The longest word journey begins with a single word.

2008, “Goodbye, Fat Guy! How I Lost 200 Pounds and Built a New Life, One Day at a Time” by Starke Taylor with Debbra Dunning Brouillette  (2009, Zone Press)

I worked closely with Starke Taylor, a Dallas, Texas, native, to tell the story of his dramatic weight loss in "Goodbye, Fat Guy!"  It is a story told with candor and the perspective gained from 17 years of maintaining a weight loss in excess of 200 pounds. Starke first describes the turning point in his childhood—his parents' divorce at age eight—from which he traces the beginnings of his weight gain. After piling on the pounds throughout his childhood and young adulthood, he reached his top weight of 397 pounds at age 21. A series of light bulb moments led him to make the life-changing and life-saving decision to lose weight and build a new life, one day at a time. 

The book covers how he lost half his total weight in the next year-and-a-half by following a unique plan of his own design called “Building Blocks of Success.”  While Starke chose to follow a low-fat diet, counting fat grams using a pocket-sized fat gram counter, the "Building Blocks of Success" plan can be used with any type of diet. He lays out the plan in detail for the reader, describing how using the Building Blocks enabled him to build confidence in losing weight by building on one day of successful dieting. Since he had never seriously attempted to lose weight, he found the one day at a time approach worked for him — dieting one day, then eating what he wanted the next. As his confidence grew, his “I can do this” attitude readied him for Block Two — two days of dieting and one day of eating the forbidden foods he missed. This building blocks approach allows the previously unsuccessful dieter to build on his or her success at a pace he or she can handle, and ultimately builds success to the point of six days of successful dieting, while a seventh “free” day is always in sight.

Starke’s success using the Building Blocks plan should inspire those who have come to believe large amounts of weight can't be lost naturally, without surgical intervention. In a year-and-a-half, he lost half his total weight—more than 200 pounds—and later lost even more. His motivation to never be overweight again is evident as the reader learns he has maintained his weight loss since 1992. Although eating out often poses the greatest challenge to dieters, Starke remarkably lost the weight while eating most of his meals in restaurants. “Goodbye, Fat Guy” includes valuable information on how to deal with eating situations while dining out and how to make healthy choices, even at fast food restaurants. Tips on how to grocery shop, cook, and eat healthily both in the home and in special situations is also covered.

While the words diet and exercise have become the mantra of most weight loss gurus, Starke bucked the trend here, too. Exercise is often a dirty word among those who are seriously overweight, and as Starke recalls, “When I saw someone running down the street or coming out of a gym, I’d think, ‘Boy, he’s stupid’ to make myself feel better." He was able to lose 200 pounds while shunning exercise and did not become convinced of the benefits of staying fit until years later, following the birth of his daughter. He now incorporates running and exercise into his daily lifestyle and has included an easy start-up plan for others to begin a walking program using the Building Blocks concept.

He also reveals the decision he made, 10 years into his weight maintenance, to have the excess folds of hanging skin surgically removed from his midsection. He offers sound medical information from his plastic surgeon on the pro’s and con’s of the abdominoplasty procedure and gives the reader an insight into his personal experience.

You don’t know me but I know you…

You are the man across the aisle from me on a plane who asks for a seatbelt extender. You are the young guy in the next booth whose stomach uncomfortably presses against the table as he downs a banana split. You are the middle-aged woman at the stoplight gorging on French fries. You are the man in front of me on the street whose weight causes him to slowly shuffle to his destination. You are the person ahead of me on the stairs who stops to catch her breath as she reaches the landing. You are the red-faced young woman next to me at the gym, huffing and puffing, as she pedals a stationary bike.

All of you are overweight; some of you are dangerously obese. And I know you well, because I was you! I was obese and faced all of the above situations and others you’ll read about in the pages of “Goodbye, Fat Guy.”