Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[fw]

Hello everyone.

The passage below is from a news story.
(http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:QHirhankoiEJ:english.ohmynews.com/ArticleView/article_view.asp%3Fno%3D281208%26rel_no%3D1+Steve+Vaught%27s+quest+to+shed&hl=ja&gl=jp&ct=clnk&cd=5）

In America, where obesity has become a national concern, his appeal is as broad as he was heavy when he began the journey he hoped would help not only shed pounds, but the mind-set that led to his weight gain.

I do not understand what �his appeal is as broad as he was heavy� means.
Would you rewrite it for me?

Best regards,
Fw

[Lorikeet]

It's hard to answer your question without knowing the rest of the story. I am going to take a guess. My guess is that there was a very overweight man who decided to lose some weight. He figured out a way that worked for him, and now he wants other people to buy his book to learn how to do it that way (and make him some money too!) If I am right in this idea, then your sentence, "his appeal is as broad as he was heavy" means that people are very interested in his ideas. His appeal is broad means his ideas appeal to all different kinds of people. This comparison just shows the extent of his appeal by comparing it to how heavy he was. They both mean big numbers.

Hmm Hope that helps.