HIKING IN AMISH COUNTRY

Monday morning, I left Chicago and headed to Middlebury, Indiana for a very productive appointment selling batiks. After I finished, I continued on to Shipshewana to put myself in place for a one day wholesale show on Tuesday. As soon as I checked in, I wasted no time changing my clothes and set out for a hike in Amish country, Shipshewana, Indiana. Since I was in the western portion of the eastern time zone, I got nearly an extra hour of sunlight than I would have enjoyed in Chicago. I made good use of the light, and was able to complete a twelve mile hike.

It looks like I have time travelled to the 1908 when the Cubs has last won the World Series prior to their victory last week. No, it is just me, in 2016 in the heart of Amish country in Shipshewana, Indiana.

I 'discovered' this plaque near Shipshewana Lake.

In Amish country, one has to make sure that you stay out of the way of approaching horse and buggies approaching.

I am a 'city boy' so I found it particularly interesting to be so up close and personal with these horses.

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Other than the occasional horse and buggy or bicyclist, there was not too much traffic on the Amish roads.

Your Food Diary For:

Monday, November 7, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Quaker Grits Instant Original	300	66	0	6	930	0
Whey Protein Bar Chocolate Chip	360	42	12	20	160	29
	660	108	12	26	1,090	29
L U N C H
Subway Footlong Turkey Breast on Wheat	560	92	17	36	1,890	11
Costco - Cheese Pizza Slice	350	35	14	22	685	4
Quest - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough	190	20	9	21	210	1
	1,100	147	40	79	2,785	16
D I N N E R
Subway - Carved Turkey Sandwich	760	86	10	50	1,800	12
Subway - Sun Chips- Harvest Cheddar	210	27	9	4	320	3
	970	113	19	54	2,120	15
S N A C K S
Costco - Chocolate Cake	500	70	33	7	522	44
	500	70	33	7	522	44
Totals	3,230	438	104	166	6,517	104
Your Daily Goal	3,996	499	133	200	2,300	149
Remaining	766	61	29	34	-4,217	45
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 2,066 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 203.4 lbs in 5 weeks .


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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Monday, November 7, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
TWELVE MILE HIKE SHIPSHEWANA	166	2,236
Daily Total / Goal	166 / 30	2,236 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	166 / 210	2,236 / 4,130

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Today, November 8, 2016 is Election Day in the United States. It is a confusing race as one opponent is a liar and the other is an egomaniac. The confusion stems from the fact that the egomaniac also lies and the liar is also an egomaniac. Never before in the history of the United States have two wildly flawed and unlikeable candidates run against each other. My overwhelming preference is for Donald Trump, as I prefer capitalism to socialism. I prefer conservatism to liberalism. I prefer traditional American values to European values, as I prefer the values of the right to the values of the left. The candidate that I support, Donald Trump has a narrow path to victory. As I watch the election results this evening, it may be a long night or a short night. It will be a short night if it is clear that Trump has lost key states early. One thing is certain, about half of all Americans are going to be more than a bit depressed tomorrow. Either way, a song from R.E.M. may be somewhat appropriate, although  I am not too certain about the 'AND I FEEL FINE' part of the song title. 

SQUEEZING IN A FIVE MILE WALK

Yesterday I was out the door at 7:30AM to drive about 100 miles to see a customer for an extremely productive visit. That appointment ended around 1:30PM, and I reversed course and headed back home. I was trying to get back to Chicago in order to keep my 4:00PM Genuis Bar appointment at the Apple Store. There was not much time between my visit to the Apple Store and my dinner which would be the last meal before the 24 hour Yom Kippur Fast.  Nevertheless, everything was accomplished, and my walk to the Apple Store was stretched to a five mile walk.  There is almost always a way to get certain things accomplished, if there is a will. It is my will to walk at least 10,000 steps per day - which is about the equivalent of five miles. 

Your Food Diary For:

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Quaker - Grits - Instant - Original, 3 packet	300	66	0	6	930	0
Mighty Bar Uncured Bacon & Apple, 1 bar	70	3	4	8	300	3
Sobe Life Water Coconut Water	80	21	0	0	110	20
Met-Rx - chocolate cookie dough, 1 Bar	360	52	5	28	160	25
	810	142	9	42	1,500	48
L U N C H
Caseys - Turkey Club Wrap, 1 Wrap	390	42	15	21	1,310	0
	390	42	15	21	1,310	0
D I N N E R
Panda Express - Tangy Shrimp	150	16	50	11	550	0
Panda Express - Orange Chicken	380	45	18	14	620	19
Panda Express Restaurant - Lo Mein	500	61	23	18	0	0
Pineapple, Fresh, Chunks	225	59	0	5	5	45
	1,255	181	91	48	1,175	64
S N A C K S
Nature Valley Crunchy - Oats 'n Honey	380	58	14	6	360	22
Hersheys Dark Chocolate Bar	500	28	38	9	100	11
	880	86	52	15	460	33
Totals	3,335	451	167	126	4,445	145
Your Daily Goal	2,816	352	94	141	2,300	105
Remaining	-519	-99	-73	15	-2,145	-40
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 886 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 219.3 lbs in 5 weeks.


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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
5 MILE WALK	73	886
Daily Total / Goal	73 / 30	886 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	166 / 210	2,261 / 4,130

JEWISH FAMILY EXPERIENCES A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!

What do Jews do in Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? If family is nearby, it is a good day to get together as everyone is off from work. Of course, the movie theatres are open everywhere.  Problem is, we already saw the new Star Wars movie - What else is there to see? It is a common tradition for Jews to go to a Chinese Restaurant on Christmas Day. That option is unavailable to us as our daughter has declined a trip to Chinatown in Chicago. Looks like we won't be going sledding either.  Temperatures across the country are unseasonably high and there is hardly any snow cover anywhere. All retail stores close early on Christmas Eve so shopping is out of the question as well.  Although this brings us to our 'Christmas Miracle'.

My daughter and I often will take an evening walk to a specialty candy store on Michigan Avenue right on Chicago's Miracle Mile. Dylan's Candy Bar. This small chain of candy stores is owned by Dylan Lauren,  the daughter of internationally famous designer, Ralph Lauren.

As I review this photograph, my guess is that founder and owner of Dylan's Candy Bar, Dylan Lauren, spends more time counting  the money that the stores take in on a daily basis rather than consuming her product(s).

Among the reasons that I particularly enjoy going to Dylan's is that I can purchase some very small amounts of candy that is priced by weight. The best benefit of the trip to Dylan's is that  it requires a roundtrip walk of a minimum 3.5 miles and it is a good way to accumulate steps for my 'hungry' fitbit. I anticipated that the store would close early last evening. I checked the website and the store announced that they would close at 6:00PM. I timed my late afternoon 92 minute workout on the elliptical machine to end around 5:15PM. As soon as I returned home, I announced that I was going to go to Dylan's. My daughter is almost always ready to accompany me for this trip. I told her that in order to get there before 6:00PM we could not waste any time. We walked there at a speedy power walk speed of 5 mph, which is faster than my usual speed. Usually my daughter implores me to 'slow down' when we walk together. Last evening, my daughter was moving faster than me! We arrived at the store at 5:48PM. This was more than enough time to make our regular selections and be on our way. The only problem was that the front door was locked with a sign taped to the front announcing that due to the Christmas Eve Holiday the store closed at 5:00PM. My daughter was very upset and I admit I was not too pleased either. There were still some employees within sight and I knocked loudly, yet politely on the front glass door. An employee did come to the door and open it to find out what my 'problem' was. He explained that the store closed early for Christmas Eve and I explained that we checked the website and had just walked two miles in order to get there before closing time. After a few back-and-forths of us each repeating our cases, the young man offered to get the the manager. A young respectful woman came to the door and without too much fanfare, did let us in.  We quickly made our usual modest selections of some bulk candy and when we asked to pay - we were told it was a gift. On the way out, we were asked one more time if we had gotten everything we needed. My daughter, was very respectful of the gift and said that she did not think it was right to take more after we knew we would not be paying for it. It was precisely then that the original employee we spoke with asked us if Sara would like a 'gingerbread house.' A gingerbread house may not have been something that we would have purchased - but my daughter did have fun making the icing and decorating it. At first it looked like we were going to be locked out of Dylan's - but, we were let in, we made out selections, the store made it a gift to us and gave us a gingerbread house too! I don't want to be too dramatic about this: However, it was a 'Christmas Miracle' for our Jewish Family.

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My daughter had fun decorating this gingerbread house

My day started at the doctors office for my annual wellness visit. Everything checked out real well.  My doctor continues to be somewhat amazed as what I accomplished this year. I showed him by before/after pictures that I had posted on by blog just yesterday. Before I left, he said that I was his 'hero.' That may have been over-the-top, but I did get the impression that he might have told my story to some of his other patients over the course of the past year. Before I left, my doctor, who is about one inch taller than me, and surely even thinner than I am, hugged me. I can not recall being hugged by any medical professional ever before. The best thing he told me was that my next appointment with him should be one year from now. What a great thing to hear from one's doctor!

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Your Food Diary For:

Thursday, December 24, 2015

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
NO BREAKFAST....FASTING FOR BLOOD WORK AT DOCTOR'S OFFICE
L U N C H
Marianos - Spicy Curried & Kale Walnut Salad, 1 Cup	360	36	26	6	460	0
Mariano's - Asian Broccoli Kale Slaw, 1 C	200	28	10	4	520	0
MARIANO'S - HUGE SPINACH SALAD, 1 SALAD	500	0	0	0	0	0
Mariano's - Chicken Milanese (Estimate), 6 oz Chicken Breast	461	11	18	60	560	11
	1,521	75	54	70	1,540	11
D I N N E R FONDUE-SHRIMP, ROAST BEEF, BROCCOLI MUSHROOMS, BREAD, SWISS CHEESE
Shrimp - Raw, 10 medium	64	1	1	12	89	0
Wegmans - Deli Roast Beef, 2 oz (aprox.4 slices)	60	0	2	10	230	0
Broccoli - Broccoli, 1 cup	60	6	1	5	49	0
Mushrooms, white, raw, 1 cup, pieces or slices	15	2	0	2	4	1
Bread - Bread Baguette, 1/4 baguette	150	30	1	5	0	0
Emi Swiss Knight - Fondue Au Fromage Suisse - Swiss Cheese Fondue, 0.5 cup (57g)	260	4	18	16	720	0
	609	43	23	51	1,091	1
Totals	2,130	117	77	121	2,631	12
Your Daily Goal	4,507	563	150	226	2,300	169
Remaining	2,377	445	73	105	-330	157
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 2,577 extra calories from exercise today

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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking, 4.5 mph, very, very brisk pace	29	368
Walking, 5.0 mph	19	405 <-speedy walk to Dylan's Candy Bar
Walking, 3.5 mph, brisk pace	25	236 <-slow walk back from Dylan's Candy Bar
STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL	92	1,478 <-(resistance level set to '20')
MFP iOS calorie adjustment	N/A	90
Daily Total / Goal	166 / 30	2,577 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	902 / 210	13,293 / 4,130

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total calories consumed 2130 calories

total calories (5.25 miles, 92 minutes elliptical) 2487 calories

total net calories 357 calorie deficit

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fitbit day 113

26384 steps

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A girl and her gingerbread house... Shouldn't this be eaten once it's made? or is only for show?

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That is my daughter, Sara, peeking through the gingerbread house 'window.'

KALE TALE

It is so much fun discovering new terrific foods and snacks.  I know that I need to curtail, my appetite - which I am not doing too well lately - but that's another story.

Today, I want to share my discovery of a delicious snack food that I discovered in a health food store in Traverse City, Michigan.  KALE KRUNCH from alive & radiant foods.

This snack is absolutely delicious... When one reviews the nutritional information on the back of the package - this food seems less like a food and more like a multi-vitamin!

Compared to a plain old bag of potato chips - the kinds I used to eat - THIS SNACK FOOD IS POWERHOUSE!   Apparently it is available in other flavors - so far, I have only tried the 'Quite Cheezy.'

This product tastes much better than it looks!

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 Wednesday MENU

breakfast   banana, granola, wasabi peas                                                  602 calories
lunch         Subway double chicken salad, Koku Seaweed Rice Cakes  1000 calories
dinner       Kale Krunch Chips, Dang Coconut Chips                               670 calories
SNACK    sesame crunch minis, chewy ginger, apples, granola              640 calories

total calories consumed 2912 calories

calories burned
I did a better job with the settings for this machine on the second day.

OCTANE FITNESS PRO4700 ELLIPTICAL 103 MINUTES, LEVEL 20     2829 CALORIES
STRIDE LENGTH 26"
(LEVEL 30 WAS THE MAXIMUM ON THIS PARTICULAR MACHINE)

CALORIES BURNED 2829 CALORIES

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Tuesday net calories 83calories

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Let's compare 'apples' to 'apples'

The serving size for the Kale and the Lay's Potato Chips are the same - 1 oz.  Amazingly the calorie content is the same.  One is filled with nutrients and one is so-called empty calories.

                                  KALE     LAYS'S POTATO CHIPS
calories                    100                      100
total fat                    7g                       10g
saturated fat          1.5g                     1.5g
cholesterol                0g                        0g
sodium                    260g                   170g
potassium               270g                   350g
carbohydrates           9g                     15g
dietary fiber              2g                        1g
sugars                        1g                      <1g
vitamin A                  50%                     0%
vitamin C                  20%                   10%
Calcium                     6%                     0%
Iron                           10%                     2%

Ironically, the calories are the same.
The nutrition is not.

IF THE SHOE FITS

IF THE SHOE FITS

An ellipsis (anapodoton) of "if the shoe fits, wear it".

PHRASE

if the shoe fits

1. (idiomatic) If it has all of the characteristics of a thing, it probably is that thing.  

   "Everyone keeps calling me obese!" "Well, if the shoe fits..."

Can you imagine another blog where you would be exposed to the word, anapodoton?
Doesn't anapodoton sound like some kind of dinosaur!

Inside the Red Wing Shoe Store & Museum is the World’s Largest Boot. It is size 638.5, (20 feet long) 16 feet tall and definitely worth a photo!

I was really disappointed that my weight apparently fluctuated up six pounds from last week.  This leads me to believe one of three things:

My weight last week was understated.
My weight this week was overstated.
My weight last week was a bit understated AND my weight this week was a bit overstated.

What I do know is that my clothes are fitting as good as ever.  I have been wearing a pair of jeans which I consider to be 'skinny jeans' and while they are not loose around the waist - they are completely comfortable.

So, if the clothes fit, wear them!
and worry a little less about what the scale says.
It's the tape measure that tells the real story.

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 Saturday MENU

breakfast  OKAMI SUSHI (WALGREEN'S), ONE APPLE                   680 calories
lunch        Whole Foods Salad Bar, Various Bulk Foods                       1120 calories
dinner       Whole Foods Salad Bar, Chicken Tortilla Soup                     415 calories
SNACK    various bulk foods: mango, raw cacao goji, granola, ginger  759 calories

total calories consumed 2976 calories

calories burned

YMCA PRECOR EFX ELLIPTICAL 125 MINUTES, 1620 CALORIES

CALORIES BURNED 1620 CALORIES

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Saturday net calories 1356 calories

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