The $10,000 Race Is On - Lulu and Harry

This summer we waddled to see the play Hamilton in London.
This picture was taken of us in The Tube on the way home. 

Lulu and I spent 70 days in Europe this summer. She was there for work - I was there to loaf. As we get older - it has been harder and harder to stop gaining weight. One of the biggest problems with carrying extra weight - especially when you are older - is that it is bad for your health. We each have gained 30 pounds in the last 3 years.

I can't believe that when I retired 15 years ago I weighed 227 pounds - but then it was mostly muscle - now it has turned to flab. My 34 inch waist of 3 years ago - has just reached 40 inches! I can no longer cheat with 36 inch elastic stretch pants. I have to buy "big boy" pants. Carrying an extra 30 pounds is like lugging around two bowling balls all day.

I made a wager with Lulu. We had to have some sort of incentive. Very simply - whoever loses 30 pounds first - get $10,000 to spend on whatever they want - no veto from the other - no bad comments.

On September 1st - I weighed 223 pounds. Lulu does not want me to say what she weighed. But we both accepted the challenge. We have a calendar and every day we write down our weight.

So far the Pillsbury Dough Boy is winning 5 pounds to 2 pounds. This is after 16 days. I am 218.

Simply - no more eating out unless we are traveling. Lulu makes 3 square meals a day and that is all we eat. No sugar sodas. Very little bread.

We have a program called "Tap and Track" on our iPhones. When you eat something you enter it. It counts calories. In order to lose two pounds a week - I am confined to 2200 calories a day. Lulu only gets 1200 calories a day. We also walk 2 miles a day at the mall. They gives us an extra 300 calories.

It seems unfair that I get so many more calories to eat. I did not make the rules. If we follow that diet we are supposed to lose 2 pounds a week.

There is no clock running. It is simple. If either of us weighs 30 pounds less - the contest is over. For me that is 193 pounds. For me - 193 pounds is about a 34 inch waist - and a "L" shirt instead of "XXL."

I will update it here - win or lose.