Many weight loss books start with a chapter listing all the benefits of weight loss. I prefer a different approach. I believe that most heavy people understand that weight loss is a good thing to do, and some may have tried several weight loss programs, but needless to say, all failed.

You may be curious and anxious to know why you failed the weight loss programs. This is a fine question, but I will not answer it, as I am not interested in any fad diets or exotic exercise programs. I am a scientifically trained researcher and have spent a couple years examining body weight, exercise and nutrition in a large multicenter study. Years of training in medicine and research methodology preclude me from believing any claims that are not supported by rigorous research.

Thus, my weight loss program will be derived from main stream research rather than anecdotal testimonies. Unlike popular diets such as Atkins’ diet or the South-beach Diet (I never read them), I will propose a simple and also flexible low calorie diet. Unlike popular recommendations of a moderate exercise such as walking for 40 min, I will suggest a moderate to vigorous exercise which requires strong commitment. You may call my program the extreme weight loss program, but I prefer the research based weight loss program.

By saying so much about my intentions, now it’s time to get started on my weight loss program.

The first thing to do is to buy a note book (not a computer). In this note book, you will record your daily exercise and energy intake and nutrition. Yes, you can do it in computer. But I found this old fashioned record keeping gives me a sense of writing diary.

I also urge you to buy at least a seasonal pass to a local gym. Given most people have families to tend, I am not sure whether one can run every day outside (at least not in upper Midwest). The best thing of gym is that you have a legitimate excuse to leave home and do a workout alone. Besides, you can try different machines for fun.

The first few days are sort of baseline investigation. You need to record what you eat, what kind of daily exercise you are doing, and how well you can do on a treadmill or eclipse machine. Please don’t worry about how to interpret the diet and exercise records. I will explain in the next few chapters. Just remember, it is very important to know yourself before embarking any serious weight loss journey.

“Wait,” you may ask, “what is your program? There is nothing new there.” Yes, my program is nothing new. In fact, it is the program that has been recommended by serious health researchers for years. The only thing I am doing is to guide you through this basic program, correct some of your misconceptions, and motivate you along the way. In addition, there are many changes in the most recent weight loss recommendations. I am willing to share with you my thoughts and own weight loss experience.

So, are you ready? Let’s go!