The author relates his journey from obese infant and child, through his struggle to lose the weight and emerge as a healthy young man.

Childhood obesity in the United States has tripled in a generation. But while debates continue over the content of school lunches and the dangers of fast food, we are just beginning to recognize the full extent of the long-term physical, psychological, and social problems that overweight children will endure throughout their lives. Most dramatically, children today have a shorter life expectancy than their parents, something never before seen in the course of human history. They will face more chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes that will further burden our healthcare system. Here, authors Jacob Warren and K. Bryant Smalley examine the full effects of childhood obesity and offer the provocative message that being overweight in youth is not a disease but the result of poor lifestyle choices. Theirs is a clarion call for parents to have "the talk" with their kids, which medical professionals say is a harder topic to address than sex or drugs. Urgent, timely, and authoritative, Always the Fat Kid delivers a message our society can no longer ignore.

In this outstanding, funny, and edgy debut, Going tells an engaging story of two unlikely friends who meet when a high-school dropout talks a boy out of suicide--and who ultimately save each other.

When Bill Baroni was just twenty years old, he was convinced he was dying. He thought he was having a heart attack because it felt like he had an elephant sitting on his chest. It turned out to be only indigestion, but more than that, it was the wake up call he needed to save his life. Bill weighed 320 pounds and was hooked on junk food. He set about to change his life forever, and now, in Fat Kid Gets Fit, he tells you everything you need to know to lose weight and more importantly, keep it off for the rest of your life. No, he’s not a doctor. Not a trainer. Not a salesman hawking gym equipment, vitamin supplements, or workout videos. He did not have gastric bypass surgery and he didn’t subscribe to the slimming grapefruit enema regimes used by Hollywood stars. He lost his weight using common sense. It took dedication, and even some gumption. But it worked! He lost 120 pounds and, more importantly, he has kept it off! He has maintained a healthy 185 pounds for fifteen years. At 6’5”, he is trim, handsome, and healthy. Bill is a man on a mission—to help get everyone fit, no matter what their story is.

Explains how to promote children's health, examines reasons for overweight youngsters, and offers easy-to-implement solutions that will get kids and parents in shape

Dr. Abramson, a leading expert on eating and weight disorders, offers parents 10 practical steps to help their children achieve a healthy weight without increasing the risk of an eating disorder.