Forget About Losing Those Last 10 Pounds

The pursuit of sylphlike thinness is not only futile for most men and women, it can be downright unhealthy

Like many women, Nancy Cort longed to be the size she was at age 18 -- size 8, to be precise -- 28 years and dozens of pounds ago. The Westport, Conn., schoolteacher enrolled in a weight-loss program, dropped 35 lbs. and then, with just 15 lbs. more to go, decided to call a halt to her dieting. "I thought about what I could maintain, what I could be successful at," says Cort. "Sure, I'd like to be a size 8, but then I would have to exercise more." Her conclusion: "I'm content being a size 10."

An American woman content...

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