A FEW MORE THINGS
YOU MIGHT ENJOY
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WEEK 420
Week Ending June 3, 2009
Weight Watchers Goal
(the top of my normal weight range)
200.0 pounds
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Week 420 Update
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| Weigh-In Date: | 06/3/2009 |
| Weight: | 216.0 |
| Body Mass Index: | 27.00 |
| Average Daily Points: | 35.21 |
| Average Weight for week: | 215.50 |
| Miles Walked for week: | 1.84 |
| Miles Walked in 2009: | 78.11 |
| Pounds +/- for this week: | -0.5 |
| Pounds lost total: | 23.5 |
| Pounds From Personal Goal (185 lbs) | +31.0 |
Week's Data
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
05/27/09 |
05/28/09 |
05/29/09 |
05/30/09 |
05/31/09 |
06/01/09 |
06/02/09 |
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216.5 lbs
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216.0 lbs
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215.0 lbs
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214.5 lbs
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214.0 lbs
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215.0 lbs
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218.0 lbs
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27.0 pts
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33.5 pts
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32.5 pts
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45.0 pts
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45.0 pts
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31.5 pts
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32.0 pts
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CONTROL PANEL
GRAPH |
FUTURE
GRAPH |
60-DAY
GRAPH |
90-DAY
GRAPH |
1-YEAR
GRAPH |
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It was 6:50 AM when I stepped up on Mr. Scale and he said, "216.0 pounds!" I passed that point on my way to goal on July 14, 2001. Nearly 8 years later, here I am once more trying to pass it on my way to goal. Getting back to goal is, for some strange reason, much tougher than getting there in the first place. Psychology is a tricky business.
The solid squares on my Weight Commander Control Panel Graph once again shows a month's worth of weight data, and for this past month, the solid squares aren't showing any fast motion in any direction. Sadly, the only motion it has been showing is an upwards one.
I always at least try and see if there is an upside to what is going on, and for the past week, that would be in the fact that the solid squares are trending downward for the week. It is slow, but it is definitely downward. That is, without a doubt, a positive thing. One other positive thing, is that the hollow squares are below the solid squares for 5 out of the total 7 days. One of the hollow squares above the solid squares is just barely above it.
It is easier to spot the downside items. Every single weigh-in for the entire month shown is at least 10 pounds over my weight limit. All the weigh-ins for this week are at least 13 pounds over that limit, and the second hollow square that is above the solid squares is several pounds over.
Still, I am lower today, both in average and in my weekly weigh-in than I was last week. It isn't much, but it is something.
And one more very positive thing: I wrote everything down that I ate this week! If I am going to be successful, I will be writing what I eat down. It is like stepping into the batter's box in a baseball game, and either bringing a bat or not bringing a bat. Writing my food down is bringing a bat to the plate (no pun intended). I will get a hit, if I do everything right, but only if I have a bat in my hands.
My Weight Commander Future Graph can be viewed from a "the glass is half empty" perspective and one might notice that at the end of 90 days, it is projected that I will still be 14 pounds overweight, even though I will be losing. That is not a terribly happy thought.
However, viewing it from "the glass is half full" perspective a couple of points jump right up. First off, I am losing, and this always positive when I am overweight. The 2 pounds per 90 days rate of loss is slow, but even at that rate, goal will not be denied to me forever.
For an even more striking positive spin on this, look at
my future graph from last week and compare it with this week. Last week I was projected as weighing over 229 pounds in 90 days! This week it is 214 pounds. That is a 15-pound virtual loss in one week! Now that is what I call a positive way to look at it. 
My Weight Commander 60-Day Graph as bad as things might appear today, they were certainly worse 60 days ago. I was up over 220 and struggling badly. I got my head back into the game for a brief time, and then tripped up again. The rest is just a bunch noise on the graph, with ups and down more or less canceling each other out.
If I wanted to really reach for the positive I could say that in the past 60 days I have lost 5 pounds, and at that rate, in less than 6 months I will be under my upper limit of 200.
Now, if I wanted to reach for the negative, I would move my starting point ahead to the fourth of April and then I would be showing a gain today.
The moral of the story is that you can't rest on your laurels of the past, and you can't let the failures of the past dictate your future. What happens now, is in my hands right now. The past has nothing to do with it. All these numbers serve only one purpose: the document the results that I have gotten versus the actions that I took. When I have done the right things, the numbers show it. When I have not, the numbers show that also, and far too well.
It seems that my Weight Commander 90-Day Graph looks virtually identical with last week's. I need to string some good weeks back-to-back to really show some progress. I am striving to do that. We'll see how it goes.
Is the Weight Commander 1-Year Graph showing a V for victory? I hope so!
My eating this week was not all I would hope. I did write it down, but it came out where I ended up eating 246.5 points for the week, when my max limit is 217.0 points. That makes 30.5 too many points. If 70 points comes out to about a pound, then I ate a half-pound's worth of extra food. That is a half-pound that I didn't lose.It adds up to about 4¼ points per day that I overate.
My worst days were Saturday and Sunday. Saturday I had a 12.0-point dipped ice cream cone at Dairy Queen in the mall. Sunday I had a smoothie and 3 high fiber bars at lunch, along with the 6-points of my normal lunch. The spurges pushed me up to 45.0 points on each of the two days.
The only part about the Dairy Queen goof that really bothers me is that I didn't control my own journey. I joined in when I shouldn't have. It has been a long time since I had anything at all from DQ, and it has not been one of my traditional problem areas. The lesson to be learned is to just say no, when other people are doing something that doesn't fit into my program.
The fiber bars have become a real problem for me. I seem to be eating way too many of them, and those 2 points per bar add up pretty quickly. Every day but last Wednesday, I was over on my points this week. Those bars were the main culprit. I would eat a couple of the bars during the day and then find myself a couple of points over in the end. Lesson number two for the week: stop eating those bars.
So, let's see if I can learn my lesson for the week.
I got in one walk this week, and it was on Thursday. Dotti goes to the gym 3 times a week and this time I met her down there. I arrived a short time after she did, and while I was waiting for her, I took a walk "around the block" for 1.84 miles. (I had lined out a longer walk on Gmaps Pedometer, but I ran out of time, and since Dotti finished up and came out as I made my loop, so I cut it short.)
While Spokane has its share of pines and other greenery, it only gets 18.8 inches of rain per year, compared with Portland/Vancouver's 42.7 inches per year. So, it is a slightly drier climate than Dotti and I are accustomed to. Still, as I walked, I had plenty of green to look at alongside the sidewalk.
Off in the distance you can see the "Five Mile Prairie" plateau where our house is located, and the sky was blue as could be.
I spotted a bright yellow flower, lit up and begging to be photographed. Dotti loves flowers and especially yellow flowers, and I couldn't pass up this chance to capture one for my lovely wife.
It is always nice to see this store nearby. It is a great place to visit, and we do it often.
What a great billboard! It makes me want to run out and buy some Rainier Ice water. It must be that great picture of Mt. Rainier that does it.
 Can you guess why I took a picture of a dumpster? Yep, it's yellow, Dotti's favorite color.
I think the name of this place is speaking of the marker that they place over the grave of your Journey if you hang out here. I haven't been inside, but I am told it has a large assortment of calorie laden delights. I think I will move on…
Ah, much better! As it turned out, Dotti and I came back to this Subway after my walk, and had lunch. Even though it was very close by Cold Stone, none of those nasty calories snuck over and into our stomachs. 
After stopping for lunch Dotti and went over to a place called Wonderland Family Fun Center, where we have played indoor miniature golf several times in the past. We have enjoyed some of their electronic games as well. This time I decided to tackle the batting cage.
 As it turns out, the last time I was in a batting cage, it was here at Wonderland, 7 years ago, with my son Leroy, in July of 2002 (Journey week 60), and I was frankly in much better shape then. I was hitting in the 60 mph, and 70 mph cages, and actually hitting the ball. Here I am just a few weeks from my 58th birthday and feeling even older still. I think I know my limitations, and so I am going into the slower 50 mph cage to get warmed up before trying anything more speedy. I was over optimistic it turned out.
 I started putting in tokens, to get in 10 of them, like the sign said. All at once a ball came whizzing by me, before I got in the last couple of tokens. So, I got set to swing, and wham, the ball hit the backstop as I watched it go by.
Okay, I am ready this time. Here comes the ball. Swing! Clean miss. I felt like I was moving through molasses. That is really sad.
 Normally, I get better contact from the left side, and I needed some contact with that ball to build up my deflated confidence. Here comes the ball…get ready!
 Swing! This time you can see my bat out in front and the ball continuing on by me. (Nice shot Dotti!) I guess this isn't like riding a bicycle.
I went over to the 40 mph cage for a round and found that it was too slow. I was swinging way ahead of it at first, but I finally got dialed in and started hitting some of them. Then I moved back over to the 50 mph cage. I did better, and hit some, but nothing really solid. I am far more rusty than I ever expected to be. It was pitiful.
Dotti got in for a round of balls too! She had the same problem I did, and only foul tipped a couple, but she looked really good doing it!
We next moved inside and played a round of miniature golf, a game a little less physically demanding. We were even too tired to play our best there, but we at least made it through okay and had a lot of fun doing. In the middle of the course is this sawmill and it makes a good background for a picture.
It is nice and cool inside, I have my America the Beautiful shirt on, and am wearing a smile. It really was a very nice day for me!
And here is the good looking half of the team! I think she is having some fun too.
Well, I definitely have some action items for this upcoming week. I really need to take full control of my Journey once more. I must anchor to a solid plan and not be swayed by circumstances. I'll see what I can do.
8 years, 22 days on my journey; a lifetime to follow.
-Al-
6'3" 239.5/216.0/185.0±2.5/BMI:27.00/WK-420
Starting weight: 239.5
Target Weight Range: 185.0±2.5 pounds
BACK TO WEEK 419 On To WEEK 421
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