Watson's Waistline

It has been over a week since I began my quest to rid myself of about 40 unwanted pounds. So far it has gone extremely well. Within 10 days, I have already lost close to eight pounds. I've also gotten some great suggestions and support from readers, and it truly does help. Thank you, and please keep them coming.

Though I've only just started, one thing has been made abundantly clear on this journey: old men like to be naked at the gym…a lot.

I decided to buy a locker at the Morris Recreation Center so I wouldn't have to lug my workout clothes and towel to and from the gym every time I wanted to work out. I figured if I knew all I had to do was walk over, I'd be more willing to make the effort.

Little did I know that apparently it is required that one naked old man (and sometimes more) must be in the locker room at all times, walking around like it's the most natural thing in the world.

There must be some switch that gets thrown in your brain when you get over the age of 50 that makes you decide, "You know what, I just don't care who sees my nether bits anymore." Or maybe there's a genetic trigger that makes them allergic to towels. All I know is every time I go work out I'm being forced to play a game called, "Where Can't I Look While I'm Changing Shirts?"

In addition to adding regular exercise to my schedule, I've completely re-vamped my eating habits. I did a little research and decided to try the South Beach diet, which is basically a low-carb program that differs from the Atkins diet in that it's named after Miami instead of an old dead doctor.

As a result, I've gotten very familiar with every kind of salad available on the menu of every restaurant in Commerce, and I've found one at each that I don't mind eating. Go ahead, quiz me. McDonald's? Bacon Ranch. Taco Bell? Chipotle Steak Taco Salad (I don't eat the shell). Subway? Convert any sandwich to a salad for $1.50 extra (I'm partial to the Roasted Chicken Breast and Club salads). You get the idea. Let's just say I've eaten more lettuce in the last week than a family of rabbits.

I also have to give special mention to our cafeteria, as they do have several options for someone dieting, as long as you don't mind looking like a weirdo when you eat. There's a salad bar, of course, but those on low-carb diets can get cheeseburgers and sandwiches as long as they throw out the buns and bread and just eat the meat and veggies. I prefer taking the sandwich meat and cheese and rolling it up like a meat burrito. It looks weird, but it's pretty tasty.

I guess the status report for now is so far, so good. I've already gone up a notch on my belt, and at this rate I'll get to put away my fat pants for a while, maybe forever. If you see me at the gym, feel free to stop and say hello. I'd love to hear your stories about how you're staying in shape, and I might even throw it in a future column. But, if you're in the locker room, put a towel on, man!