Trying to Lose 50 Million Pounds

Wall Street Journal Blogs - New York,NY,USA - When Ian Smith launched a weight-loss campaign for African-Americans, he chose a specific — and lofty — numerical target: 50 million pounds lost. That bold, specific goal has helped garner publicity, but means the project risks failure.

Since its introduction in April 2007, Dr. Smith’s 50 Million Pound Challenge has gained press coverage in Jet and Essence as well as newspapers around the country. It has a prominent sponsor in State Farm insurance, and basketball star LeBron James is the latest celebrity to lend his name to the cause, joining Team USA teammate Kobe Bryant, retired football star Michael Strahan and R&B singer Patti LaBelle.

Yet fewer than 2.3 million pounds have been lost in more than 14 months, according to the challenge’s online tracker, meaning that at participants’ current pace, they’ll hit the goal some time in early 2035 — and that’s if their self reports of weight loss can be believed. Add to that a possible falloff in publicity as the novelty fades, and the possibility that some dieters put back the lost pounds, and 50 million pounds looks like a reach.