September 25: 205.6, down two pounds since yesterday and 5.8 pounds for the week. On track for October 19.

September 25: 205.6, down two pounds since yesterday and 5.8 pounds for the week. On track for October 19.

Last week's Sunday measurement was inflated due to cheese, so three pounds of that 5.8 pounds is cheese weight.

Today marks 3 months since I started the first bet. I lost a half dozen followers that day. I miss many of those voices. I like the voices of smart people with different viewpoints. The ratio in my feed of straight white guys who exercise went up dramatically when I started publicizing this.

In the last 3 months, I've dropped 21.8 pounds -- more than 7 pounds a month. I've got another 5.6 to go in over a month.

I've run faster and more often, eaten consciously, and I've gotten really annoyed when told that each delta is water weight. I've obsessed about my weight, and become a worse conversationalist.

I've also eaten pounds of cheese, drank a lot of beer, and eaten candy. These things have been budgeted, with my access based upon my morning weight. That is, if I wake up off track then I eat less.

I won the first bet in six weeks. After the check was destroyed, I sent the same amount of money to my favorite charity. I figured if it was money I was willing to lose, then I might as well use winning the bet for a good cause.

I make no such commitment for the future; it is important to winning the bet that I am free after completing. Let's just say I think it is likely.

This is one of the most useful life hacks I've ever engaged in. With any luck, my habits have changed over the last three months such that I will continue to be in better shape after the bet ends. If not, I may do it again next summer.

As near as I can tell, the negative externalities of this bet have been nil. That is, no one has been hurt. No money has wound up in bad hands (yet).

To misquote Lin-Manuel: Incentives, they get the job done.