Lost: 17 pounds since last Monday. If you find them, keep them.

Yes, I have started, not a diet, a lifestyle change. That's between 20 and 25% of how much I want weight I want to lose. In addition to the weight, the inches are coming off too. My waist is 3" slimmer and my belly is too. Overall, I've shrunk by 15 1/2 inches. That's in various places of my body - chest, waiste, hips. I don't feel like my clothes are loose-fitting yet. I'm just extremely encouraged by the results in the first 10 days.

The "lifestyle change" the wife and I are working on involves speeding up our metabolism. The idea is that we'll burn off the excess fat and keep it off. Yeah, it involves a very strict diet, but only for the first 10 days. After that, it's just watch what you eat. You know, don't gorge. Don't go heavy on the butter. More fruits and veggies. But, thank goodness, meat of all kinds is still on the menu.

The weight and fat loss won't be as dramatic from here on out, but hell 17lbs. in 10 days is a helluva start. Hopefully, I will continue have the drive and will to shed the 50 or so pounds I hope to lose. The hardest part, I think, will be making it through the weekend. Eating habits and schedules change then. It's very hard to go to a catered cast party and only eat off the veggie tray when you used to congregate over the cocktail weenies. Once I think there's a noticeable change, I might post some before and after pictures. Depends on my self-esteem and the internet anonimity factor.