Expert Guide to Weight Loss and Weight Management

A person’s weight is determined by many factors, and their ability to lose weight or maintain weight is similarly complex and individual. See what Ohio State experts have to say about new research and common questions about dieting, weight loss and weight management.

Building blocks of balanced diets

Exercise and Nutrition

Could tracking ‘net carbs’ help me?

August 12, 2025

Knowing the “net carbs” in a food could help you choose carbs wisely. Find out how to calculate them.

Exercise and Nutrition

How to read a nutrition label like a dietitian

By Kristine Dilley, RD, LD

Learn from an Ohio State dietitian tips to reading a nutrition label so you know what’s in your food.

Exercise and Nutrition

How to choose the best ready-made foods at the store, according to a dietitian

By Kacie Vavrek, MS, RD, CSSD

Pre-made and frozen foods aren't all created equal. An Ohio State dietitian shares their picks and what to look for in easy meal choices at the grocery store.

Exercise and Nutrition

Make meal-prepping work for you: Checklist from a registered dietitian

By Dena Champion, RD, MS

Making meal-prepping a habit can be hard, depending on your approach. An Ohio State registered dietitian offers some tried-and-true tips.

Exercise and Nutrition

Micronutrients vs. macronutrients, and where to find them

By Kristen Heitman, RD

What does a nutritious overall diet look like? To be healthy, we need a balance of both macronutrients and micronutrients.

Exercise and Nutrition

6 easy steps toward a low-sodium diet

October 7, 2022

Lowering sodium in your diet can help lower blood pressure and provide other health benefits. An Ohio State nutritionist gives tips on ways to ditch the salt.

Exercise and Nutrition

Getting started on the Mediterranean diet

By Liz Weinandy, MPH, RDN, LD

The mostly plant-based Mediterranean diet doesn’t involve strict rules but can offer big health rewards. An Ohio State dietitian helps you get started.

Exercise and Nutrition

Easiest ways to adopt the DASH diet

By Kathy Moore, RDN, LD

You might hear the DASH diet mentioned as one of the healthiest diets to adopt. But how to get started?

Exercise and Nutrition

Eat veggies and protein first, carbs last through ‘meal sequencing’

By Jessica Hernandez, RD, LD

There’s a simple way to bring down your blood sugar levels by eating the veggies first, the carbs last.

Exercise and Nutrition

Why we need fiber and how to get more into your diet

By Emily Rice, RD

Eating more fiber allows us to have a healthier gut, more energy and lower levels of cholesterol.

Tips for maintaining weight and metabolism

Exercise and Nutrition

Always hungry? Never hungry? Here’s how the body regulates hunger, and what can change your appetite

September 17, 2024

Ever wonder what controls your appetite? Find out from an Ohio State dietitian.

Exercise and Nutrition

Preventing muscle loss as we age

By Kacie Vavrek, MS, RD, CSSD

Aging doesn’t have to come with muscle loss. Here are some tips to build rather than deplete muscle.

Aging

Does metabolism really slow down with age?

By Beth Harvilla

For years, the assumption has been that your metabolism is slowing as you age. A recent study suggests that’s all wrong.

Exercise and Nutrition

How to lose weight without slowing metabolism

By Liz Weinandy, MPH, RDN, LD

Learn how your metabolism works and what can slow it down from an Ohio State expert.

Research Advances

Ohio State researcher determined to find out what exercise really does in the body

By Wendy Margolin

A researcher at Ohio State is looking beyond weight loss to understand how and why exercise benefits the body. She’s uncovering some surprising findings of how fat, metabolism and total health are affected by exercise.

Avoiding diet pitfalls

Exercise and Nutrition

Does cooling starchy food after cooking really lower its calories?

By Kristine Dilley, RD, LD

Here’s a trick to eating pasta that cuts the calories, explained by an Ohio State dietitian.

Exercise and Nutrition

A carb intolerance may be why losing weight is so hard

By Liz Weinandy, MPH, RDN, LD

You may be able to fix a carb intolerance just by a few changes in your diet. Find out how from an Ohio State dietitian.

Exercise and Nutrition

That diet probably won’t work long-term — here’s what to focus on instead

By Jen Carter, PhD

Learn more about what to focus on for long-term weight loss, like adopting healthy ways of thinking about food and diets.

Exercise and Nutrition

Debunking fad diets: Why weight loss isn't the only measure of success

By Liz Weinandy, MPH, RDN, LD

What does it really mean for a diet to “work”? If someone eats McDonald’s for 100 days and loses weight, was the diet successful? There’s more to it than that, says an Ohio State dietitian.

Exercise and Nutrition

Can cognitive behavioral therapy help with weight loss?

March 23, 2026

Weight loss isn’t just about food or exercise – it’s also about your thoughts. See how cognitive behavioral therapy can support lasting change.

Exercise and Nutrition

Does the ‘blood type diet’ work?

By Liz Weinandy, MPH, RDN, LD

Should your blood type determine the foods you eat and the ones you avoid? Find out what an Ohio State dietitian thinks about the blood type diet.

Exercise and Nutrition

Does intermittent fasting work?

By Liz Weinandy, MPH, RDN, LD

Intermittent fasting’s benefits can be different, depending on the person. The far-reaching benefits of fasting may not be superior to reducing overall calories.

Exercise and Nutrition

Interested in long-term weight loss? You might want to skip the keto diet.

By Emilie Vandenberg, RD, LD

The keto diet was first used to treat patients with epilepsy and has become a popular weight loss tactic. Learn how the keto diet works and what to consider before starting a ketogenic diet.

Exercise and Nutrition

The dangers of orthorexia

By Stacy Cleveland, RDN, LD

Healthy eating can become an obsession. An Ohio State dietitian explains how.

Is it ‘cheating’ to use weight loss medication?

Allison Rhodes, MD, talking about using weight loss medications

Weight loss medication, surgery and structured programs

General Health

A new understanding of weight biology with GLP-1s

August 31, 2026

When it comes to weight regulation, biology plays a powerful role. GLP-1 medications work because they act on biological signals we naturally produce.

Watch

Exercise and Nutrition

‘Mind over stomach’ — bariatric surgery success may have more to do with your mindset than your operation

By Ashleigh Pona, PhD

Bariatric surgery can help you hit the reset button on your life. But having a successful outcome may have less to do with your operation and more to do with your mental mindset and lifestyle behaviors.

Exercise and Nutrition

Should you consider a weight loss program like Noom?

By Liz Weinandy, MPH, RDN, LD, Erin Holley, RD

Learn more about why Noom works and why it doesn't, and what dieticians at Ohio State recommend for long-term weight loss.

Exercise and Nutrition

Six barriers to success in programs to combat obesity, and how we can fix them

By Mei-Wei Chang, PhD, RN

Too many efforts to fight obesity in America haven’t worked, especially among low-income families. We’ve identified six barriers to progress and how they can be overcome to help families live and eat better.

Exercise and Nutrition

What to know about nutrition when you start a GLP-1 medication

By Liz Weinandy, MPH, RDN, LD

When you start taking a GLP-1 or GIP medication for weight loss, there are a few things to keep in mind to make sure you maintain your health and weight management goals.

Exercise and Nutrition

Should you consider weight-loss medication?

January 10, 2022

One in three Americans want to lose weight, and have tried many options without success. Ohio State's Comprehensive Weight Management program offers weight loss medication options.

Exercise and Nutrition

Taking a GLP-1? Here are foods to limit — and what to prioritize

By Samantha Snashall, RDN, LD

If you’re taking a GLP-1 weight loss medication, here’s what you need to know about what to eat and what to limit in your diet.

Heart and Vascular

Can weight loss drugs improve heart health?

By M. Wesley Milks, MD

Weight loss injectable drugs have skyrocketed in use. Many are using them to combat obesity and diabetes. An Ohio State cardiologist explains what it could mean for your heart health.

General Health

Obese and tired of diets that don’t work? Weight loss surgery is another option

By Stacy Brethauer, MD

If you’re obese, you’ve probably tried a lot of ways to lose weight. Here’s one to consider. An Ohio State specialist in weight loss surgeries explains.

Mental Health

How significant weight loss can affect your mental health

By Ashleigh Pona, PhD

An Ohio State expert explains the mental health challenges of significant weight loss and signs that indicate you may need help.

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Take the first steps to a healthier lifestyle

Ditch the fads and start taking real steps to improving your health with the nutrition and dietary experts from Ohio State.

Start today

Expert Guide to Weight Loss and Weight Management

A person’s weight is determined by many factors, and their ability to lose weight or maintain weight is similarly complex and individual. See what Ohio State experts have to say about new research and common questions about dieting, weight loss and weight management.

Building blocks of balanced diets

Featured stories

Featured stories

Tips for maintaining weight and metabolism

Featured stories

Avoiding diet pitfalls

Featured stories

Featured stories

Is it ‘cheating’ to use weight loss medication?

Weight loss medication, surgery and structured programs

Featured stories

Featured stories

Take the first steps to a healthier lifestyle