The Ultimate Weight Solution

Dr. Phil offers his trademark no-nonsense advice to help readers work on internal and external barriers to weight loss, teaching readers how to set up a "no-fail" environment to lose weight. While Dr. Phil is great at the behavioral side of weight loss, the information on exercise and eating are nothing spectacular.

In his book, Dr. Phil reveals 7 keys to losing weight. His focus is on changing your lifestyle from the "inside out." First, you work on thinking and emotions--the thoughts and feelings that drive you to make unhealthy choices. The interactive quizzes and charts help you track the thoughts and behaviors that lead to overeating and weight gain. Next, you work on your external world--setting up a healthy environment by getting rid of tempting foods. You'll then focus on eating habits, impulse eating, nutrition, setting up an exercise program and, finally, setting up a support system. To give him credit, he is careful to emphasize that he isn't trying to reinvent the wheel, which is obvious when you get to the chapters on exercise and impulse eating. He goes through the basics, offering advice and information you've heard many times before. This is the major criticism against his book: that he covers old ground, offering nothing new. While that's true, his information on behavior and 'right thinking' may be helpful for people who overeat for emotional reasons. It may not blow you away, but Dr. Phil provides a sensible guide for restructuring lifestyles and habits to make room for healthy eating and exercise. While this may be the same old thing repackaged in Dr. Phil's blunt, 'wake-up call' style, he does offer a sensible approach to losing weight rather than a restrictive program no one can follow. Like anything, however, it won't work unless you're ready to lose the weight.