IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION...

Aaaaaargh!  First there was the time a few months back when my Mom read my blog and questioned why I had so much liquor the previous night. I had to explain to her that they were 'L'chaims' enjoyed at the Chabad House which are not part of some ordinary drinking binge in a van down by the river.

Last night Mom 'struck' again. But this time I know she is right. My Mom wrote to me and told me that she brought her Kindle with her when she saw her chiropractor just to show off my somewhat dramatic before/after pictures. Since, my daily blog also records what I have been eating, the chiropractor could immediately see that I was not eating enough protein on a daily basis. Not to be stupid about it, but could this be the cause of my very slight anemia? Sure seems possible. So the recommendation is that I seek the a nutritionist for advice. Ok, Mom, I am talking to you: I will do it. And I won't wait six months. But I may not get to it this week. And that's all I want to say on this matter right now. 😀

and even if you are too old to ask... you are never too old to be told even without asking! 😀

I have lost my enthusiasm to post my food diary from yesterday. Although it was somewhat low in calories. It is another example of a protein deficient diet. I have work to do. In fact, I see a New Year's Resolution in the making...  For months now, I have been aware that I have developed some new unhealthy eating habits despite my progress on the scale. I am going to address this next year.

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Your Food Diary For:

Monday, December 28, 2015

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Essential Everyday - Raisins (20 Oz), 1 cup (40g)	520	124	0	4	40	116
Fruit - Medium Apple, 2 Apple	190	50	1	1	4	38
	710	174	1	5	44	154
L U N C H
libby's - Sweet Corn, 1.75 cup	210	32	5	7	700	25
Earthbound Farm - Baby Spinach, Organic, 3 oz	20	3	0	2	65	0
Roundy's - Canned Mixed Garden Vegetables, 1 3/4 cup	123	25	0	4	1,470	11
	353	59	5	13	2,235	35
D I N N E R
Dynasty - Cut Baby Corn, 7.5 oz drained	50	8	0	3	475	0
Campbells Home Style Soup - Italian Wedding Soup, 2.5 cup	250	33	6	15	1,025	10
	300	40	6	18	1,500	10
S N A C K S
Quaker - Instant Oatmeal-original, 112 g	400	76	8	16	300	0
rice krispies treats - Rice Krispies, 2 bar	180	34	4	2	210	16
	580	110	12	18	510	16
Totals	1,943	383	24	53	4,289	215
Your Daily Goal	3,643	455	121	183	2,300	136
Remaining	1,700	72	96	130	-1,989	-79
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 1,713 extra calories from exercise today

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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Monday, December 28, 2015

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL	92	1,699
MFP iOS calorie adjustment	N/A	14
Daily Total / Goal	93 / 30	1,713 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	93 / 210	1,713 / 4,130

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total calories consumed 1943 calories

total calories (92 minutes elliptical) 1699 calories

total net calories 244 calories

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fitbit day 116
12592 steps

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SUGAR

I have read the same thing in various sources.  As the government demonized 'fat' - the food industry responded by creating a billion dollar industry creating 'low-fat' and 'no-fat' foods.  Dumb Americans like me, always took some comfort in reaching for these alternatives - certainly they seemed healthier than the alternative.  The problem is, apparently 'fat' serves a few purposes.  Among them, fat gives taste and creates a sense of satiety after a meal.  Food companies still desired to sell food, so they took out the fat and loaded up on sugar.

Many 'low-fat' and 'no-fat' foods are even higher in calories than their 'fat' counterparts.  A food loaded up with sugar, does not provide a sense of satiety, in fact, quite the opposite, leads to more hunger.  It is a vicious cycle, and I was certainly riding it for the past many years. We need Protein, Carbohydrates and Fat for our body to operate efficiently. From what I have learned we need no sugar.  Zip. Zero. Nada. And yet, the sugar that Americans eat has risen sharply in decade for more than 100 years. It is virtually impossible to completely eliminate sugar from one's diet. Cutting out cookies, candy, ice-cream, and cakes is a good place to start.  Sugar is added to countless foods.  The trick is to keep it to a minimum.

When it comes to sugar, 'The Guess Who' said it best on their 1970 release, 'American Woman' which included the song: No Sugar Tonight.  Probably a good idea tonight, and every night.

SATURDAY MENU

breakfast    three sunnyside up eggs, two slices turkey 'bacon'                                240 calories
lunch         spinach salad w/roma tomato, 6oz. can pink salmon                              210 calories
dinner        1/4 lb lamb bratwurst, spinach salad w/tomato, chicken tortilla soup    495 calories
total calories consumed        945 calories


CALORIES BURNED
11AM elliptical machine 32 minutes        485 calories

SATURDAY NET CALORIES     460 CALORIES

WHAT IS A CALORIE?

Many of us consume too many calories.
Lots of us try to burn off excess calories.
In order to survive and thrive we need the proper amount of calories.
Some foods are rich (or super rich) in calories.
Some foods are low (or void) of calories.
People paying attention to their weight, often count calories.
Weight gain is a result of consuming too many calories.
Weight loss is a result of a deficit of calories.

OK, here is a question that I am going to ask myself:  WHAT IS A CALORIE?
(It is at this point of my blog entry that I will 'save' what I have written and do a little research on the internet - because one thing I know for sure - I do not know what a calorie is)

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

Hi, it's me...I'm back.  Here is what I have learned from GOOGLE definitions:

cal·o·rie

kal(ə)rē

noun

noun: calorie; plural noun: calories; noun: cal.

1. either of two units of heat energy.

   • the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through 1 °C (now usually defined as 4.1868 joules).

     noun: small calorie; plural noun: small calories
   • the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water through 1 °C, equal to one thousand small calories and often used to measure the energy value of foods.

     
     

This definition is a bit technical.  But there is one useful part of the definition that we can try to understand.  A calorie is 'often used to measure the energy value of foods.'    This starts to make sense to me.  Food is fuel.  Calories are the measure of how much fuel a particular food has.   Still there are good fuels and bad fuels.

I was searching for a very simplistic explanation of what a calorie is and I found something useful on kidshealth.org:

You can find out how many calories are in a food by looking at the nutrition facts label. The label also will describe the components of the food — how many grams of carbohydrate, protein, and fat it contains. 

Here's how many calories are in 1 gram of each:

• carbohydrate — 4 calories

• protein — 4 calories

• fat — 9 calories

That means if you know how many grams of each one are in a food, you can calculate the total calories. You would multiply the number of grams by the number of calories in a gram of that food component.    I always tell my daughter to 'check her work' when she does a math problem - so here I will take my own advice.  I want to check if this information is actually correct - Up until this very moment I had no idea that the calories of any food were based on the calories in the three components: carbohydrates, protein & fat.  

So, I borrowed a Hershey's Chocolate Bar that my daughter has in the refrigerator.   It proudly proclaims that one bar contains 210 calories.   Back in the old days, I would have thought nothing of having two chocolate bars before dinner.  I have not had too many 400 calorie  meals in the past five weeks.  Sorry, I digressed.... now back on topic:

Hershey's Chocolate Bar 'Nutrition' Facts
SERVING SIZE   1 BAR
CALORIES 210
TOTAL FAT           13 GRAMS                            13x 9=117 calories
PROTEINS              3 GRAMS                                3x4=12  calories
TOTAL CARBS     26 GRAMS                              26x4=104 calories
117+12+104=233 CALORIES (perhaps the slight different result is from rounding errors - but it certainly gives us a good idea of what types of foods are high calorie)

We need calories (fuel) to exist.   We all know that we will 'burn' an elevated number of calories if we vigorously exercise.   We also 'burn' calories simply by sleeping.  We burn calories every moment of every day.  It takes energy for our body to function and our body is functioning 24/7.

We gain weight when we consume more calories than we need.   Our body is very good at storing calories for a time when we might need them later.   Many people take vitamins each day to supplement their diet.   The reason that we take them every day is that our body DOES NOT STORE THEM.  Whatever excess vitamins we consume on Monday are expelled by the body on a daily basis.  We don't have that 'problem' with calories.  Our body is an efficient calorie storing machine.   Our body will convert excess calories into fat.

And here is the most obvious analysis of the year:

EXCESS FAT MAKES US FATTER.

Conversely, a deficit of calories will encourage the body to use that storehouse of fat and convert to calories to fuel our bodies.  This is how we lose weight.

The current scientific consensus is that for every 3500 excess calories that the body turns to fat - the scale will reflect an additional pound.   The reverse is true - for every accumulated deficit of 3500 calories less than the body needs - our body will use fat to convert to calories and our scale will reflect the one pound loss.

The less technical definition of calories

THURSDAY MENU

BREAKFAST   two poached eggs, 2.5 oz SALMON                                   275 CALORIES

LUNCH             Jason's Deli Spicy Seafood Gumbo                                     301 CALORIES

DINNER            Turkey Burger, Spinach, Vinaigrette, Zucchini Pancake
                            cup of chicken broth soup                                                   328 CALORIES

                 TOTAL CALORIC CONSUMPTION        904 CALORIES

CALORIES BURNED

6AM  30 minutes ELLIPTICAL   380 CALORIES
6PM  30 minutes ELLIPTCAL     390 CALORIES
                                    TOTAL CALORIES BURNED 770 CALORIES


NET CALORIC CONSUMPTION   134 CALORIES

Kirkland Turkey Burger, Zucchini Pancake, Spinach w/Vinaigrette, Chicken Broth Cup   328 CALORIES

Another week has gone by.  Last week I was disappointed as I thought I would have lost more weight than I did in that particular week.  This week, I am trying to keep expectations low.  I did everything possible to have a good weigh-in tomorrow.   I worked out 1 hour per day (two sessions, 30 minutes each) and I kept my caloric intake on meals under 1000 calories each day.   Today, Friday, is Day 45 of my program.  When I woke up 45 days ago to visit the doctor, I was 309 lbs. Last Saturday, I was 272.7 lbs.   I am hopeful that my metabolism will have been cooperative this week and shed at least the three pounds to get me into the 260's.   I will know in 24 hours.    See you tomorrow!

1. • 
     

IF CURRENT TRENDS CONTINUE...AAY!

The big news today, especially for my loyal readers (Wife, Mother, and one or both of my Brothers) is that in the past seven days I have lost an additional 5.5 lbs.  This means that since way, way back on December 24th, 2014 (a mere twenty four days ago) I have lost a total of 24.3 lbs.  (I HAVE LOST ONE POUND PER DAY FOR THE PAST 24 DAYS!)

This is the number of calories that I consumed in the past seven days:

Saturday     721
Sunday       948
Monday      971
Tuesday      935
Wednesday 981
Thursday    821
Friday         776

TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED FOR THE WEEK, PAST SEVEN DAYS = 6,153

This is probably the smallest amount of calories that I have consumed since my first weeks of life (you know, back in 1957 sometime after I took my first breath)   I firmly believe that my body was the recipient of more real, nutritious and healthy food than it has consumed in nearly a decade.  I consumed actual protein rich foods, good carbohydrates, reduced chemical additives, plenty of water AND I HAVE NEVER FELT BETTER OR MORE ENERGETIC.

TOTAL WORKOUTS FOR THE WEEK, PAST SEVEN DAYS = 305 MINUTES (5 HOURS)

My workouts mixed walking, elliptical and tread climbing.  My workouts took place in the morning and/or evenings.

I have not exercised so much since 7 years ago when I did successfully lose 80 lbs.  (That is, before I moronically gained every pound back, and tacked on nine more for good luck.)

It is really not a mystery why my successful weight loss this week was virtually guaranteed.

I know that this cannot continue indefinitely, but it sure is fun now.

Yesterday, my wife and I went shopping at Costco.  We 'discovered' Mahi Mahi in the freezer section. This is another delicious addition to my menu.  A 5oz. piece of Mahi Mahi is only 160 Calories.  I combined that with mixed vegetables for my totally satisfying 235 calorie dinner.

I do suppose that at some point I will have a chocolate again.  At this point I don't foresee the desire overwhelming me.  When one remembers that the calories in one chocolate bar can only be negated by 30 minutes of cardio - the chocolate bar quickly loses its appeal.

You cannot imagine how great I feel today.  I have lost exactly one pound per day since December 24, 2014 at 10:00AM in the morning when I switched some synapses in my brain and decided during my routine 'wellness' exam that I was going to lose weight.  (TODAY BEGINS DAY 25)  I went from a person with ZERO SELF-CONTROL to a person with COMPLETE SELF-CONTROL in the length of time that it takes to blink an eye.  (A 'minor' personal issue is that the wisdom of this decision had eluded me for only 7 years!)

I have lost 24 pounds in 24 days.   If current trends continue, I will be down 100 lbs by the first week of April.   Don't worry - I know with complete certitude that this is ridiculous.   It brings to mind, Disco Stu, a character from 'The Simpsons.'   There is a flashback scene where Disco Stu points to a graph and says that DISCO RECORD sales were up 400% in 1976.   "IF CURRENT TRENDS CONTINUE... AAY."    We all know that 'current trends' of disco record sales did NOT (thankfully) continue.   I, too, know that my personal 'current trends' will not continue at this pace.  I also know that direction of this trend will continue for quite some time.

"Did you know that disco record sales were up 400% for the year ending 1976?  If current trends continue... AAY!"    (DISCO STU from The Simpsons)

December 24, 2014  I weighed 309 lbs.
January 17, 2015     I weigh 284.7 lbs.

More good news: 
During my initial 'wellness' exam December 24, 2014   BLOOD PRESSURE WAS 158/82
YESTERDAY January 16, 2015 before gum surgery    BLOOD PRESSURE WAS 139/85
This is another good trend.
My blood pressure is still elevated.   This is not shocking.  I weigh 284.7 lbs.  I AM obese.
I only see thin, when I look in the mirror.   That is MY mind playing tricks on me.
I have a long way to go before I can be unclassified as obese.

Mahi Mahi (5oz) & Mixed Vegetables (1 cup) = 235 CALORIES

Right now, it is time to celebrate.   I will put on my sneakers and take a 60 minutes walk at 4 mph on my treadmill.   Burning off another 600 calories is a excellent idea.  (I'm glad I thought it!)