Chris Downie - The Spark: The 28-Day Breakthrough Plan for Losing Weight, Getting Fit, and Transforming Your Life

Praise for THE SPARK

I love that Chris cares so much about helping people. His honesty
andThe Sparks no-nonsense approach make taking control of your
life and achieving your weight management goals seem easy.

Lisa Lillien,New York Times best-selling author
and creator of the Hungry Girl brand

How do you ignite the spark to lose weight?How do you keep that spark
going so you can keep the weight off? This terrific book educates you and
just as importantlymotivates you to eat and exercise in a healthy and
sane manner that you can keep up to become healthier, fitter, and thinner.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., author of The Beck Diet Solution:
Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person

Chris Downie is Sparking a revolution of lifestyle transformation.The Spark
is a royal win-win. The book lays down the blueprint for healthy living and the
Website provides an easy way for people everywhere to connect with likeminded folks.
Downies passionate message is inspiring a growing, vibrant community of millions
of Americans to use their newfound health and fitness to achieve lifelong dreams.

Pam Peeke, M.D., MPH, FACP, Chief Medical Correspondent for the Discovery
Health Channel and author of Fight Fat after Forty, Body for Life for Women, and Fit to Live

The Sparkstrips away all the diet fads and baffling jargon to tell you what you really
need to know about getting healthy. With sound advice, simple plans, and jaw-dropping
before-and-after photos,The Sparkwill help you spark a revolution in your own life.

Shauna Reid, author of The Amazing Adventures of DietGirl

The SparkPeople program has had such great success because its a
sustainable solution that works over time. There is great magic in this approach.

Dave Ellis, RD, CSCS, one of Americas top sports nutrition experts; client teams
include winners of Super Bowls, the World Series, and college National Championships

Everyone has the opportunity to make a difference in the world. This book is a great start to make a difference for yourself and everyone around you.

Jeff Skoll, founder & chairman of Participant Media and the
Skoll Foundation, and first full-time employee and former president of eBay

The Sparkis more than just another diet bookit provides a roadmap to
a transformative health experience. It hits all the core elements of a healthy lifestyle and
does so with energy, vigor and a true sense of optimism that comes through on every page.

Martin Binks, Ph.D., clinical director & CEO, Binks Behavioral Health, assistant
consulting professor at Duke University Medical Center, and author of The Duke Diet

This is an inspirational account of how one man started a dynamic movement
which is helping people around the world fulfill a fundamental human longingto
achieve a healthy life within a supportive community of peers. More than a feel-good story,
The Sparkshows you how to harness positive thinking, implement sensible plans, and
join a vibrant community. As a physician and researcher focusing on weight management,
Im thrilled to have this tool as a complement to the SparkPeople.com community.

Kevin O Hwang, M.D., MPH, assistant professor of internal
medicine, research scientist, and weight management specialist
at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston

The 28-Day Breakthrough Plan for Losing Weight,
Get ting Fit, and Transforming Your Life

CHRIS DOWNIE

(a.k.a. SparkGuy)
Founder, CEO, and Motivation Expert
Along with the SparkPeople Experts and Members
Over Five Million Strong

HAY HOUSE, INC.
Carlsbad, California New York City
London Sydney Johannesburg
Vancouver Hong Kong New Delhi

Copyright 2009 by SparkPeople, Inc.

Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast: www.raincoast.com Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Design: Tricia Breidenthal

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviewswithout prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Downie, Chris.

The spark: the 28-day breakthrough plan for losing weight, getting fit, and transforming your life / Chris Downie. -- 1st ed.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4019-2645-8 (hardcover: alk. paper) 1. Weight loss. 2. Physical fitness. 3. Health. I. Title.

RM222.2.D678 2010

613.25--dc22

2009037769

ISBN:978-1-4019-2645-8

12 11 10 09 4 3 2 1

1st edition, December 2009

Printed in the United States of America

F or the millions of people turning SparkPeople into a grassroots movement by reaching goals, helping others reach goals, and spreading the spark to more people. I hope this book does justice in bringing alive your passion and enthusiasm for making life an adventure!

CONTENTS

The Spark Promise: More Than a Diet

A revolution is taking placea community movement of millions of people discovering a new way of living and thinking about their weight, their health, and their lives. They are embarking on a journey with a proven system that builds confidence, supports personal growth, and inspires weight loss. And they are reaping great benefits, such as higher levels of happiness, more energy, improved health, the desire and ability to reach new goals, and increased connections with other people.

The old method of punitive dieting simply does not work. Complicated fads, rigid protocols, and a focus on deprivation lead to failure, as millions of yo-yo dieters can attest. But at SparkPeople the revolution is building. People are living better lives, making healthy choices, feeling great, losing weight, and keeping it off.

And their numbers are growing at an astounding rate. Every month, over four million people visit the SparkPeople Websites. And they are so passionate about their experiences that they are spreading the word, recommending the program to friends and family. In fact, 175,000 new members join SparkPeople each monththats almost 6,000 per day, or 4 people every single minute of every single day.