|
*** Weigh-in for WEEK 362 ***
04/19/2008
|
| Week Completed: | ___362___ |
| Weigh-In Weight: | 202.5 |
| Body Mass Index: | 25.31 |
| Average Weight for week: | 202.14 |
| Miles Walked for week: | 2.7 |
| Miles Walked in 2008: | 50.50 |
| Week’s Average Points/Day: | 37.00 |
| Pounds +/- for this week: | -0.5 |
| Pounds lost total: | 37 |
| Made GOAL: 9/22/2001 † | |
* Made 10% at 215.5 pounds on 7/14/01
† Goal is 200 pounds.
|
Week’s Data
|
Day |
Date |
Weight |
Points |
Water |
Miles
Walked |
| Saturday |
04/12/2008
|
203.0
|
32.5
|
8 cups (64 oz)
|
0.00
|
| Sunday |
04/13/2008
|
203.0
|
30.0
|
6 cups (48 oz)
|
0.00
|
| Monday |
04/14/2008
|
201.0
|
44.0
|
6 cups (48 oz)
|
2.20
|
| Tuesday |
04/15/2008
|
202.0
|
31.5
|
8 cups (64 oz)
|
0.00
|
| Wednesday |
04/16/2008
|
200.5
|
35.0
|
6 cups (48 oz)
|
0.00
|
| Thursday |
04/17/2008
|
203.0
|
46.0
|
8 cups (64 oz)
|
0.50
|
| Friday |
04/18/2008
|
203.0
|
40.0
|
6 cups (48 oz)
|
0.00
|
Week 362 Update
It was 5:34 AM when I stepped up on Mr. Scale, and he said, "202.5 pounds!"
Well, I can't be too upset with losing a half pound, but I really was hoping to turn things around enough to be in my target range this week. My average weight for the week dropped over a whole pound, from 203.43 to 202.14 and that is a good thing, showing that I am trending downward and not merely having a good number on weigh-in day.
My Weight Commander graph looks like a sine wave a bit but at least it is trending downward for now. 
And my future graph shows that if my current trend continues, I will be back at my goal target weight by July. So, I have a lot to be happy about. (I am not bumping up around 240, or wondering how I will ever get back down around 200. That really is something to be happy about!)
I was at or below my upper limit for points every day this week. I did that a month ago, but it was the only other full week in 2008 where I did. The previous all OP week was the week ending on January 5th, and that week began in 2007. The last time I had two weeks in a row that were completely below my limit of 46 points per day was all the way back in the first two weeks of November in 2007. Both Dotti and I were really doing well there for a couple of weeks, and I haven't been right on the beam ever since then.
Most of the weeks I was over only once or twice but some weeks I was over several times. My average number of points per day for this year is 41.99, and my average weight for the year so far is 201.20 for a BMI of 25.15, just over that magic 25 BMI that is at the top of my allowable weigh range.
I am reminded of the advice that Mr. Micawber gave to David Copperfield, when the young lad paid the unfortunate man in debtor's prison (the chronicle of this being found in Dickens' wonderful book by the same name as the lad bore)...
"...observe that if a man had twenty pounds a-year for his income, and spent nineteen pounds nineteen shillings and sixpence, he would be happy, but that if he spent twenty pounds one he would be miserable."
On the weight struggle, these days I always seem to be on the "twenty pounds and one" side of the ledger. I can take heart in the fact that is not 25 and one, so I will not sit down with some cheese with my whine. Instead I will look to doing better in the future, and keep at it until I succeed in that aim.
On Saturday, Dotti and I decided to take advantage of the sunny weather and we headed down by the northern bank of the Columbia River to shoot some pictures.
Dotti shot this one of a bush with me in the background, camera in hand and camera bag over my shoulder, and looking south over the mighty Columbia River.
 As you can see we were right across from Portland's PDX airport, and Dotti caught this Alaska Airlines plane suspended just above the runway and about to touch down. In between we had the river, a stretch of beach with some happy fun-seekers, and a parking lot behind them where they left their transportation while they enjoyed the water and sun.
 This guy was enjoying the water and great weather, and his boat was throwing up a tail behind him. It was a great day to be outside!
 And as you can see I was happy to be outside with my lovely wife, enjoying the scenery and sun.
 Dotti composed this shot with the water shooting up into the air and I love it! I would bet that those condos, right on the waterfront are pretty expensive accommodations.
 I included this shot mainly because of the sternwheeler in the foreground, because of the little cruise that Dotti and I took on a Sternwheeler in 2006. The one we were on was smaller than this one is but this looked like the big sister to the other one. It was sad seeing it being pushed along by the tugboat. It was going for repairs—perhaps at Swan Island, which is where Dotti and I met the very first time.
I also included this picture to show the Portland Airport and the tower. You can see the short term parking lot just past the main terminal building. If you look very closely, way off in the distance on the right side of the picture there is a very dim white cap sticking up. That is Mt. Jefferson, which lies to the south of Mt. Hood, but still in the Cascade Mountain Range. (On a clear day in Portland, and from the right vantage point, we can see 5 major volcanos, and a number of minor ones. This whole area is actually resting on old lava flows, some that originated all the way over at the Idaho border long ago.)
 This view shows the ship a bit more clearly and you can read the name is Queen of the West. You can also see, along with the tugboat, a speed boat, and a sailboat to the aft of the sternwheeler, and another speed boat off its port bow.
 Catching a breeze from the Columbia River Gorge this boat was leaning well into its turn. The channel cut through the mountains by this beautiful river is thousands of feet deep and over 100 miles in length, and it forms a very well used wind tunnel that pours out into the Portland/Vancouver area. Many a time brutally cold air whips out of the Gorge and dumps ice all over Troutedale and Gresham to the east of Portland and right at the Gorge's mouth. Other times the whole area gets blasted by the freeze. But nearly all year long wind blows through this channel, because east of the Cascades is nearly always a very different temperature than we have on the western end. In the summer it is hotter east of the Cascades and in winter it is colder. And cold air can pour down off the tops of the Cascade Mountains into the Gorge as well. Hood River in the gorge is famous for its wind surfing because it is a rare day indeed when there is no wind there.
 Here is another couple out enjoying the wonderful weather.
Dotti once again took my picture, and this time with Mt. Hood in the background.
 Another plane about to land. The airport is a little clearer in the background on this shot. Notice that the Cascade Mountains in the distance are still formidably tall, even though the main range is shorter than the the flashy volcanic peaks.
 I really liked the layout of this building. It is well done! And then it gets to be right on the river too. It looks like office space and I can't imagine trying to get any work done with the view they must be having from those windows on a clear day.
 In the background is the same building that was in the last picture, and in the foreground is a girl's bike, with her little helmet strung on the handlebars. The hill behind has some very high-priced real estate where the residents of mansions and other pricy dwellings enjoy a stupendous view, especially on a day like today.
I thought it was a nice touch having this compass put into the concrete. It reminds me of my Uncle Lloyd, who put a much smaller compass into his driveway in San Bernardino, California when I was a young lad. Mt. Hood is not quite due east from this point, but it is close. The Glenn Jackson bride is visible off in the distance, where I-205 crosses the Columbia River. We live east of that, and from our area, Mt. Hood is more to the south than it is here; actually it lies almost exactly to the southeast from our home.
 Dotti was shooting a passing ship as we look towards the Oregon side of the river. The seagull was flying our way and the sailboats were all heading east or west, following the course of the river.
The walking path is lined with nice lights like this one.
 Here you can see the light again, and a few of its cousins running along the path. Dotti is looking to the north and Mt. Hood is behind her. High up in the sky is the moon, just visible in the bright sky.
 I saw this geese flying overhead and thought that I would share them with you. We see this sight a lot around this area, and get to where we take it for granted sometimes, but they are fun to watch as they make their V formation and head wherever they are going.
 I don't really use them that often when I am out walking, but I always like to look at benches that are placed along the way. This would be a great place to sit and watch a sunrise or sunset from, with a great view over the river.
With all the jets landing across the river it was fun watching this little plane go by over the river and enjoying the sunny day like the rest of us.
 Using a telephoto zoom Mt. Hood looks a lot closer, as does the Glenn Jackson Bridge. The evidence of the violent history of the mountain is a little easier to see now as the ridges of basalt, created by eruptive flow, stand out like multiple backbones down its back. The mountain is beautiful with her hair down on her shoulders that way. I always like seeing Mt. Hood best when it is covered with snow.
 There goes another speed boat flying by and kicking up the water. It seemed like all the boat enthusiasts were having fun.
 Flowing water always creates interesting deposits. It is one of the things that helps geologist determine what happened long ago, when they find sand, gravel, trees and other things where no water is today, they know that water did flow through there at some point in time. Here the log got tangled up with the pier supports, and is sunning itself, with this end dry and water free.
 You can see the next step in goose evolution as the one behind used the older method of flapping its wings to motivate through the air. The one in front is using its superior mental powers to glide along even faster than the wings its friend is using. 
Another bird, but this time I caught him on the ground.
A modern lamp and building, and 238,000 miles away, the ancient light of the night, our moon.
 I walked up beside a statue of a dolphin to take this picture. He seems to be eyeing me suspiciously. I can't help but think of Flipper, a TV show I watched all the time as a child.
 Our walk along the river was coming to an end and we were out in the parking lot where our car was parked, and I took this picture of one of the thousands of indications that spring is here.
 We next headed over to downtown Vancouver. We don't get there very often and we thought it might be fun to walk around and see what was going on. We were a bit late for the Farmer's Market that was open that day right beside this park (Esther Short Park), but the sun was still shining and there was plenty for me to see. (Dotti had found and antique shop that was calling her name and so she went in there while I walked around to see the sights. I met up with her later.)
 The park had a gazebo and a clock tower, that made me think of Spokane's Riverfront Park and its clock tower. The grass always seems to jump up to meet you with its bright green on sunny days like this.
 Leaving the park and heading north, I came across this old church. Apparently it is abandoned as a religious structure, because it has a sign in front that mentions a community art center rather than announcements pertaining to a church service, and even that sign looks old and weathered. But this wall looked interesting to me and so I took this picture.
 Here I was looking up another face of this building as it lifted high into the air.
 Once again the same church viewed from a few steps away. The green of the branch in front of us seems cheerful and ready for the coming summer frivolities. What future the church has is unclear. From this angle it looks more like just a building rather than a place of worship. The point from which you choose to view things can make a big difference in how they appear, visually and philosophically.
 Moving only a short distance away, I found this Catholic church standing tall and proud on the corner of 12th and Washington. (It is always great to see our first president honored as he is in this area, with the state and other things named for him.)
This building is built in the tradition of the Roman cathedral with the building forming the shape of a cross. You can see three of the legs of the cross in this view of the church. On the other side is another protrusion just like the one you see here coming out of the side of the building, and forming the fourth leg of the cross.
 While I was stopping to take a picture of this carving, a lady rode by on her bike with a couple of kids following behind on their bikes, and she said, "Ribbit!" Frogs just bring that out in you don't they? 
 I though the parking garage had an interesting design and the clinging ivy added a very nice touch as well.
 My final outdoor shot for the day captured the bright red of these leaves. Like with the poinsettia, the leaves are red, and almost look like flower petals rather than leaves. Bright sun helped to make the color come out very strongly.
 Meanwhile, back at the antique shop, Dotti was still absorbed in finding treasures on the shelves. There was a small coffee counter, unmanned, by the front door and this mannequin, with coffee cup in hand, stood watch over the couches and chairs set up for those who might stop to have a sip of joe.
 Jingle bells, jingle bells...oh what fun it is to ride...
 They had this photo of a very odd looking chap just sitting there. I don't know why. So, I took a picture just so you would believe me when I told you about it.
 When my mom and dad met, he was delivering ice to the hospital where Mom worked in the kitchen as a teenager. So, naturally I thought of that when I come across this real "ice box" where you put in your ice and your food that you want to keep cold, and then close the door. Pretty cool (as long as you add ice  ).
 Now, in place of hangers, ladies can put their dresses and blouses on these shape holding forms to keep them in perfect, well, shape. (It's one I have always been fond of.  )
Three hundred and sixty-two weeks have gone past since I started my journey. It seems impossible really. It is almost a "year of sundays" and I have still only just begun.
6 years, 344 days on my journey; a lifetime to follow.
-Al-
6 '3" 239.5/202.5/197.5±2.5/BMI:25.31/WK- 362
Starting weight: 239.5
Target Weight Range: 195 lbs to 200 lbs
BACK TO WEEK THREE HUNDRED SIXTY-ONE On To WEEK THREE HUNDRED SIXTY-THREE
|
