The reason you couldn't lose weight until now was that the present value of your long-term health is lower than the effort required to lose weight. In simple words: it's just too hard. There is no silver bullet that will reduce the effort. You know what you need to do to lose weight. The problem is that you lack motivation. The author of this book is not an expert on nutrition or physical training, but he is a researcher of motivation. He shows how to add external motivation enough to expend the effort required for losing weight, and how to turn that effort into habit such that you can sustain it for the rest of your life, eliminating the need for external motivation. The book is built upon numerous models and research in health, psychology, and economics, and told through the author's personal journey, through the stories of Alex, Valerie, Matthew, Don, Beth, and Joe, and through a survey of 222 participants. This second edition of the book adds a discussion of how can companies, insurance companies, and even governments motivate their employees, customers, and citizens to live healthy.