How to really lose weight without a crash diet

Finally, a sane and accessible book about how to lose weight!

"Real Weight Loss: a practical guide to changing your lifestyle and achieving long-term weight loss."

Going against the modern trend of promoting frantic, quick-fix pseudo-solutions to being overweight, Doug Sellman, Professor of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine at the University of Otago Christchurch has written a practical and personal approach to really losing weight, and keeping it off long term.

"When I finally came to my senses and realised I needed to do something about being overweight, I found myself surrounded by a weight-loss industry peddling nonsense solutions focussed on short-term weight loss rather than long term lifestyle change," says Professor Sellman.

"I felt there was a need for a common sense book focussed on health with understandable science in it."

The result is a revolutionary new book about losing weight slowly, and keeping it off for good. So what is different about Professor Sellman's approach? Drawing on his longstanding experience in the treatment of people with addictions he has distilled the key ingredients of a really successful weight loss approach.

"This is not a programme and it does not contain the 'D word', diet. It's all about five key principles as to how you can live well, eat nutritious food and slowly lose weight," he says.

Sellman says his five principles of healthy weight loss are:

* Take Control
* Get active
* Eat well
* Persist
* Enjoy life

These principles have been applied by Professor Sellman himself and they have worked. Over a period of five years he lost weight down to his goal, but importantly, maintained it there for the next three years while developing this practical guide to losing weight permanently through lifestyle change.

"Look, lifestyle change is difficult; but it's nearly impossible with the unrealistic timeframes people generally set themselves. Most people who are successful with long-term weight loss devise their own programme, but for those who want a step by step guide there is an appendix to the book which takes you through the next 2000+ days"

"Real Weight Loss" will be launched at the University of Otago, Christchurch on Thursday August 21 at 5.00 - 6pm. Copies will be on sale at the launch.

Emeritus Professor Don Beaven has written a stirring Foreword, giving an account of the ravages of obesity in the modern world and will say a few words at the launch.