Week 175 Update

It was 05:26, dark and 52º outside, and I stepped up on Mr. Scale. After due deliberation he stated, "184.0 pounds!"

This week I ate a few more points per day, but I still was only at 43.21, a bit under my old "normal" maintenance level of 45. My weight held steady at 184.0 for my weigh-in, though my average weight for the week dropped from 185.21 to 184.50. For 6 days in a row my weight has been at or below 185.0, and for 7 of the last 8 days that has been true as well. The last 3 days I have been moving my points up a bit to make sure that the scale didn't take a drop on me.

For water, I drank 6 cups at least every day and I averaged 61.7 oz. (7.7 cups) per day, which is near the top of my minimum target of 6 to 8 cups per day.

Exercise went very well this week. I took 20 separate walks throughout the week, nearly 3 per day.

On three occasions this week, Dotti and I took "continuation walks," where we walked to some destination, and then later walked back, or to some other destination. Last Saturday we walked to Sweet Tomatoes. It was a 2.1-mile walk. After lunch there, we walked on to Borders bookstore, which was another 1.82 miles. Then after shopping, we walked home (I was carrying 19.5 pounds of additional weight from the shopping ), another 1.23 miles. That accounted for 3 of the 20 walks. On Tuesday, Dotti and I walked to Sweet Tomatoes (2.1 miles), and then, after dinner, walked back (another 2.1 miles). On Thursday we did a modified 3.1 mile loop by walking the loop as far as an intersection near Border's Books, and then detouring a short distance to our favorite local diner, for dinner. Then we returned to the intersection and continued the loop to it conclusion. It created 2 walks (2.10 miles, and 1.24 miles) from our normal 3.1 mile walk.

So, if you combine the 3 continuation walks into single individual walks, then I walked 16 separate times during the week, which is still better than 2 per day. I walked a total of 44.23 miles this week, which is the best week I have had all year so far. It moved my total miles up for the month to 85.7, and for the year to 739.7 miles. I am actually in striking distance of hitting 800 miles by the end of September, though I am not counting on reaching that mark. I am still 457.2 miles away from reaching my goal of 1,200 miles for the year. However, it seems far more in reach today than it did at the start of September. If I can remain healthy, I may still reach it.

My aerobics points total is now up to 1808.8 for the year. I have completed 37 weeks of 2004, and that means I have earned an average of 48.9 aerobic points each week. My base goal is only 30 aerobic points each week, so I am well above that. (This week I earned over 111 of them.) If you divide 1808 aerobic points by 52 weeks, my weekly average for the year would already be 34.7 even if I didn't earn a single more aerobic point this year. So, while I am still tracking the aerobic points, I am only worried about getting the miles I need. If I get the miles in, the aerobic points take care of themselves.

I have been at goal for over 1000 days, and am edging my way towards 3 years at goal. This is the 1226th day of my weight control journey and it has become an integral part of my life. My lifestyle includes my journey, and it seems my journey encompasses my lifestyle, or at least permeates every part of it. My karate instructor used to say, "Everything is part of training." It seems to me that everything is today part of the journey, in a very similar way.

As we are tracking through the 30-year anniversary of all the events that happened in 1974, to me it seems like some of them happened a lifetime ago, and some of them only happened yesterday. In April Bud Abbot, the sole remaining member of the Abbot and Costello comedy team passed away. That year we also lost, along with other notables, Walter Brennan and Ed Sullivan. In August, just before my personal events took such a turn for the better, the American hero, of air and political activism, Charles Lindberg died at the age of 72.

People remember one event of the summer of '74 probably most clearly, when in August Richard M. Nixon was pulled down from the supposed supreme US seat of power by a show of greater power by the US media. All presidents who have followed have taken note of that fact. Becoming the 38th man to fill the position, Gerald Ford was sworn into the office of the presidency on August 9th, thus marking the first time that a man who had not been elected as either president nor vice-president was made president of the USA. Later Nelson Rockefeller was appointed to the office of vice-president, also without the benefit of election by the voters.

As that political storm was sweeping the nation, another government hurricane was brewing as the Boston residents were protesting the forced bussing policy that was installed on Sept 12th of that year. There were plenty of things to talk about that September, and things were certainly not politically quiet.

Earlier in the year I had been stationed on Treasure Island, in the San Francisco bay, and I had an apartment in Oakland that I shared with some of my Navy buddies. At the apartment we met some A's fans and so I went with them to watch the A's play a number of times. The last time I was there, I predicted that my Dodgers would be coming to town for the series. I was correct, of course, however my visions of Dodger dominance were not to come true. Though the Los Angeles Dodgers won 102 games that year, and beat Pittsburgh 3 games to 1 in the playoffs, (Oct 5 - 9), the Oakland A's, who only had 90 wins for the season, but beat Baltimore 3 games to 1 in the playoffs, in the World Series cruised right by the Dodgers in the series in only 5 games. (Oct 12-17)

At the time it seemed like a big deal to me, and today I find it difficult to justify why. While I grew up right outside of Los Angeles, the players for the Dodgers were no more originally from LA than were the players for the A's. Not only that, but whether one paid set of athletes perform better than another set, in no way reflects upon my own personal accomplishments. It is living vicariously, and only a small step up from living through fictional events like pro wrestling, television, or movies. If "my team" wins, I can take no credit for it. If it loses, I can take no blame. So, something that is completely outside of my control, beyond my ability to affect in the slightest, and that has no impact on my real daily existence, should not be of any real concern to me. But in 1974, it was of great concern. In 30 years, many things have changed.

This week, Wednesday, September 15th, marked the 30th anniversary of the day that Dotti and I first laid eyes on each other. On a clear day, that reached a high of 81 degrees, I was standing the Petty Officer of the Watch, dressed in my “dress whites” uniform, including a single chevron under the eagle on my left arm, and a 45 automatic on my hip, when I spied a group of young ladies heading for the gangway. When they came aboard, the Officer of the Deck directed me to open the bridge for the ladies, in order to allow them to tour the space. A few of the sailors onboard were Mormons, and these ladies were from their church. The sailors had invited them come and take a short tour of the ship, which included a stop at the bridge. The outer hatch was padlocked closed, and I had the keys, so I led the group up the ladder to the hatch and stood by while they looked around.

One of the girls really caught my eye. She stood about 5’4” tall, had short brown hair and dimples that jumped right out at me every time she smiled. She seemed unattached, and looked like she had a cheerful personality. I was sad when I had to lock up the space, and watch them leave. At the time I didn’t realize it, but I had just seen my future wife for the first time. I can so clearly see Dotti standing there on the bridge, it is like it just happened. Great things were ahead of me, and only the flutter of my heart gave me a clue as to what they might be. Fortunately for me, one of the guys who attended their church was an electronics technician like me, and we worked together everyday. This was the ticket to what was to follow.

On Monday, September 16th, while Gerald Ford was giving his first, and painful, press conference after pardoning former president Richard Nixon I was discussing the group of ladies that had come onboard during my watch the day before with Bob, the aforementioned Mormon in my Electronics Technician shop. He told me that the church was going to have volleyball game on Wednesday night, that the girls would be at, and I could come along if I wanted. I thought that would be a very good idea.

Today, September 18th, 2004, marks the 30th anniversary of the first time that I got to speak with Dotti. Of course she wasn't called Dotti back then. Everyone called her Dorothy, as does her extended family still today. The volleyball game got going and Dotti and I were on the same team. At one point she hurt her shoulder, an old injury that still troubles her from time to time today, and I was very concerned. Another girl was trying to pull me back into the game, but I would have none of it until I knew Dotti was okay. After the game the church had a movie that we sat through, that promoted the church and explained some of the doctrines of the church. Dotti and I sat next to each other and I was asking her questions, and it seemed we were talking the entire time, because Bob was upset that I was not getting properly indoctrinated by the movie (he didn't word it that way exactly, but it was what he was concerned about ) with all the time I was dedicating to listening to Dotti. We were actually talking about the movie most of the time, so Bob's concerns were unfounded.

By evening's end, Dotti and I were really hitting it off. She said that the Mormons were having an ice skating party on Friday night and she was wondering if I would be interested in coming along. I said, "Sure!" However, I had to tell that I had to go down to Tiller and return my mom's car to her before our ship pulled out to sea on Saturday. I was flying back up on Friday afternoon, and I wasn't sure if it would be early enough to make the party. But I told her that I would try. What I told myself was that I was going to make it back in time if I had to fly the plane myself to hurry it along. I knew Dotti was very special already, and by the end of that upcoming Friday night, I knew that I was going to marry her someday, but I am getting ahead of myself. The 30th anniversary of the ice skating party will have to wait until next week.

3 years, 130 days OP; a lifetime to follow.

-Al-

6 '3" 239.5/184.0/180±2/BMI:23.00/WK-175
GRAPHS: Weight Loss/Year 1 Maint./Year 2 Maint./Year 3 Maint./Miles Walked
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