Well, hello there, any and everyone! My name is Dan, and I've been doing the experiment for about six weeks now. You may recognize me from my Video risk which you can find here. Caught up to speed? Okay. So since then a lot has happened in my life. At the time I posted the video, I was living in Los Angeles, CA miles away from the Chicago area where I grew up. I was living in my aunt and uncles guestroom and was going through a real rough patch. I had a less than ideal counter with a woman who I had grown to become very fond of. Is fond the right word? Let's stick with fond. Again, if you want, you can read about it here, no pressure. Since then I have started a rigorous diet and exercise program, to help me feel better about myself, and to just be healthier. I moved back to Chicago. LA is a great city to visit and all, it just wasn't very "me." I never felt like I could be myself out there and that there were not many ways to put myself in rooms when you don't know anyone, don't have a job, and live with family.

I've been back in Chicago for a week now. I've seen a lot of friends and they all are really supportive of my weight-loss and everything and are encouraging me to keep with it. I will admit that I am very nervous about the holidays. First off I'm unemployed and actively looking for a job. Once I have that, my self-esteem will be boosted for sure. Lots of parties with food and booze (two things which I am fond of [word of the day, I guess]) to tempt me. But, then again there will also be lots of people for me to meet and more chances to put myself in rooms. I'm not completely banking that too many women want an overweight, unemployed guy to date around the holidays, but I could get lucky maybe. I'm probably being a little too hard on myself, but I also need to realize that it's important to be realistic. Being single around the holidays again I think is going to be a real challenge for me, but I know that if I just keep a positive attitude about it, I can manage to get through it. I'll try to keep you guys updated every month or so or whenever something big happens. Hopefully by February I will have lost enough where I can post a decent before and after pic!