DINNER MARRIOTT COURTYARD - MARGHERITA FLATBREAD

Arrived kinda late at the Marriott Courtyard.
Dinner:

Margherita Flatbread 710 CAL
roasted tomatoes, basil + cheese

ON THE PROGRAM FOR A MONTH AND A HALF

It is now the end of the day, February 15.

I have not swayed from my course.

I have continued to eat well for 1.5 months.

This is a bit of an accomplishment.

Even this short time represents 1/8th of year.

As long as I continue... I will see my weight continue to drop.

Unlike past 'health binges' this has been a far more sustainable plan.

In the past I consumed 1000 calories per day. 

It is true that my weight dropped faster - but when I ended that plan, I had not practiced safe eating.

This time, I am eating well.  I am not starving myself. 

And there is not really a plan to jettison...

I am trying (again) to get into the habit of simply eating well.

Someday, and I don't know when, I will have a cookie and maybe a chocolate bar...

But that day should not come soon.

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I have stayed 'on program' for 1.5 months... That is 1/8th of a year.  I just need to keep on doing  what I am doing.

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236.6 lbs (DAY 124)

Weighed myself this morning... 236.6 lbs

I think that is enough gaining for a bit...

I NEED TO FIND MYSELF AGAIN (DAY 120)

Where is that guy who spent weeks consuming approximately 1000 calories per day?
Recently I have not kept my breakfast under that number.

STILL OFF THE RAILS (DAY 111)

I am slipping into some bad habits again.... What is my problem?
No seriously, I need to know.

NOTE TO SELF: DON'T PANIC (DAY 109)

I know that I have recently been 'off my game.' 

I know that I have not been walking as much as I did in the summer and fall.

I know that I will not be able to walk as much as I did for the next few months.

I know that I have 'forgotten' portion control recently.

I know that I have 'forgotten' to record each and every candy bar that I have eaten recently.

I know that I have been snacking way too much recently.

I know that I have given in to temptation and made friends with hotel vending machines.

I know that I should not panic and that I should again start doing what I had been doing so well.

How about I start today?

Weighed myself Saturday morning and I am at 234 lbs. 

No particular reason to panic.... I weighed 283.6 lbs on July 31 of this year.

I have every reason to be proud of my accomplishment....

and I am.

PRE-DAWN HIKE INDIANA (DAY 86)

Before the sunrise on Wednesday morning, I was out and about and had mapped out the walk that I wanted to take. It turned out to be a ten mile hike. The scenery was a bit sparse, walking past the dead stalks of cornfields. I did see five deer, and I do always enjoy seeing these animals. The photo that I took of myself was when I crossed I-65.

early in the morning, the sun casts a long shadow

I am on a bridge crossing I-65 in Indiana

WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA (DAY 67)

For the 3rd day in a row, I awoke pre-dawn and set out for a hike. (7miles, 10 miles, 10 miles).
For the 46th day in a row, I took a walk/hike, never less than 2 miles, often 7 miles or more.
For the 67th day in a row, I kept my calorie consumption within the neighborhood of 1000.

This is what a lunatic looks like just before he sets out for a 10 mile hike at 5:45AM (two full hours before sunrise)

PRE-DAWN URBAN HIKE (DAY 65)

On Tuesday, I needed to pick up a colleague at the airport, and immediately travel 100 miles west to visit a customer. After that visit we traveled another 100 miles to be in place for a Wednesday morning appointment in Forsyth, Illinois. I knew there would be very little time to get a walk accomplished as the day unfolded. So, for the first time, in a very long time, I popped out of bed and set out for a pre-dawn 5:30AM walk. That's not to shabby to have logged a seven mile urban hike prior to eating breakfast.

DAY 1 of PLAN A

On Saturday, my goal was to be closer to 1000 calories.

I did manage to stay under 1500 calories.

I didn't 'forget' not to eat chocolate.

And any chocolate that I might have eaten, which I didn't, I didn't forget to log in my food diary.

Day 1 of Plan A was a success.

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Something that I really do not understand.

I did step on the scale this morning, Sunday.

My weight was 241.0 lbs.

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I am well aware that I did not lose 4 pounds in one day.

Only because it seems mathematically and physiologically nearly impossible and certainly unlikely.

However, if I am going to believe my scale when it annoys me, Saturday 245.2 lbs, am I not compelled to believe same scale on the following day when it registers 241.0 lbs?

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The plan today is to continue to greatly reduce my caloric intake over where it has been for the past weeks and months. In fact, this is the plan for at least a long string of days.

Your Food Diary For:

Saturday, February 4, 2017

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Kirkland - Pre-Cooked Bacon, 4 slices	160	0	12	12	700	0
Egg - Poached Eggs, 4	284	2	19	24	596	1
	444	2	31	36	1,296	1
L U N C H
Sage - Red Delicious Apple, 2	190	50	1	1	4	38
	190	50	1	1	4	38
D I N N E R
Costco Hot Dog, No Bun	370	5	31	18	0	0
	370	5	31	18	0	0
S N A C K S
Lucerne - Provolone Cheese Slice, 4	280	0	20	20	680	0
Savoritz Crackers, 10 Crackers	120	16	6	2	210	2
	400	16	26	22	890	2
Totals	1,404	73	89	77	2,190	41
Your Daily Goal	3,706	463	123	186	2,300	139
Remaining	2,302	390	34	109	110	98
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 1,776 extra calories from exercise today

Your Exercise Diary for:

Saturday, February 4, 2017

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
11 Mile Urban Hike	176	1,776
Daily Total / Goal	176 / 30	1,776 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	572 / 210	6,223 / 4,130

CALEXIT

and in the latest news from the wackos that live in California...

California gives green light for secession signature drive

Los Angeles (AFP) - A campaign for California to secede from the rest of the country over Donald Trump's election is gaining momentum, with supporters allowed to start collecting signatures for the measure to be put to a vote. California's Secretary of State Alex Padilla gave the green light on Thursday for proponents of "California Nationhood" -- also known as Calexit -- to start collecting the nearly 600,000 signatures needed for the measure to qualify on the November 2018 ballot. The 585,407 signatures required by July 25 represent eight percent of registered voters in California -- the most populous state in the country with nearly 40 million residents and the world's sixth-largest economy. Should the initiative make it on the ballot, a "Yes" vote would repeal clauses in the California Constitution "stating California is an inseparable part of the United States and that the United States Constitution is the supreme law of the land," a statement by Padilla's office said. Voters would then need to decide in another referendum in 2019 whether California should become a separate country. Padilla said the independence measure -- deemed highly unrealistic -- would have a deep impact on the state and would likely face legal challenges. "Assuming that California actually became an independent nation, the state and its local governments would experience major, but unknown, budgetary impacts," he warned. "This measure also would result in tens of millions of dollars of one-time state and local election costs." Calexit enthusiasts, whose campaign is called Yes California, are pushing for independence on grounds the state is out of step with the rest of the US and could flourish on its own. "In our view, the United States of America represents so many things that conflict with Californian values, and our continued statehood means California will continue subsidizing the other states to our own detriment, and to the detriment of our children," according to their website. The idea of independence became very appealing to many Californians following Trump's shock election. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton easily beat Trump in the progressive state, winning by more than 4.2 million votes, almost double the number of ballots cast for Trump.

This has to be a first.  I am completely sympathetic to the crazies in California who wish to leave the United States of America. It is true, Californians do not share the values of most Americans. California is existed with one-party rule for many years.  There is not a single Republican serving any statewide office. Many wacky ideas are born in California. It is in California where medical marijuana, which could genuinely be useful to treat some real ailments, became a complete joke. I think it is from California where it first became a 'crime' for stores to use plastic bags for their customers. It was in California where a dishonest crooked politician without an original idea to govern overwhelmingly was supported by the electorate in the recent presidential election. You want to leave, California? Adios. I was originally thinking about the money the United States of America will save by not having to build the wall across the Mexican/California border, but we will probably have to build a different wall along the entire western border of the state as citizens of the Nation of California flee that failed state in the future.  The truth is, the whole idea is completely stupid - no wonder statehood is so popular in that state.

and speaking of stupid...

I was less stupid with my eating decisions on Saturday. 

I ate well. I took a 10.5 mile urban hike with my daughter.

It was a good day.

Your Food Diary For:

Saturday, January 28, 2017

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Polish Kielbasa Sausage	170	2	15	7	570	1
Trader Joes - Hash Brown Patty	260	28	16	2	500	0
Omelette - 3-egg Omelette With Cheese	425	0	21	28	650	2
	855	30	52	37	1,720	3
L U N C H
Post Grains Raisins Dates Pecans	600	117	11	11	385	37
	600	117	11	11	385	37
D I N N E R
Pot Roast, Beef	400	0	25	40	63	0
	400	0	25	40	63	0
Totals	1,855	147	88	88	2,168	40
Your Daily Goal	3,225	403	107	162	2,300	121
Remaining	1,370	256	19	74	132	81
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 1,295 extra calories from exercise today

       Your Exercise Diary for:

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
10.5 Mile Urban Hike	174	1,638
Daily Total / Goal	174 / 30	1,638 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	301 / 210	3,716 / 4,130

PIECE OF CAKE

SATURDAY. Time to weigh in. I weigh 229.6 lbs. This is the first time in three months that I have been below 230 lbs. I lost 2.9 lbs this week. All I had to do was the following: walk 89 miles and spend approximately 13 hours on the elliptical machine. It was a piece of cake. 

Saturday June 25    walk 180 minutes    12 miles          elliptical 198 minutes
Sunday June 26      walk 162 minutes    10 miles          elliptical 198 minutes
Monday June 27     walk 177 minutes    10 miles          elliptical 99 minutes
Tuesday June 28                                                             elliptical 99 minutes
Wednesday June 29 walk 212 minutes  16 miles
Thursday June 30    walk 292 minutes   21 miles
Friday July 1           walk 268 minutes   20 miles           elliptical 196 minutes

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A piece of cake. Something which is very easy to do. It is thought that this idiom originated in the 1870s when it was tradition to give cakes as prizes in competitions.

Sarcasm. The use of words that mean the opposite of what you really want to say, especially in order to insult someone, to show irritation, or to be funny.

For example, it was not a 'piece of cake' to walk 89 miles and spend 13 hours on the elliptical machine this past week.
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It might have been easier to cut back on my calories a bit more than I did, but that apparently is not my way. I am finally, once again, below 230 lbs. At the peak of my stay on the 'dl' (disabled list) from my hernia I reached 242 lbs. I am really pleased to have made so much progress since the beginning of June when all restrictions from activity were lifted after my outpatient surgery.

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F R I D A Y   J U L Y  1,  2 0 1 6

Friday was one of the most active days of my life.
I woke up and spent 97 minutes on the elliptical machine.
I walked to the Apple Store with a 'Genius' appointment to address an issue with my ipad.  3 miles
I dropped my daughter off at Junior Lifeguard Camp and walked 13 miles.
After dinner, I walked with my daughter to pick up an after-dinner treat (for her)  4 miles.
I returned to the elliptical machine and spent another 99 minutes on the elliptical machine.


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Your Food Diary For:

Friday, July 1, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Grits - Grits, 3 packet	300	66	5	6	930	3
Sargento - Provolone Deli Thin Cheese	80	1	6	5	153	0
Butternut - Whole Grain White, 2 slices	140	27	2	5	270	4
Louis kemp - Salmon Delights, 2 stick	120	10	6	8	560	2
	640	104	18	24	1,913	9
L U N C H
Salmon Avocado Roll (Brown Rice)	440	64	10	15	920	0
Apple - Apple Gala, Med, 280 g	160	44	0	0	0	34
	600	108	10	15	920	34
D I N N E R
Mixed Vegetable Casserole	375	30	23	8	525	10
Chicken Breast	260	0	6	52	0	0
	635	30	29	60	525	10
S N A C K S
VANILLA MACAROON GRANOLA	250	38	9	5	60	14
Dark Chocolate Chips, 4 TBSP (15g)	148	20	8	2	0	16
Provolone Deli Ultra Thin Sliced Cheese	120	1	9	8	230	0
Oscar Meyer DeliBlack Forest Ham	50	0	2	9	560	0
Butternut - Whole Grain White, 2 slices	140	27	2	5	270	4
	708	86	29	29	1,120	34
Totals	2,583	328	86	128	4,478	87
Your Daily Goal	9,304	1,163	310	466	2,300	349
Remaining	6,721	835	224	338	-2,178	262
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 7,374 extra calories from exercise today

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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Friday, July 1, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL	97	1,354
Walking	42	556
Walking	155	2,914
Walking	71	657
STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL	99	1,148
Daily Total / Goal	464 / 30	6,629 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	1347 / 210	17,657 / 4,130

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The '100' in front of 'The Bean' is commemorating 100 years of nearby Navy Pier 

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The man in the orange shirt in the reflection of 'The Bean' is me.

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A person with a casual interest in weight loss knows that the two ingredients to success are diet and exercise. It turns out that these two ingredients are not mixed in equal quantities. Without scientific backing to these approximations I would say that diet is 90% part of the solution, with  the remaining 10% being attributed to exercise. There are not too many people who are trying to lose weight who could, or care to, walk 89 miles in one week and augment that with an additional 13 hours on an elliptical machine. The most effective way to lose weight is to cut down on calories. I have taken advantage of my time on the elliptical machine. I have been watching the entire series: Star Trek Voyager.  I am enjoying it immensely. I enjoyed it when it first aired, but it is better than I remembered it. I am also taking advantage of my time spent outdoors walking and hiking: I have a wicked deep tan on my arms and legs. I guess, if I actually went to the beach, instead of hiking on it, my 'tan lines' would be a bit ridiculous looking. At least my belly would not be draped over the front of my swim trunks.

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for your enjoyment...a gallery of sarcastic wit....
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