Introduction to the New Weight Loss Book
Putting the context, evidence and citations here on Substack so the book can remain a bare-bones, easy-to-follow "how to" with zero fluff.
I’m rewriting a powerful little book on weight loss (meaning fat loss) and rather than taking up people’s time and head space with context and evidence for statements and claims, have stripped it all out to share here on this Substack. So that the book will be an extremely bare-bones “how to”. Below is what was the “Introduction” before I stripped it out …
INTRODUCTION
And I thought to myself “Here is the proof in black and white that people, including me, have wasted a blooming fortune on things that don’t work. And not only that, we’ve spent untold hours, and put absolutely enormous, miserable effort into things that don’t work.”
Like millions of others, I struggled badly with overweight and I probably tried pretty much everything out there, including actual starvation, I was so desperate.
One time I actually lost 12 kg in a week. I was so excited! I felt so good in my old skinny jeans! But sadly it was an illusion – all I’d done was lose maybe 500 grams of actual fat, if I was lucky, and the rest was fluid and muscle loss, not actual fat. The “weight loss” didn’t last because that’s not how bodies work.
Maybe you’ve been there too.
But then around the year 2000, in my work as a behavioural therapist and clinical researcher, I began to realise that the whole weight loss industry was a con, and nothing was actually working. Shortly after this the Australian Government released a massive document (2001, “Promoting Healthy Weight”) which not only investigated the cost of various illnesses, but also investigated effectiveness of various common approaches to weight loss.
I was really shocked to discover in that document that despite the vast number of weight loss programs available, less than 2% of people were able to maintain their weight after doing a program. I also found that overweight and obesity rates were still rising, as they are to this very day, especially amongst children. In fact I found that the more healthy eating programs were introduced to schools, the higher the rate of eating disorders amongst children. Just appalling.
I also found that the burden on the health care system due to overweight and obesity was so massive, bigger even than the burden of smoking, that it was wrecking the system and would send health departments and health funds bankrupt if it continued. Overweight and obesity are the main reason for the increasing unaffordability of health insurance, and therefore for the failure of the health system to deliver adequate services for everyone who needs them.
And I thought to myself “Here is the proof in black and white that people, including me, have wasted a blooming fortune on things that don’t work. And not only that, we’ve spent untold hours, and put absolutely enormous, miserable effort into things that don’t work.”
So I asked myself “Why do all these things, even stomach banding in many cases, not actually work?” And the answer of course was “Because not a single program or treatment is doing a darned thing about changing people’s natural food preferences, or automatic habits around food and exercise. As soon as their program is over, almost every single person reverts.”
Many programs claim to achieve these things but without exception they absolutely do not. They expect people to make changes based purely on logic and willpower and do nothing whatsoever to change people’s actual, deep down tastes, preferences, or desires. Some of them promote pointless distraction techniques, mindfulness, or hypnosis, but of course they all fail sooner or later because they’re no match for those deep, subconscious preferences. Substitutions, like for instance carrot sticks instead of chocolate, are frankly ridiculous.
For people to lose weight comfortably and naturally, and not regain the weight, I recognised that we had to once and for all work effectively with those natural preferences, and that willpower was not a valid approach. Some of the most disciplined people in the world are overweight. It’s not about discipline.
So I devised a program using powerful techniques that was based on truly, permanently changing those preferences and habits, and wrote a book, which lucky for me McGraw-Hill not only published, but they translated it into quite a number of languages and distributed it throughout Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the United States. Even an Arabic publisher picked it up and distributed it throughout the Arab nations and Arabic speaking populations in the United States.
And in case you think I got rich from that amazing coverage, I have to tell you that it bombed about as badly as you could possibly imagine!
Why? Well here’s the clue. McGraw-Hill’s own business development staff, who of course intimately understood their market at that time, advised their bosses that it was years ahead of its time. People didn’t want an approach that was so completely different to what they’d already tried. People wanted the next magic diet, the next magic pill, the next magic shake, etc, etc. People still believed in and were still looking for a gimmick that required little or no thought or work, burying their heads in the sand in regard to the facts.
Anyway, fast forward a couple of decades and the weight loss programs, and the public, are starting to catch on. Nowadays you’ll see “psychological weight loss” and “understand the real reasons for your weight gain”, and “lose weight permanently”, and even WeightWatchers has banned the word “diet” from their marketing and now talk about “lifestyle change”.
However there’s still a massive problem. The program developers still don’t get it. Every single one of these programs, without exception, still expects you to make those changes using the same old methods that failed for dieting! That is, logic, willpower, self discipline, substitution, and distraction!
In psychology-speak we would say that they’re all using “cognitive” approaches, meaning that they’re working with the conscious, aware mind to try to create changes.
I get so frustrated at the stupidity of these worthless programs! At the abject futility of trying to deal with automatic, unconscious behaviour as if it were just some kind of conscious choice that you could switch off, or if you had enough willpower could force yourself to go without what you deep down really wanted!
We cannot and will not change our automatic, unconscious feelings, thoughts, and behaviours around food and exercise unless we can achieve 2 things:
1) Identify what those thoughts, feelings, and behaviours actually and very specifically are (and they come under the heading of “conditioned responses”, which you’ll learn about in this book).
2) Precisely and comprehensively WIPE THEM OUT! (which you’ll also learn how to do in this book). This is not “talking yourself out of them” or using “distraction” against them – it is quickly, easily and naturally eliminating the damn things so they no longer bother you, just like the people you met in the foreward to this book.
So I’m really delighted that people are finally realising that previous weight loss programs have been a terrible waste of their money, time and effort, and that the answer IS a psychological one, but that it is not psychology as it is being presented in other programs, such as CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy) and its derivatives, ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy), mindfulness, meditation and other cognitive methods. These cognitive approaches are completely ineffective for weight loss.
I get accused of being “angry” or “resentful”
You can probably hear it in my writing, and to tell you the truth I actually am quite angry. I’m angry that people like you and I have been strung along by diet companies, and even by doctors, psychologists and other health professionals who have been unknowingly feeding us treatment programs that DO NOT WORK. Because although many of these professionals may be lovely, incredibly well meaning people, we now know that weight loss is not just about understanding calories in/calories out, and we also know that logic, willpower and self-discipline have little or nothing to do with achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.
I’m also angry at spruikers of snake oil supplements that have little or no evidence but yet are touted on shows like “Dr Oz” as if they were some kind of miracle. Garcina cambogia is one of those, even though the scientific studies that are quoted as “evidence” show completely insignificant fat loss for the participants. Ditto HCG drops!
Ditto every single Facebook or Instagram ad for weight loss pills or supplements. All those things are pure health fraud, and Facebook etc won’t stop it because they’re making a mint from it.
Now we have Ozempic and other appetite suppressants that while saving lives and improving health in so many cases, are also making some people sick, harming their health, and “work” only as long as people keep getting their expensive injections or paying for their expensive pills.
I want people to experience the truth for themselves, and demand better support and guidance from health professionals who should be more up to date in their field. It’s worth it to me, and I hope it’s worth it to you.
And that’s why ultra cheap training is available to counsellors and psychologists at
https://www.psychologybestpractice.org
I want these professionals ready, able and willing to help you if needed. I can’t possibly answer all questions and support everyone, but with training, they can.
A Word about Fatigue
If you’ve been carrying excess weight for some time, the chances are you could be feeling too exhausted to even think about doing anything very substantial in order to learn how to get the weight to fall off by itself.
This fatigue could be solely explained by the burden of weight you are carrying, and it’s easy to understand that. For example, how overweight are you? Let’s say you’re 20 kg overweight like I was. For you to really understand this burden which has crept up on you over time, you’d need to now imagine that you have maybe 20 x 1 kg bags of potatoes strapped evenly all over your body. This new weight comes with you every step you take, presses on you even as you’re sitting watching television, and even demands more effort from you if you just want to turn over in bed! But this fat is not only a heavy burden weighing on your spine and joints, it’s also crushing your vital organs like your heart and your lungs. It may even be crushing your throat so that you don’t get enough oxygen through the night – at times it may even stop you from breathing, mimicking central sleep apnoea. You’ll know if this is the case for you because while you can breathe in through your nose, you can’t breathe out through your nose and the subsequent suffocation will continually wake you through the night.
In addition that burden on your spine and joints could be creating agonising back, shoulder, or neck pain. Or hip, knee, or foot pain, especially if you have arthritis already, or some kind of spine problem.
No wonder you might be tired all the time!
However there’s more to it than just the pressure of extra weight. There is the effect of the fat itself. While fat doesn’t have a blood supply (and that’s why it can take so long to get it out of your body) it is a living organ that is producing all kinds of substances including hormones that affect your mood, and have an impact on many body functions.
So you may feel depressed, your metabolic rate may be quite sluggish, your body may resist burning fat, and you may be sleeping quite poorly, waking in the morning quite unrefreshed.
I understand that under these circumstances it can be WAY TOO HARD to even think about learning new things, and it may make more sense to seek out a therapist who can support and guide you through the program. (I’m sincerely hoping that some health professionals reading this book will really get stuck in to learn and master the program, and then offer to help others.)
It might also be too hard to put a bit of activity into your day. When you feel that fatigued, extra exercise can cause you to spiral downward instead of giving you a boost. It may be that you need to start with just a brief, gentle stroll around the garden or in a nice park. This will especially be the case if you’re struggling with particular medical conditions like ME/CFS/ESS/LC where vigorous exercise, or any exercise at all, is too risky. So I’m not going to tell anyone to hit the gym, or take up running, especially when the evidence is that it’s simply not possible to out-exercise a poor diet.
If that’s you, take it slowly, read the book, and lean heavily on the support group or your trusted therapist.
A Word About Stress
A lot of people are really struggling. It could be work, finances, relationship issues, or loss. And it can be incredibly tough. Sometimes we need to take action and reach out for help while other times we need to allow ourselves the healing passage of time.
Like everyone else on this planet, I’m not immune to these things either. Years ago I nearly died from pulmonary embolism and developed an euthyroid issue as a result. That stuffed me up for a while. Then I got glandular fever and that stuffed me up for a lot longer. When my dear brother passed away from glioblastoma I drank, like a fish, for three years. Then on my way back to health, I had to have spine surgery and simultaneously developed polymyalgia rheumatica, that I’m still doing my best to manage. This is how life goes sometimes for a lot of us, grief and loss and pain.
So I understand that life can be truly shitty and painful, and I’ll say more about these factors of fatigue and stress later but in any event, please go easy on yourself and recognise that you may need to give yourself more time to make changes more gradually, so that you don’t further stress an overloaded system. OK?
This isn’t a race and you can proceed through this program as quickly or as slowly as suits your own needs. Unlike a diet, stopping and starting this program doesn’t mean backsliding or losing your progress.
With all that in mind, I’m really delighted to finally bring WeightChoicetm to you, knowing that it will make perfect sense to you, and that finally you hold in your hands the first ever weight loss program that works because it is founded so solidly on proven neurological and behavioural science in order to achieve permanent change. The first ever program that when it ends, you should not only not regain the weight, but keep losing it if you wish! No “maintenance” needed!
And I’m completely thrilled that together we can turn the tide of overweight and obesity that is quite literally killing us and our kids, and save our health care system and our health insurance funds from disaster.
If we can spread the word, billions and even trillions of dollars saved can go into research, and into improvement of our health and hospital systems for the benefit of everyone. Just imagine if all that time, energy and money spent on overweight and obesity could be funnelled into cancer research, or Alzheimer’s, or motor neurone disease - how wonderful that would be.
So thanks for joining me, big “hats off” to you, and let’s get to work!
What People Are Saying about WeightChoicetm
These comments are taken from graduates’ written testimonials regarding their very different experiences of WeightChoicetm. Reading between the lines, it’s easy to see and hear the surprise as they experience very different thoughts, feelings, and automatic behaviour than ever before.
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“When I used to diet I was always struggling. Now, if I don’t eat well for a couple of days, or I miss out on my walks, I just can’t stand it, no way can I go back to my old habits any more.”
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“I am such a different person to what I was and I can’t imagine going back to that.”
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“I lost 8 kg without trying to change anything.”
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“Changes were noticed from day 1. No way could I ever go back where I was.”
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“WeightChoice was an amazing experience. I look forward to my new approach to personal power and new life before me.”
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“WeightChoice is the way to freedom from diets and being fat!”
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“A completely different approach to food and all food related issues.”
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“I used to crave ice cream, and since I attended WeightChoice last October I have hardly touched ice cream and haven’t really cared either! Which says to me that it really does work!”
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“WeightChoice turns the concepts of weight loss on their heads to reveal the WHY’S – something I for one haven’t unearthed before.”
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“I haven’t yet completely lost the need for sweetness in my diet, but I have not eaten a sweet biscuit since.”
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“WeightChoice really opened my eyes to many of the issues that have hindered my progress in the past.”
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“I’ve learned lifetime techniques that I can use in all aspects of my life, not only weight issues.”
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“I feel the workshops really tapped into the emotional reasons we put on weight in the first place. We aren’t asked to make the food or ourselves to behave, but rather (use the techniques) and the rest will follow.”
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“I am still amazed every day at all the changes happening in my life and I’m not even trying. The most interesting thing I’m finding is my overall happiness and my self image. No diet I’ve ever been on has ever made me feel this way and no guilt or cravings.”
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“These two days have been enormously interesting, enjoyable and valuable. I look forward to continuing to implement what I’ve learned. Christine is inspirational.”
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“I found the whole experience a bit mind blowing. It is a real case of rethinking through some concepts that are very deeply inground – either from culture or family customs.
It was a complete re-focus of some personal issues within – all of which surfaced and I was given ways and methods to sort through these and deal with them.
It has helped with other personal issues as well.
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Completely different approach to food and all food related issues. Great!”
You can watch short before and after video explanations at https://bestweightlossbook.substack.com