My sister Marilyn saw my May 2 entry about trying to lose some weight, and sent me an article from the June issue of Good Housekeeping magazine in which the author interviews Dr. George L. Blackburn from Harvard Medical School.  In the article, Dr. Blackburn recommends cutting 75 calories a day, and burning an additional 75 calories through exercise.  Done faithfully, you’ll lose about 15 pounds in a year.  It’s not drastic weight loss, to be sure, but it’s realistic and achievable, and you’re more likely to keep the weight off once you’ve reached your target.  As the doctor says, “If fast weight loss has failed you, why not consider this?”  I’ll second that.

In case you’re wondering, the method described in the article relies on the same math that I used to figure my “one pound per week” weight loss program:  3,500 calories burned (or not taken in) for each pound of weight loss.  It takes about 23 days at 150 calories per day (75 calorie intake reduction plus 75 calorie increased exercise) to make up 3,500 calories.  There are 15 (actually about 15.8) 23-day periods in a year.