Weight Management
Calorie Deficit Explained
Energy balance in plain English: estimate your energy needs, plan a gradual deficit you can live with and track your week, based on US guidance.
$19.99Buy
Weight management courses for steady, realistic change
Six self-paced courses that explain how weight change works and help you build eating and activity habits you can keep up for months, not days.
- 6 courses
- Tools in every course
- Certificate included
Weight loss is one of the most searched health topics in the US, and the advice online ranges from sensible to risky. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 take a calmer line: eat the right amount for you, put protein foods at every meal, fill up on vegetables, fruits and whole grains, and limit highly processed foods, added sugars, refined carbohydrates and sugary drinks such as soda, fruit drinks and energy drinks.
Our courses explain the ideas behind that advice in plain English: what a calorie deficit is, why the scale jumps around from day to day, how portions and drinks add up, and why cravings and emotions often matter as much as willpower. They are education, not a diet. Nobody promises a set number of pounds, and the tools are there to help you notice patterns, not to judge you.
Many health plans cover obesity screening and counseling, and diet counseling for adults at higher risk of chronic disease, free of charge with an in-network provider; coverage varies, so check with your plan. If you have a BMI of 40 or more, diabetes, kidney disease, a history of an eating disorder, or you are pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to your doctor before changing how much you eat.
All weight management courses
Weight Management
Meal Planning for Weight Loss
A steady, realistic way to plan filling meals, with a calorie-aware 7-day planner, a portion plate, a shopping list and snack swaps.
$22.99Buy
Weight Management
Emotional Eating and Weight Loss
Notice what drives eating when you are not hungry, ride out urges and try other ways to cope, with a trigger journal and urge-surfing card.
$22.99Buy
Weight Management
Understanding Food Cravings
Why cravings happen and calm ways to handle them, with a craving log, a craving type checker, 10-minute delay cards and swaps.
$12.99Buy
Weight Management
Healthy Midlife Weight Management
For men and women in midlife: food, muscle, movement, sleep and alcohol, with a waist tracker, a protein tracker and a 7-day meal plan.
$22.99Buy
Weight Management
Preventing Weight Regain
Life after weight loss: work out maintenance energy, check in weekly, plan for high-risk situations and get back on track after a slip.
$19.99Buy
Where to start
- Understand the basics: Calorie Deficit Explained covers energy needs, what a sensible deficit looks like and how to track progress without becoming fixated on numbers.
- Plan the week: Meal Planning for Weight Loss turns that knowledge into a 7-day plan, a grocery list and a batch-cook routine.
- Cravings and comfort eating: Understanding Food Cravings is a short starter course, and Emotional Eating and Weight Loss goes deeper into eating when you are stressed, bored or upset.
- In your 40s, 50s or 60s: Healthy Midlife Weight Management looks at muscle, protein, sleep and alcohol for both men and women.
- Keeping it off: Preventing Weight Regain is built around weekly check-ins and a plan for getting back on track after a slip.
Your waist measurement adds information that weight alone misses, so the trackers let you record both. Measure at the same time of day, once a week, and look at the trend rather than single readings.
What the weight management tools do
- Energy needs and maintenance calculators: a general estimate of the Calories you use each day from your age, height, weight and activity level. They are a starting point for planning, not a prescription, and they will not run for people who should get medical advice first.
- Deficit planner and calorie-aware meal planner: lay out small swaps across meals, snacks and drinks so you can see where a change comes from.
- Weekly progress tracker: records weight in pounds and waist in inches once a week and charts the trend.
- Craving log, trigger journal and urge-surfing card: help you notice what sets off eating when you are not hungry, and try something else first.
- High-risk situations planner: a plan for holidays, travel, takeout nights and stressful weeks.
When to get support
Pause the course and talk to your doctor if:
- you are losing weight without trying
- you skip meals, make yourself sick, use laxatives or exercise to make up for eating
- thoughts about food, weight or your body take up most of your day
- you feel dizzy, faint or shaky when you eat less, especially if you take medicine for diabetes
The ANAD Helpline, run by a nonprofit, offers free peer support and referrals for eating disorders at 1-888-375-7767, Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm Central Time. In a crisis, or if you are thinking about suicide, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is there 24/7 by call or text.
Weight management courses: your questions
How fast should I expect to lose weight?
No course can promise a result, and bodies differ. The FTC warns consumers to be wary of any product claiming you can safely lose more than 3 pounds a week for over a month. The courses focus on steady habits and on looking at your trend over several weeks rather than week to week.
What is a calorie deficit?
It means taking in a little less energy than your body uses, so it draws on stored energy. Calorie Deficit Explained shows how to estimate your needs and make small changes without very low intakes or cutting out whole food groups.
How much protein do the new guidelines recommend?
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 suggest 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, spread across meals. If you have kidney disease or another medical condition, ask your doctor what is right for you.
Can I use these courses if I take a GLP-1 weight-loss medicine?
No course here is designed as an eating guide for people on weight-loss medicines. If you take a GLP-1 medicine or any other prescription for weight, ask the clinician who prescribes it before you change how much or what you eat.
Do I have to count calories?
No. Counting is one option. The planners also work with plate portions and simple swaps if you would rather not track numbers.
Are the courses suitable after bariatric surgery?
No. After weight-loss surgery you need the eating plan from your surgical team, so please follow their advice rather than general courses.
Official sources
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 (full text)
- realfood.gov: Dietary Guidelines for Americans consumer site
- HHS: Fact sheet on the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
- FDA: Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts labels
- HealthCare.gov: Preventive care benefits for adults
- ODPHP: Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, top 10 things to know
- FTC: Gut Check, spotting false weight-loss claims
Start with one small change
Open Calorie Deficit Explained, read the first lesson and note one swap you could make this week.