I've decided to make a bold move. I blotted out two hours from my schedule in the middle of the day. I set Outlook for "Out of Office" during these chunks of time and it took about two weeks for everyone who needs to schedule time with me to settle and react. Today I remembered to bring a comb. It's the little things you need to plan for.
You start a diet, you do moderately well, and then you completely fall off the wagon at a bar mitzvah party. By the end of the evening you find yourself up on a moral's charge involving two underage slices of cake. Worse, a week later, you learn that that one night of debauchery has cost you an entire week's worth of weight loss.
Though Toronto's mayor has lost 16 pounds in week two of his program, dieting only helps short-term. When treatment stops, the weight comes back -- always -- there are few (if any) known exceptions to this rule of nature. Cutting back calories and increasing activity addresses the symptoms of obesity -- not its causes.
The fact that Toronto's mayor is fat is relevant to the debate about his competency to do his duties. Not only does his risk for heart disease and stroke call into question his ability to remain physically healthy for an entire term, I think it also speaks to a level of personal irresponsibility and short-sightedness.