Added incentive

So I've told you about the Weight Watchers and as of last week it was -18.2. Slow and steady. Really, really slow, but beats gaining 18.2.

I wear the same thing to every weigh in. Every one. People at the meeting probably think that's all I own. I don't care. I'll have to change soon as I can now take off the shorts without unbuttoning or unzipping them. But I'll wear them until I have to hold them up.

Today I joined a team of 5 women in a Long Beach weight loss challenge. Apparently someone, somewhere, said that people in Long Beach are fat. Long Beach, California. No offense to my friends who live there or who started life there, but have those same people who called Long Beach fat ever been to Wisconsin? Iowa? Mississippi? Really. I have. I'm telling you, Long Beach is not full of fat people.

Anyway, this challenge is to get Long Beachians/Long Beachers/Long Beachniks to slim down. So we pay $5 a week for the weigh in, we pay an additional $5 if we miss a weigh in AND we pay $2 for every pound or fraction of a pound we gain. The team with the greatest percentage of weight loss wins somewhere around $20,000. SCORE.

You can follow the challenge at www.justinrudd.com and it's called "Long Beach Losers". Our team name is "Winners at Losing". Okay, so I had to come up with a team name on the spot and it's not the most creative, but it will describe us.

Just in case you're wondering, I have no intention of PAYING to gain weight. The additional weekly weigh in also means I can't do the Saturday splurge and still recover for the WW weigh in on Friday or Saturday. No more margarita with guacamole and chips for Friday night dinner after weigh-in. No, now I have to answer for Wednesday, too.

Today I ponyed up my $65 to pay for the whole 13 weeks (commitment!) and stepped on the scale. BUT, I didn't wear my WW weigh in outfit (that weighs 1.8 pounds). Nooooo, I had on a heavy linen blouse and work trousers. Sneaky, eh? NEXT week I'll wear something lighter and then the NEXT week, something lighter still.

Until I have to hold up my clothes.