Presto! : how I made over 100 pounds magically disappear and other magical tales

"An unconventional weight loss tale from an unconventional personality - Penn Jillette tells how he lost 100 pounds with his trademark outrageous sense of humor and biting social commentary that makes this success story anything but ordinary. Legendary magician Penn Jillette was approaching his sixtieth birthday. Topping 330 pounds and saddled with a systolic blood pressure reading over 200, he knew he was at a dangerous crossroads: if he wanted to see his small children grow up, he needed to change. And then came Crazy Ray. A former NASA scientist and an unconventional, passionate innovator, Ray Cronise saved Penn Jillette's life with his wild "potato diet." In Presto, Jillette takes us along on his journey from skepticism to the inspiring, life-changing momentum that transformed the magician's body and mind. He describes the process in hilarious detail, as he performs his Las Vegas show, takes meetings with Hollywood executives, hangs out with his celebrity friends and fellow eccentric performers, all while remaining a dedicated husband and father. Throughout, he weaves in his views on sex, religion, and pop culture, making his story a refreshing, genre-busting account. Outspoken, frank, and bitingly clever, Presto is an incisive, rollicking read." --Publisher's description Introduction: How are you going to die? Section one: Just another fat fuck. One-third the size of a cow dressed as an elephant ; Disco Doc and English voltage blood pressure ; Official permission to go crazy ; Enter CrayRay fucking his brains out at the swing club while the celibate titter ; Joining the cult ; Maybe I've eaten enough great food Section two: Losing it! 74.5 pounds in 83 days (0.9 pounds a day, 24.4% of body weight). It's just a goddamn potato ; Exercise climb Mount Everest for butter ; Potatoes are really good ; Piss and spit ; Corn is candy ; From potatoes to the new year ; From New Year's Day to halfway ; You say "protein," I say "Fuck you!" ; A trip to the doctor about halfway through cold and hungry ; From halfway to all the way ; Rare and appropriate my trick for dieting without tricks ; From target to birthday ; You say it's your birthday? Well, it's my skinny birthday, too, yeah ; My new favorite foods birthday menu Section three: Eating pizza is voting for Hillary. The disappearing magician ; Don't exercise (lose weight and friends) ; Tough guys don't dance ; Higher than a kite and sicker than a dog: not genetics just a fat fuck ; Fuhrburger ; Unethical vegan? Plant hole? ; And, oh yeah, by the way my hair fell out ; So, what the funk DO you eat? ; "I like food too much to eat like you" ; Time travel ; Food is god ; TV cooking ; Salt more proof that there's no God ; Half-fasts ; That's not funny and it doesn't taste good ; Finally eating like a fucking hippie ; The healing power of prayer ; We ate like idiots, we need to diet like idiots ; Potato anniversary ; Dear Penn ; Withings blood pressure cuff happy Valentine's Day ; Letter to the Globe after their lying article about my weight loss ; No, really what the fuck do you eat like normally? Penn Jillette's New York Times bestselling account of his "extremely funny and somewhat profane journey to discovering a healthy lifestyle...that will motivate others to seek weight-loss solutions" ( The Washington Post ). More than three hundred and thirty pounds and saddled with a systolic blood pressure reading at dangerous heights, legendary magician Penn Jillette found himself at a crossroads. He needed a drastic lifestyle change if wanted to see his small children grow up. Enter Crazy Ray. A former NASA scientist and unconventional, passionate innovator, Ray Cronise changed Penn Jillette's life with his wild "potato diet." In Presto , Jillette takes us along on his journey from skepticism to the inspiring, life-changing momentum that transformed the magician's body and mind. He describes the process in hilarious detail, as he performs his Las Vegas show, takes meetings with Hollywood executives, hangs out with his celebrity friends and fellow eccentric performers, all while remaining a dedicated husband and father. Throughout, he weaves in his views on sex, religion, and pop culture, making his story a refreshing, genre-busting account. Outspoken, frank, and bitingly clever, Presto is an incisive, rollicking read. In the end, it is "undeniably inspiring" ( Booklist ). An unconventional weight loss tale from an unconventional personality--magician Penn Jillette tells how he lost 100 pounds with his trademark outrageous sense of humor and biting social commentary that makes this success story anything but ordinary. Topping 330 pounds and saddled with a systolic blood pressure reading over 200, he found himself at a dangerous crossroads: approaching his sixtieth birthday, he needed a drastic lifestyle change if he wanted to see his small children grow up. Enter "CrayRay." A former NASA scientist and an unconventional, passionate innovator, Ray Cronise changed Penn Jillette's life with his wild "potato diet." In Presto, Jillette takes us along on his journey from skepticism to the inspiring, life-changing momentum that transformed the magician's body and mind. He describes the process in hilarious detail, as he performs his Las Vegas show, takes meetings with Hollywood executives, and hangs out with his celebrity friends and fellow eccentric performers, all while remaining a dedicated husband and father. Throughout, he weaves in his views on sex, religion, and pop culture, making his story a refreshing, genre-busting account. Outspoken, frank, and bitingly clever, Presto is an incisive, rollicking read.--Adapted from dust jacket. An unconventional weight loss tale from an unconventional personality--magician Penn Jillette tells how he lost 100 pounds with his trademark outrageous sense of humor and biting social commentary that makes this success story anything but ordinary. Topping 330 pounds and saddled with a systolic blood pressure reading over 200, he found himself at a dangerous crossroads: approaching his sixtieth birthday, he needed a drastic lifestyle change if he wanted to see his small children grow up. Enter "CrayRay." A former NASA scientist and an unconventional, passionate innovator, Ray Cronise changed Penn Jillette's life with his wild "potato diet." In Presto, Jillette takes us along on his journey from skepticism to the inspiring, life-changing momentum that transformed the magician's body and mind. He describes the process in hilarious detail, as he performs his Las Vegas show, takes meetings with Hollywood executives, and hangs out with his celebrity friends and fellow eccentric performers, all while remaining a dedicated husband and father. Throughout, he weaves in his views on sex, religion, and pop culture, making his story a refreshing, genre-busting account. Outspoken, frank, and bitingly clever, Presto is an incisive, rollicking read. --Adapted from dust jacket Penn Jillette's New York Times bestselling account of his "extremely funny and somewhat profane journey to discovering a healthy lifestyle ... that will motivate others to seek weight-loss solutions" (The Washington Post). More than three hundred and thirty pounds and saddled with a systolic blood pressure reading at dangerous heights, legendary magician Penn Jillette found himself at a crossroads. He needed a drastic lifestyle change if he wanted to see his small children grow up. Enter Crazy Ray. A former NASA scientist and unconventional, passionate innovator, Ray Cronise changed Penn Jillette's life with his wild 'potato diet'. In Presto, Jillette takes us along on his journey from skepticism to the inspiring, life-changing momentum that transformed the magician's body and mind. He describes the process in hilarious detail, as he performs his Las Vegas show, takes meetings with Hollywood executives, hangs out with his celebrity friends and fellow eccentric performers, all while remaining a dedicated husband and father. Throughout, he weaves in his views on sex, religion, and pop culture, making his story a refreshing, genre-busting account. Outspoken, frank, and bitingly clever, Presto is an incisive, rollicking read The legendary magician and speaking half of Penn & Teller discusses, with humor and biting social commentary, his unconventional, rapid weight loss through a vegetarian plan, dubbed the "potato diet," developed by a former NASA scientist and inventor