The Big Fat Truth: The Behind-the-scenes Secret to Weight Loss Read Online Free Page A

If they’re not fat and you are, it can be just as bad. Nothing can make your rebellious fingers dial pizza delivery quicker than parents who criticize your weight. We’ll talk about that challenge, too.
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    I know that you know how to lose weight. Eat less, move more—it’s not exactly rocket science. In fact, it’s simple; most problem solving is. I’ll give you an example. A few years ago, my oldest son, Cooper, came home from school crying.
    “I’ve got a book report due in the morning! I forgot about it! I haven’t started it. What am I going to do?!” He was in a complete panic, tears streaming down his face.
    “Okay, stop,” I said. “What’s step number one?”
    “Identify the problem.” (As you can see, we’ve been down this road before—he knows the drill.)
    “Well, what’s the problem?”
    “I’ve got a book report that’s due tomorrow, and I haven’t even read the book.”
    “Okay, great, what’s step number two?”
    “Make a list,” he says.
    And he goes on to make the list: read the book, do a drawing, write an outline, then write the report.
    “Great. What’s step number three?”
    He’s stopped crying now, and he’s completely calm. He looks down and says, “I know what step number three is Dad.”
    “Well, what is it?”
    “Go do it.” He was now in control of what a few minutes ago had seemed like an impossible situation.
    Cooper started working on his report at about 3:00 p.m. He came down about four hours later, and said he was done. I asked him if he gave it his best.
    “Dad, I am going to get an A,” he said.
    “That is not what I asked you,” I replied. “Did you give that report your best work?”
    “No, I did not do my best.”
    I told Cooper to go back upstairs and give me his best. He did, and then he was right. He did get an A. In fact, it was one of the best papers he ever wrote.
    This three-step solution solves just about any problem. My son is learning how to use it at an early age, but if you’ve never had much practice reaching step three, it can be difficult to change. Most people in life never get to step three, especially where weight loss is concerned. So what I’m saying is that it doesn’t matter if eating less and moving more is a simple formula for transforming the body, if you don’t do it . (And by “do it,” I mean do it for a lifetime.) You can know all the diet tricks and best ways to burn fat in the gym—in fact, you probably already do—but, of course, if you’re not putting them to use, the problem will not be solved. Replace the fat thoughts in your head with the mantra, “Do it.” Say it over and over to yourself! Every day, in every situation. Talking about your dreams of being a thin, fit person is fun . . . but actually being a thin, fit person is even more fun! So stop talking about it. Instead, “do it!”
    One of the big goals of this book is to make a believer of you, to fire you up, and to help you realize that you actually have a deep well of strength and willpower inside you, just waiting to be tapped. But even more important, I want to help you truthfully answer the question, Why aren’t I just doing it? What is stopping me from doing the work it takes to give myself a better life? Why don’t I think I deserve it?
    I make every participant on our shows ask themselves these questions. One of them was Stacey, a 42-year-old woman, who tried out for The Revolution , a daytime weight-loss show I produced a few years back. ( The Revolution , in case you missed it, was a daily show on ABC daytime where all the cast members were women. We not only helped them lose weight, we helped them make over their homes and personal style. Ty Pennington and Tim Gunn were hosts.) It was casting’s make-or-break moment, and Stacey was being given a final chance to convince us that we should put her on TV. So in she came to the last-chance room, taking a seat in one of those small chairs.
    “Stacey,” I