Dr Peter Steidl has lived in Austria, Germany, the United Kingdom and Australia and has carried out assignments in 20 countries on five continents. He has an MBA and PhD from Vienna University.But it has been his work rather than his studies that have allowed him to gain insights into how people think, what they fear, and how they make decisions. Over the years he met with more than 20,000 people face-to-face in small discussion groups and in-depth interviews. He has spent time with home makers, students, unemployed people, professionals, entrepreneurs, unskilled workers, volunteers, managers, executives and board members; young and old people; people in developed and developing countries; men and women.Always interested in new experiences, he has been a Temporary Advisor to the World Health Organization, represented Australia at the European Center for Social Science Research and Documentation, represented Austria as Honorary Consul for South Australia and the Northern Territory, and served on government boards and committees as well as on the boards of not-for-profit organizations.Having been exposed to different cultures, people, situations and experiences, he realized that at the end of the day the vast majority of people struggle with the very same issues. Importantly, these issues are typically created by what we call progress - progress that has created a world that is very different to the one humans lived in for millions of years.

This rapid change in the environment, in the challenges we face, and the goals we set ourselves is creating problems because our brains are not designed to deal with them. Our brains have been fine-tuned over millions of years to survive in, and adapt to, a hostile physical environment, and much unhappiness, frustration, resignation and even ill-health stems from the dissonance between the way our brain works and the challenges we face in today's world. This book represents an attempt to explain why it is so difficult for so many people, who are clearly intelligent and committed, to lose weight, and to provide practical steps than can be taken to move towards a more satisfying and happier life by reaching and maintaining your Happy Weight.