This book encourages you by sharing others' real-life experiences as you begin your new fat-loss/weight-maintenance lifestyle. Look at the word encourage." It's "en" plus "courage," meaning "put courage in."
Why does starting a new weight loss effort require courage? Is it dangerous? Is it frightening?
The health benefits of losing surplus fat are the opposite of dangerous. However, starting a new fat-loss effort can be truly frightening, because for most, it isn't the first try. Maybe you've tried one or two or forty different ways. Maybe you've tried eat-less-exercise-more without seeing a sustainable loss. Maybe you've read lots of success stories but doubt your dream of similar success can come true. Maybe you've spent thousands of dollars on various plans and programs. Maybe, like Paige, you've tried surgery. Fear of failure with a new fat-loss plan may not be Stephen King frightening, but overcoming the fear takes courage.
That's why Paige, Laurie, and Star are encouraging you with these "results typical" success stories. These accounts describe big successes and little ones. They're real-life accounts from people like you with similar challenges: families, work, budgets and other obligations. They're not Hollywood actors, elite athletes, reality show participants or full-time bodybuilders. They're people sharing their stories because not long ago, they stood where you stand now: highly motivated to lose fat and afraid-yes, afraid-of putting themselves on another path to failure-another waste of time, money, and effort. They want you to know what worked for them and how they dealt with obstacles. They want you to learn from their successes-and mistakes! These stories will help you move ahead with appropriate expectations so you can write your own fat-loss success story. Their common theme? Success with Intermittent Fasting/time-restricted eating (IF/TRE) is common!
Common, but not guaranteed. IF/TRE isn't perfect. Since writing my first book on the subject in 2005, I've been looking for ways to spot the few people for whom it's not going to work. There's still no magic answer, but IF/TRE remains the most powerful and reliable weight-loss tool I've ever seen. Each of the real-life stories Paige, Laurie, and Star have collected in this book offers a reason to have courage-the courage you need to pick up this tool and put your energy and confidence behind it.
Everyone is different, so your success story-and the rewards you appreciate most-will be unique. This book's title speaks to all that can be gained by losing. As you make your way through this book, I invite you to anticipate which reward you will value most. Will it be a gain, such as freedom, power and control over food and appetite? Or a loss-a vanishing health problem, fading work and social bias, or losing a negative self-image? What will your story be?
Foreword
by Dr. Bert Herring: Author of AC: The Power of Appetite Correction
