Designing Your Personal Weight Loss Plan

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Designing Your Personal Weight Loss Plan

Instructor: Mary Beth Kavanagh

137,523 already enrolled

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5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

578 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

1 week at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

96%

Most learners liked this course

5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

578 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

1 week at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

96%

Most learners liked this course

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

1 assignment

Taught in English

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There are 5 modules in this course

This 5 week course will guide learners through the essential steps in planning an individualized weight loss program. There is no guarantee of weight loss through completing the course; learners will have the framework and essential components for an evidence-based weight loss program. This course is intended for healthy adults who do not have any chronic disease such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, lung disease or any others. In addition, this course does not provide information for people who have food allergies or intolerances.

Losing weight and keeping it off requires planning and goal-setting. Crash diets or fad diets are ineffective and can be dangerous. This course provides evidence-based information for planning a weight loss program that is safe and effective in producing a one to two pound loss per week. This course will help learners establish the following: 1. A realistic goal weight with a specific plan for rate of weight loss and time frame for achieving goal weight. 2. A realistic goal for the frequency, duration, and intensity of exercise that will enable the learner to achieve and maintain the goal weight. 3. A specific set of strategies for grocery shopping, eating in restaurants, eating at social occasions, and dealing with hunger and emotional eating. 4. A plan for monitoring food intake, exercise and weight loss. 5. A plan for continued evaluation of progress to goals and strategies for adjusting goals for continued weight loss for the next 6 months or longer. 6. A thorough understanding of the difficulty of maintaining weight loss and a plan for maximizing the chances of keeping off the weight lost.

Let’s get started on designing your personal weight loss plan! We begin this first week by setting a personal goal weight that is realistic for you and making a plan for exercise. You probably expected that we would start out with calories and food - but these two topics are actually the right place to start!

What's included

4 videos7 readings2 peer reviews1 discussion prompt

4 videosTotal 24 minutes

Welcome from Mary Beth Kavanagh, MS, RDN, LD, FAND2 minutes
Determining Your Goal Weight7 minutes
How and When to Weigh Yourself5 minutes
Making a Plan for Exercise10 minutes

7 readingsTotal 70 minutes

Disclaimer10 minutes
An Introduction to SMART Goals10 minutes
A Note About Assignments10 minutes
CWRU Wellness Initiative Participants10 minutes
Daily Weight Record Worksheet10 minutes
Measuring Intensity of Exercise10 minutes
High-Intensity Interval Training10 minutes

2 peer reviewsTotal 120 minutes

Assignment #1: My Goal Weight Statement60 minutes
Assignment #2: My Exercise Plan60 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Introduce Yourself10 minutes

In week two we will focus on the topic of nutrition. This week you will learn how many calories you should take in to lose weight and how many servings from each of the food groups you should take in daily to make sure you get all the essential nutrients that you need. You will also make a plan for grocery shopping.

What's included

3 videos3 readings1 peer review

Is it OK to eat out in restaurants when you are trying to lose weight? How can you manage your calorie and food group intake in your workplace cafeteria? What strategies are most likely to increase your ability to lose weight and keep it off?

What's included

2 videos4 readings1 peer review

2 videosTotal 20 minutes

Strategies for Eating Out8 minutes
Identifying Support and Self-Monitoring12 minutes

4 readingsTotal 40 minutes

Tips for Dining Out10 minutes
Research on Restaurant Meals and Dining with Others10 minutes
SuperTracker References10 minutes
Self-Weighing in Weight Management10 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

Assignment #4: My Support and Self-Monitoring60 minutes

This week we will learn about the “triggers” that can get you off track when you start your weight loss program and we will develop strategies to deal with these. We will also take some time to review all the goals you have set for yourself so far and make any needed revisions.

What's included

2 videos2 readings1 assignment1 peer review

You made it to the final week of this MOOC! Our focus this week will be on helping you to stay on track and avoid going back to old eating habits as you lose weight. We will also consider why it is so hard to keep weight off once you lose it and some strategies you can use to increase your success.

What's included

2 videos1 reading1 peer review

Instructor

Instructor ratings

(71 ratings)

Mary Beth Kavanagh

Case Western Reserve University

1 Course137,523 learners

Offered by

Case Western Reserve University

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Learner reviews

5 stars
49.13%
4 stars
24.91%
3 stars
11.07%
2 stars
6.57%
1 star
8.30%

Showing 3 of 578

Reviewed on Feb 15, 2018

It was very useful course which help me learn skills that help me advance in my current job and help me to reduce weight.

Reviewed on Sep 19, 2016

Easy to understand, not radical, and sensible strategies for weight loss. No grapefruit diet here.

Reviewed on Apr 5, 2021

I learned a lot about Designing my own personal weight loss plan in this course. Presently I am losing weight and I am practicing the information I learned in this course.

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