Mark Macdonald knows from which he speaks.

The college athlete turned nutritionist and kinesiologist himself once battled the bulge. A struggle and frustration he openly speaks about in his latest book “Why Kids Make You Fat … and How to Get Your Body Back.”

The founder of Venice Nutrition and New York Times Best Selling Author for his first book “Body Confidence,” is excited about the message and results of his latest book.

“After coaching 40,000+ people and millions living our plan, I realized I needed to create a simpler entry point for the busy parent and person,” Macdonald said of his latest release published by Harper Collins, “and speak to busy people where they are. A book and plan that was complete plug and play with realistic food and fitness strategies that would deliver fast, safe and real results, while also simultaneously work seamlessly with the entire family.”

“Body Confidence was 15+ years in the making. It was in essence my life’s work and the complete Venice Nutrition Program,” he stated. “I grew up watching my mom eat her diet foods and the rest of my family eat our normal foods, families should not have to live like that. This is why this new book is the new entry point and leads perfectly into Body Confidence as the second read.”

Macdonald first took on the food vs. fitness relationship post-college when he realized his education did not provide the answers to questions he was looking for. Body Mass Index inaccuracies, blood sugar stabilization, fat storage, energy production and craving control.

“It didn’t make sense to me that there was not a philosophy or system that worked for everyone, the moms out there as well as the athletes like me,” he stated.

Macdonald and his wife both share a passion not just for fitness, but creating a family friendly health plan.

“Health is so much more than weight loss,” he said, “it’s feeling good, having the energy to do things you love and thriving with confidence.

“The weight loss, fat burning and muscle increase are just benefits of what you truly get from your health. And as an author I get the rare honor of sharing information with guidance. Actual tools and strategies to empower people to permanently achieve their goals.”

Now with two children of their own, Macdonald addresses the struggle parents face as they place the needs of their children ahead of their own. Equally important the author acknowledges that as a man he knows there are variable differences for men vs. women, mom vs. dad etc. Therefore wife Abbi was involved and helped give the book the ‘touch of a female, wife and mom’ he states in the introduction.

“Why Kids Make You Fat …” is built around a principle of eating in threes: protein, carbs, fat and understanding the relationship between the portions, the frequency and the management of healthy food intake spanning an 8 week period (and beyond).

It’s a family friendly approach to nutrition.

“What I love is it’s all Hunter (his son) has ever known and it’s all Hope (their newborn) will know,” he said. “Our kids and families are the future of society’s health. Mine and Abbi’s mission these next 10+ years is to help end the obesity/overweight yearly increase and turn the tide.

“It all starts with the parents,” he continued, “and then by parents getting educated and leading by example they become the example their kids need. It’s truly why I wrote this new book and our family lives the plan full throttle and utilizes all the strategies in the book.”

Mark Macdonald is an American diet, nutrition, fitness and health expert, as well as a television personality with national media outlets including: Dr. Oz, CNN, Access Hollywood, Chelsea Lately and co-host of HLN’s “Transformation Tuesdays.” His books can be found in bookstores nationally, as well as on Amazon.com and