(*Studies conducted on 10,000 US adults by the UCLA Rand; **Published in the British Journal of Public Health)

With healthcare costs skyrocketing, and insurance becoming more and more expensive, you have yet another good reason to lose weight and keep it off. In terms of dollar amounts, obesity raised healthcare costs by an average of $395 a year, while smoking increased costs by $230 and heavy drinking is associated with a $150 annual increase. Obesity creates increased risks of diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, osteoarthritis and sleep apnea, as well as increased doctor?s bills and visits to the pharmacy. How can a person lower health costs while increasing their overall health? Let?s take a look at people just like you who have lost weight and kept it off. How did they do it?

Lightening the Load The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) is a database of people who have self-reported a weight loss of 30 pounds or more and kept it off for at least a year. NWCR participants have chosen to share information about their weight loss and weight maintenance efforts. Here?s how they did it:

89% changed their diets and increased physical activity (10 percent used diet modification only and one percent used activity only). 55% used a formal program (like Herbalife) or professional assistance (dietitian, psychologist, etc.). 87.6% limited some type or class of food (especially high-fat and high-calorie foods). 44.2% limited the quantities of food they ate. 43.7% counted calories. 92% exercised at home, 40.3 percent exercised regularly with a friend, and 31.3 percent exercised regularly with a group. Walking was the most common activity reported. 77% said a medical or emotional event triggered weight loss. 42.7% described losing weight as hard, 31.4 percent as moderately hard, and 25.7 percent as easy. Two-thirds were overweight as children (about 46 percent indicated that they became overweight at age 11 years or younger and 25.3 percent at 12 to 18 years). 46% had one biological parent who was overweight, and 26.8 percent indicated that both biological parents overweight. 91% had tried to lose weight before.

Comparing successful weight loss attempts to previous ones, successful weight loss plans included more exercise (81.3%) and a stricter diet (63%). Nearly all of those who lost weight successfully (85%) reported improvements in physical health, quality of life, energy level, physical mobility, general mood and self-confidence.

How Can You Lose Weight? A good weight loss strategy is important to help you lose weight and keep it off. A healthcare or nutrition professional can help you plan out an appropriate strategy for you to determine how much weight to lose and how to lose it. They can help you set realistic milestones and reach them safely.

Get support. Nearly everyone who has been successful in losing weight has done it with the help of others. Whether you decide to work with a nutrition consultant, or join a walking group, make sure the people you are spending time with understand your weight loss goals and support them.

Substitute the things you must give up with things you love and can eat. If you have to give up wheat (as I did), fill those wheat cravings with something healthy and good, such as grapefruit, olives or dates.

Give yourself a cheat day. As you begin your weight loss program, set aside one day per week when you can eat anything you want. As you begin to lose weight, you?ll find that you feel pretty bad the next day. Again when I had to stop eating wheat, that meant I had to give up pizza, bread, bagels, pasta, and whole bunch of other things that I loved. Thursdays were my cheat days. There weren?t too many cheat days before I felt like I had a terrible hangover on Fridays. Giving up wheat was easy then.

With a good weight loss program, you can look forward not only to improved health but lower healthcare and medical costs. And that?s got to feel good.