In a world where charlatans promise to fix the alarming obesity epidemic with a silver-bullet diet or trendy new exercise program, Robyn Toomath, a physician and realist, steps out of the fray to deliver some tough news: it's really hard to lose weight. Dispelling common myths and telling provocative truths about weight gain--and loss-- The Obesity Epidemic is an engaging investigation into the complicated factors that lead to obesity.

While genes certainly play a part, Toomath argues, more people are fat than ever before because most of us consume significantly more calories...