Book excerpt: Fat from an early age, the author had an obese adolescence that last into his 30s. Despite having lost more than 130 pounds three times, he weighed 365 in October 1991, when he began accepting that he might be a food addict, and undertaking the practices and treatments designed for alcoholics. "Fat Boy Thin Man" relates what it was like to grow up fat, what it was like to experience reliable improvement in his health and lifestyle, and what about his experience relates to others. The second line of his book assures readers he isn't a guru; he shares what was shared with him by others. "Fat Boy Thin Man" will delight readers who enjoy humorous, engaging, real-life stories of redemption. But it will also serve readers who suffer, or whose loved ones suffer, with obesity that they have tried and failed to resolve repeatedly.