Well, I'm serious again about dropping maybe 15 pounds, so I suppose I should get on the board here for some additional accountability. To recap, I put in a "walking office" at home last year--tall desk wrapped around a treadmill--so I could burn calories while doing busy work. I'm a full-time web designer, and I found that anything I can do sitting down, I can do walking at 1 MPH. I did this consistently for several months, and supposedly burned 600 to 1000 calories a day, but I lost virtually no weight. I thought that level of activity might produce results even without significant dietary changes, since I eat Lean Cuisines all week as it is. But I also eat out anywhere from 2 to 4 times a week, which is hard to give up when you're dating (and trying to avoid more Lean Cuisines). Discouraged, I started walking less and less...then a funny thing happened.

Two weeks ago I spontaneously decided to audition for a local production of "South Pacific," and damned if I didn't get the lead. (Never mind that I haven't sung a solo on stage since high school, or that I nearly blacked out during my tryout.) So six weeks from now I will be decked out in mustache and scarf, singing "Some Enchanted Evening" with my arms wrapped around this tiny college girl who is younger than two of my kids. THIS has gained my ATTENTION. Thinking it would be nice if I could find my ascot with two hands, I have begun my regimen in earnest and have dropped five pounds so far, from 188 to 183. I'm telling the costumer to ballpark me at 170 for opening night. Between discipline at meal time and a revived workout routine, I don't expect this to be a problem. Somehow, my upcoming presentation as a studly Frenchman before hundreds of my friends and neighbors has created a measure of focus for me!