I’ve been writing about weight loss - on and off- for more than 2 years.  In that time, I’ve managed to lose about 100 points.  But, I’ve also managed to gain 100 pounds.  That’s right.  I weigh almost exactly the same amount today as I did two years ago.  I could go on and on, giving you reasons for ‘why’ - but there’s only one real reason.

I want results, and I want them to me immediate.  So, I follow a particular program, lose 10 or 15 pounds, and get excited.  Then, once the rapid weight loss stops, I get discouraged, and quit.  I’ve done this several times - not just over the course of my blog - but over the course of the last 15 years.

Yesterday, I had a long talk with a very good friend.  He was going on and on about my finance success - and he pointed out something very important.  He said, “You do a great job of creating financial goals, but you do a pitiful job of setting weight loss goals.  When you set a financial goal, you push yourself, but you manage to live in the ‘real’ world.  But, when you set a weight loss goal, you always go crazy, demanding ten pounds in two weeks, or fifty pounds in one month.  You need to have a goal - and it needs to be aggressive - but it also needs to be realistic.  And, you need to honor each meal, just like you honor each dollar.”

Pretty honest, right?  It’s good to have friends who will be ‘real’.  And, he’s right.  When it comes to weight loss, I want to work six weeks and undo a decade and a half of bad habits.

So, here’s my new, realistic, optimistic, doable goal.

I want to lose 1 pound, per week, over the course of the next two years.

Right now, I weigh right around 250 pounds.  If I lose a pound a week, I’ll weigh 200 by next summer and 150 by 2010.

I’ve done some calculations.  I’ll continue to eat consciously and follow the “I Will Make You Thin” principles - but I’ll also focus, just a bit, on calories.

If I eat 2500 calories, I should maintain my current weight.

If I eat 2000 calories, I should lose, roughly, 1 pound per week.

I plan to eat between 1800 and 2200 calories, and continue to walk 45 minutes per day.  I also plan to eat four or five small meals, instead of two or three big ones.  And, since I’m no longer drinking sodas, I’m already drinking copious amounts of water.