No weight-loss or fitness program should be undertaken without the direct supervision of your doctor. Whether you should lose weight, how much you should lose and how you should lose it are decisions that should be made by a medical professional. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, your doctor must be part of the equation.

Before you embark on a weight-loss and fitness plan, determine whether or not you need to lose weight at all. Maintaining a healthy weight can reduce the risks of heart problems, diabetes and sleep apnea among other conditions. However, losing weight if you are already at a healthy one can lead to problems.

Here are the factors you should consider when deciding whether or not to begin a weight-loss program:

1. Family history: Does your family have a history of high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes? If so, it's crucial that you maintain a healthy weight.http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/do-you-really-need-to-lose-weight
2. How you feel: Do you have weight-related health issues that affect your day-to-day living like joint problems or a shortness of breath? If so, you should consider losing weight.http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/do-you-really-need-to-lose-weight
3. Body shape: How is your fat distributed? An apple-shaped body, which stores fat in the stomach area, signals a greater health risk than a pear-shaped body.http://quamut.com/quamut/weight_loss_basics/page/do_you_need_to_lose_weight.html
4. Body mass index: Your body mass index (BMI) is a formula which uses your height and weight to determine if you're within a healthy weight range. The formula is not without its detractors, including the Center for Consumer Freedom, who consider it an arbitrary measure of healthfulness. Your BMI is only a guide—an imperfect one. If your BMI falls into the obese or overweight categories, however, you should consult your doctor in order to determine your true healthy weight range.http://quamut.com/quamut/weight_loss_basics/page/do_you_need_to_lose_weight.html

Determining Your Body Mass Index

The formula for determining your BMI is:

BMI = 704 x Weight (in pounds)/Height² (in inches)
For example, if you are 5'5" (65 inches) and 170 pounds, your BMI would be:
BMI = 704 x 170/(65)² = 28.33

Your BMI score is measured according to the following ranges:
Below 18.5: Underweight
18.5 - 24.9: Healthy weight
25 - 29.9: Overweight
30 and Above: Obese

Healthy Weight Range for Women

1. Start with 100 pounds and 5 feet.
2. For every inch you stand over 5 feet, add 5 pounds.
3. Your healthy weight range is 10% under to 10% over that number.

Example: If you're 5'5", multiply those extra 5 inches by 5 pounds. This gives you 25 pounds. 25 pounds plus 100 pounds equals 125 pounds. Your healthy weight range is 112.5 to 137.5 - 10% over and 10% under 125 pounds.

Healthy Weight Range for Men

1. Start with 106 pounds and 5 feet.
2. For every inch you stand over 5 feet, add 6 pounds.
3. Your healthy weight range is 10% under to 10% over that number.

Example: If you're 6 feet tall, multiple those extra 12 inches by 6 pounds. This gives you 72 pounds. 72 pounds plus 106 pounds equals 178 pounds. Your healthy weight range is 160 to 196 pounds—10% over and 10% under 178 pounds.

The reason many diets fail is because dieters can set themselves up to fail. Having unrealistic expectations of how quickly you'll lose weight may motivate you to eat less in the beginning, but undereating becomes overeating the first time temptation presents itself. Set sensible weight-loss goals with your doctor, and consider the following advice:

1. Lose weight slowly: According to epidemiologist Jennifer Linde, "A realistic goal is 1 to 2 pounds a week."http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/setting-realistic-weight-loss-goals You're not going to lose 20 pounds in time for your high school reunion next weekend. Slow and steady wins the race.
   
2. Set short-term goals: Your overall goal may be to lose 50 pounds, but celebrate your successes along the way. Celebrating every 5 or 10-pound loss will keep you motivated.
3. Focus on changing habits: The more slowly you lose weight the more likely you are to adopt the type of behaviors you'll need to maintain your weight loss. When you focus on living a new lifestyle instead of the daily ins and outs of dieting, you'll find your weight loss program easier to maintain. According to Dr. Stoppler, weight loss happens when you "adopt sensible eating habits and practice portion control...By replacing some unwise food choices with healthy ones, you'll be cutting back on calories. If you add some moderate physical activity, you have the perfect weight loss plan without the need for special or inconvenient (and often expensive) diet plans."http://www.medicinenet.com/weight_loss/page3.htm#toce

There are hundreds of different weight-loss plans on the market. Some are scams. Some are fads. Some are perfectly healthy, but charge an arm and a leg for meals and counseling. The diet industry is fraught with problems, which is why you should remember that ultimately the only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume.

You don't have to sign up for a commercial weight-loss program to lose weight. There are nonprofit organizations dedicated to weight loss, and you can always do it yourself by counting the number of calories you consume and expend. Whatever you decide, remember to consult your doctor. Your weight-loss success is contingent upon finding a program that's healthy and fits your lifestyle, personality and budget. Here are a some important factors to keep in mind.

Understanding Calories

A calorie is a unit of energy in food. Your body burns the calories it consumes in food to walk, breathe, keep your heart beating, etc. Energy in the body that is not used is stored primarily as fat. To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume. One pound of body weight is worth 3,500 calories. To lose one pound a week, you must burn 500 calories more per day than you consume.

Counting Calories

If, in conjunction with your doctor, you decide to count all the calories you consume and those you expend, you will need to keep a food and activity journal.

1. Determine what your daily caloric intake should be to reach your weight loss goal. You can do this by using an online calculator or by consulting a nutritionist or health professional.http://www.healthninjas.com/tools/calorie.shtml
2. Write down the foods you consume and the exercise you get in a journal. You can also keep track of this information through a number of free, online services like Traineo, The Daily Plate and DietTV.http://www.traineo.com/http://www.thedailyplate.com/http://www.diettv.com/
3. Calculate the number of calories you consumed as well as the number of calories you expended throughout the day. Sites like The Daily Plate will do this for you automatically. Otherwise, you can do this by using online calorie calculators or the Harris Benedict Formula.http://www.thedailyplate.com/http://quamut.com/quamut/weight_loss_basics/page/how_to_calculate_how_many_calories_you_burn.html

Understanding Your Metabolism

Metabolism refers to the way in which your body breaks down proteins, carbohydrates and fats to produce the energy your body needs to maintain itself. Maybe you know someone who can eat three pizzas in a week and never gain an ounce. You've probably chalked this up to the person having a "fast" vs. "slow" metabolism. He or she actually has a more "efficient" metabolism.

Your metabolism's efficiency is determine partly by genetics, but not all of it is. It is possible to increase your metabolism and turn your body into a more efficient fat-burning machine. Here's how:

1. Build muscle: Dr. John Berardi, author of The Metabolism Advantage, explains that "putting on 5 to 10 pounds of lean muscle mass will boost your metabolism...the number of calories your body burns to maintain life will increase by roughly 100 calories every day."http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/increase-your-metabolism-start-losing-fat?page=2
2. Never crash diet: According to Dr. Melissa Conrad Stoppler, rapid "weight loss is almost impossible to maintain for most people. When food intake is severely restricted, the body begins to adapt to this state of poor nutrition by shutting down its metabolic rate, potentially making it even more difficult to lose weight."http://www.medicinenet.com/weight_loss/page2.htm
3. Eat often, but eat right: Research from Georgia State University shows that "people who eat every 2 to 3 hours have less body fat and faster metabolisms than those who eat only 2 or 3 meals per day."http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/increase-your-metabolism-start-losing-fat?page=2 This is because your metabolism is stimulated every time you eat. Just be sure that what you're eating is healthy. Dr. Kristine Clarke of Pennsylvania State University recommends upping your intake of high-fiber vegetables and proteins like eggs, chicken and nuts.http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/increase-your-metabolism-start-losing-fat?page=2
4. Get some sleep: Dr. Sanjay Patel of Case Western Reserve University explains that "skimping on sleep can alter your metabolism."http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/increase-your-metabolism-start-losing-fat?page=2 Dr. Berardi concurs, "a lack of sleep can decrease the number of calories your body burns just resting."http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/increase-your-metabolism-start-losing-fat?page=2

Choosing a Weight-Loss Plan

While every diet plan has some kind of unique angle, most fall into one of two categories: low-calorie or low-carb plans. Low-calorie plans are aimed at reducing your caloric intake and consumption of bad fats and cholesterol. Low-carb plans, like the Atkins Nutritional Approach and the South Beach Diet, take a different approach. These diets "cut out the white stuff," eliminating the carbs found in white breads, pasta and sugar. To find the plan that's right for you, consult your doctor, visit some legitimate diet review websites and consider which plan fits your lifestyle and personality.

The other half of the weight-loss equation is exercise. Exercise burns calories, increases your metabolism and helps keep weight off for good. There are so many different types of exercise and exercise environments, it's only a matter of finding one that you enjoy and can stick to. Here are some tips for starting an exercise regime and sticking to it:

1. Start slow: If you haven't been off the couch in years, don't expect to run a marathon by the end of the week. Much like dieting, slow and steady wins the race.http://quamut.com/quamut/weight_loss_basics/page/exercise.html
2. Do what you love: It may sound obvious, but you're not going to continue doing something that bores you to tears. If gyms make you uncomfortable, try a physical activity you might actually enjoy. Take a martial arts class, learn the tango or scale an indoor climbing wall. There are also outdoor and team activities. Join a soccer league, or try a marathon training group.
3. Incorporate exercise everyday: Keep yourself active by walking more, taking the stairs or parking further away from store entrances.
4. Switch it up: It's important to get both aerobic (cardiovascular) and anaerobic (muscle-building) exercise. One will help you lose weight. The other will tone and strength your body, making your metabolism more efficient. As natural health researcher Mike Adams explains, it's your "lean body mass, the muscle mass underneath your body fat, that burns calories 24/7, allowing you to eat more calories without gaining weight."http://www.newstarget.com/011285.html
5. Enlist a friend: A workout buddy can help you stick to your fitness regimen by providing moral support and enforcing your sense of responsibility to not only yourself but someone else.

Tracking your progress is the best way to keep yourself motivated while losing weight. It also opens your eyes to what your eating patterns actually are—when you eat, why you eat and if you're cheating. There are several different ways to track your weight, measurements, caloric intake and activity:

1. Take before and after photos: Internet entrepreneur and blogger Chris Pirillo recommends taking photos of yourself before and after you've accomplished your weight-loss goals. It's helpful to take a step back and see our bodies as others see them.http://www.flickr.com/photos/lockergnome/150655445/
2. Keep a food journal: A food journal is the best way to understand what you really eat. The eating patterns and cheats you've been in denial about become much clearer when they're in black and white.http://www.oprah.com/health/omag/health_omag_200606_confess.jhtml If that's not enough to convince you, a study in Obesity Research showed that subjects dropped much more weight when their note-taking was the most consistent.http://www.oprah.com/health/omag/health_omag_200606_confess_104.jhtml What should you record in your food journal? The time you ate, what you ate and its caloric value, what was going on when you ate, who you were with and how you felt afterward.
3. Use an online tracking service: Use the power of the Internet to not only keep your food journal, but to meet other dieters and stay motivated. There are a number of free services which do everything from create weight-loss graphs to count your calories for you. The service stickK.com will even let you put a contract out on yourself—you don't achieve your goals, and they'll send your cold hard cash to charity.http://www.thedailyplate.com/http://www.stickk.com/

• Remember that losing weight doesn't have to be an arduous battle. You've made a positive, healthy choice for yourself, and there's nothing better than that. It's about being healthy and happy. If your doctor says you need to lose weight, set your goals and get started. Remember this is a lifestyle change that will be ongoing. There may be times where you choose the cheesecake when you know that you shouldn't, but dust yourself off and get back on track.

Since keeping yourself eating right can get boring, try livening up your meals with recipes from Mahalo's own healthy-eating experts. Along with the videos below, you can find even more healthy recipes through our Food & Drink section.