See 99 percent of me in the flesh!

Lawrence Toppman:

Nothing says "Lose weight, you oaf!" like an event where you have to wear your best clothes. (I'm not talking about my 40th high school reunion, which comes this summer. I'd probably skip that if I looked like a stunt double for Adonis.)

I will host concerts this weekend by the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, which will devote Friday and Saturday evenings to the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein. (Details are at http://www.charlottesymphony.org/.)

I was asked to wear a tuxedo, but I have no hope of getting into the one I last wore 15 years ago. I DO have some hope of getting into the navy suit I donned when I was married five years ago, but I figure I'm still a couple of pounds away from zipping the pants comfortably. (It would be hard to narrate a concert while holding my breath for 90 minutes.) So it's bran flakes and broccoli for the next four days, to see if I can slide into that suit without feeling like Scarlett O'Hara in a straight-jacketing corset.

The weigh-in today said 190, so it'll be a near thing either way. But it's good to have short-term goals in a weight-loss program as well as long-ones, and my goal for this week is to get that suit on again. Of course, the jacket is cut pretty long. So if I have to leave the top hook of the pants unfastened, who will know?