Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Lusk is fat...wanna play?

Okay, Pond Boss faithful. Your fearless leader has let himself become morbidly obese over the last few years. I admit it. I am fat.
And, I'm sick of it. Time for all that butter to go away. Here's the deal. You get to play.
I spoke with Eric West and Dr. Dave Willis, the caretakers of the Jesse West Foundation for scholarships for fisheries students at South Dakota State University. They're in for this game.
Here's how you get to play.
We are taking pledges for every pound I lose between now and July 15. You can pledge as little as $1 per pound and as much as you dare to pledge. My goal is to lose 50 pounds between now and then.
Pledge here...on the website. Let the world know you are willing to donate those dollars...all of them, to the Jesse West Foundation. Plus, you get to hold me accountable, too. Rib me, encourage me, chastise me...I am at your will, your proverbial poundage beck and call.
C'mon, play with us...and let's make SDSU's Fisheries Program continue to grow as I shrink.
Okay, who's in? What's your pledge?

By the way, I went to a nearby Medifast Center and started that program April 1. I weighed in at a much-more-than-fighting weight of 316 pounds. That's right... THREE HUNDRED SIXTEEN pounds.

I'll be the first one...I'll pledge $1 per pound for every pound I lose by July 15.


316 pounds....it's true. That's son-in-law Dennis Backschies on the left. Grandsons Ethan and Nolan Backschies, their dad and I built a worm farm about three weeks ago. That's me and my gut hanging out on the swing.


Thank goodness those giant bass cover up my fat belly. Help me lose weight and build the coffers at SDSU.

Now this is gonna be fun... I'm in for a $1 per pound!

Bob/Dr. Dave;

I'm a huge fan of the great work Dr Willis is doing in our neighbor to the North - especially the study last published in PB. Like last year, I want to continue supporting the research, and help encourage Mighty Bob to be a little less Mighty. Count me in for $2.50/lb.

I'm in for a buck per.

Who called Bob fat...them theres fightin words,he aint fat,he's comfortably fulfilled. :)OK,count me in for a buck a pound too.

Because it's you, and it is first good for you, $10.00 per pound from me. The benefit to SDSU/Jesse West is just icing on the cake.

No icing for you though, my friend!

Alrighty, then!
Great start!
$17.50 per pound! That's more than fathead minnows cost!
Thanks to CJBS, Teehjaeh, Dave, Tom and Sunil (as the top bidder, so far). You guys are great.

Willis might need to be creative on this one...I can't wait to hear what he tells a student about this batch of dollars...oh, wait, he doesn't have to tell them anything...it's a foundation.

But, I could just hear it if I told the story,..."yeah, a bunch of internet guys gambled on this porky fish guy and they, like, paid money here to watch him, like, shrink, dude."

Thanks guys! Who else wants to play?

Bring Sunil some icing, someone. No icing for the Pond Boss.

$10 a pound from us -- to be paid at the convention, if you are still at your July 15 weight, or below!

Nice looking worm bin too.

Put me down for $1.17 a pound. I couldn't miss this, just for the right to kibitz.

Come on, folks, it's a safe bet. Ask anyone who's been there how incredibly good the food is at Lusk Lodge II.

Bob, when is Dennis making those to die for ribs again?

Bob I am in !!!

We talked about this and my concern is your health. Here is a question for all of you to consider. I think it makes my point. How much would be in the SDSU endowment without Bob? Would it exist? Would this forum ?

In the spirit of helping you Bob and encouraging you to reach your goal I am going to pledge on a sliding scale. $1.50 for each of the first 10 pounds , twice that for the next 10 lbs , and more for the next and so on. To share in the event I will also pledge a kicker for the amount I loose over the same period. While not at 315 I could stand to loose a little myself.

I'll tell you what is working for me: Those HOT BOYS OF SUMMER IN THOSE BOATS, very motivating!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course, you would have to get girls to treat your ponds.

That is a very big goal, I too am in for $1.00 per pound, spending my extra cash this summer on the Lake Leader Institute, three trips a couple of days each. That is a huge goal in a short time.

Methinks one of those 2 cats is a cougar wannabe.

Shrewd, Catmandoo! It might be "easy" to lose it, but what about the aftermath...that "yo-yo" dieting thingy....good move on your part. Lusk must lose the fat...and then keep it off with better lifestyle decisions.
Theo, thanks for the rib taunt. My birthday was March 28. Guess who came over and cooked ribs just three short days before I started Medifast? Now then, who's shrewd? Oh, wait, $1.17 per pound from Theo? Isn't that what Dennis paid for those ribs? Ah, maybe you ARE the shrewd one. Lusk fat = ribs.
We made Cat's worm farm as the ribs did the magic what Dennis' has them do. Multi-tasking...worm farm, cook ribs, worm farm, eat ribs. It was a great day....and I got the rib fix.
Ewest...you are the man! I think YOU are the one who put the foundation together. We all just feed it, so to speak. Step on the scales and play. I'll pledge $1 for every pound YOU lose, too! This Medifast plan is working well.
And, Linda...thanks for playing. You and I have this sorta secret mutual admiration thing going. You're the feisty lake keeper trying to push and pull your way to a healthy lake. I stand on the sidelines like your cheerleader, watching your plays, listening, hearing.

Oh yes, one other thing...I said my goal is 50 pounds. But, July 15 is a long time away...and I am really big...please be aware that it could go higher than that....me being the big motivated optimistic person I am.

I will post pictures as I shrink...if you all can stand it. I've already started losing...I can feel it the way I breathe. It's awesome.

I did 6 months of homework before choosing the course of action.

Just thought of something, my company can match my contribution...

Bob,

I'll give you a choice.

I'll give $2.50/lb

OR.....

I'll give $5.00/lb if you give $5.00/lb Christmas Day of 2009 for every pound you weigh OVER 266.

I'm with Ewest on this one -- where would we be without Bob? He is our center. I would never have met good friends Dwight, Eric, Dr. Bruce, etc., etc. (I always hate to list names, as there are so many who should be listed), without him. I would not be entertained by Theo and Sunil without him. The Jesse West endowment would not have happened without Bob, as our entire net would not exist.

What will we do with the endowment proceeds this year? The last two years, Ph.D. students benefitted from the proceeds. Well, this year, a young undergraduate student will benefit. The SD Department of Game, Fish and Parks stocked a series of ponds last year at a 25/acre rate for LMB fingerlings. Our LMB don't usually reproduce until age 2 up here, and it's a problem for initial stockings. Jeff Slipke suggested the 25/acre rate (rather than the typical 50-100), trying to get faster initial growth rates on the fish. So, this will be a low-key project compared to the high-tech assessment of muscle plugs and fin clips last year. However, Bob and Eric really liked the idea of switching around, and helping all levels of students.

Bob, please put me down for $1.00 a pound.

I just did Eric's math...if I lose 100 pounds, he pays more than $15,000! Thank goodness there's a deadline!

Bruce, put yourself (and me) up for the $5 bid. You take the challenge, then give it...and I'm in. It costs you an extra $125 for a great foundation...it gives me pause to maintain my health.

I'll throw one right back at you. What if I can get below 250 and stay there at Christmas? You toss another $125 at the West Foundation?

Bob,

I'm glad to hear this! You've worked too hard all your life to get where you are to have subsequent health problems due to being overweight mess you up.

I'm in too! $1.00 per pound by July 15th.

Do you mean get below 250 by July 15th?

There is a point at which you're losing it too fast.

Let's try something different, since you're taking the $5 challenge.

I give $5/lb, up to, and including the 50th pound by July 15, so that's a MAX for me of $250. Then you give $5/lb for every pound you weigh over 266 at Christmas.

Then the modification is... that I'll toss in another $125 if you find your way under 250 anytime between July 15 and Thanksgiving...then you're still 250 the minute you wake up on Christmas.

That's what I meant....my actual plan is to lose 50 pounds by July 15 and then slowly drop further, down to 240...as long as that weight is comfortable...and then maintain. But, first things, first.

Dr. Bruce brings up a good point... Losing weight too fast is not healthy either.

Based on what my BMI index is, at 38.5, I can stand to lose much more than 50 pounds...slowly.

A little more than 3 years ago I admitted to myself that I needed to lose weight and exercise if I wanted to live longer. I went on the "ELEM" diet. Eat Less, Exercise More. Nothing magical and not really a diet - just a change in life style. I lost 35 pounds in a little less than 6 months. I averaged a consistent loss of 1.5 pounds per week. Slow and steady is best.

Good for you Bob.

We need JHAP in on this, just to keep track of all the pledges, provisos, buyouts, and side bets.


Can you put that in RW, so we can all understand it?

This is no myth, easier for guys to shed the pounds than gals!