Ultimate Weight Solution for Teens: The 7 Keys to Weight Freedom

Weight issues are one of the leading causes of teen depression.

Since you are reading the back of this book, I'm guessing that you picked it up because you relate, at least in some way, to some of the following statements:

I can't stand my body!
I don't know how to lose weight!
The other kids always make fun of me and call me fat!
I hate myself!

Well, I have some good news for you. Actually, I have some great news. By picking up this book, you have taken the first step to deciding to do something about your weight and your self-image. This book will give you the answers to the many problems that you have been facing. And it will give you a plan for dealing with those problems. And I will go through it all with you. Now get psyched! You are about to begin one of the most life-changing experiences of your life. -- JAY MCGRAW, FROM THE INTRODUCTION

As Jay McGraw says, The Ultimate Weight Solution for Teens is a book that will change lives. Weight issues are one of the leading causes of teen depression, and The Ultimate Weight Solution for Teens is being published at a time when weight is the top issue in so many teens' lives. Inspired by the enormous success of the #1 bestselling The Ultimate Weight Solution by Dr. Phil McGraw, Jay McGraw has written a book that deals with the specific issues teens face when it comes to weight matters. It's hard enough to be a teen, it's even harder to be an overweight teen. No one knows that better than the young people who suffer the teasing and name-calling that seem to resonate daily through their school halls. But what do you do when your friends are scarfing pizza and cheese fries and you're trying to lose weight? With this book, Jay addresses this and other problems in a way that they have never been addressed before -- in a way that actually works! Just as he did in his bestselling books Life Strategies for Teens and Closing the Gap, Jay talks directly to teens and young adults in a way to which they can relate. Jay gets it and he knows how to give it to them straight. The result is a book that can do what teens all over have been looking for -- a way to totally transform their bodies, minds, and lives.

The successful father and son franchise of Dr. Phil and Jay McGraw continues with The Ultimate Weight Solution for Teens. Here, Jay translates the seven keys that made Dad's diet book a mega seller into a smart, supportive teen manifesto for tackling unwanted pounds, body image problems and eating disorders. He uses examples and web postings drawn from his survey with 10,000 teenagers to underline a powerful message: "Weight is not about the size or your Levis or a number on the scale. It's about whether you use food to take care of your body or to abuse it." McGraw's approach is mind over milkshake, skewering the negative thoughts ("I can't have fun if I have to watch what I eat") that keep teens from experiencing "weight freedom." He examines self-defeating filters (denial, approval seeking , perfection, comparison)that distort a healthy approach to weight and also suggests a "peer and parent response plan" to avoid sabotage. He teaches how to scan the environment for eating cues. Even when McGraw rounds up the usual suspects--exercise and a sermon about sugar--he conveys a fresh and relevant message of self-knowledge. The wisdom of McGraw's approach to teen readers is this focus on thoughts and feelings, rather than on the third helping of pizza. --Barbara Mackoff