A headline from the Washington Times department of redundancy department: Lighten up, lose pounds

Surprisingly, the article is about a weight loss program called Lighten Up.

Participants of Lighten Up programs in 16 states from Maine to Hawaii are learning to make healthy choices by undertaking small lifestyle changes: drinking one more glass of water daily, eating fruits and vegetables, taking the stairs instead of the elevator….

In Iowa, nearly 12,000 members lost about 23.5 tons of weight last year…

Wow. They grow ‘em pretty big in Iowa. That’s pretty impressive weight loss. I’d be happy with losing ten pound.

…, or about 4 pounds per person, said Kim Nanke of Iowa Games, a nonprofit group that created the first Lighten Up program in 2002.

Oh. I guess I jumped the gun there. Sorry. Four pounds per person isn’t as impressive as losing 23.5 tons. But it isn’t to be scoffed at.

Four to 5 pounds might not seem like much, but health specialists say even the smallest improvements count because they can boost participants’ confidence to exercise more or improve their diets.

“Starting and losing 5 pounds of weight is better than not starting and gaining 5 pounds,” said Mary Kay Sones, a health specialist with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Here’s where Congress comes in. Stick with me on this.

1. Person A loses 5 pounds. Big deal.
2. Person B in addition to losing 5 pounds, doesn’t gain 5, for a net gain of 10 pounds. More impressive.
3. Person C gains 10 pounds, but doesn’t gain 25, for a net gain of 15 pounds. Obviously, the most impressive.

Don’t mock this logic. It is the same logic our Congress uses every time they announce they are “cutting” spending.