Change the world? Change yourself? Many people would respond, "I wish I could." For his first three decades, author, journalist, and speaker Michael Prager certainly would have said it, if he could have stopped thinking about himself long enough to consider the world. At age 33, he not only weighed 365 pounds, he was angry, lonely, and had been demoted from a high-ranking job because he wouldn't play nice with others.

Then, via interventions from a supervisor, colleagues, friends, and family, he began to consider that he might not have all the answers, that he might not only want but need the love and support of others, that though overweight was a problem, it wasn't *the* problem. Helped by clinicians and supported by community, he moved toward deep change and life flowered.

Today, he's sustaining a 155-pound loss for more than 20 years. He found a loving spouse, and together they're building a family. He found redemption is his field of newspapers, rising to become a section editor at the Boston Globe, and then left the business to publish "Fat Boy Thin Man," his first book.

He has since moved a step away from obesity, dieting, and food topics, to share the attitudes, ideas, and motivation that lead to sustainable change. You've heard about the global sustainability movement? This is the personal sustainability movement.