Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Dr. Frank, I have tried every diet plan known to man or woman, and I really feel like I gave it my best shot. Yet I'm still struggling and failing. What's going on?

A: Believe me, I know exactly how frustrated you are. But no amount of doing what doesn't work can ever bring you success. And the plain truth is that diets just don't work.

As you read this page, it will become very clear to you why your diets have always failed. But more importantly, you'll find out what does work -- and why.

You'll also learn about some groundbreaking new research discoveries, and how the "missing link" in weight loss success has been identified at last. Then you'll understand why The Permanent Solution can bring you success, no matter how many times you've failed before!

Q2: Just about every weight loss plan I've ever seen is based on making changes in my diet. Why does The Permanent Solution take such a different approach?

A: Extensive clinical research has now made it clear that dieting is not the way to achieve lasting weight loss success. Instead, the real cause of virtually all weight problems is found in what we think, not in what we eat. That's why central focus of The Permanent Solution is on changing your mind -- not your diet.

Unfortunately, after a lifetime of exposure to the hype and wild claims of the $50+ billion Diet Industry, we have literally been brainwashed to think "dieting" when we think about weight loss. But let's face it. If diets really worked, would you be reading this right now?

The Permanent Solution was created specifically because diet and exercise based weight-loss programs have such a miserable track record. And the results of this new approach have been truly dramatic. People who have struggled and failed for years -- or decades -- are finally able to enjoy the kind of lasting weight loss success they had once only dreamed about!

Q3: So are you saying that NO diet program can bring me lasting weight loss success?

A: That's exactly right. But it's not just what I'm saying. It's what the research shows as well. (Please see Question 6 for more details.) My many years of experience with coaching clients simply confirms what the researchers have discovered to be true.

My clients have probably tried every diet and weight loss plan on the planet. But they all discovered (as you may have) that diets just don't work. And that's just one more reason why The Permanent Solution is not a diet plan.

Q4: So what is this program all about? How is it really different? What makes it better or more effective than any other weight loss program?

A: There are five major reasons why The Permanent Solution is more effective than diet or exercise-based programs.

Reason #1: The Permanent Solution is the product of groundbreaking new discoveries resulting from decades of clinical research -- not Diet Industry hype. And those new discoveries provided the powerful insights that, in turn, have made this program so much more effective than dieting.

Reason #2: Instead of merely "attacking symptoms" (like all diet-based programs do), The Permanent Solution actually solves your weight problem once and for all -- at its root. (Questions 6 through 8 explain why this is your vital key to lasting success.)

Reason #3: The Permanent Solution has a proven track record of creating Success Stories -- real people who get to their healthiest weigh and stay there. (To read dozens of testimonials from Success Stories, program owners, and coaching clients, please click here.)

Reason #4: For the first time ever, you'll have a chance to use all of your personal resources. Instead of being limited to the Diet Industry's "body-only" approach, you will now use your mind (and even your spirit, if you wish), to finally solve your weight problem once and for all. So now, instead of using just 1/3 of your resources, you can use all of your personal power! (Please see Question 10 for more details.)

Reason #5: And in addition to all of the above, you also get extensive real-time support as part of The Permanent Solution, including a live phone-based tele-seminar with me every single week and continuous email support. (Please see Question 20 for more details.)

Any one of those five reasons would make The Permanent Solution more powerful than a diet plan. All five of them together give you the most effective weight loss program ever created!

Q5: What qualifies you as a weight loss expert, Dr. Frank? What are your credentials?

A: I have spent the past 30 years studying the science of human behavior change. In addition to my graduate degrees in clinical psychology and theology, I have also worked as a licensed psychotherapist. But those are just my "formal" qualifications. My real expertise in creating weight loss Success Stories comes from three decades of personal, hands-on experience.

Not only have I spent plenty of time on both sides of the therapist's desk, but I have also participated in and led countless workshops and seminars related to self-improvement and life-enhancement. More than anything else, it has been these decades of personal experience that taught me how our mind determines the condition of our lives -- and the shape of our bodies.

And I know for a fact that when we make positive changes on the inside, they show up on the outside as surely as day follows night, in the form of healthier bodies, and happier lives!

Q6: But being overweight really seems to be a physical problem? So how can simply "changing my thinking" make me lose weight for good?

A: A major clinical research project recently analyzed the results of 47 separate clinical weight loss studies involving more than 14,760 individuals, and made several eye-opening discoveries. The most important discovery to come out of all this research was the weight loss "Recipe For Success."

The researchers found that approximately 20-25% of weight loss success comes from eating the right foods (for you) in the right amounts, and another 10-15% of success is the result of getting appropriate (for you) exercise.

But an astonishing 60-70% of your success depends on correcting the "hidden root cause" of your weight problem. What is this "hidden root cause" that plays a more powerful role in weight loss success than diet and exercise combined? It's your own thinking!

What does this remarkable discovery really mean? It means that, even if you had the world's best diet and exercise program, you'd still only have a fraction of the solution. One researcher summed up the problem this way:

"Trying to lose weight through diet and exercise is like trying to get rid ofdandelions with a lawn mower. You may get some temporary results, but until yousolve your problem at its root, it just keeps coming back -- bigger every year!"

Sound familiar?

Q7: OK, but even if accept that my thinking is the real, root cause of my weight problem, what can I do about it? I mean, how am I supposed to fix my own thinking?

A: This is really the key to success. The research revealed that people who consistently struggled and failed at weight loss had certain "self-sabotaging beliefs" that were *invisibly* keeping them from succeeding, no matter how hard they tried.

On the other hand, people who got to their healthiest weight and stayed there were found to have "self supportive" beliefs. So it turns out that the single most important factor in determining weight loss success -- or failure -- is the quality of our own beliefs!

If our deeper beliefs are sabotaging our conscious desire to lose weight, we will almost certainly fail. But when our own true beliefs are supporting us, we're virtually assured of success!

Now the weight loss mystery is finally solved. Now, at last, we have the "missing ingredient" in weight loss success. Now we know that our thinking -- not our diet -- is the key to real success.

And now we know that the only reliable way to achieve lasting weight loss success is to identify and correct the self-sabotaging beliefs that are the real, root cause of our weight problem.

In fact, the mental component of weight loss is SO important to lasting success that the physical result -- losing your unwanted pounds -- is actually just a "side effect" of correcting your self-sabotaging thinking! There are so many other benefits that you literally wouldn't believe them.

Q8: So then, do we just forget about diet and exercise?

A: No, absolutely not. They both have a role to play in weight-loss success. But now we understand that it's a secondary role.

You see, good nutrition and healthy exercise will always be important. But as long as your own self-sabotaging beliefs remain uncorrected, no amount of fussing with diet or exercise can ever bring you lasting success. That's why The Permanent Solution is so strongly focused on what you're thinking -- not what you're eating.

Q9: Well if my self-sabotaging beliefs are really so important, how come I'm not even aware of them?

A: Excellent question, and the answer is in two parts. First, many of our self-sabotaging beliefs operate at an unconscious level. We don't even know they exist, so we're simply not *aware* of how they're influencing our behavior.

But most self-sabotaging beliefs are just operating "below our radar." They're right "in front of our noses," yet we can't even spot them. The Permanent Solution helps you clearly identify your own self-sabotaging thinking, and then replace it with thinking that will support you!

Q10: You say the diet & exercise approach just "attacks the symptoms" of my weight problem, but leaves the real, root cause unchanged. What does that actually mean?

A: We now know that your own self-sabotaging thinking is the real, root cause of your weight problem. So if you only focus on making changes on the physical level (in diet and exercise), then you never deal with the real problem -- your own thinking.

Instead of solving your problem at its root, you're merely "attacking your symptoms" -- the unwanted pounds you see in the mirror. That's why, instead of wasting your precious time and energy attacking symptoms, The Permanent Solution lets you solve your problem at its root.

Q11: I have heard that weight-reduction surgery is the only permanent solution to my weight problem. Are you saying this isn't true?

A: That's an extremely important question! Before you even think about undergoing weight reduction surgery, you need to understand that it's really just another attempt to solve through physical means what is not a physical problem -- just another form of attacking symptoms without ever solving the problem.

You also need to know that virtually everyone who submits to weight reduction surgery does lose some weight initially, but gains every bit of it back -- or more! -- within three to five years.

Why? By now, you know. Since they have only dealt with the symptom of their problem (their overweight body), the real problem (their own self-sabotaging thinking and the unhealthy eating it leads to) is still there. And even though parts of their bodies have been hacked off, they are still doing the same kind of unhealthy eating they have always done -- and for all the same (non-physical) reasons.

But on top of that, they now have a whole raft of additional health problems to deal with. Are you really prepared for that? If not, please do a whole lot of research first!

Q12: So are you saying that The Permanent Solution program is actually more effective than drugs, pills, dieting, and even surgery?

A: Yes! And not only is it much more effective, it's a whole lot safer as well! You simply can't solve through physical methods (like dieting or surgery) what is really a nonphysical problem. No amount of changing your diet can solve your problem when the real cause of your problem is between your ears!

On the other hand, if you will focus on correcting the self-sabotaging beliefs that are the real cause of your problem, you will eliminate your problem at its source -- and you'll have a truly permanent solution! Doesn't that just make sense?

Again, it's not that diet and exercise are unimportant. But they are only a fraction of the total solution. You must also get your mind involved in the success process, by eliminating your self-sabotaging thinking.

And if you'd like to get your spirit involved as well, you'll be using all of your resources. Why is that important? Because bringing all your resources to the table is the best way to get control over what's on the table!

Q13: How much weight can I expect to lose if I follow your program and personal recommendations very closely?

A: The Permanent Solution program is specifically designed to help you get to your healthiest weight. So how much weight you can expect to lose really depends on how far you are from your healthy weight right now.

But keeping it off is even more important than losing it, and there's a very good reason why "permanent" is this program's middle name. With the Permanent Solution, you will get to your healthiest weight -- whatever it may be -- and you will stay there.

And that's the kind of success that really matters, isn't it?

Q14: I don't necessarily want to lose weight, I just want to get more firm and toned. Will you program still work for me?

A: Losing weight, getting more toned, firm, defined, etc, are really all the same thing. With each of these, your goal is really to lose fat. By "losing weight," I really mean "losing your unwanted weight -- your fat."

No one wants to lose muscle. It's only the fat we want to lose. And when you lose fat, you become more "defined, "tone", and "firm." The Permanent Solution will change your thinking so that you do lose fat weight, and therefore get more toned and defined.

Q15: Will the Success Exercises in this program help me with my diet and exercise routine, or are they only designed to improve my thinking and beliefs?

A: There will be some attention to diet and exercise, but please understand that this is not the primary focus of The Permanent Solution. Most of the Success Exercises in this program are focused on correcting your thinking -- on finding and "fixing" the self-sabotaging beliefs that are the real cause of your weight problem.

The truth is, there are lots of places you can go to get great information about diet and exercise. And if you want my honest recommendation on the best diet or exercise program for you, I'll be happy to refer you to what I believe are the best resources to help you achieve your goals.

Again, please understand that The Permanent Solution program is so effective precisely because it's not focused on diet and exercise, but on making changes where it matters most -- in your thinking. To the best of my knowledge, there is only one place you can go to learn how to do that. And you're already here!

But no matter what diet or exercise program you use, The Permanent Solution is the perfect compliment to it. You'll finally have all the ingredients for a complete weight loss solution!

Q16: I have trouble with binge and emotional eating. Will your program help me with these problems?

A: It sure will! Virtually all of my coaching clients have a history of problems with either binge eating or emotional eating -- and often with both issues, since they are closely related. That's why both are dealt with in The Permanent Solution.

As I'm sure you now understand, no diet plan can solve your emotional eating and binge eating issues. Here more than anywhere, it's clear that the only real solution is to improve your thinking, not your diet. And I hope it's just as clear that the only lasting solution is to find and correct your own self-sabotaging beliefs -- and that's what The Permanent Solution is all about!

Q17: Eating right and exercising already takes up a lot my "free time." How much of a time commitment is your program?

A: It would be ideal if you could devote 30 minutes twice a week to personal, one-on-one "face" time with this program. It will also be very beneficial for you to participate in the weekly phone tele-seminar, which runs about an hour.

So all together, you should figure on investing roughly two hours a week toward your success. That's really quite a small investment, considering that the benefits you reap will last you for the rest of your life!

But you bring up another very important issue here. If you really do feel like you don't have enough free time in your life for the things that are important, there's a good chance that's part of the reason you're still struggling at weight loss!

This is actually a very widespread problem in our culture. That's why The Permanent Solution will also help you see how -- and why -- you need to start creating time in your life for you!

Q18: So if my "thinking" is really so important, does will power play a major role in success? Could my real problem be that I just don't have enough willpower?

A: No, but that's a great question. It's really important to understand why "will power" is not the key to weight loss success. Relying on will power is really just an attempt to overpower your own self-sabotaging beliefs. And as you may already have discovered, that doesn't work!

Why? Because it literally puts you at war with yourself. And the minute you get tired or frustrated, or have a bad day, your so-called "will power" goes right out the window. Then you head for the fridge, do what you swore you weren't going to do, and prove once again that will power is really no power at all!

Instead of trying to overpower your self-sabotaging beliefs, you need to replace them with self-supportive ones. That way, instead of creating yet more internal conflict, you eliminate the source of your conflict!

Can you imagine how much easier it will be to get to your healthiest weight and stay there when your own deeper beliefs are supporting you -- instead of fighting you at every turn? That's one more reason why The Permanent Solution really is a permanent solution!

Q19: I hear a lot about "stress eating" these days. Will The Permanent Solution help me stop doing that?

A: Another great question, especially at a time when just about everybody seems stressed to the max, because the research shows that there's a clear connection between stress and obesity.

First, just being in a state of stress produces the hormone cortisol, which tends to make us put on weight by producing more fat in our bodies. But on top of that, feeling stressed can make us want to overeat. And no matter how healthy your diet is, if you eat too much or too often, you won't lose weight!

And the incredibly high failure rate of the of the traditional "diet and exercise" weight-loss methods create still more stress in our lives, leading to yet more unhealthy and unnecessary eating. We eat to "compensate" for problems in our life that really have nothing to do with food.

The simple fact is that if weight loss is stressful it won't be successful. That's why The Permanent Solution is also going to teach you the very important skills of stress reduction.

Q20: How is The Permanent Solution program set up? What is the actual structure, and how long does it continue?

A: The Permanent Solution program is divided into three "Phases." Each Phase covers specific subjects, and also prepares you for the next Phase.

"Phase I" spans the first 10 weeks, and is devoted to Information, Foundation, Self-Exploration. In Phase I you will learn the fundamentals of how to create lasting weight loss success, and you will put it all into practice.

"Phase II" spans the next 4 weeks, and is devoted to Going Deeper, Self-Customizing, Troubleshooting. It's a fact of life that you're going to encounter some barriers on the way to success. Phase II helps you identify your personal barriers -- and then get beyond them.

"Phase III " -- Turning Information Into Transformation -- does not have a specific time frame, but is open-ended. Why? Because your life isn't the same as anyone else's. You may need just a few weeks in Phase III, or several more.

Or you may become a Success Story before you ever get to Phase III! But it's here if you need it -- and so am I.

Q21: Once I join, what are the first steps? What can I expect?

A: First and foremost, you get the 260-page The Permanent Solution weight loss program. It is automatically delivered to you by email, in "installments" that are perfectly structured and timed for maximum benefit to you.

Each of the three Phases of The Permanent Solution program (see Q 20 for details) is divided into "Success Modules." Each week you will complete one Success Module. Each Success Module is divided into two parts, and you'll receive one part every three or four days.

This "installment delivery plan" serves three very important purposes. First, it keeps you focused right where you are in the program, and eliminates the temptation to jump ahead. Second, it provides a structure that allows you to work at the ideal pace. And third, it encourages you to really do your best with the assignment at hand -- so you're well prepared for the next one!

Q22: Will I get the personal support I need? I've joined other online programs, only to be left alone to figure it all out by myself. How is this different?

A: In addition to all the support-oriented information in the preceding answer, I am also available by email. You will almost always get a response to your message the same day I receive it, and often within an hour or two. Your success is literally my mission, and I am here to support you in every way I possibly can.

You also will (hopefully) be taking full advantage of the weekly tele-seminars. I strongly encouraged to participate in these live weekly phone sessions, which I personally conduct. In these live sessions, we cover every aspect of what we do in The Permanent Solution program. There's also a question-and-answer session at the end of every week's tele-seminar.

You can also e-mail any questions you have in advance, and you can listen to the questions and answers of other people on the same healthy journey as you. This is the closest thing you can get to live, one on one personal coaching -- yet it's absolutely free with your membership!

You’ll also gain immediate access to the “Members Only” section of The Permanent Solution web site, where you will find all the tools and resources you need to create safe, struggle-free, and permanent weight loss success.

Just remember: I am always here to help, and you will never be left on your own.

Q23: So what does all this really boil down to? Sum it up for me, Dr. Frank.

A: At the heart of virtually all weight problems is not bad diet, but bad thinking. In other words, lasting success is not about what's going on your plate, but what's going on between your ears.

It is now crystal clear that the only truly effective way to achieve safe, struggle free, and lasting weight loss is by finding and correcting the self-sabotaging thinking that is -- and always has been -- the real cause of your weight problem.

That's why lasting weight loss can never come from a changed diet, but only from a changed mind. That's why I say, if you will change your thinking once, you will change your weight forever!

As an added bonus, you'll also find that doing what actually works is infinitely easier than the stress, struggle, and failure that's always been such a frustrating part of the old-fashioned "diet and exercise" approach.

Q24: If I want to cancel my membership, what steps do I need to take?

A: It's as easy as sending a cancellation request to cancel@thepermanentsolution.com and we'll promptly cancel and reply with confirmation.

Ready to get started? Great, just click on this “Make Me A Member” link and we'll get you started right away!

Want a bit more information first? Just click on this “Give Me All The Details” link, and you'll get the whole story about this life-changing program.

Or if you haven any additional questions or concerns, please email me now and be ready for a prompt reply!

Yours in total health,

Dr. Frank B. Smoot, MA, DD