The first stage

REGRET, I've come to learn, is the first stage of this transformation.  As a result we've tweaked some of the details of our wager.  See the below excerpt of G chat conversation for an explanation:
______

Francis 

im thinkin 20lbs might be a lil unreasonable....how bout 15?

James 

you're 5'9'', there's no reason you can't weigh in at 168

Francis 

u think?

im a naturally stocky dood

James

tell you what I'll do, for every pound you lose past 20 lbs I'll give you an extra 5 bucks

but, for every pound you come up short you owe me an extra $2

Francis 

oh boy

James 

deal?

Francis 

yup____

Classic.  So, being healthier plus feeling and looking better aren't enough of an incentive to lose 20 lbs.  Pile on the hundreds of dollars he's going to save on drinking/eating less for the next two months and its still not enough.  Then, take into consideration the potentially tens of thousands of dollars worth of medical care he's going to save by preventing future weight related issues (diabetes, bad knees, hypertension, heart disease etc) and its still not enough.

 

But if we throw 20 bucks (plus bonus) into the mix Buckley is suddenly willing to face his demons.  God speed Buckley!