After 14 years as a family practitioner, Dr. Lisa Clark began to see a pattern with her patients.
"I noticed there was a dire need of weight-loss management education," the Destin doctor said. "So many patients were looking for the easy weight-loss solution and there aren't any."
It was eight years ago that Clark first started to write her notes and tips for patients in the form of a handbook. After years of adding and editing the handbook, she has expanded it into a published book, "Lighten Up America: Odds and Not So Fat Ends of Weight Management," which is available through major online book retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
"This isn't a diet book," Clark says firmly. "I'm not here to sell potions and drinks, because it doesn't work."
When it comes to losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight, Clark says there is no easy way out.
"Tracking calories is so important," she said. "And there's no way to lose weight without exercise. Typically, you have to do both."
Clark wasn't solely inspired by her patients to write a weight-loss book. Having kids, not to mention her own medical practice, life often got in the way of healthy habits.
"After my second kid I was 190-pounds and I thought to myself, 'This is not good,'" she told The Log.
Setting a good example for her children, Clark began to look closer at her health and with her book, hopes that patients will do the same.
"I think about it all the time," Clark said, referring to America's obesity epidemic. "If you don't get active, your kids aren't going to be active."
Clark says men and women of all ages can learn something new from “Lighten up America.”
"There's a chapter for everyone, from post-partum depression to menopause to teens and weight management," she said. "It's a very easy, quick read. I had three requirements — that it be educational, motivational and funny."
Clark herself is lighthearted and entertaining, a trait she feels is missing from most health and wellness guides.
"No question this may be a first of its kind," she said of her book.
In the age of celebrity doctors such as Dr. Oz and Deepak Chopra, Clark is learning to brand herself and stay connected to patients via social media. She also plans on writing more books.
"I already have the Facebook page set up and eventually I'll set up a blog and Twitter," she said. "My 16-year-old son is having to teach me how to use them."
Learn more about "Lighten Up America" and Dr. Clark on Facebook.