WebMD Weight Loss Clinic

WebMD Weight Loss Clinic is a paid subscription service offered by WebMD. This review was written by WebMD's editorial staff, which is independent from the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic. In writing this review, expert analysis was provided by professionals who are not affiliated with WebMD or the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic. There was no influence by WebMD Weight Loss Clinic on this review.

What Is The WebMD Weight Loss Clinic?

What it isn't is a gimmickladen diet. There's no law against carbs, or fruit, or even modest amounts of alcohol. There's no magic food such as red meat or grapefruit. The WebMD Weight Loss Clinic's bottom line: Sensible eating and sensible exercise.

So why bother with the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic when you can get sensible advice for free? The main reason is personal. WebMD dieters get an individualized eating plan based on their weightloss goals and their personal preference. And that's not all. They also get frequent reminders, encouragement, community support, and even a diet buddy via email and the Internet.

The WebMD weightloss plan is based on the idea that the vast majority of foods are good for you  at the right time, and in the right amounts.

Before you get any diet advice at all, the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic makes you fill out a detailed questionnaire (that takes at least 20 minutes to complete) about the foods you actually eat. You're also asked about your current weight and height, and the target weight you're aiming for.

You get a personalized analysis of your current eating habits. But that's only the appetizer. For a main course, you get a personalized eating plan that includes all your favorite foods.

There's no calorie counting or point system. It's all based on portion control. How do you keep track? Every day, you go to your computer and call up your personal food journal. This is an essential part of the plan. By logging everything you eat, you get realtime feedback on how you're doing. And keeping a journal also makes you more aware of the food you eat. That can be a big help for most, because mindless eating is one of the most common diet pit falls.

While the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic focuses on food, it also prompts you to get plenty of exercise. That's a huge  and often a hugely overlooked  part of any successful weightloss program.

How The WebMD Weight Loss Clinic Works

The main idea of the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic is to eat less and exercise more. And you'll probably do that, because unlike restrictive diets, WebMD's weightloss plan lets you enjoy nearly all your favorite foods. You won't feel deprived.

And by keeping a food journal, the diet greatly increases your awareness of how and what you eat. The Internetbased system makes this very easy to do. And because your journal is linked to your plan, you get rapid feedback on how you're doing.

The email reminders, which you can receive daily, contain gentle reminders, of course, of what you should be doing. But they're also full of helpful diet tips and support.

And then there's the community of other WebMD dieters you can turn to  day or night. Odds are, there's someone out there who's dealt with the same thing you're going through.
What the Experts Say About The WebMD Weight Loss Clinic

WebMD asked Leslie Bonci (BAWNsee), MPH, RD, to review the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic plan. Bonci is director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She provides nutrition consultation to athletes at numerous high schools and several local colleges and professional teams, including the Pittsburgh Panthers and Steelers. She also designed the nutritional program for, and serves as consultant to, dancers in the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre company.

WebMD gave Bonci free access to the site, but did not pay for her participation or offer any other form of compensation. WebMD Medical News journalists often ask Bonci to provide expert commentary for news and feature stories, but she has no other connection to WebMD.

The following is a verbatim transcript of Bonci's comments on the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic:

"I am very, very, very impressed. Coming from a background of recommending lowcalorie diets  and having done lots and lots of dietrecall studies with people  this is what I like. It prompts you for things and makes you think as you are entering in the information. It says, 'Do you mean that?' when you enter something that doesn't seem right. Because it's easy to enter the wrong information if someone is just doing a food journal without thinking.

"The WebMD diet makes you more accountable. It gives you a much more accurate representation of your nutritional status than many other plans  once you put in the right things. And the daily nudging [via email reminders]  in a nice way  people need this to keep us focused.

"Personally, and I think it's because I wear my dietitian's hat, I wouldn't necessarily feel I need prompting every day. But that is just me. I have enough patients that really do need that. Maybe WebMD could make it so I could opt for a daily reminder or just twice a week. Because I might be to where I just automatically start deleting the reminder rather than paying attention to what I need to know.
"I love what comes across in terms of portions. It makes people focus. It makes people think. And everybody has something designed for their own needs. This is something none of the diet books can do. And I'm not just saying that.

"Another important thing is that the WebMD diet takes people where they are at this point of time and moves forward. It's not saying, 'Oh my! Time for a total overhaul,' but just saying, 'This is what you can do.' Lots of people aren't doing what they should because it is so difficult to get to the starting line from where they are. And with this plan you say, 'Yes, I can do that.' It is what we nutritionists want for people  to be able to help themselves.

"I'm really looking at it as a health professional as well as a consumer. Having looked at every other diet plan  and believe me, I've read every one of those diet books  this really does it in a very, very good way."
Food For Thought

The WebMD Weight Loss Clinic is not free. To get your money's worth, you should be ready to make a positive change in your eating habits. And you should be ready to set aside a little time every day to work on your food journal. Soon after starting the plan, it would be a good idea to set aside time to fully explore the web site, so you can get the full benefit of all it has to offer. Don't worry if you aren't a computer whiz  you'll find stepbystep instructions and realtime help all along the way.

Source: WebMD.com