One Foot in Front of the Other: A Man’s Journey Away from Obesity

Andrew Leon LeClair and Angel Logan
XLibris (2010)
ISBN 9781450058308
Reviewed by Marty Shaw for Reader Views (07/10)


“One Foot in Front of the Other” is not the type of weight loss book that will give you a list of rules or routines to follow, but this biography of one man’s journey will show you how he transformed himself from a ‘big-boned’ child into a healthy man who completed the Boston Marathon in his forties, and he shows that anyone can share a similar journey by revealing that he’s just an ordinary man living an ordinary life.

Andrew starts with a brief glimpse into the lives of his grandparents, showing how his parents became the people they were. His parents, in turn, had a profound effect on the type of person he and his brothers would grow up to be. A rough childhood set Andrew on the road to obesity when he learned that, rather than facing his pain and fear; he could “self-medicate” his emotional injuries with Twinkies and other “yummy treats.” This form of ‘self-medication’ continued even after Andrew realized his dietary habits were having an adverse effect on his body; deciding that something had to be done only after he tipped the scales at three-hundred pounds while still in college.

Feeling a burning desire to become one of the “beautiful people,” Andrew bypassed conventional diets and workout routines in favor of undergoing gastric bypass surgery, and this is where the book really starts to shine. People who consider this surgical procedure as a quick weight loss program will have their eyes opened when they discover the drastic steps and changes that have to be made in order to live successfully with this procedure. From a radical change in diet and the way meals are eaten to the follow-up surgeries that take place years later, Andrew shows us that gastric bypass surgery comes with its own unique challenges and, as he mentions at one point, you still weigh the same after the surgery as you did before; the actual weight loss is up to you.

Andrew is a fun and witty person, and his personality shines throughout the entire book “One Foot in Front of the Other.” From his humble beginnings to his globe-spanning career, he maintains a down-to-earth personality that’s hard to resist. His life in his words is entertaining, inspiring, and educational.

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