A Game is Afoot

Most people, even my good friends, don't really know this, but since the day I quit swimming competitively in January 2004 I have been locked in a constant struggle to maintain some semblance of a regular body weight. I'm not exactly fat, but I'm 5'7" on a good day and tip the scales at 180 pounds, which by all accounts is a bit too much. The real issue is not whether or not I actually need to lose weight, but the simple fact that I FEEL like I do. I think about my weight almost daily, and am constantly worrying about eating too much. This really is reason enough for me to lose weight, the hope that once I do I won't spend so much time and stress thinking about it. I dated a girl in college who turned out to be a psychopath with an eating disorder, and I think the genesis of this whole thing can be attributed to that relationship (although in fairness age 19 is right around when I'd have likely become aware that eating everything I wanted whenever I wanted wasn't a viable long term strategy). Anyway, without further adieu....

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/17/small-stakes-limit/weight-lossaments-prop-bet-nc-789403/

The short version is that I've entered a weight loss prop bet with a guy on 2p2. It's open to others (I encourage you to read the thread and consider joining), and the basic premise is that you put money down up front and get it all back if you suceed. Anyone who fails loses a portion of their buy in, and these losses are divided among the other participants. It's actually a little more complicated than that, just read the thread if you're curious. The specifica are that I've put up $500 and have 90 days to lose 18 pounds. It's not as heavy as it sounds because of the payout structure (if I make it halfway I get $250 back and get a share of the prize pool), but I think enough money is at risk for me to take the whole thing extremely seriously. My adversary has hit the ground running so to speak, and I'm looking forward to the challenge this whole thing presents.