Nick Pettazzoni

This is not your typical “how to lose weight” self-help book that's more about selling copies in airports than accomplishing it. This is a guy who actually did the damn thing, and this book is exactly an explanation of how. It doesn't promise a One Weird Trick that solves your problems without having to do anything, and it doesn't spend 300 pages trying to legitimize the latest fad and explain how this time, this system is really the one that'll work (as long as you buy the whole book series). It's totally honest and straightforward about the real challenges and how he overcame them without being prescriptive. The minute details of what to eat and how to exercise aren't important as much as understanding the reasons why you're doing those things and finding the ways to do them that actually meet those goals. It's almost as impressive in its simplicity as it is in its effectiveness, showing you what an incredible accomplishment the author has achieved while also making you really, truly believe that you can absolutely do this thing too.