Final Six Month Weight Loss Total - 48.5 lbs

Well, it's been exactly 6 months since I started my diet on November 2, 2017. My total weight loss came in at 48.5 lbs... just 1.5 lbs shy of 50 lbs.

Not bad, but now I start my new goal of 75 lbs down in one year. That's only 26.5 lbs more to go! I think it is obtainable since this is only 1/2 the weight to lose compared to the last six months goal.

By the way, I didn't suffer in my eating these past 6 months! I ate a lot of pulled pork, ribs, chicken and more! My neighbor asked me if I felt weak from all the weight loss. No! I'm actually more energetic now than I was when I was heavier!

The photos are of last night's pulled pork. Perhaps the BEST pulled pork I've ever done. It pulled like butter! Zero resistance in pulling and the bone came out fast and clean. I'm getting better at this smoking stuff!

Why I don't exercise....

Two reasons: 1. I am lazy. 2. I don't want to lose weight from exercising because I know that once I stop exercising, I will gain back the weight.

I know I will never exercise the way doctors tell you that you need to exercise. Because of this, if I lost weight due to exercise, it is bound to come back once I stop.

Instead, I prefer to exercise for cardio reasons and for toning. While I have lost 48.5 lbs in 6 months, I still have a ways to go to get to a "respectable" size. Once I get there, then I will exercise for toning.

Right now, the only exercise I get really is on the recumbent bike that I purchased a couple of months after I started my diet. I don't do it as much as I should, but it's better than nothing. I really need to work on toning soon though. Weight training would be good, but I fear the issues with my knees.

Really, the only exercise I enjoyed doing was TaeKwonDo! And THAT is what messed my knees up! I did TaeKwonDo from perhaps when I was 15 years old to my mid-30's. I could do that all day and not be bored of it. But most any other form of exercise, I just had no interest in it.

How I Lost 47 lbs In Six Months

A number of people have asked me how I was able to lose 47 lbs in 6 months. Here's what I did...

I downloaded an ap called, "MyFitnessPal" and I keep an eye on my total calorie count every day. I put in the ap everything I eat and it keeps track of my calories. I try to keep my calories to under 1700 calories per day, but I usually set the ap to 1500 calories per day. I do this because I know that if I put in the exact amount I want to do, I'll probably exceed it because I will want more. So if I use 1500 calories as my goal, I'll likely do 1700-1800 calories instead. A bit of trickery to myself.

I eat a lot of meat (which my wife continues to tell me is not good for me). I grill or smoke most everything and I do my own cooking. I do not cook for my family and they do not cook for me either. We decided the only way I would keep myself on the diet is if I did not eat anything they cooked.

I also eat flatbread and shredded cheese (I make pulled pork sandwiches or pulled chicken sandwiches). Each sandwich does not exceed 450 calories.

I eat bananas, apples and other fruit too, but not a lot. A eat very little vegetables, but I do eat it. At times I'll do salads with Lite Thousand Island dressing on it. Again, I just keep track that I do not exceed 1700 calories.

I limit my carbs by avoiding most breads, potatoes, rice (very hard to do for Asians!!)

I don't eat much processed foods at all. Nothing canned, frozen, pre-packaged... yeah, most everything in a grocery store! I cook my own stuff.

I do cheat a lot on my diet. I continue to keep going to Costco for a hot dog, a pizza slice with a Diet Pepsi, a chicken bake with a Diet Pepsi... this is likely why I don't drop as quickly now as I'd like. But when I go, I still try to keep the total calories under 1700 calories (it usually goes over though).

I have found that cheating on my diet is ok as long as I go right back to the diet the next day. Any weight gained by the cheat day usually is gone in several days. I am not gaining back weight to keep, which is nice!

I would not call my diet a "fad" diet by any means. I don't do the Keto diet or the Atkins diet, although many people think I'm on an Atkins diet due to the amount of meat I eat. I have done Atkins in the past, but because I do add things other than just meat, I would not call it an Atkins diet.

I think the key to my weight loss is cut out all junk food, most carbs and eat less calories than I burn up. I don't exercise much (I have a recumbent exercise bike, but don't use it to lose weight, only use it for some cardio and muscle movement). I think if I used exercise to diet, I'd gain a bunch of weight back when I stopped exercising (which I know I would do).

I try to find things to eat that I can eat "forever" going forward. If I ate only things that worked for "dieting" I know I'd gain weight back once I got off the diet.

So there you have it! Eat moderately, count your calories with an ap and cut out all processed foods if possible. Several of my students have taken my advice and are now dropping weight as well. It works if you can get yourself past the first two weeks. In the first two weeks, you'll find yourself craving everything. But get past that and it's relatively easy to do.

47 lbs Weight Loss in 6 Months

Well, I had hoped to lose 60 lbs in 6 months, but was only able to lose 47 lbs.  Not bad, but I didn't hit my goal.  I'll keep dieting and hope for 75 lbs in one year as my new goal.

Looking at this photo and comparing it to my photo from 3 years ago (when I had lost 44 lbs at that time, but gained it all back plus and extra 10 lbs), I have definitely aged!  :(

Camera Pillow

Came home from classes today to find this in my favorite chair! Pillow made by my wife and paid for by my daughter!

First Time Out For the 2018 Fishing Season!

Decided to go to Racine Harbor to fish today. No fish!

The water was murky and calm. No winds. I was the only one out there until finally 3 other people showed up and gave up before me!

Not a total loss though. Afterwards, I headed over to Costco near Kenosha and then to Bass Pro Shops! Took my scooter to all three places and scooted around.  

Fishing Rods Mounted in the Garage

After all these years, I've finally mounted my fishing rods in the garage.  Each rack holds 6 rods.  I have 3 racks so it holds 18 rods... but I have 19 rods.

My friend Gayle said, "You only have 19.. you need to buy 5 more rods and another rack😂"

Freddy Krueger's Glove?

Found this on the dashboard of a car parked next to mine while doing some errands.  Freddy Krueger's car?

Milwaukee Public Museum - April 8, 2018

We had a good time learning better techniques to get great shots while at the Milwaukee Public Museum today! Everyone said they thought the museum had a lot to offer. This is why I go back there every year with my students! Come join me on my other field trips! You'll learn a lot when we shoot together!!

Butterflies are always a highlight at the museum! 

Jimmy Neutron

My nephew drew this during dinner last night.  He didn't know who Jimmy Neutron was, but it looked like Jimmy Neutron to me with the hair drawn the way it did.

I like the bell bottom pants too and the guitar slung behind his back!  Good Job Ryan!

The image later transformed to what you see below...

161 Plastic Bugs

I purchased a bag of bugs for my nephew since he said he's into insects!  We got 11 more bugs than advertised.  Amazon has everything!

We also decided to play Tick-Tac-Toe with the bugs.  Ants vs Spiders!

I decided to Photoshop a few ants to an In-N-Out Burger:

Knitted Animals In The Trees - San Francisco, CA

For two blocks while walking on the sidewalk in San Francisco going to a local restaurant, I encountered knitted animals hidden in the trees!  Not sure who tied these to the trees, but it gave me something to look for while walking!

Also, I had to take photos of some cars that were parked in the driveway of some homes.  If their brakes were to go out, these cars are headed right through the garage doors!

While I did not measure the grade of the driveway, I did measure the grade of the incline of the sidewalk to be 10 degrees.  The cars are on a much greater grade.

Japan Town - San Francisco, CA

My sister's family and I went to Japan Town in San Francisco on Easter Day.  Lots of fun things to see at the mall there including lot of sushi and ramen places, but what got my eye was all the swords and knives at this one store that specialized in these weapons.

It seemed all of the swords there were decorative swords and not functional swords like mine.  But the knives were of course, real.

Fun place to visit if you are ever in San Francisco!

Royal Buffet Lunch with Balanced Exposure Students - Royal Buffet in Hoffman Estates, IL

I had lunch with four of the Balanced Exposure students today at Royal Buffet in Hoffman Estates, IL.  We had a great time!

The students that went have the opportunity to win a free class of their choice worth up to $79 by posting one of their best smartphone photos on the Balanced Exposure Students Group within Facebook.  The photo with the most "LIKES" from our student group will win!

With only four students entering this contest, they have a 25% chance in winning! Great odds!

The photos above are of the food I ate at the buffet.  Can you identify all the items on the two plates?   I also had a couple of items for desert (red bean ice cream, two small slivers of a pecan pie, a small coconut macaroon, a small cream puff and a small  raspberry cheese cake square.

Overall, I estimated my total calories to be a tad over 2000 calories (based on the MyFitnessPal estimates).

The students were all impressed with the size of the restaurant.  It used to be a former furniture store, so you can imagine the size!  Many Asians go to this restaurant, so you know it has to be good!

Images taken with my iPhone 6s+.

Shen Yun - March 23, 2018

My wife and I attended the Shen Yun performance at the Rosemont Theater in Rosemont, IL on March 23, 2018.  What a great show!  Our daughter purchased the tickets as a gift to us.  We had great seats about 9 rows back, but off to the right side.

This is classical Chinese dancing at its finest and original Chinese music as well from a live orchestra!  In addition, there were vocalists (a Baritone and a Soprano) who sang accompanied by a pianist and a very impressive woman who played the Chinese Erhu better than I had ever heard it before!  The two announcers also did a great job.

The only issue I found with the show is that they really push the Falun Gong movement in China.  It's almost a religious movement in China and many practitioners are persecuted in China for it.  Organ Havesting is also a reality too in China and many Falun Gong practitioners are the victims of it.  While I do not condone this behavior in China, neither do I follow Falun Gong.  The show almost seems to be a way for the producers to push this idea on the viewers because many of the dances are based on the topic of Falun Gong persecution.  To read more about what Falun Gong is, check out this Wikipedia article.

Still, I highly recommend this show for anyone who can appreciate dance.  Go see it!

Weber Limited Edition Original Kettle Premium Red Kettle - 22"

It all started with the Weber Spirit E-310. Added the 18.5" Weber Smokey Mountain smoker (WSM) and then the 22.5" WSM, and then the 14.5" WSM. Now I have a Limited Edition 22" Premium Original (Red) Kettle!  I also have a 65,000 BTW wok burner... not shown. The grill family is growing!