HUMBOLDT PARK (DAY 48)

On the 48th day that I maintained my low calorie consumption, I took a TEN MILE urban hike before lunch. I headed out to Humboldt Park (not a particularly wise place to visit at night, but ostensibly OK in the height of mid-morning on a gorgeous late summer day in September)

6

I woke up on Saturday, which will be Day 6 of my re-energized willpower campaign to reverse the course of my recent fat-building lifestyle into a fat-burning lifestyle. So, it has only been FIVE DAYS as of Saturday morning, that I made this change.

Weight loss can happen fast. Never quite as fast as weight gain. But fast, nevertheless.

I stepped on the scale and whereas the last time I saw 277.6 I was disgusted.

This time I saw 277.6 and I was very pleased.

In just five days, I have dropped SIX POUNDS.
It was not my imagination that the trousers I had been wearing lately fit better.
They are still a stupefying 46 inch waist.
AT LEAST THEY ARE NO LONGER UNCOMFORTABLY TIGHT!


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Sadly my fitbit is long gone, lost but not forgotten... Still my iphone somehow claims to monitor my motion and steps... and I did walk back and forth to Wrigley Field yesterday... so the 5 miles makes sense

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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

IT'S DIET NOT EXERCISE

If you look carefully over my left shoulder in this photo you will see a lion sitting atop a rock in the Lincoln Park Zoo in a 'selfie' that I snapped yesterday during a 9 mile urban hike.

Here is a closeup of the same lion. This time I flipped the phone around and used the better of the two lenses.

I have never thought about it before yesterday. Why are not all zoo animals wildly overweight? How much exercise is this lion getting. When was the last time that this lion got to really 'stretch his legs' and zip around at 30 mph across a tall grass field chasing a pack of zebras? Only one thing must be keeping him looking fit and trim. Diet. I am 'guilty' as anyone who thinks that calories can be erased by exercise. I suppose given enough activity there is some possibility of that, but the stubborn truth is that the best way to lose weight or keep weight off is to reduce calories. The formula is simple. It's just not easy. I know that I have been over-eating this past week and that I have been especially generous 'rewarding' myself with chocolate in various forms. I was not shocked when the scale indicated that I am back up to 225.1 lbs. (Still down 85 lbs from the day I started this weight loss journey)  I just need to do better. I will continue to exercise as that brings its own rewards. I just need to ratchet down the eating. That's the plan. I suppose a plan can never fail if you don't have one. Still, it is always better to have a plan.

Yesterday my physical activity was augmented with a 97 minute session on the elliptical machine .

Here is a rather petrifying reminder that summer really is over, and that Halloween is just around the corner.

Your Food Diary For:

Friday, October 7, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Great Grains Cranberry Almond Crunch	420	82	7	10	230	24
Quaker - Grits - Instant - Original, 5 packet	500	110	0	10	1,550	0
	920	192	7	20	1,780	24
L U N C H
Fried Okra	300	24	10	3	210	3
Fried Shrimp	100	4	0	42	0	0
	400	28	10	45	210	3
D I N N E R
Ground Beef Buritto, 1 Buritto	675	0	32	42	0	1
Taco Bell - Hard Shell Taco	510	36	30	24	930	3
	1,185	36	62	66	930	4
S N A C K S
Hersheys Dark Chocolate Bar	500	28	38	9	100	11
	500	28	38	9	100	11
Totals	3,005	284	117	140	3,020	42
Your Daily Goal	4,718	590	157	236	2,300	177
Remaining	1,713	306	40	96	-720	135
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 2,788 extra calories from exercise today

       Your Exercise Diary for:

Friday, October 7, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
9 MILE URBAN HIKE	124	1,683
STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL	97	1,082
Daily Total / Goal	221 / 30	2,765 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	530 / 210	7,627 / 4,130

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