My Big Fat Greek Diet: How a 467-Pound Physician Hit His Ideal Weight and How You Can Too

For years,""Dr. Nick"" told his patients:""do as I say, not as I do."" As a morbidly obese physician who cared for the poor, he was known as the big man with the big heart. Inside, however, he was dying. He knew he needed to make a major change if he wanted to experience a long and happy life, free from humiliation and discomfort. But being more than 200 pounds overweight was a huge challenge. That's why Yphantides decided he had to get away from his normal life (and normal eating habits) and do something completely out of the ordinary. For eight months, he drove a Chevy conversion van across the United States, visiting every Major League baseball park while living off protein shakes and no-cal diet drinks alone. Yphantides, a huge baseball fan, saw this as the pilgrimage of a lifetime--and the only bearable way to make it months on end without eating any food. This account of his soul-searching trip is glowingly inspirational, and the book's""7 Pillars of Weight Loss"" provide a fresh perspective to the turbulent, confusing world of dieting. Dieting alone will never keep the weight off, he argues. It's an entire mindset--a way of life--that must be put into practice permanently. Even without his formidable 467 pounds, Yphantides comes off as a big, loveable guy; he feels like a friend from the moment the book begins, and anyone who's ever struggled with weight will relate to him immediately. His humble, honest story brings hope that losing weight is possible for anyone, even without risky major surgery or unsafe, appetite-suppressing drugs. Photos.