomatoes

                 PANERA BREAD Chicken Tortilla Soup (cup)

                 FRESH ASPARAGUS

                 4 Dill Pickles TRADER JOE'S AHI TUNA STEAK (4 oz)                    382 calories

dinner      Spinach salad w/mushrooms, hearts of palms 8 cherry tomatoes

                Seaweed Salad (2 oz)  Miso Soup (2 cups)   4 Dill baby pickles

                TRADER JOE'S all natural sweet apple chicken sausage                  314 calories

total calories consumed 1051 calories

CALORIES BURNED

elliptical 32 minutes 473 calories

SATURDAY NET CALORIES 578 CALORIES

based on the editorial that I re-published today, it becomes even clearer that it is perhaps ridiculous to continue listing DAILY NET CALORIES - yet I will likely continue anyway just out of tradition.

BECOMING OVERWEIGHT - A HUGE ACHIEVEMENT

Since this journey began I have been dreaming of becoming overweight.   Huh?  You ask.   Well, I must remind you that I began this adventure at 309 lbs and was classified at CLASS III MORBID OBESITY.  Eventually I 'graduated' from that classification and into 'only' CLASS II OBESITY and then into CLASS I OBESITY.  I am currently nearing the end of my membership in CLASS I OBESITY.   I bought a pair of 36" waist cargo summer shorts for my next stop on the 'waistline express.'   I tried them on last night to see just how far away I was from wearing them.  To my, happy shock, I actually could get them on and I could zip them up!  Now they are far too tight and uncomfortable to wear (aside from the fact that here in Chicago it is not shorts wearing season just yet)  The point is, I do think that there is a chance of me graduating out of CLASS I OBESITY tomorrow when I step onto the scale.   If not I do not reach this goal tomorrow morning, it's sure bet that I will graduate from CLASS I OBESITY within days.   Graduation out of the CLASS I OBESITY will give me a brand-new classification - OVERWEIGHT.   Not that many people would be so happy being officially overweight - but under my circumstances - I will be ecstatic.

I must admit that the BMI tables that generate these classifications are somewhat controversial.   At 309 lbs - there isn't a soul on planet earth that would have seen me as anything but obese.   At my last current recorded weight, 229.6 lbs - I do not think that there would be too many people who would look at me who say, "Wow, look at that guy - he's obese."   I do somehow manage to wear my clothes well - but when that shirt comes off, I can see that I do still have plenty of extra flab that needs to be David Copperfield(ed) into 'thin air' (pun intended).

STAR TREK: SO VERY TIRED  (SIMPSONS SPOOF)

I only have to remember back to December 2014 to be sympathetic to Scotty.

Announcer: "Star Trek XII: So Very Tired"... see the original cast in the latest and greatest adventure!

[three Birds of Prey confront the Enterprise]

Sulu: Captain, Klingons off the starboard bow.

Cpt. Kirk: [exasperated] Again with the Klingons.

[activates communicator]

Cpt. Kirk: Mr. Scott, give me full power.

[in the engine room]

Scotty: It's no good, captain.

[Scotty is too fat reach the engineering computer]

Scotty: I ca'not reach the control panel!

This is not exactly the type of 'bucket list' that's too healthy!

Even skinny people probably have difficulty with
today's cell phones.

Fat AND Happy?  That's a myth.
HOWEVER, SOON I WILL BE OVERWEIGHT AND HAPPY!
I THINK I HAVE EXPLAINED THAT UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCE.

I am apparently very close to being (only) OVERWEIGHT.  I am very excited. I am getting close to tipping the scale at a weight that my body has not seen since the 1980's. Although I did get down to 220 lbs for about 5 minutes 8 years ago - I never saw 219 lbs. This time, I expect to take this journey much further.  I still have the life-long dream of a Grand Canyon mule ride beckoning me...if a donkey trip is to be in my future...I still have a long way to go...  This is an exciting time in my life.

I still kinda cracks me up and amazes me...

...that only two days after 'discovering' that I weighed 309 lbs at a doctor visit...
...and only 48 hours after managing to eat like a normal human being for two consecutive days...
...I decided that I was going to lose (at least) 100 lbs AND BLOG ABOUT IT. (daily)
...I believe that's called CHUTZPAH!
...Who does that?
...Who does that, and puts their own name on their so-called diet plan, RABBI HILLEL DIET?
...and who names their own program and prints up their own business cards?
...apparently, I do - because I did.

I titled today's blog entry: BECOMING OVERWEIGHT - A HUGE ACHIEVEMENT.
There might be something oxymoronic about that title...

You see, as I am about to become ONLY 'overweight' for the first time in nearly a decade...
This particular achievement has seen me become far LESS huge.
So, in a way, it's a SMALL achievement.
(Getting to 309 lbs - that was an unwise, unwanted, undesired, unhealthy LARGE achievement)
I am glad to be forfeiting that dubious accomplishment!

BMI	Classification
< 18.5	underweight
18.5–24.9	normal weight
25.0–29.9	overweight
30.0–34.9	class I obesity
35.0–39.9	class II obesity
≥ 40.0	class III obesity

My 'magic' number is 224.2. (6ft, 1/2 inches tall) to exit OBESITY.

224.2 lbs will officially classify me as overweight!
The question: Did I manage to drop 5.4 lbs this week?  It's a tall order...

VISIT ME TOMORROW AND FIND OUT...
...I KNOW I WILL!


THURSDAY MENU

breakfast  one scrambled egg, two sausage links, SHMURAH MATZO                 280 CALORIES
lunch        JACK'S DELI & RESTAURANT (yep I did go back!)
                 SCRAMBLED EGGS w/NOVA LOX, PICKLE, TOMATO, MATZO   439 CALORIES
dinner      JIMMY JOHN'S bootlegger club UMWICH w/veggies                           280 CALORIES

total caloric consumption     939 CALORIES

CALORIES CONSUMED
YMCA 9AM elliptical machine 35 minutes     485 calories

THURSDAY NET CALORIES      454 CALORIES

JACK'S DELI & RESTAURANT: On my return visit, I ordered SCRAMBLED EGGS w/NOVA LOX, tomato and matzo.  UNBELIEVABLY DELICIOUS!  no, seriously!

more from JACK'S YIDDISH 101
I didn't see this sign during my first visit on Tuesday...and this one is the best of  all of them!

WALK THIS WEIGH

Hello everyone.  If you were interested in hearing about my follow-up appointment with my doctor that took place yesterday, Friday morning, I simply could not wait to blog about it.   Yesterday, I had two separate blog posts.   I talked all about my visit with my doctor on the post titled: "There's always another meal six hours away."  It is the blog post directly preceding this one.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One of the biggest hits from the legendary rock band, Aerosmith, was Walk this Way, released in 1975.   Since December 24, 2014,  I have chosen a new path, and I encourage others to walk this way with me.   The rules are very simple.  The philosophy of the Rabbi Hillel Diet can be explained in a few short words: "What is unhealthy for you, do not eat.  That is the whole plan. The rest is commentary - go and have lunch!"  Those that internalize these thoughts will walk this way with me.   For the past seven years, and for most of my life I had been walking another way.  This path that I am on now, is the right way.  I now know that with every dietary fiber of my being!

Saturday February 21 means that I have completed 59 days on my new program, which I have named the 'Rabbi Hillel Diet.'  Since I began this journey on December 24, 2014 I have been walking a different way.  Today begins Day 60. Saturday is the day to weigh myself so I can gauge my progress.  It is my favorite day of the week.



254.5 lbs

I weigh 254.5 lbs.
I lost 8.1 lbs this week.
I lost 54.5 lbs in 59 days. Today begins Day 60.
I have lost 6+ inches on my waist.  
I am still at the beginning of a journey that never ends.
I weigh 254.5 lbs. (59 days ago I weighed 309 lbs)
I have lost 17.6% of my weight since Dec 24.
I have lost 2.6% of my weight since last Saturday!
I have had an extremely successful week losing 8.1 lbs.
I have a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 34.04 (still Class I obesity)
I had a 42.0 BMI on December 24, 59 days ago (Class III obesity)
I will 'graduate' from Class I obesity into simply 'overweight' in a few weeks (224 lbs)
I have two words to describe how I feel right now - super euphoric
...I know how to begin this week... 
ELLIPTICAL MACHINE


FRIDAY MENU
breakfast   (NONE) I needed to fast in order for my blood to be tested yesterday
lunch         MY FIT FOODS ASIAN FLAT IRON, carrot ginger soup                     355 calories
dinner        7 oz. SALMON, spring mix salad, ginger dressing, pumpkin soup        480 calories

total calories consumed  835 calories

CALORIES BURNED
6AM   ELLIPTICAL MACHINE 32 minutes         435 calories
6PM    ELLIPTICAL MACHINE 60 minutes         805 calories

total calories burned  1240 CALORIES

NET CALORIES       NEGATIVE 405 CALORIES

my fit FOODS: ASIAN FLAT IRON (prepared meal) w/Organic Cashew Carrot Ginger Bisque Soup  
355 CALORIES

dinner: 7 oz. salmon fillet, 50/50 Spring Mix Salad w/Sesame Ginger Salad Dressing, Pumpkin Soup
480 CALORIES

MAXWELL SMART SAYS - MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH

When I weighed myself this past Saturday, I thought that there was an outside chance that I might slip into a new obesity category.  CLASS I OBESITY.  I was still 1.6 lbs away.

Today is Tuesday morning, by the end of the day, which will be four days after my last weigh in - I can reasonably assume that I will have lost the 1.6 lbs to be officially in the class I obesity.   I am aware that most people aren't screaming from the rooftops about such a dubious achievement.   Considering where I started from, you might forgive me for being happy about this.

Obesity classes are determined by BMI (Body Mass Index)

On December 24, 2014 I weighed 309 lbs and my BMI was 41.3  (Obese Class III)

On January 17, 2015 I weighted 284.7 lbs and my BMI was 38.08 (Obese Class II)

I will assume that by days end today, Tuesday,  I will be right around 261 lbs or slightly less and my BMI would then 34.9 which would squeeze me into the Obese Class I category.   

The next stop on this chart would be to be considered 'only' overweight.   In order to be only overweight, I will need get my BMI down to 29.9.  This will translate to a weight of 224 lbs.

So, I will have a quite a few weeks to go before I get there.

BMI	Classification
< 18.5	underweight
18.5–24.9	normal weight
25.0–29.9	overweight
30.0–34.9	class I obesity
35.0–39.9	class II obesity
≥ 40.0	class III obesity

MONDAY MENU

MONDAY MENU

breakfast   three poached eggs, two strips turkey 'bacon'      280 CALORIES
lunch         Panera Bread Turkey Chili Bowl                         280 CALORIES
dinner       5 oz Mahi Mahi, Mixed Veggies, Potato Pancake
                 Organic Cashew Carrot Ginger Bisque Soup       435 CALORIES

total consumption    995 CALORIES

calories burned
6AM    Elliptical Machine  31 minutes           410 calories
5PM     Elliptical Machine  30 minutes           400 calories

total calories burned    810 calories

net caloric consumption    185 CALORIES

dinner: 5 oz Mahi Mahi, 2/3 cup mixed vegetables, potato pancake, Carrot Ginger Bisque Soup  435 CALORIES