Penn Jillette is nothing if not unconventional. As a magician, comedian, entertainer, and keen observer of the human condition, he is the first to cry, “Bulls#*t,” when it comes to fads and trends that have little to no basis in fact. That may be why this latest memoir is so surprising. Topping 330 pounds and diagnosed with high blood pressure, Jillette knew that he wanted to make it past his 60th birthday and watch his two children grow-up.
Presto! tells the story of how Jillette lost 100 pounds by following a diet designed by Ray “Crazy Ray” Cronise—a former NASA scientist and an unconventional personality in his own right.
Jillette describes how he used this “potato diet” developed by Cronise to change his body and mind. He tells how he survived performing his shows in Las Vegas, taking meetings with Hollywood executives, and hanging out with his friends and family all the while following this restrictive diet. He also intersperses his views on sex, religion, and pop culture using his quick wit and more than a few expletives throughout the book.
Presto! is informative, frank, and funny as hell!
Are your skinny jeans starting to feel a little snug? You don’t have the right clothes for the gym. You don’t do protein powders, wonderberries, or green tea. The idea of going without beer makes you weak in the knees. But there’s no denying you are one, fat hipster. Lucky for you, Martin Cizmar has come up with the least awful diet plan of all time, which he details in his book, Chubster: A Hispster's Guide to Losing Weight. His plan revolves around calorie counting (deal with it) and enjoyable undercover exercise (urban hiking). Martin gives you the tools to become a self-sufficient weight-loss machine capable of functioning in any environment. From frozen dinners to drive-through menus, from ethnic eating to microbrews, he’ll point you to the responsible choice, steer you clear of the real diet killers, and dispel some of the myths giving you the tire around your waist. Like, that Stella you’re holding? It has more calories than Guinness.