Day 5, Phase 1:So the deal with the scale is...

Jane and I have never owned a scale. Together, anyway. We've neither needed nor wanted one. But it became clear to me that this diet -- er, meal plan -- was going to require hardware. So I walked into the giant home goods retailer down the street from my office and bought the cheapest one I could find.

The plan is that every morning I step on our new scale and Jane makes note of my weight. I am forbidden to look. In theory, this is to prevent me from getting discouraged or becoming obsessed. I have coped with this by setting up a nifty Excel spreadsheet, complete with a very colorful line graph, which Jane will reveal to me at the end of Phase 1.

But because I needed some kind of baseline, I did note my weight when I first brought the scale home last Tuesday night. It was 166.

Now, I'm just shy of 5'2". According to the Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator, I fall into the obese category. This frightens me. Jane will say that the BMI means nothing, as there are so many other factors in determining one's healthy weight. According to the BMI, one can say that an exceptionally fit man would be considered overweight, and I'm inclined to agree with her. But let's face it, I am not an exceptionally fit man. I'm not even a marginally fit woman. I am an inveterate couch potato. I get little to no daily exercise. To be honest, while I enjoy the concept of exercise, I loathe any implication that I should do it myself. God bless all those active people and their Lycra, but that lifestyle is just not for me. I mean, I've had the same pair of sneakers for over five years and they have yet to show a trace of wear apart from your average dirt -- that's how rarely I've used them.

However, in an effort to change this, I asked for a pedometer for Christmas and got one. But I've only used it once thus far (note to self: don't go out for a brisk walk on a raw, drizzly night when recovering from a chest cold, for it will just give one the excuse not to walk until one "feels better" ... uh, *cough*).

Still, I have great plans for this gadget when the weather improves. There's a track down the street from our house and I fully intend to utilise it. I also look forward to the spring when I'll make my long-held fantasy a reality by buying a cheap commuter bike and riding it to work. And I'll feel the pounds just melt away...

But, knowing me, it probably won't be long before the bike is in the garage gathering dust.

Anyway, I think I've lost about 5 pounds already this week, and I suspect I'll lose five more before Phase 1 is done. I haven't noticed any outward changes in my body yet, though I do feel more "clear" internally. I'm not sure I can describe it any other way but that. Now that I've gotten past the worst, I just feel an unprecedented calm throughout my body.

And I like it.