And so it begins

At the prodding of a friend and co-worker, today began a bet. $20 says I can lose more weight than 5 other guys of roughly my size.

The friend who started this with me is getting married at the end of June. He's out of college and isn't looking as svelt as he once did. While he was lamenting his recently gained weight, we begain discussing the idea of losing a little weight. And, since we are men, that eventually became a contest...of course.

I like the idea, personally. Gives me a reason to stay interested in shedding some pounds during the winter...a time when I naturally want to eat warm, comfort food and spend time on the couch. Everyone pitched in (6 of us now) $20...guy who loses the most as a percentage of initial weight takes the pot. Not bad?!

For me this should be a real challenge...since I'm 50 pounds lighter today than I was at this time last year. Dropping additional weight is going to be tougher than those initial 50. But, I'm determined to do it. I'm too big on the bike, too slow, too heavy for the hills, too heavy to wrestle well against guys of my size, and too slow when I run. I can only benefit from shedding more pounds.

So, with this mornings initial weigh-in I was at 194 even. Final weigh-in is on June 16 (a Monday). We are planning to weigh-in as a group every Friday...so we can keep an eye on each other.

I'm actually really excited. It's time to get focused again. I'd like to be in the 165-170 range when June rolls around. That is in the 1.5 pounds per week range...very doable if I bust my butt. No more excuses for not running. No more excuses for not riding. No more excuses.