A Realistic Approach to Weight Loss, by Michael Masterson

Sally has an ambitious weight-loss goal for 2010. She told me she is planning to lose 40 pounds. She said she figured she’d lose four pounds a month for 10 months, and then celebrate in October. If she fell behind a little bit, she’d have two months to catch up.

That is good thinking. But rather than shooting for an even four pounds per month, I suggested that she should plan to lose weight more realistically. For example, she could aim for six pounds in each of the first three months, five pounds in each of the next three, three pounds in each of the next two, and the final pound in the ninth month.

That approach corresponds to the way the body actually works. You take off more weight at the beginning — when your new eating and exercise program is having the greatest impact — and then give yourself time to settle into a stable routine for the rest of your life.

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