My name is Kent Livingstone, and my story is a familiar one. In college,
I was a star athlete---co-captain of my lacrosse team, and a
competitive swimmer. I didn't have to worry about my weight for the
first 22 years of my life, since I was burning off so many calories that
I could eat whatever I wanted. THE CREATURE IN THE MIRROR
After graduation, I took a job with a major tech firm. Suddenly I was
spending my days sitting on my rear end, eating fast food and
high-calorie takeout. My weight skyrocketed from 175 up to 220. One
morning I happened to glance at myself in the mirror on the way to the
shower, and I was horrified. I was looking at someone with a large gut,
who was seriously out of shape. At that moment I resolved to lose the
weight, but it took me several years and many false starts to achieve my
goal.
Obesity is becoming the #1 health problem in America.
Virtually one-third of us are at least 30 pounds overweight, and that
number is expected to hit 50% within a decade. Dieting is a
multi-billion dollar industry, and the market is flooded with plans,
supplements, miracle drugs and methods. Do any of them work?
Amazingly, they all work. If you want to lose weight, there are only two
things you need to do---eat differently and exercise. Virtually any
diet plan will be effective if you actually follow it. Yet millions of
people are constantly failing, because they can't take control of their
lives.
AN UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH
If you're 30 pounds or
more overweight, the weight is not your problem. It is a symptom of your
real problem, which is unhappiness with some area of your life---your
job, your family, your love relationships. You are compensating for that
unhappiness by stuffing your face with food. In order to lose the
weight, you need to identify your problem and then take your life back.
Some people won't like the above statement, and a few will even be
angry. If so, you're free to stop reading and find an article extolling
the virtues of hot fudge sundaes. If you think I'm out to rob you of one
of life's pleasures---eating---you're absolutely correct. Eating is a
necessity of life. Anyone who has travelled in France or Italy knows how
pleasurable it can be, but it's not a substitute for basic sources of
happiness.
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