Weight-loss basics (12)
- Weight loss: Assess your readiness to change
- Weight loss: 6 strategies for success
- Metabolism and weight loss: How you burn calories
- see all in Weight-loss basics
Diet plans (5)
- Low-carb diet: Can it help you lose weight?
- Weight loss: Choosing a diet that's right for you
- Healthy recipes: A guide to ingredient substitutions
- see all in Diet plans
Mayo Clinic diet (6)
- Weight loss: Gain control of emotional eating
- Snacks: How they fit into your weight-loss plan
- The Mayo Clinic Diet: A weight-loss program for life
- see all in Mayo Clinic diet
Diet and exercise (9)
- Exercise for weight loss: Calories burned in 1 hour
- Fitness: Tips for staying motivated
- Weight training: Improve your muscular fitness
- see all in Diet and exercise
Diet pills, supplements and surgery (6)
- Over-the-counter weight-loss pills: Do they work?
- Alli weight-loss pill: Does it work?
- Gastric bypass surgery: Who is it for?
- see all in Diet pills, supplements and surgery
Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Weight loss: Assess your readiness to change
Before you plunge into a weight-loss program, see if you're truly ready. And see what steps to take if you aren't ready yet.
By Mayo Clinic staffYour weight-loss success depends in large part on your readiness to take on the challenge. If you jump in before you're ready, your weight-loss plan may buckle under the first challenge. Use these questions to assess your weight-loss readiness.
1. Are you motivated to make long-term lifestyle changes?
Successful weight loss depends on permanent lifestyle changes, such as eating healthy foods and exercising more. That could represent a significant departure from your current lifestyle. Be honest. Knowing that you need to make changes in your life and actually doing it are two different things. You may have to overhaul your diet so that you're eating more whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products, for example. You'll also need to find time to exercise for at least 30 minutes nearly every day of the week. Exercise is especially important to prevent regaining your lost weight.
Your motivation for undertaking these changes may be better health, improved appearance or just feeling better about yourself in general. As long as your motivation is a healthy one, it doesn't really matter what it is. Find your motivation and focus on it.
2. Have you addressed the big distractions in your life?
If you're dealing with major life events, such as marital problems, job stress, illness or financial worries, you may not want to add the challenge of overhauling your eating and exercise habits. Instead, consider giving your life a chance to calm down before you launch your weight-loss program.
3. Do you have a realistic picture of how much weight you'll lose and how quickly?
Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is a lifelong process. Over the long term, it's best to aim for losing 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilogram) a week. To lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, you need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume each day. You can do that through a low-calorie diet and regular physical activity or exercise.
Initially you might lose weight more quickly than that if you make significant changes — just be sure the changes are health supporting. Don't get discouraged if your rate of weight loss slows a bit after bigger initial losses.
4. Have you resolved any emotional issues connected to your weight?
Emotions and food are often intertwined. Anger, stress, grief and boredom can trigger emotional eating. And if you have a history of an eating disorder, weight loss can be even trickier. Start by identifying your emotional issues related to food so that you're prepared for the challenges. Talk to your doctor about what weight-loss options are best for you.
Next page(1 of 2)
- Do you know your health risks for being overweight? National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/health_risks.htm. Accessed Dec. 2, 2010.
- Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults: The evidence report. Bethesda, Md.: National Institutes of Health. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/ob_gdlns.htm. Accessed Dec. 2, 2010.
- Hensrud DD, ed. Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight for EveryBody. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medication Education and Research; 2005.
- Hensrud DD, et al. The Mayo Clinic Diet. Intercourse, Pa.: Good Books; 2010.
- Hensrud DD (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 12, 2010.
- Zeratsky KA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 13, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on