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Introduction xiii Certainly, we do have to establish healthy routines to lose weight. And once something becomes “routine,” it is—or at least seems to be—­less time-­consuming. But just as our minds usually lose motivation ­after pro- longed activity of many kinds, our bodies may refuse to lose weight if left too long on the same restrictive diet or exercise regimen. Sports enthusiasts of many types, including bodybuilders, call this kind of halt to the intended results even while continuing an eating and exercise routine “hitting a wall.” The sought-­after effect stops for no obvious reason. Weight loss is a continuing challenge, for both our minds and our bodies. Reading about the latest fad ­doesn’t help. A dizzying number of “tried-­and-­ tested” remedies are on offer in the 200-­plus research articles published on weight-­related issues ­every day: drugs, physical activity, low-­calorie/ low-­fat diet, regular breakfast, self-­confidence, commitment to lifelong change, therapeutic alliances with clinicians, long-­term self-­help groups, face-­to-­face/Web-­based interventions, and more. Some ­ people just get des- perate and try anything, and when nothing seems to work, they relapse into their old ways. What we need to do is on the same plane as what ­those bodybuilders do to control their weight when they “hit the wall”—­vary their diet and their exercise. It’s a key to control, ­whether one is trying to gain or lose weight. ­ There is no miracle solution to buy. The “magic” is in having the self-­control to create excitement and variety, so that your mind ­ doesn’t get bored and your body ­ won’t acclimate. Most of us want to believe ­ there is some miracle cure that we can buy and that ­will end our suffering once and for all. ­There ­isn’t one. Media attract our attention, especially on quiet news days, with terms like “breakthrough,” “miracle,” “cure,” “revolutionary,” and similar attention-­ getting words. Thirty-­six new drugs associated with losing weight used ­ these terms in press releases in one year. Half of them ­ hadn’t even been approved by the FDA, and five ­ were “groundbreaking” only in mice or test tubes. When “promising” or “breakthrough” are added to a facts-­only description of a drug, we are even more likely to believe it is ­going to be effective.2 We need to challenge the obesity industry to come up with composite solutions that are sustainable. Right now all we have is a lot of short-­term products with built-in obsolescence from an obese industry whose voracious goal is to feed a desperate market. The best we can do is to commit to change any strategy when it stops working for us and not see the change as a failure. That is why I developed the weight disruption program. Fortunately, it works. I am living proof, and so are my patients who are following my lead.