At the age of thirty-seven, I was fat, and since the age of thirty-eight, I have never been fat again. That's the whole idea of effective weight loss - it's permanent because it's part of your lifestyle and the way you think about yourself, with pride and a sense of accomplishment. The goal you achieve is your own - you own it.

Thin people release the fork, and they chew the food with the fork on the table. They chew their food slowly. They look around at each other or the wall or a picture. They listen to the music. They sit back and take a breath. They do something other than concentrate on shoving the food into their body.

You take away the handicap of obesity, and this person becomes someone else. Take a jolly fat man for instance. You talk to him, and his heart is breaking. He wants to be thin.

Food is not your remedy for problems. Food is not going to change your life. If you are lonely, food is not going to be your company. If you are sad, food is not going to give you solace.