Week 332 Update

It was 7:00 AM when I stepped up on Mr. Scale, and he said, "202.0 pounds!"

Well, it's been an interesting week. All of my weigh-ins have been too high, but then I have been using more ibuprofen this week, as I have stepped up my walking and I certainly over did it on Sunday and Monday. We walked on Wednesday to dinner, and then on Thursday we spent 4 full hours walking around the Oregon Zoo, covering over 2 miles at least. (The main path we walked was that long and our side trips were not included in the total.)

Thursday night I was hit with a pain in my stomach that has been stubborn about going away. I am assuming that I picked up something at the zoo. Dotti hasn't felt really well either since then. It hasn't completely put us down for the count, but it has made doing anything at all uncomfortable. I am hoping that it will pass soon!

We keep on working towards our goals, and having Dotti walking beside me has made the whole journey so much more enjoyable. She is a wonderful life's partner and if you looked up "Soul Mate" in the dictionary, it would have her picture shown there. She is incredible!

I did better on avoiding crackers this week: I got rid of the ones that were here last week, and have not purchased any more to replace them. The cracker crumbs are slowly working their way out of my data, and while the scale is up slightly, I feel far more in control today than I did before giving the crackers the boot. Up until then I wasn't able to do it. (I must have had a boot virus ‹ groan › - at least now I got that out of my system).

And my eating has significantly changed. For a more detailed description, just visit The Tooth Fairy's Evil Twin. I am sure a have put a couple of extra calories into my mouth as a result of the increased eating opportunities afforded me by my improved dental situation, but it hasn't be a complete runaway either. Things are close to where I want them. I feel that my lunch meal is probably where I need the most work in organizing a 'Standard Meal'. Dotti used to make my lunch every day for me, and that made it something that I never had to think much about. I just opened up my lunchbox and dug in. Maybe if I ask really nicely…

Let's look at my week…



Saturday 9/15
Weight: 201.0
Points: 38.5


I was too high on the scale for all my weigh-ins this week, and that included last Saturday's. There is something that can be said for consistency, but it is far better when it is consistently good, rather than consistently bad. (You would think that, being so close, it would only take a minor adjustment to dial in my weight to right where I want it. It sure hasn't worked out that way. )

While studying PHP I came across an inherent problem faced by programmers of many languages used to create executable programs: you can't use the equality operator to compare floating point numbers. That means that if you have two numbers that are written like 1.23 or 3.14, you can't compare them with other numbers like that for equality. They will usually appear to be not equal when you would expect them to be equal. This is not something most people would be concerned with, unless they want to learn to program in C or PHP, etc. But one solution I found for this on the Internet was a pretty good one:

You can subtract one from the other and then compare the difference with some standard that is acceptably small and if the difference is smaller than the standard, it is "good enough" and the two numbers can be considered to be equal.

E.g. if you want to compare 3.14 with the difference of 3.2 - 0.06, you can subtract the two 3.14 floating point numbers from each other and then compare them with say, 0.00000001. If the difference is less than that number, you are pretty close to being exactly equal for most circumstances. (Normally, the error contained in a floating point number is very small and you can almost always make your acceptable difference as small as you would need it to be.)

This isn't about programming, it is about weight maintenance. However, like the floating point number, our scale has some error in it, and our control of it is not perfect. So, we have to have a standard of what is "good enough." For now, the readings that I got on the scale are good enough, not because they are exactly where I want them to be, but because they are relatively okay compared with where I have spent most of my adult life.

Being within 3.0 pounds of 200 for every day except one Ibuprofen inflated day, is something that I would have paid a lot of money to be able to hold onto in years gone by. I still want better, but it is "good enough." I may change my mind some day on what my standard of "good enough" is, but today I am content.

Sunday 9/16
Weight: 203.0
Points: 41.5


Sunday Dotti and I walked to Wall Mart, 2.5 miles away. I had a backpack on, because we were going to stop at Best Buy along the way and pick something up. That was about a mile into the walk. I then had that added weight with me as we finished the walk to Wall Mart, and I dropped Dotti off to do some shopping, as I walked back home to pick up the car. (I then drove back to Wall Mart to pick Dotti and the groceries up. ) The walk back was at a pretty good pace and I was tired when I got back.



On the solo portion of my walk, I took our normal route home, which doesn't run beside Best Buy, and there was a string of trees there that produce acorns. It is something that I used to do every year as fall arrived: I picked up an acorn and saved it until the next year's fall. I had to call Dotti up as she was hunting for our food in the store and tell her that I once again had an acorn. It was a silly thing, (I missed getting one last year, because I always before had picked them up in Hillsboro, Oregon, and didn't walk there in the fall of 2006), but I knew Dotti would understand my excitement-you see, she is my best friend.

Monday 9/17
Weight: 202.0
Points: 31.0


Monday I was definitely sore, but that didn't stop me from walking. I had a dentist appointment in the morning with our new dentist. I wasn't sure how far away his office was, but I knew it had to be less than the old Wall Mart down by the freeway, and that was just under 3 miles. This had to be closer to 2 or 2.5 miles I figured. So, I left early, about an hour before I was due, knowing that I could easily make it, even if I guessed wrong and it was 3 miles. I also wanted some slack, just in case I was too sore to keep up a good pace.

I didn't break any speed records at first, as I was loosening up those old sore muscles, but I got to moving along pretty well after the first half mile or so. I arrived 32 minutes after I started and guessed that it was only about 2 miles. (I later determined it was actually 2.14 miles.)

The lady behind the counter said that I was a half hour early and I might have to wait a little. I told her why I was early and that I didn't mind waiting at all. The only downside was that a TV was on in the waiting area (why can't people occupy their time without this intrusion into their minds?), but I had my iPod. I put on some Mozart, to block out the TV audio, and then opened up a book on the iPod, "Travels in Alaska", by John Muir, which I had downloaded from Project Gutenberg on the Internet. I started reading about his voyage from San Francisco in 1879, to Alaska to study the glaciers. I am going to like this book!

It was only a few minutes later when the dental technician came in to escort me to the dental chair. The dentist put a coating of some bad smelling goop on the top of my upper denture, and shoved it into my mouth, telling me to bite down gently, just enough to hold it in place. I sat there for several minutes reading John Muir's book on my iPod until the goop set up. He told me to leave the dentures in for 4 to 6 hours so the stuff could fully set.

I bit down on the denture and it didn't hurt at all. I smiled at the dentist and said, "I do believe that my life just got better."

I walked back home, and then went to work on the computer. In the evening Dotti and I walked once again, this time to Borders Books, where I spent a couple of pleasant hours studying PHP. This has been fun, and I am looking forward to being able to do some good things with this language when I am finished.

The evening actually felt cold when we were on the way home, and Dotti wished that she had worn a heavier coat. Fall is definitely approaching!

Did I mention that my life did get better? When I got home from the dentist's office I poured a bowl of crunchy WW cereal and dashed on some milk and set to crunching away with my teeth. It worked! I could tell even on my walk home from the dentist's office that things were better, because it didn't hurt having my teeth in. That was a completely new experience for me. Now, it also didn't even hurt to chew with them. I was euphoric, and Dotti was mad enough to chew nails and spit tacks at our old dentist. (I got to that point on the next day, when the euphoria of being able to eat again wore off a bit.)

Tuesday 9/18
Weight: 202.0
Points: 43.0


Nine years ago, on September 18, 1998, Dotti uploaded her first HTML page to a server with the title Dotti's Weight Loss Zone on it. It was just a little thing at first. She wanted to help others, and as a result, help herself. She had just lost over 100 pounds since the previous Thanksgiving, and she was eager to keep it off. She also had an idea on what might make a good page. She would put up nutritional values for restaurants and other food items, and then include hints no how to lose weight. The ideas kept growing along with the page. It ended up growing into something that could have never been envisioned at the start. In nine years time there were 52,919,135 visitors. That is an average of over 16,000 visitors per day over the 9 years. It is of course more than that today, and it was a lot less at first, but Dotti has reached out and touched a lot of people with her page, and I am very proud of her for what she has done!

If you look at the number 53,000,000, which about how many visitors DWLZ.com is up to, and you made that many people a separate nation, it would be the 24th largest country on earth, on the list of 236 total countries. (There are 235 countries already, and the addition of a new one would increase the total to 236.) Remember that the UK, France, and Italy are under 60 million. I am just trying to put the number in perspective. It is hard to do. It is incredible that that many people have dropped in and seen Dotti's picture there at the top of the page, and spent some time on Dotti's Weight Loss Zone. Oh yes, I am very proud of Dotti!!!

It may not seem like much, but it was a very big deal to me to finally be able to eat popcorn again! I had my first bag of it on Tuesday and it was good!



Wednesday 9/19
Weight: 204.0
Points: 36.0




Dotti and I walked to dinner Wednesday night (2.2 miles round trip; we ate at Red Robin, which is conveniently located right beside Borders Books) and I was halfway through my bowl of chili with crispy strips of tortilla across it, when Dotti said, "It is nice to see you eating without too much pain." It suddenly hit me that for the very first time since when I had my teeth pulled in July, I was eating a meal and not thinking about my teeth. I was chewing normally, no pain, and enjoying what I was eating. It was a whole new world of enjoyment! This is where I had expected to be a long time ago. Finally I am on the way to a full recovery!

I haven't quite gotten to the point where I get up and put the teeth in and leave them in all day yet. But I did get up and put them in first thing this morning and that is a step in the right direction. (Before this I had a soft breakfast without my teeth. This morning it was a crunchy breakfast with them! YES!)



Thursday 9/20
Weight: 202.5
Points: 49.0
Sunday and Monday, I had walked 11.48 miles in two days, which is well beyond my normal miles per day average. I was very sore on Tuesday and Wednesday, and had to rely on ibuprofen to help me move around better. (If I can continue the walking, and get in better shape, this will not be necessary.) That always puts 2 to 5 pounds of water weight on me, and so I am up on the scale. Thursday morning it fell back down to 202.5, but it had been up to 204.0 on Wednesday.

And speaking of walking...Dotti and I went to visit the zoo, and we were hopeful that they would let us back out.

This was our first return to the Oregon Zoo in Portland since we came with our best friends Jim and Tammy on July 5, 2007.

Dotti is leaning on the goat statue at the entrance to the zoo, located just after the place where we gave up our tickets to get in. We tend to stop here almost every time we go to the zoo because it is a great place to get warmed up taking pictures. And with a beautiful lady like Dotti, shining her one of a kind smile, my camera was warmed up in a hurry.

Just beyond the goat statue was another one of the many carved pieces of animal art; this one was working to hold up a table leg. (His twin was holding up another one.)

This beaver was standing sentry over a rock wall. The green of the pine and other Oregon growth made for a nice background.

Dotti took this shot of me standing at the sign where we had our first major course route decision to make: would we turn to the left and go through the Great Northwest exhibit (earlier it had been called the Cascade Canyon Trail, but now seems to be sporting this new handle), or would we go to the right, which was the only route available before this one opened up?

We chose the new trail for a couple of reasons. First of all, it is still a new trail and we had only gone on it once before. Also, I had my Canon camera with me this time, so I could take some better pictures than I had the last time. Lastly, it is a great part of the zoo where animals that are native to this part of the world are on display for us to see up close.

Once we crossed the bridge, here was this bear standing sentry and Dotti made his day by giving him a hug.

This is what a Thursday morning was made for. Who needs a bunch of traffic, and a demanding boss? Kick back and relax.



Just like the cat that might stop in your front yard for a little cleaning up, this cat was licking his paws clean.

Once again art imitates real life, as this salmon statue is placed on a waterfall, simulating the real thing heading upstream to spawn.



This bald eagle sat proudly for his portrait. A fence actually cuts across in front of the eagle, but the large aperture blurs the lines to such an extent to where they look like they are passing behind him.


Dotti snapped this just after we looked at the eagle. The concrete worked well for the background. In spite of having an old broken down model like me to work with, she does a good job with her camera.

And speaking of "old goats," well I guess this one isn't quite so old... In the barnyard section of the zoo the goat was relaxing and enjoying the cool morning air.

The Great Northwest area of the Zoo is broken up into 3 smaller areas called: Cougar Crossing; Eagle Canyon; and Black Bear Ridge. We had just visited all of those areas, as well as the Family Farm.

Dotti is trying to make up for all those years when I was taking her picture every time she turned around.



I liked this shot of the railroad warning sign. The dark forest background seems mysterious with the stark warning in the foreground.



I watched this jay fly down from this perch to the ground, and snap up the bit of candy you see in his bill, only to return to the same branch. He must have found the treat to his liking because he flew away with it shortly thereafter.



What a boar! This male "Island Pig of Asia" came over to investigate when I started taking pictures of the nearer females.



Just outside of the Primate area, this bee was going about his work, loading up on pollen.



Not feeling too enthusiastic just yet, this monkey was not going anywhere too fast.



I had to come back twice to get this shot. The first time I came to this cage the cat was up in overhead trying to worry something out from behind a log. He just wouldn't show his face. But when I came back he walked right towards me.



Contemplating his place in the universe? Or merely reminiscing over that last really great banana?



Of all the animals I saw that day, this wolf was the only one that looked at me in a way that made me feel very glad that he was restrained from approaching me. He was clearly a wild animal, and on the prowl.

The Vollum Aviary in the Africa section of the Zoo had a number of exotic birds on display, but this was the most colorful. Also his food dish was loaded up with such delightful food it was hard to resist I am sure.



The feathers are so bright that they nearly look metallic in the flash.



Still in the Vollum Aviary these three birds were having a chat over breakfast.


Ever since our Alaska Cruise I have been fond of nearly all things Alaskan. The Alaska Tundra exhibit was no exception.



The Speke's Gazelle likes to get up on his hind legs and forage in the lower branches of trees.



Moving in closer to look at the Speke's Gazelle. The legs are very thin, and I would guess that this animal is incredibly fast.



My lovely Dotti smiling, with her camera in hand, and ready to shoot another picture. Dotti can make any event fun, and when it is fun anyway, like the Oregon Zoo always is, she makes it even better!



The little Meerkats seemed to love to sit on this perch. As soon as one of them vacated the spot, another one would climb up there and sit.



Once again, Dotti was trying to shock test her camera, but it is solidly built and didn't break.


The bats were behind glass and it was dimly lit in their area. This made a natural lighting shot very difficult. So, I created a fairly large angle with the glass and used my flash through it. This minimized the glare and allowed us a look at the little guys.

Lorikeet Landing was our final stop for the day in the Oregon Zoo, but it was perhaps the most memorable of all. The little lorikeet parrots were amazingly friendly, and they would land right on you. This one is called a "Perfect Lorikeet." The green seems sort of subdued, but that bill has some bright color to it.



From the moment she set foot into the cage, the birds came to visit Dotti. She had the same effect on them as she does on me. Dotti just has a magnetic personality.



Dotti is a little unsure what to think about this overfriendly bird. What are his intentions?



The zoo brings out the little girl in Dotti and she has entirely too much fun there!



This picture has a bit of Dotti in it too, but just the very top part. The Rainbow Lorikeet had started to set up housekeeping. He picked and pulled at her hair, rearranging it to suit his needs. Dotti patiently waited while he settled in.



Another view of the Rainbow Lorikeet. It sure is well named!



Looking up at another of the colorful fellows. They sure are photogenic! He was a bit confused trying to figure out what to do now Dotti had left. (One of the birds made a bit of a mess she had to leave to clean it up. Fortunately the zoo supplied soap and towels to clean up with.)


Red is is definitely my favorite color, and so I am very fond of the black winged Lorikeet. There was only one of them in the cage that we saw and he was very shy. I had to take some time to get a shot of him even in profile. He wasn't even thinking about turning around and facing us.



Friday 9/21
Weight: 202.0
Points: 39.5


For dinner Dotti and I went to Taco Bell. However, unlike the last several times we have gone, I didn't order just something soft to eat. I got my "regular order" which included 2 tostados! The hard crunchy tortilla had stopped me, because I could never have bitten through it before, but now, no problem! I ate the tostados at what would have been a normal pace before I got my denture. That was a very big, big, change for me.



Friday night, Dotti needed to make a run into Wall-Mart and so I wandered down to the waterfall while I was waiting for her.

Even this Wall-Mart in Vancouver is part of the Pacific Northwest! Water falling over rocks and greenery all around make this a very scenic setting.

I almost always have my Olympus camera with me and so I tried a couple of things to see if I could catch this shot. It was dark out, and so there was not going to be any help from the sun. But the waterfall was lit artificially. So, I put on the self timer, after placing the camera onto a rock. I then set it for "no flash," and "available light." This was the result.

Another week is over, and a new week has begun. A new opportunity is here and I am going to try and make the most of it, and do better than I did last week. Wish me luck.





6 years, 134 days on my journey; a lifetime to follow.

-Al-
6 '3" 239.5/202.0/197.5±2.5/BMI:25.25/WK- 332

Starting weight: 239.5       Target Weight Range: 195 lbs to 200 lbs