Weight loss guide

Return to Index Step 1: The Benefits of a Healthy Weight Step 2: What is Your Ideal Weight?Step 3: Medical Considerations Step 4: How to Lose Weight the Healthy Way Step 5: Modify Your Diet Step 6: Break Your Unhealthy Food Habits Step 7: Get Moving Step 8: It is the Little Things Step 9: You CAN SO Do It Step 10: Choosing a Weight Loss Program Step 11: Medication and Surgery Key Points MedTest Glossary

*Close Menu*

Most people know that being overweight is not healthy, yet losing weight can be difficult. This guide will help you through the weight loss process by explaining how successful weight loss really happens. If you've tried to lose weight before, don't view past efforts as failure. Instead, learn better weight-loss strategies, try again, and make this time different!

I. Healthy Weight Loss: Step 1: The benefits of a healthy weight; Step 2: What is your ideal weight?; Step 3: Causes and medical considerations; Step 4: How to lose weight the healthy way
II. The Basics of Losing Weight: Step 5: Modify your diet; Step 6: Create healthy food habits; Step 7: Get moving
III. Motivation and Help: Step 8: Small steps add up; Step 9: You can do it; Step 10: Choosing a weight loss program; Step 11: Medication and surgery

Learn More

How many calories should you cut?

Dietary fats explained

Fast foods

Gastrointestinal surgery

Helping overweight children

High carb diets

Vegetarian diets

Helpful Handouts

Body mass index - calculation

Body mass index - chart

Calorie and fiber charts

Track your weight-loss goals!

Weight profile form

References

Hughes AR, Stewart L, Chapple J, et al. Randomized, controlled trial of a best-practice individualized behavioral program for treatment of childhood overweight: Scottish Childhood Overweight Treatment Trial (SCOTT). Pediatrics. 2008;121(3):e539-546.

Gardner CD, Kiazand A, Alhassan S, et al. Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN diets for change in weight and related risk factors among overweight premenopausal women: the A TO Z Weight Loss Study: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2007;297(9): 969-977.

Kaplan LM, Klein S, Boden G, Brenner DA, Gostout CJ, Lavine JE, Popkin BM, Schirmer BD, Seeley RJ, Yanovski SZ, Cominelli F. Report of the American Gastroenterological Leslie D, Kellogg TA, Ikramuddin S. Bariatric surgery primer for the internist: keys to the surgical consultation. Med Clin North Am. 2007;91:353-381.

Leslie D, Kellogg TA, Ikramuddin S. Bariatric surgery primer for the internist: keys to the surgical consultation. Med Clin North Am. 2007;91:353-381.

Svetke, LP, Stevens VJ, Brantley PJ, et al. Comparison of strategies for sustaining weight loss: the weight loss maintenance randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2008;299(10):1139-48.

Thompson WG, Cook DA, Clark MM, et al. Treatment of obesity. Mayo Clin Proc. 2007;82(1):93-101

Townsend Jr. CM, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL. Townsend: Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders; 2008.

Review Date: 6/28/2011
Reviewed By: Jeffrey Heit, MD, Internist with special emphasis on preventive health, fitness and nutrition, Philadelphia VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.