Until last year, Dr. John Dedousis, Jr., M.D. had very little time to actually write a book. As the medical staff president at Bayonne Medical Center until its sale in February, and with his private practices on Kennedy Boulevard in Bayonne, Dedousis was a very busy doctor.
Yet a book percolated inside of him, partly because as he treated patients for a variety of ailments associated with weight. He saw patterns of behavior he knew he needed to document.
So he kept very close notes and eventually, when time permitted, he was able to come out with his book, “Fat, Fat, Get Rid of That: The Focus Diet.”
Book signing
Dr. Dedousis will sign books at Unique Books on June 28 starting at about 1 p.m.
A graduate of Ross University and the University of Dominica, Dedousis practices internal medicine and serves as a diplomat on the American Board of Internal Medicine. His practice often deals with the management of obesity.
“I saw a need for this,” he said. “While I was treating people, I saw some interesting things. Some of my patients were very successful in keeping the weight off, while others gained the weight back. I noticed that there were certain characteristics, traits in those who were successful.”
Through careful observation, Dedousis documented those traits and eventually realized that other people could develop successful strategies for dealing with weight loss.
“It’s a mindset,” he said. “There are millions of diets and all of them work. But most people never develop the mind set necessary to get the long lasting outcome.”
Most diets teach a process that allows people to lose weight short term, but not the strategies needed to keep the weight off. By following a guideline of points to focus on, his book, Dedousis said, will give people inspiration and help them lose weight long term.
“Weigh loss is a life long commitment,” he said.
Sixty percent of the population in the United States is overweight, and 35 percent are considered obese, he said. “Unfortunately, diseases like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes are growing because of our weight,” he said. “Teaching my patients the process of weight loss, I have learned why other diets fail and what is needed to achieve success.”
During his appearance at Unique Books, Dr. Dedousis will take questions and talk with people about the strategies found in his book.
The book is more than a diet book. It talks about why people are overweight, why other diets fail, and how to develop reasons and inspiration to lose weight.
“The important thing to remember is that this rapid rise in obesity has been occurring as Americans pour hundreds of millions of dollars into diet plans,” Dedousis said in his book. “Jennie Craig, Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, Atkins, South Beach, infomercials, and herbal products are just some of the diets being consumed by the public. Think of all the books on weight loss in the bookstores. This is such a big business that some of these companies are traded on stock exchanges as public companies. For as good as these products are, we keep right on gaining weight.”
His book discusses setting goals and the steps necessary for achieving them. He also goes into eating habits that help lose weight and keep weight off, as well as the use of exercise, and how dietary supplements and medications affect you.
“Many people eat when they are stressed, upset, angry, nervous, or have feelings of inadequacy,” he wrote in the book. “They feel that eating relieves this negativity in their life and brings them pleasure. The food is their comfort and therapy. Having this association has taken you down the wrong road. It may have given you some temporary solace, but ultimately it has taken you to a place you don’t want to be.”