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stress-filled day with a whiskey or two. I paid a big price for this behavior: a cholesterol level of 335 milligrams per deciliter, 50 pounds of excess body fat, major abdominal surgery, and a debilitating stroke, all before the age of 25.
     
    I realize most people are not as excessive as I am. But most do allow at least one of these overindulgences in their lives, and for many, that one extravagance is unending forkfuls of rich foods. For passionate people like us, any attempt at moderation results in continued dependence and recurring failures.
     
    The phrase “everything in moderation” has been preached through much of human history. It didn’t work in times past and it doesn’t work for most people today. Have you ever met a smoker who quit by cutting down? An alcoholic who sobered up by switching to beer, or having justone drink a day? Westerners are addicted to their steaks, cheeses, and pies. Teasing us with a little bit of our most tempting vices is not a viable solution. Cutting down on the portion size of fried chicken, gravy, biscuits, and ice cream is slow torture for most, and is one of the primary reasons diets fail.
     
    The startling observation that almost all people in Western societies are fat and/or sick with diseases that will wreck and shorten their lives should have health professionals up in arms, demanding an immediate and complete end to this senseless suffering, regardless of the expense and effort. Instead, the loss of a father or husband to a heart attack, the loss of a mother’s breast to cancer, the blinding of a friend from diabetes are accepted consequences of our birthright to eat like aristocrats. To mitigate these food-induced tragedies, we are told to eat a little less of the same things.
     
    Throughout my life I have been enthusiastic about everything: schoolwork, hobbies, sports. I was born that way, and scientific research establishes that, like the color of our eyes and hair, our personality traits are determined in part by genetics. 22 , 23 Early life experiences fostered my exuberant nature. So now, even if I wanted to, I could not become a moderate person. Still, I love life and do not want my high-spirited personality to kill me, as it almost did in my youth. This is one reason that motivated me to discover a solution that works.
     
    I now direct that forceful energy toward supportive behaviors rather than destructive ones. I have learned to love healthy foods and I eat them without reservation. Windsurfing is one of my passions, and I eagerly anticipate long walks carrying my youngest grandson in a backpack. My favorite drink is sparkling water—I drink a lot of it. In short, there is no limit to the good things I passionately pursue in life.
     
    Excess and health need not be mutually exclusive, so long as you take a little time to learn which excesses are health enhancing rather than destructive. The Irish poet and dramatist Oscar Wilde once said, “Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.” I encourage you to take these words to heart and live life enthusiastically, with health-supporting behaviors.
     
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S TAR M C D OUGALLER:

Cloudy Rockwell, Director of Finance and Administration, Palmer, Alaska
     

     

     
    I have been heavy most of my life, but until Ibegan this way of eating, Idid not realize that I had been obese for almost all of my adult life. I did Weight Watchers twice, the Fit for Life diet of the mid-80s; Itried the South Beach Diet and many others. Iwas losing no significant amounts of weight, even after being very compliant, and gaining it all back each time. Iknow better than to fail like that! I’m a smart, educated woman; what is the matter with me?
     
    In late 2009, I turned 60. I began to really suffer the effects of being nearly 100 pounds too heavy for my 5-foot-3 frame. My right hip and right knee began to hurt and give way at random times. I could not do cleaning that involved getting on the floor, and changing bed