Book excerpt: Among the scores of diet books and media reports on the growing obesity epidemic in America, comes a no-nonsense approach to weight loss and long term weight maintenance. Obesity is a Self-Inflicted Wound - Stop Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork is a hard-hitting, take no prisoners response to the obesity challenge from a five foot, ten inch West Point graduate, who went from a lean 163 pounds to 210 in less than twenty months. The book describes his personal journey from here to obesity and back. How he allowed his weight to get out of control and the short term tactical plan that took the weight off and the long term strategy that has kept it off for more than 50 years. He challenges you to take charge of your life without reliance on pills, creams, lotions, risky surgery and a multitude of other non-effective programs. The book also addresses the scope and magnitude of the obesity epidemic, confusing and conflicting standards that define overweight and obesity, the multi-billion diet industry with a vested interest in a continuing supply of fat people and the increasing role of federal, state and local governments in the "war on obesity".