Where Do We Go From Here

If you are a Progressive and you don’t like the outcome of this election, then join me and do something about it. We need to overhaul the Democratic Party so that more American’s feel that it is addressing their concerns. We need less divisiveness and less knee-jerk reactionary responses to every thought we don’t like. What we need to do is to be engaged and organize. I don’t mean taking to the streets with anger and destruction. Coming together is great, but it should be done peacefully and with respect for differing views.  Anger is ok, but anger should be directed into productive action or it will work against us. It is misdirected anger and frustration that got Trump elected. That and apathy.

This was the most divisive election in my lifetime, yet more than 45% of eligible voters didn’t bother to cast a ballot. In past presidential elections, you could argue that there wasn’t much difference between either of the candidates. While I don’t agree, if you truly believed that was the case, then perhaps you could rationalize not voting. But this election was different.

This election was different. The two Parties provided clearly different choices but were alike in one respect. They both selected polarizing, un-liked and unlikable candidates. The vast majority of American’s didn’t want either candidate. But, a lot of American’s wanted to move in a different direction and the Democrats didn’t persuade them that they had the answers to their concerns. And I know that Clinton won the popular vote. However, I think many of the folks who voted for her were holding their nose in the same way that many Trump voters did.

Whether or not you like the Electoral College, it has been a feature of our system since the beginning. The system was not rigged (as asserted by our President elect), it operated as designed. Both Parties knew what was required to win the election. Whether the Electoral College system is the best we can do is a question for another day. The point is, every vote was counted in accordance with the rules, Democrats just failed to mobilize the votes where they needed them the most. Senator Elizabeth Warren said “There are many millions of people who did not vote for Donald Trump because of the bigotry and hate that fueled his campaign rallies, they voted for him despite the hate. They voted for him out of frustration and anger and also out of hope that he would bring change.”

Our system still works, but the Democratic Party is out of touch and we must address the overall lack of voter participation. We need to engage in dialog (which means both listening and talking) and we need to do a better job of persuasion. We still have free speech, a free press and the right to assembly. Our system of checks and balances still exits.  Our representatives still respond to popular pressure, especially if they think you are motivated to vote.  The key is organizing and persuading others to join with you. That is seldom possible when you start by name calling and not truly hearing what others are saying. Free speech isn’t pretty and people have some pretty terrible notions (including me I suppose). However, the point of free speech is that it allows differing voices to be heard. Sometimes what you hear will be appalling and you will be shocked and dismayed. Sometimes you might learn something that matters. Sometimes you might even be persuaded to change your mind.

The point is, according to the exit polls, many people who voted for Trump didn’t agree with much of what he was saying and didn’t care that he didn’t have concrete plans. They felt that he heard their frustration and was more likely to do something “different” than the status quo. Now to me, that is a scary thought, and I voted accordingly. However, I wonder how many Trump supporters could have been peeled off if any attempt was made to listen to them? What would have happened if the Democrats had ran a candidate that droves hadn’t despised for decades? Was the hatred of Hillary Clinton rationale? Perhaps not, but it was real, and it got in the way of persuading the non-ideologically fixed voters (you know, the undecided) from considering the Democratic platform.

Remember, there was very little substance in Trumps agenda and he has a history of wildly changing his views on both sides of every issue. The real substance is in Paul Ryan’s plans. And, like it or not, the Speaker’s platform is widely popular with the majority of Americans who turned out to vote. In this election, more votes were cast for Republican Congressman than for Democratic congressmen, and that has been true since 2010.  I think that is root of the frustration that brought Trump into office.

For the past six years, the majority of American’s felt like they weren’t being heard. The Democrats didn’t organize and perused those voters that they had an alternative that addressed their concerns. I think much of Ryan’s plan will be terrible for our country, and many of the Republican supporters will soon have buyer’s remorse with both their choice for President and Congress. But that buyer’s remorse will not matter in next Congressional races or in the next Presidential contest if the “loyal opposition” doesn’t listen, learn, organize and persuade.

Mr. Trump said many things during the campaign that concern me, but I believe a lot of that was ill considered ephemeral thoughts that will fall away in the face of the practical obstacles of governing. His authoritarian leanings scare me, but I have faith that our institutions will not bend and break under such pressures. The government is complex and the real challenges our country faces cannot be solved with posturing, gesturing, and braggadocio. I did not vote for Donald Trump, but I am an American, and he is going to be the American President.  It was wrong when Republican’s tried to invalidate President Obama’s legitimacy, and it is wrong now. But, every action has a reaction, and radical Republican policies will quickly erode any support the President and the Republicans have due to the very consequences those programs will beget.  I hope and trust in the little ‘c’ conservatism of our county. Radical change is hard, the minority has a role in the process of government, and there certainly isn’t a consensus for much on the right. Change will need to make it through those wickets.

Now I truly hope the Mr. Trump and the Republican Congress succeed in Making America Great. I personally thought it was great already, but more greatness can’t be bad. I am a patriot and I believe in the American system and the promise of the American Dream. I will give this new administration a chance to win me over. I will evaluate each policy on its merit and will support those that make sense and I will oppose every action that strikes me as wrong. I plan on staying engaged and energized.

The Democrats have 24 months to find candidates who can resonate with the people to unseat the Republicans in Congress. They have 4 years to get their stuff together to take back the White House.  We must band together to chart a more compelling alternative vision.

I believe in a Progressive vision for America. I believe all Americans should be treated equally before law and in all public endeavors no matter their race, ethical origin, sexual orientation, religion or creed. I believe in an America that has freedom of speech and freedom of religion. I believe the Second Amendment provides for the right to bear arms but I also believe it also provides room for sensible gun regulations. I believe in an America that is strong enough to maintain stability in the world but that does not commit our Armed Forces to unending, ill-defined conflicts. I believe that all Americans should be able to work and feel they are progressing to a better future. I believe we must encourage entrepreneurship, encourage small businesses and capital investment. I believe in 
capitalism and market driven resource allocation that is constrained by sensible regulation that dampens capitalism excesses. I believe in taxes because we must collectively pay for the common defense and to advance the common good. However, I believe the government must spend our tax dollars wisely. Every program and every department must be under pressure to perform and deliver in the most efficient means possible. And some governmental roles cannot be outsourced. I believe that the profit motive has no place in our criminal justice system. I believe we can do more to make our Justice system fair for all, and I believe we can be more sensible in the application of criminal punishment. I believe in universal access to healthcare whose delivery and availability isn’t governed by a profit motivated health insurance industry. However, I also I believe that, with the exception of the defense of personal rights, incremental progress is better than radical change and that all change must be tempered by the consideration of, and compromise with those with whom we disagree.

Moreover, I believe most Americans share some of my vision, and I believe we can engage in a dialog to bridge the gap where we differ. I believe the Democratic Party, as the Progressive movement standard bearer, can build a movement that manifests this vision and that takes back the levers of power if all like-minded individuals stay engaged and focused on that end.

Seven Month Update on my Quest for Better Health

Today is the seven month anniversary of the date I began my quest for better health. This morning, I weighed in at 195.5 pounds. That's a loss of about 77 pounds. My weight has been hovering between 200 and 195 pounds for about two weeks now. Prior to Thanksgiving, I had been experiencing a steady decline of about two 2 pounds per week. However, since then, my weight has fluctuated up and down by as much as 5 pounds in a week. This has been mostly due to the Holiday parties and the Super Bowl party. Fortunately, the overall trend has about a 1.25 pound loss per week since Thanksgiving. My progress is shown in the graph.

Mike Summers Weight Loss as of 2/17/2015

As predicted by my doctors, I am in much better health since I have lost weight. My cholesterol, triglycerides, and A1C readings have been within the healthy range for the last three visits to my endocrinologist. I am completely off any medication for diabetes. My blood sugar has been normal. (I am not even showing signs of pre-diabetes). Additionally, I have been able to cut my cholesterol medication to the lowest possible dosage.

I have found that, for the most part, I am having very little problem maintaining my low calorie diet. I am still averaging about 1,500 calories per day   The one exception, as I have indicated has been the holiday parties. I have found that at parties, the consumption of alcohol tends to lower my self-control, and I find myself eating way more than I had planned. Eating 4,000 is madness. However, I have also found that I can recover from these lapses in a day or two just by reverting back to the healthy diet. This is an area I am going to need to monitor more closely moving forward.

Once surprising result has been that I appear to have lost some muscle mass in addition to the fat loss. This is based on the fact that since I have started going back to the gym on a regular basis, I have noticed that I cannot lift the same amount of weight I could lift in August. Now, this could just be normal muscle atrophy from lack of use as I have only been doing cardio exercises regularly in the past six months. However, most books I have consulted suggest that the body will burn muscle first before it burns fat (over the short term) so losing a small amount of muscle mass is not completely unexpected. No matter what the cause, I have decided to address the issue by adding regular strength training exercises to my weekly fitness regime. Again, as with the weight loss, my strategy is to keep meticulous logs of my workout to determine my progress over time. My experience in most things has been you are mostly likely to see progress on those things you choose to measure and track. I also believe it is much harder to backslide if you know you are being watched, so I will keep you updated on this new goal in this blog going forward.

So, I am seven months in and I need to loss 22.5 more pounds to get to my goal. I expect the weight loss from here on in will be slower than at first, despite my planned increase in exercise activity. This is because with less body mass, I am burning fewer calories per day than I was when I weighed 180 pounds. No matter how slow, progress is progress. I am hopeful that I will continue to make slow progress through next few months.

Halfway to my goal; Making excellent progress but still fearing failure

First I will trumpet the good news. I have lost 52 pounds since I started this quest.  My blood sugar readings are excellent, and my daily intake of insulin and my daily dose of cholesterol medication been cut in half. I am now wearing the same size clothes I wore when I retired from the Air Force ten years ago (although to be fair, I was 20 pounds overweight by Air Force standards when I retired). All of this is extremely good news.  I am just about halfway to my goal of 173 pounds, and I am seeing the positive health impacts as well as a positive rise in my own self-image.

The key to my success has been religiously recording every calorie I consume and limiting my daily intake to between 1400 and 1700 calories. To keep under that calorie limit, I have radically overhauled my diet.  My new diet has no potato chips, no French fries, very few potatoes, and very little white rice. When I do eat high calorie food, I eat small portions. For example, I order the smallest burger at a restaurant, and if it is portion is still too large (based on my calorie goal for the day), I will take a portion home and use it for lunch or dinner the next day.   To keep me on track, I have found the space in my calorie budget for the occasional treat like a small scoop of ice cream, a piece of pizza, and a beer or two at the ball park. Additionally, I have learned to recognize that I am not going to go into a diabetic coma if I don’t immediately much on something the first time I feel the slightest hunger pang.(This is a true, but very unrealistic fear I once had).  To keep me on the straight and narrow, I also make sure I have plenty of fruit and other healthy snacks such as nuts, raw vegetables, and canned sardines to stave off any linger hunger pangs between meals. (Yes, sardines are a common light lunch for me on this diet). I limit my breakfast to 300 calories or less. My goal with breakfast is too eat enough to take away any immediate hunger pangs, but to force my body to begin the fat burning as early each day as possible. (Of course, that may be unscientific, but it does show how my thinking works).

Overall, I have nothing but positives to report. However, I still fear that I will eventually slip back into my old ways. While I have managed to retool my eating habits over the past 90 days, I have to be realistic and recognize that those 90 days stand counter to the 52 years of contrary habits that went before. In 2007 I weighed 220 pounds for about a week.  However, I eventually let the bad habits slip back in, and my weight rebounded to something close to 280 pounds.  Therefore, I am keenly aware of the real danger that is could all be an ephemeral accomplishment.  I have no way of knowing what the future will bring. However, I am convinced part of my long term success is dependent on me harnessing these fears and using them to reinvigorate my resolve if and when I backslide into old habits.

Wish me luck, I will keep you posted.

A 30-day Update on My Quest for Better Health

It has been 30 days since I decided to see if I could lose weight through a concerted effort using diet and exercise. So far, the results have been all positive. I have lost a little over 20 pounds in the four weeks, and I have been losing the weight at a constant 5 pounds a week.  I would attribute almost all of this to decreased meal portion sizes and a religious devotion to recording everything that passes across my lips. 

I am obsessed with measuring everything to get as accurate of an estimate of my calories intake as possible.  I weigh all of the food that I prepare, and I take the time to enter the nutrient information from food packaging into my on-line dieting journal.

As I said, smaller portion sizes seem to be the big difference for me.   Observing that I can be satisfied with a few ounces of meat with a meal has been a real revelation. Before, I would easily consume four times more meat with a meal. I do not miss the larger portions.  I had been worried that, with smaller portion sizes, I would not feel fully satisfied.  That has not been the case.  However, I do tend to eat large portions of steamed vegetables with most meals, so there has been little opportunity to leave the table with an empty stomach.  

I had begun with a goal of eating no more than 2,000 calories a day, but I have found that I can get by on an average of 1,500 calories without feeling ravenously hungry.  I have noted that, if I do occasionally feel a mild hunger pang, it will often go away without me quenching it with food.  Also, I make sure that, if I do have a snack, it is something with a good nutrient content such as fruit or raw vegetables.  In fact, the hardest part of keeping to the diet is making sure I have plenty of healthy food options on hand.  I find I need to make a fruit and vegetable run to the grocery store almost every other day.

Another significant change is that I do not eat out as much as I had been.  Laura and I often dined out as many as five nights a week, both because we didn't feel like cooking or as a form of entertainment.  However, I have found that the fact that I can’t accurately gauge my caloric intake has inhibited me from dining out as frequently. Instead, I have gone back to cooking more often (which I love anyhow) so that I have maximum control of my diet.  We have eaten out once or twice since I in the past 30 days, but we have been careful to consider what we are likely to order and the caloric content before we settle on a restaurant.  If I am on the road for work, I will grab a hamburger (the smallest size) and an unsweetened ice tea for lunch. I do not order fries, not because of the calories per se, but because I have found that French fries are a source of sugar spikes which isn't good for a diabetic. 

Of course, I do not live a life of Spartan deprivation. For the past two Sundays I have attended Orioles games, so I made a point to allow space in my daily calorie budget for a beer and Italian sausage.  That way, I don’t feel deprived, while at the same time I do feel satisfaction with my healthy choices and self-control. Mostly, I have had fruit for desert or an evening snack, but last night, I had an ice cream sandwich after dinner.  No matter what eat, I make sure I monitor my overall calories, and keep an eye on the mix of nutrients throughout the week.  

One surprise is that I really have not been hitting the gym as I had planned.  The only change in my exercise regime is that I have tried to find a way to put a little extra walking on my weekly agenda. For example, when I went to the ballpark, I made a point of parking a significant distance from the stadium so I could walk to and from the stadium. Last Sunday, I parked more than 1.5 miles from the stadium on the other side of the inner harbor.  I also have made a point to take our dog on longer walks in the evening a few nights a week.

Overall, things are looking good as I am well on my way to my goal of losing 100 pounds.  One resource I have found to be quite helpful is the book: Dr Arthur Apolinario’s The Absolute Last Weight Loss, Diet, and Exercise Book You Will Ever Need to Read.  So far, the advice presented in that book has been spot on.   I also would like to thank all those who have been encouraging me on Facebook and as a result of this blog. That has helped me keep my focus and motivation.  Keep watching my blog for future updates.