I didn’t feel all that great about the Jolly Ranchers at the time, but now I think it was fine, and maybe even the right choice. After all, it helped keep my metabolism going and my calories were almost certainly within the desired range. I don’t want my last meal to come at 6 p.m. when I am going to bed around 3 a.m. This is about calorie intake rather than the kind of calories I put in my body. Jolly Ranchers might not be the best choice, but in that situation I thought they were better than nothing.

I also decided to weigh myself on Thursday for the first time in at least a week. Sorry, but sometimes the curiosity gets to me. Plus, I wanted to have some frame of reference for the next weigh in on Sunday. Basically, the number was a relatively pleasing 268.4 pounds.

That means that at least one, and maybe even both, of the following statements are correct: 1) the three-day weekend binge didn’t hurt me all that much. 2) the changes I have made to the diet over the last three weeks are working splendidly. I’ll be curious to see what the number is on Sunday after three more days of healthy eating and two more days of exercising.

I guess, optimistically, I might hope for 265, which would be a major success for this week. But more realistically, any number in the 266 range would be encouraging. Of course, my current low-weight is right around 268, so anything under that would signal success.

However, if I am back over 270, I might just have to give the whole thing up and accept life as a slimmed-down fatty. But if I do what I am supposed to do, there is no way that will happen.