Book Review: The Ultimate Weight Solution by Phil McGraw

McGraw, Phil. The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom. New York: Free Press, 2003.

Psychologist Phil McGraw, television’s Dr. Phil, began to build his national reputation as a jury consultant for Oprah Winfrey when she was sued for statements she made about beef. It turned out his psychological practice was broader than reading potential jurors, and included weight management. McGraw has laid out his approach to weight management in The Ultimate Weight Solution.

McGraw describes seven “keys” to weight management. They seem to cover every aspect of life that relates to food. They can be loosely divided into two categories.

The first category involves discovering and counteracting mental and emotional issues that drive or support become on staying overweight. There are many subtle ways people may be sabotaging their weight-loss efforts. Some may have psychological issues that may require professional help, but many can use McGraw’s strategies to change their thinking and use new ways of coping with emotions that are more consistent with good health.

The second category focuses on behavioral change. In general, the approach is to institute healthy behaviors that will supplant unhealthy habits. Each key contains specific actions one can take to make practical changes. These strategies touch on habits, environment and relationships.

McGraw devotes more ink to the behavioral part. Ultimately, if one is going to attain and maintain a healthy weight, one must behave in a way will result in it.

The overall philosophy is that people behave the way they do for reasons. They may not be consciously aware of those reasons. Those reasons might not make sense if they were evaluated rationally. Even so, in some way a person finds the advantages of their behavior to be greater than the disadvantages. Change involves reevaluating the payoffs and costs of old behaviors and implementing new behaviors that have more desirable and rational payoffs.

A secondary philosophy that comes through is that one shouldn’t rely exclusively on one strategy, or even just diet and exercise, and especially not willpower. The keys touch on thoughts, emotions, habits, relationships, environments, exercise and diet. The more supports you have, the more likely you are to succeed.

As you might expect from a book on weight management, there is also information on nutrition and exercise. Obviously, how much we eat, what we eat, and our level of physical activity is behaviors that greatly and directly affect our weight.

McGraw provides some brief explanations of the science behind his strategies, including a bibliography of the works to which he refers. The book is not very technical, though. It is a practical guide aimed at people seeking to control their weight, not a clinical manual or textbook.

If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in
Change Your Brain Change Your Body by Daniel G. Amen
How Much Does Your Soul Weigh? by Dorie McCubbrey
I Can Make You Thin by Paul McKenna

This review of The Ultimate Weight Solution by Phil McGraw appears courtesy of Keenan’s Book Reviews, where there are reviews of other books on weight management.

P.S. Several strategies in this book are adaptable to a small steps approach. Start taking action, start taking steps toward your goal, and the results will follow.

Take Small Steps to Improve Financial Outlook

Relatively small steps to pay down debt and increase saving can have profound effects on your finances, especially if they are carried out consistently over time. Here are some links that may give you some ideas for small steps you can take to improve your financial outlook.

See how long it will take to pay off credit card debt at Cardtrack. Don’t be discouraged. Even a little bit of extra payment can shave off months and years.

You can make a similar calculation for your mortgage at Bankrate. CNN Money has a similar calculator and a debt reduction planner.

Book Review: One Small Thing Can Change Your Life by Robert Maurer

I previously posted this review at Keenan’s Book Reviews. Kaizen is the basic idea behind this blog, so I thought I’d repeat it hear.

Maurer, Robert. One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way. New York: Workman Publishing, 2004.

Small is good. That is the message of kaizen and Dr. Robert Maurer. Kaizen is the concept, popular in Japanese industry, of making small, continuous improvements. It had its origins in American industry as it geared up of the imminent demands of World War II.

Maurer describes why smallness works in personal psychology. It starts with the brains reaction to fear. Any sufficiently big change triggers the fear reaction, even if the actual threat it low. This reaction prepares the mind and body to fight or flee. There is no time for philosophizing, fancy imagining or creative analysis when your in immediate danger, so we lose access to the parts of our brain that contain those functions. Instead of creative thinking and reasonable risk taking, we revert to familiar and seemingly safe behavior when faced with something new.

Kaizen gets around this by having us contemplate things that are so small they don’t trigger fear. Instead of tackling the big questions, ask yourself a small one. Instead of leaping into anxiety-producing activity, spend some time just imagining doing it. Instead of massive reform, take just the smallest steps toward your goals. Instead of biting off the big problems, nibble on the little ones.

Once you slip passed the fear with things so small they seem ridiculous, your brain, which enjoys problem solving, will take up the task. One small thing builds on another, your fear reduces as your familiarity grows, and change can occur with surprising speed.

Maurer provides several examples both on the personal and corporate levels. Some come from the experiences of his patients.

Maurer does not deny the value of innovation, major, sweeping, quick change. It is very difficult, but it sometimes works and is sometimes necessary. However, for many of the changes people want to make, particularly in their personal lives, small changes that stick are often the way to go, especially when our own brains can sabotage a major change.

Order this book here.

Weight Loss Links

As I previously mentioned, I’d like to lose a little weight and I’ve committed to one small change to move that direct. I try to find ideas and inspiration from many sources, and with that in mind, I’ve put together a list of weight loss related websites.

Amended Jan. 8, 2009

50 Million Pound Challenge
The Biggest Loser (NBC)
Health books
Joy’s Life Diet (Today Show)
Out-Weight-Loss Pablo Challenge (Mornings with Brant)