About the Authors
Brian K. Davidson is the coauthor of Weight Loss Surgery For Dummies. He
has been featured on television, spoken at various industry events, and
consulted with hundreds of leading industry professionals and patients. He is
a passionate advocate of improving obesity awareness and increasing public
education for this devastating disease. Brian lives in Connecticut and is the
proud father of his daughter, Grace, and son, Riley.Chef Dave Fouts received his culinary degree in 1994 from the Florida
Culinary Institute in sunny West Palm Beach, Florida. Soon thereafter he was
hired by the prestigious AAA Five-Diamond Award–winning hotel The
Breakers in Palm Beach, where he worked for several years. Other professional
appointments included director of food services at Hippocrates Health
Institute, one of the premier vegan/vegetarian resorts in South Florida;
executive chef for Omni Hotels; and personal chef for a wonderful family in
Naples, Florida. In 2008, Chef Dave joined talents with Vicki Bovee, MS, RD/
LD, and started Simply Smart Food, Inc. Currently Simply Smart Food, Inc., is
serving as a consultant for Obesity Help, Inc. and JourneyLite, a subsidiary of
ASCIRA LLC. Chef Dave is the creator of the Simply Smart Food pilot program
which is being hailed a success in the Edmond Public School District for
eliminating processed foods and bringing from-scratch cooking back to the
schools.Over the last several years, Chef Dave has written, contributed, and advised
on several editorial boards for publications throughout the country. Chef
Dave is the exclusive chef for WLS Lifestyles magazine and food columnist for
the Edmond Sun. Chef Dave’s cookbook 90 Ways to Ditch Your Diet was
released in January 2009 and a revised edition, Ditch Your Diet in 30 Days,
was published in 2010.These days, you can find Chef Dave lecturing and performing cooking seminars
across the country. He advises on food and product developing teams for
companies such as Keebler, Uncle Ben’s, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and many
others. In addition, Chef Dave is on the advisory board for WLS Lifestyles and
Obesity Action Coalition. In 2009 he was featured on the front cover of WLS
Lifestyles magazine. Besides his national speaking engagements, Chef Dave is
proud to say he is kept very busy in Edmond, Oklahoma, where he lives with
his lovely wife and two children. He is actively involved in his community and
work, and enjoys leisure and travel time with his family.Karen Meyers, MS, RD/LD is a registered, licensed dietitian, certified per-
sonal trainer through the American Council on Exercise, and certified
Wellcoach. She is an honors graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma
with a bachelors’ degree and a master’s of science degree in nutrition and
food management. Karen teaches nutrition on the college level and has exten-
sive clinical and bariatric experience both in clinical and outpatient settings.01_640180-ffirs.indd iii01_640180-ffirs.indd iii 8/27/10 10:36 PM8/27/10 10:36 PM