The obesity crisis is ranging on here in the United States, affecting both adults and children alike. Unfortunately, one third of adults are now overweight, with another one third medically classified as obese. This leaves only about one third of the adult population at a healthy weight. Fortunately, however, many people realize this is a considerable problem, as nearly 55% of all adults in this country alone are currently trying to lose some amount of weight.

Losing weight comes down to two main things: exercise and diet. Exercising enough is key, but consuming too many calories in your diet means that weight loss will be pretty much impossible. For most overweight or obese people, a change in diet will be key for weight loss. In some cases, exercise can even be added in later on in the game, after a newer and healthier diet is in full swing.

If you don’t have experience in cultivating a healthy diet, getting help from a nutritionist can help immensely. A nutritionist or dietician can help to formulate a personalized weight loss plan with a focus on diet and can help to educate you on your diet as well. After all, it is well known that the average fad diet doesn’t really provide long term results, as most people rebound and regain the weight as soon as they stop following the diet in question to a T. A nutritionist, however, can teach you to adopt ways of eating that are healthy and sustainable and that even change your outlook on food entirely.

A nutritionist can also provide you the support that you need, as trying to diet alone is incredibly difficult, though more than three quarters of people are currently in the process of trying to lose weight but have no outside source of support, something that is often necessary to get them through the rough patches. In fact, surveys have shown that around 70% of people feel that having a solid support system – or even just one person to go to for support – is essential for any successful weight loss endeavor – and the sustaining of that weight loss once it occurs.

Along with a nutritionist, a personal trainer can also help to provide a system of support for those who are looking to lose weight and better their bodies and, most importantly of all, their health. After all, obesity will eventually take a severe toll on many an obese person’s overall health, causing everything from joint problems to type 2 diabetes, to heart disease. But losing weight in a healthy way can reduce these risk factors or even reverse them entirely.

The science that has been done surrounding this topic more than backs up this claim. It shows that even losing just a mere 5% of your body weight (if you are already overweight or obese) can actually lower your risk for developing heart disease tremendously. And when you don’t develop heart disease so early on in life, you’re likely to live a longer one, a happier one, too. In addition to this, type 2 diabetes can actually be reversed with a proper diet and regular exercise in order to reduce weight, though both of these things will need to be maintained indefinitely, forever.

For many people, starting to exercise is an incredibly daunting thing, especially if they have never really worked out before. Fortunately, professionals like personal trainers can help any person to create a workout calendar that is really and truly ideal for them, something that they can actually follow with relative ease – and stick to over the course of time. Not only will sticking to a workout schedule help to lose weight, but it will contribute to the person in question’s ability to build muscle as well, helping them to gain more confidence not only in the overall appearance of their body, but in what it is capable of as well, something that is truly a hugely important thing.

If you’re overweight or obese, losing weight is important but it can most definitely be difficult. The professionals can certainly help.