Carnie Wilson's story is a journey from the darkness of a lifelong struggle with emotional rejection, compulsive eating, and morbid obesity into the light of health. Born the daughter of pop music royalty (Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys) and gifted with her own talents that brought her fame and fortune, she came to feel that none of this mattered. She would never be whole and happy until she achieved a healthy weight and body image. Heavy since age four, Carnie tried countless diet and exercise regimens, but the weight losses never lasted. With her success in the multiplatinum pop group Wilson Phillips, she became the darling of overweight activists, defining a larger-than-life, 'no apologies' sense of style for big women. However, behind the bravado were feelings of shame, self-hatred, and desperation. Carnie's weight gradually climbed to over 300 pounds, threatening her life. Faced with the prospect of disease and early death, she turned to weight-loss surgery, broadcasting the procedure live over the Internet in August 1999. An estimated 52 million people logged on, and countless millions more shared her story as it unfolded in the media over the next 18 months. During that period, Carnie lost more than 150 pounds, married the man of her dreams, and embraced a new life of health and reenergized possibilities. Carnie's story has inspired millions of morbidly obese people worldwide to investigate weight-loss surgery as a tool to help develop a healthier life. Beyond that, she has become a symbol of hope to those who suffer from the stigma, pain, and dread that morbid obesity visits upon its victims. For anyone who feels lost, out of control, or needs help finding the way to a better tomorrow, Gut Feelings is Carnie Wilson's beacon. The darkness will never be the same.