Big Problems: A Former Fat Guy's Look at Why We're Getting Fatter and What You Can Do to Fix It

by Andy Boyle

Overview

A smart, funny dive into the weight-loss industry, from a journalist on a quest to master healthy living

Like many of us, Andy Boyle struggled with his weight all his life. But it wasn't until one fateful pants-splitting incident that he realized he really ought to do something about it. Since then he has lost the weight. And put it back on. And lost it again. As he fumbled through his weight-loss journey, Andy learned the hard way that there's a difference between real, effective methods and the crap that big businesses are trying to sell you.

In Big Problems, Andy explores the reasons why we've gotten fat in the first place as well as real ways to lose those extra pounds. Through interviews with health experts, doctors, runners, bodybuilders and more, he unpacks the truths hidden beneath the hype, including:

Are superfoods really all that super?

Why the heck are you so hungry all the time?

Is it better to go for a run or lift weights?

Does dieting work? (Spoiler alert: No)

While he is by no means an expert, Andy Boyle's hands-on experience and insightful research cuts through the bullshit and gives it to you straight. This funny and useful book will have you lacing up your workout shoes and saying "no" to that second beer. (Well, maybe sometimes...)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780143133001
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/31/2020
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	1,149,374
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 5.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Andy Boyle is the author of Adulthood for Beginners and is an award-winning journalist, writer and technologist. A regular keynote speaker at workshops and conferences, his work has been on NBC News and in Esquire, the Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, The St. Petersburg Times, and The New York Times Regional Media Group, where a project of his was cited in the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News. A former adjunct instructor of Columbia College Chicago, Boyle is currently building and guiding major technology decisions at Axios, a digital media startup. He lives in Chicago with his fluffy cat.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 Andy Got Fat 7

2 How America-and the World-Got Fat 19

3 Marketing Your Health, or Big Wellness Takes Over 31

4 What Is Actually in Food, Anyway? 61

5 Your Body, Explained 85

6 How to Know if Someone Is Vegan (and Other Diets, Explained) 117

7 Exercise Is Important, but How Important, Really? 133

8 Mental Health and How It Impacts Your Weight (and Beyond!) 190

9 The How-To Part of the Book 214

Acknowledgments 251

Notes 253

About the Author 261

Editorial Reviews

"Andy Boyle strikes again! Big Problems is funny and accessible and ultimately inspiring."
—Michael Kruse, Senior Staff Writer for POLITICO and POLITICO Magazine

"Self-help books can be a drag — that's why Andy's book is so refreshing. The prose is crisp, fresh and funny, devoid of pretension and judgment. The encouraging and funny tone is a welcome counterpoint to similar guides that may leave us feeling failure rather than realizing our own strengths." — John Wenz, science journalist and author of The Lost Planets

"What diet trend has piqued your curiosity? Workout fad? However you want to tame your waistline — fasting, CrossFit, fat freezing — Andy's tried it. This book opened my eyes to the cultural, scientific and economic underpinnings behind why we eat the (generally crappy) way we do — and how all of us can pivot toward a healthier future." — Alex Richards, Pulitzer finalist and Syracuse University assistant journalism professor

From the Publisher