No project of this magnitude could be developed without the help of many individuals. From Alyssa Fried at McGraw-Hill to my administrative assistants, Christine Rydelek and Sunny Falcone, my appreciation has no bounds. My wife, Carol, has endured my endless conversations on obesity and its impact on the health care system. My sons, Ben and Andrew, have seen their father obsessed with a topic that at times must have seemed overwhelming. I hope this book will serve as a resource for providers in all areas of medicine and allow them to gain understanding of the complexity of the issues and the need for expenditures of significant resources in the future.