What I want to unlock in the fat mentality is how the patterns of overweight people differ so starkly from those of their slimmer counterparts. As a matter of fact, it is what drove me to research and produce this book. Time and time again I would see overweight people publicly displaying exactly how they got overweight in the first place. It was like clockwork, I would see overweight people making the same identical mistakes for everyone to see. Unfortunately, the mistakes they were sometimes making were so elusive that even they themselves had no idea what they were doing wrong.

An everyday habit is something so ingrained in our daily routines that it sometimes goes unnoticed to the point that it becomes a habit. In the realm of eating, these everyday habits can serve either a bane or benefit to our waistlines. Think back to what you consumed yesterday and consider all the ingredients in your food that you just HAD to have on them. Weather it is butter on your toast, cheese on your eggs, or cream in your coffee, these daily "must have" eating habits constitute a significant portion of the gross calories consumed each day. Significant to the point, that some of these food additions can add up to unwanted pounds in a hurry.

Here are some examples of everyday "small" additions to our food that can sometimes unknowingly destroy an otherwise healthy meal.

Cream in your coffee
Butter on your toast
Mayo on the sandwich
A can of soda with lunch
Sugar on your cereal
Cheese added to a meal
Two cocktails after work

These examples aren't to say that said items need to be avoided altogether, yet they need to be noticed. I will say this again to stress the importance of this point: You need to be fully mindful of every addition you make to your food so as to eliminate the un-needed fat and calories in otherwise unhealthy foods. This aspect of The Fat Mentality is one that will affect almost every dieter at one point or another, and it is crucial to break the cycle. So here is the rub: These unseen and un-noticed additions add up in exponential proportions and will eventually add up to unwanted pounds around your stomach.

Do the math, it is as simple as two multiplication problems. Here they are: Multiply The number of calories in your favorite (and usually unnecessary) food addition and multiply that number by 365(days in a year). This figure is the number of calories that are added to your total intake per year. Now take this figure (which is usually very large) and divide it by 3500(which is the total number of calories composing a pound of fat). This figure is the total weight, in Pounds, that will be added to your waistline if you consume these items above the amount of calories you already burn. Again here is an example of how we can do the math.

Lets say, for conversation sakes, that I wanted to add one slice of American cheddar cheese to my diet every day for a year. The cheese slice has about 70 calories, so lets do the math.

(70 calories in the cheese x 365 days in a year) = 25,550 (the total calories consumed in a year)

22,550 divided by 3,500(calories in a pound of fat) = 7.3 (total pounds of fat needed to be burned off per year on top of what is already consumed daily.)

These figures are astounding! Almost 7½ pounds of fat for a piece of cheese daily? Try this equation with your three favorite food additions and you may be surprised at what is going into your body on a daily basis. Are the two daily cans of Coca Cola really worth THAT much weight-gain? Do the math yourself and you will be amazed at what you can stand to lose.

I hate to write tips on how to count calories (as it has been done too many times before), but the illustrative purposes of this example are invaluable. Dwelling on the calorie content in every food you consume can become arduous and tiresome. Realistically, every calorie counting plan will fail in the long-run. Steer clear of over-using this method, yet be mindful of how your foods add up to fat.

As a second and more contentious point on The Fat Mentality, I want to look at how stubbornness in this area can send you into ruin. I see all too often an attitude of stubbornness in the mindsets of so many overweight people, to the point that I know for a fact that they will never succeed in losing weight. I hate to sound grim, but a stubborn person oftentimes can't possibly imagine leaving the oil, the sugar, and the cheese off the foods that are so dear to them. It as if they are so stalwart in their quest to gain weight and lead an unhealthy life that nothing will stop them. It's like a heavy smoker addicted to their beloved and deadly cigarettes….yet without the addiction. Food is NOT addictive, and those inept to change are simply falling victim to a stubborn rationality. This is The Fat Mentality at its finest once again…never yielding or breaking from a routine that will eventually prove harmful in the end. Don't be one of these people. Make small changes in your daily diet and enjoy a path toward a healthy lifestyle. It's so simple.