From Fat to Fit: Turn Yourself Into a Weapon of Mass Reduction

I actually met Carole Carson and THEN read her book. Believe me, seeing the "after" first had a great impact on me. I never could have imagined the "before" Carole. She went from a pleasantly round grandmotherly type to a toned, energetic, athletic and strikingly attractive woman who looks like she could take on the world! Oh, did I mention that I met her on a tennis court in the Hawaiian Islands? My group was so impressed with her play, confidence and effervesence. Imagine my surprise when I read her book. After only a few chapters, I decided, "I want that!" Her ideas are easy to implement and I love hearing, "Are you thinner--you look great!" Better yet, I have new-found energy and confidence. Her story can be your story. You'll laugh out loud as you read how an entire town jumps on board as Carole motivates them to healthy living.

I was so impressed with Carole Carson's work that I discussed it in my book, Body Intelligence. Now she has a book, From Fat to Fit, that describes her community-based approach to losing weight in detail. While each of us controls what we eat, and how active we are, these choices don't occur in a vacuum - the people around us and our environment play a significant role. From Fat to Fit shows how a community can be mobilized to help make the changes necessary to lose weight. It offers a blueprint for weight loss that should be widely adopted.

This book is such a great mix of inspiration and real-life stories. Unlike so many other "this book will change your life forever" sort of books, this book is about real people making real changes, something that we can all relate to. The story is told in such a way that these extraordinary accomplishments don't feel intimidating or impossible. Instead, it feels like sitting down with an old friend and hearing about these amazing things that you could do, if you put your mind to it. The community aspect of it is something I particularly liked, and it's easy to start to think of her community as your own community and imagine what this would look like with your own friends and family. I loved this book, and think that it truly does have to power to change people's bodies, lives, and communities in a way that so many other diet books claim to do, but come up short. Believe me, this book doesn't come up short!

If you thought there were no new ideas on how to lose that unhealthy body weight plus how to keep it off, you were wrong. One of the great things about this tome is that you not only find out you're not alone in your struggles with losing weight, there's a different solution to becoming fit again. Oh, we all know the difficulties of losing, and many of us do, only to regain it all back. Carole not only shows us how to suceed where we only failed before, but have FUN doing it. Her story is not only one of promise, but how a whole community came together to win the Battle of the Bulge. What began as a slap of realism when she gingerly steped on the bathroom scale only to have it break, literally, grew exponentially into a Movement that not only captvated a whole community, but through this book to the rest of world. Lose weight and fun? that paradox is proven through the adventures Carole and her neighbors. It's a fun read even if you don't need to lose weight. The cover says it all, from fat to fit wins!

Wow! This is a remarkable woman and a remarkable story about how a town took an interest, as a community, in getting fit and staying that way. I really enjoyed the individual stories from throughout the community. The author's narrative, too, is unique and very personable. For anyone concerned about how to live a healthy, fit life, this is a must read.