The early realization was that if I was going to lose 80 or more pounds, I should settle in for the long run.

And so I have. Consequently, I continue to loose a pound or two here and a pound or two there. Along the way, the attempt is being made to make it as enjoyable a trip as possible.

One of the best ways to while away time at an otherwise tedious chore is the addition of music.

Lots of people have used music throughout the ages to help accomplish a lot of things. For example, at Kiwanis a period of singing begins most meetings led by the piano playing talent of Paul Sarver and the singing of Tom Faulkner.

While my singing voice falls far short of folks like Ralph Bornhorst, Bob Burns and Ken Ruth, I join in anyway. Sometimes we sing songs of faith, other times its patriotic songs, and very often "old time" songs are included.

I like many of the "old time" songs, except for the tempo. I want to sing faster, more upbeat. One of the things that Kiwanis does is take some of the old songs and write new lyrics that are sung to the old tunes. Songs like, "Kiwanis Goes Marching Along" to the tune of "Those Caissons Go Marching Along" and "On Kiwainis" to the tune of "On Wisconsin."

If it works for them, it can work for me, so to help me along on this diet, I have composed some new lyrics to some old tunes of my own. For example:

"Fifty Ways To Leave the Table" (To the tune of "Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover").

"The problem is all inside your head, she said to me

The answer is easy if you count your calories

I’d like to help you in your struggle to lose weight,

There must be 50 ways to leave the table, 50 ways to leave the table."

(Chorus):

"Just put down the fork, dork

Slide away the plate, mate

You don’t have to be fat, Matt

Just look for "Fat-Free"

Don’t eat all the food, dude

You don’t have to eat much,

Just leave some on the rim, Jim

And get yourself slim."

Here’s another diet song for all of us "repeat" dieters:

"When Johnny Starts Losing Weight Again" (To the tune of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home").

"When Johnny starts losing weight again, hurrah, hurrah

We’ll give him a hearty Weight Watchers grin, hurrah, hurrah

The men will cheer and the ladies shout

His pants won’t need to be let out

And we’ll all feel trim when Johnny starts losing weight."

The fact that I am being very public with my dieting efforts led me to pen these words:

"The Eyes of Sidney" (to the tune of "The Eyes of Texas").

"The eyes of Sidney are upon me

All the live-long day

The eyes of Sidney are upon me

As I diet every way

I can not fail or falter

At lunch or later in the day

The eyes of Sidney are upon me

They want to see how much I weigh."

The idea that you’re not alone (or shouldn’t be the only one) when you’re dieting, was not lost on me either:

"When You’re Dieting" (To the tune of "When You’re Smiling").

"When you dieting, when your dieting

The rest of the world should diet it too

When you’re working out, when you’re working out

The rest of the world should work out too

Cause when you’re tempted

They like to tempt you too

With lot’s of goodies and other stuff too

So just keep on dieting

Be skinny again…"

Finally there is the tribute to the very diet that I am on, the Atkins Diet:

"The Man On the Atkins’ Diet" (To the tune of "The Man On the Flying Trapeze").

"He weighs in each week with the greatest of hope

When offered a treat, he simply says ‘nope’

His waistline is smaller

He’s just going to try it

He’s the daring young man on the Atkins’ Diet.

Worth mentioning is a song suggested by my son, Zach:

"We Don’t Order Pizza, Anymore" (To the tune of "You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, Anymore").