About Us
Platinum Lifestyle Changes began in the summer of 2008 when Dr. Allan Markle (see bio) was discussing weight loss with his friend, Steve. Steve had tried several diets, but none of them helped. Even when he was able to lose a few pounds, he quickly gained the weight back. He was left discouraged, pessimistic, and almost completely without motivation to lose weight. In other words, he was just like the patients Dr. Markle had treated for the past 30 years, people who were referred by their doctors and others but had little motivation themselves to lose weight. What they needed was not another diet, but a lifestyle change. The program he developed for these patients seemed perfect for Steve.
He took to the program immediately, and the results have been even better than he hoped. He lost over 60 pounds in the next several months and continues to lose another few pounds every month with virtually no effort. His success inspired Dr. Markle to publish his program, but not in the traditional manner. Since he wanted to reach the greatest possible number of people, he decided to publish it online where it would be easily accessible and affordable.
As the process of online publishing unfolded, it became obvious that so many other important health and personal issues could be helped in the same way. He then contacted dozens of prominent psychologists and psychiatrists to find the very best professionals to help with other important areas. Several of them were asked to publish their programs with us, while others were requested to serve on our editorial board to help with the selection of topics and to ensure the professional integrity of each program.
However, before publishing any of our programs, we agreed that each one had to meet the following criteria:
- 1. Written by recognized experts in each field
Every program we publish is written by a psychologist or psychiatrist who is an acknowledged expert in the area. Every author has either taught, done research, or published in their area of expertise, in most cases, all three.
- 2. Affordable
By publishing online, we save printing costs and can make our programs within everyone's reach. All programs will be sold for less than $20.
- 3. Use only scientifically proven techniques
Every program is based on techniques with years of research behind them. This means that there are no fad diets, dangerous drugs, or unproven treatments.
- 4. Easy to read
There are a lot of programs out there that are pretty good, but nobody uses them. One reason for this is that they often require hours of difficult reading. All of our programs are designed to be read in less than an hour. The only exceptions are those programs designed to be read in sections, so that each reading will only take a short time.
- 5. Very specific instructions
Every program gives step-by-step guidelines, telling the reader not just what to do, but in most cases exactly how to do it. There will be absolutely no doubts about what to do to follow the program.
- 6. Highly individualized
Even though certain principles apply to virtually everyone, each person is still very different. That is why all of our programs will teach principles, but will also teach how to apply them to each person's unique situation and personality.
- 7. Offer support for each program without having to addend meetings
Hundreds of studies have shown that people do better at making lifestyle changes when they have good social support. Unfortunately, many people do not get such support for a variety of reasons. Some are simply shy or do not like groups, others do not have groups in their area to attend, and still others feel that they do not have the time to attend. We teach our readers how to enlist social support from family and friends. We also offer support through our chat room, and in many cases, by communicating on our website with the author of a particular program.