Proven weight loss Programs

By Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, LD
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Expert Column

If you want to lose weight once and for all, the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic can show you how. Try our top 10 scientifically proven tips and see if they will work for you.

1. Journaling At least once a day, journal your foods by clicking "My Journal" in the navigation on the site. You can track your meals all at once and click "submit, " or you can enter the foods several times a day (use the save option and click "submit" when you are done for the day.) "My Journal" provides daily feedback on how you are doing on your plan and analyzes your weekly intake after seven days.

2. Daily exercise
Get moving! Exercise burns calories and suppresses the appetite. The National Academy of Sciences recently set new recommendations of 60 minutes of exercise per day, up from 30. But don't panic! Only 30 minutes per day needs to be vigorous activity; use other activities of daily living to add up to the remaining 30 minutes. Here's even more help: a study in the Journal of American College of Nutrition showed that you can get the same benefits from 10-minute increments as with 30 minutes of continuous exercise.

Clinic Tip: The National Institutes of Health says that unless diet and exercise are sustained, most weight loss will be regained. Let Rich Weil, our exercise physiologist, help you get started and stay on a personalized exercise routine. Then find a buddy in our Weight Loss Community and make a commitment to support each other.

3. Kick up the calcium
Recent research by Zemel and his colleagues at the University of Tennessee has shown that consuming three servings a day of calcium-rich dairy foods can speed up weight loss by 50%-70% while strengthening bones and preventing osteoporosis. It's a no-brainer - how can you argue with eating yogurt, cheese, and milk - all really healthy foods if you choose low-fat versions - while enhancing weight loss?

Clinic Tip: WebMD's program endorses and recommends plenty of calcium to help you lose weight and keep your bones strong. If you are lactose sensitive, we have plenty of tips for you (such as aged cheeses and yogurts with active cultures) on our Recipe Doctor and Ask the Dietitian community boards.

4. Protein at every meal
Research from the University of Illinois reported in the Journal of Nutrition suggests that eating more high-quality protein can help a person maintain muscle mass and reduce body fat during weight loss. That's because of leucine, an amino acid, which spares muscle proteins during weight loss, so you only lose the fat and not the muscle. Maintaining muscle during weight loss is essential because it helps the body burn more calories.

However, too much protein can strain your kidneys, leach calcium from your bones, and prevent you from eating all the other nutritious foods in your diet. So be sure that the protein you eat is just one part of a well-balanced diet.

Clinic Tip: The WebMD Weight Loss Clinic recommends a high quality protein diet of 15%-35%. This level of protein is within the guidelines from the National Academy of Sciences' recommendations. We encourage users to choose lean protein from a wide variety of sources including eggs, fish, poultry, meat, low-fat dairy, beans, and nuts.

5. Believe in breakfast
You can actually lose weight by eating breakfast! The National Weight Control Registry cites breakfast as one of the key factors to long-term weight control. In fact, studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition show that people who skip breakfast tend to be heavier that those who eat a nourishing meal. How can that be? A healthy breakfast keeps blood sugar and hormone levels stable while your metabolism hums along at a higher level, burning more calories.

Clinic Tip: We encourage all our WebMD Weight Loss Clinic users to start their day the healthy way! Breakfast need not be breakfast food; visit our "Recipe Doctor" Elaine Magee for some creative ways to fuel your body in the morning.

6. Never go more than 4-5 hours without food
Skipping meals encourages bingeing and crushes your willpower. By making sure that you eat three meals per day you can control your hunger and manage your appetite.

Clinic Tip: Our program gives you great flexibility and allows the user to decide when they want to eat the foods prescribed on the plan. Feel free to eat small frequent meals throughout the day or your basic three squares. Journalyour choices each day to stay on target.