First, congratulations to all of my fellow contestants for their accomplishments so far.  Lighten Up is a rare contest that everybody who "loses" really "wins", even if they don't actually finish first.

Second, let me re-affirm the information about me in today's paper.  Yes, Laura Kessel nailed it.  As a hobby, I am KCBS-certified BBQ Judge #32315 with credentials through the Kansas City Barbecue Society.

The KCBS is THE sanctioning body of most BBQ competitions held today worldwide.  To date, I have judged about ten competitions, exactly like the ones you see on the Food Network or BBQ Pitmasters on TLC.  I know a lot of members of teams and some day hope to compete myself.  Judging BBQ contests is a springboard many future competitors use to get to know what is expected in great BBQ.  Therefore, I "heart" ribs, brisket, pulled pork shoulder, and chicken and know what to look for in all of these categories.  I am admittedly the most unlikely candidate for a weight-loss competition.

Third, I'm certainly happy to be the first round leader and honored to be first to carry a target on my back.  This contest has NOT been easy.  My diet is strict by any standard.  What may surprise everyone is how many fruits and vegetables I eat.  Another surprise is that I rarely cheat in any way - no fried foods of any kind, no beer, no chips, no sweets, no desserts.  A typical day's diet:

7:30 am - A bowl of Total (easy way to get all the day's vitamins out of the way)

10:30 am - A banana

Noon - I keep a large tub of spinach at work and eat grilled chicken or fish with that for lunch throughout the week.  Salad dressing is Balsamic vinegar and EVOO that I mix up myself - nothing commercial from a bottle.  Along with the salad, I keep a bag of mixed raw veggies (cauliflower / broccoli / baby carrots / grape tomatoes) that I eat with a Greek yogurt-based dip.  If the meat on the salad is not filling enough, I will eat a few tablespoons of low-fat cottage cheese for extra protein.

3 pm - Greek yogurt or string cheese or an apple

5 to 7 pm - My daily workout.  This takes so much out of me that I am usually not very hungry afterward.  I "graze" when I get home and eat some random combination of leftovers, my lunchtime veggie mix, a handful of nuts, an apple - the amount depends on how I feel and what is on hand.

As you can see, no Weight Watchers, no Slim-Fast, no protein shakes, no rice cakes, no tofu.   Real food, lots of hard work and no fitness gimmicks.  My only supplement is glucosamine / chondroitin tablets taken daily to lubricate my weary old joints.

NEVER do I go to bed hungry.

Workouts are up to 9 miles on the treadmill (brisk walk at 4.4 mph) Mon/Tue/Thur/Fri

Boot camp for an hour on Saturday with an hour on the treadmill

Brisk 9 mile mall walk on Sunday mornings

Bowling night on Wednesday is my only rest (no beer, though)

CURRENT NUMBERS after 44 days - a week since today's posted numbers in the paper:

Weight 188 lbs - 24.6 lbs down from 1st weigh-in (11.5% of total body weight lost)

8 pounds away from "running" weight

BP down to 107/66

Rest pulse under 60

Body fat percentage down to 23.7% from 34.6%

Miles completed toward 1,000 mile goal: 256 (the distance from Cleveland to Cincinnati!)

Hours spent in the gym: 63.5

It's Sunday morning.  See you at the mall at 8:55 am.