Looking for a program to help you lose weight? It’s easy to feel lost in the maze of choices, especially when each promises the best results.

Before surveying the landscape, here are the right questions to ask at weight-loss programs, fitness centers, and similar organizations to help ensure you’re not taken for a ride.

First, see your doctor to ensure you’re healthy enough for weight-loss and exercise programs. The doctor also can provide advice on your overall health risks and the weight-loss options that are best for you.

Second, remember the general rule of thumb used by most doctors, nutritionists and dietitians: the best and safest way for most adults to shed the pounds and improve their health is to:

•  Modestly cut calories;

•  Eat balanced meals;

•  Exercise nearly every day.

Once you get a green light from your doctor and start shopping around, ask health clubs, weight-loss programs and other service providers if they follow the voluntary “Guidelines for Providers of Weight Loss Products or Services” from the Partnership for Healthy Weight Management.
 
From the partnership and Federal Trade Commission, here are the questions to ask:

What’s involved in following the program?

Ask for details about what foods and how many calories you’ll eat each day, and whether the program includes regular exercise. Anybody who claims you can lose weight and keep it off without changing the foods you eat or exercising is selling you a fantasy.

The program should provide ways you can modify your eating behaviors, teach you how to eat healthy, personalize an exercise program for you, and have long-term plans to deal with any weight issues.

People usually do best when they reduce their usual calorie intake or increase the calories they use by about 500 to 1,000 calories a day, which should allow you to eat enough for good nutrition. If you follow the plan religiously, expect to drop about one to two pounds a week.

Including low-calorie snacks may help you from becoming so hungry that you throw caution to the wind.

For diets under 1,500 calories, check with your doctor to ensure you’re meeting your nutritional needs.

What about your likes and dislikes?

Any weight-loss program whould consider what foods ignite your taste buds and which ones make you turn up your nose. Ditto for exercises.  

What is the experience and training of the staff?

Ask about training, experience and credentials of the staff. Find out exactly what they can do for you, such as individual counseling and group support – and how often. Does the staff include qualified counselors, such as registered dietitians, doctors, nurses, psychologists, personal trainers, or other professionals?

How often will they monitor you—and who will do the monitoring?

What are the risks of using this product or service?

Some weight-loss methods are riskier than others. Doctors should supervise diets that require drastic food restriction. Ask about the side effects or risks that can occur from using the product or service. Steer clear of harmful “self help” weight-loss tactics, such as smoking, fasting, purging, or abusing laxatives.

Check with your primary health-care provider before taking prescription or over-the-counter weight-loss drugs or dietary supplements, which may interfere with your other medicines for high blood pressure, depression, diabetes and other conditions.

What are the total costs of the program or service?

Be sure to know what’s behind the up-front fee or any special fee a program is offering. Ask for itemized price lists that include membership fees, fees for weekly visits, and costs for diagnostic tests, food, meal replacements, dietary supplements, and other products.

Popular weight-loss programs that offer prepared meals as part of their package usually advertise how much the food costs a day, which may not sound like much. However, you’re going to buy enough food to cover 30 days, so you need to do the math to find out how much you’re going to shell out for an entire month’s worth of food – and that could go as high as $2,000 to $3,000.

What's more, any dietary supplements, books or other aides will cost you extra.

How can I improve my chances of keeping the weight off?

Any reputable outfit should give you information about the difficulties dieters have experienced with keeping the weight off and how you can increase your chances for success.

How successful have other people been using this product or service?

Ask whether the program can provide studies that document its success. If so, ask what percentage of all customers have completed the program, how much weight they lost, and how successfully  they’ve kept the weight off over a year’s time.

Check these out!

•  The Fitness Zone—exercise enthusiast Jodi Rigotti blogs about the latest trends and news about working out.

•  Healthy Weight Management Blog—Mary Little, editor of Nubella’s popular health, nutrition, and recipe e-newsletters writes about keeping an eye on the waistline.

•  Weight Management Message Board—share your weight management secrets and get tips from other people in the battle of the bulge.

•  Losing Together: The Benefits of Group Weight Loss

•  Tips on Choosing the Gym Right for You

•  Get a Weight-Loss Plan . . . And Stick To It!