Hale Handbook

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Too much to read? Pick the line that sounds most like you and go through it in order. Guides you've opened get a check mark, saved only in this browser.

1

I'm starting from zero

Never done this before, or starting over. Read these in order and you'll know enough to begin.

  1. 1How Weight Loss Actually WorksCalories matter, but "eat less, move more" leaves out why it's so hard to do. Here's the whole picture.3 min
  2. 2How Fast Should You Lose Weight?What "safe" really means, what a realistic timeline looks like, and how little you may need to lose to see real health benefits.3 min
  3. 3How Many Calories Do You Actually Need?How to estimate your number, turn it into a realistic target, and check it against what your body really does.3 min
  4. 4The Plate Method: Eat Better With No CountingThe simplest eating system there is. Half vegetables, a quarter protein, a quarter whole grains. It works at home, at restaurants and at Thanksgiving.2 min
  5. 5Protein: How Much You Need and How to Get ItThe most useful single nutrient to get right while losing weight, and easier than protein-shake culture makes it look.3 min
  6. 6A 12-Week Walking Plan for Complete BeginnersFrom 10 minutes around the block to 45-minute walks. All you need is a pair of comfortable shoes.2 min
  7. 7How to Build Habits That Actually StickMotivation gets you started, but it won't last. What keeps you going is making the right thing small, obvious and automatic.3 min
  8. 8Why the Scale Jumps AroundYou didn't gain three pounds of fat overnight. What daily swings really mean, and how to weigh yourself without losing your mind.2 min
  9. 9Your First 30 Days: A Simple Week-by-Week PlanOne change at a time, no shopping list of superfoods, and no starting over on Monday. Just four weeks of small steps that build on each other.3 min
2

I want to pick a diet

There's no single best diet, but there is probably a best one for you. Here's how to work it out.

  1. 1How to Choose a Diet That'll Actually Work for YouIn head-to-head trials, most diets finish about even. So the question isn't which is best, it's which one you could still be doing next year.3 min
  2. 2Mediterranean Diet: The Best-Studied Way to EatVegetables, olive oil, beans, fish and few rules. It has the strongest evidence of any eating pattern, and you can keep it up for life.2 min
  3. 3Calorie Counting: Flexible Dieting and How to Do It WellNo banned foods and no required ones. It's the most direct way to control your intake, and also the easiest to get wrong or get sick of.2 min
  4. 4Low-Carb Diets: What They Are and How They CompareLess sugar and starch, more protein and fat. They suit some people very well, especially for blood sugar, but they aren't magic.2 min
  5. 5Intermittent Fasting: 16:8, 5:2 and What Actually HappensIt's less magic than the internet says. Fasting works mostly by helping you eat less, which is fine, if that's what fits your life.2 min
  6. 6Plant-Based Diets: Vegan, Vegetarian and FlexitarianYou don't have to go all in. Eating mostly plants is linked to lower weight and heart disease risk, as long as you do it with real food and plan for a few nutrients.2 min
  7. 7Crash Diets, Detoxes and Cleanses: What to Avoid and WhyJuice cleanses, cabbage soup, laxative teas and HCG drops. What they really do, and how to spot a bad diet before you spend a dollar.2 min
3

I'm stuck, or it keeps coming back

For plateaus and regain. Usually it isn't willpower, and there are specific things to check.

  1. 1Weight-Loss Plateaus: Why They Happen and What to DoStuck for weeks? First make sure it's a real plateau. Then work through this checklist, in order.3 min
  2. 2Why the Scale Jumps AroundYou didn't gain three pounds of fat overnight. What daily swings really mean, and how to weigh yourself without losing your mind.2 min
  3. 3How to Track Your Food Without Losing Your MindTracking is one of the best-supported weight-loss habits, and there are simpler ways to do it than logging every gram.2 min
  4. 4Everyday Movement: Why Your Steps Matter More Than Your WorkoutThe calories you burn outside the gym can dwarf the ones you burn in it. Here's how to increase them without any "exercise."3 min
  5. 5Sleep and Weight: The Most Overlooked Part of the PlanShort sleep makes you hungrier, makes junk food more appealing and can change what you lose. Here's how to sleep better.3 min
  6. 6Medications That Can Cause Weight GainIf you gained weight after starting a new prescription, it might not be in your head. Here are the common culprits, and how to raise it with your prescriber.2 min
  7. 7You Fell Off. Here's How to Get Back On.One bad meal, one bad week, even one bad year. None of them erase what you know. Here's what to do next, and what not to do.3 min
  8. 8How to Keep the Weight OffLosing weight and keeping it off are different skills. Here's what people who've kept it off actually do.3 min
  9. 9How to Talk to Your Doctor About WeightIt can be an awkward conversation, and some appointments go badly. Here's how to prepare, what to ask, and what to do if you don't feel heard.3 min
4

I have a health condition

Weight and health run in both directions. Start with the conversation to have, then go to what applies to you.

  1. 1How to Talk to Your Doctor About WeightIt can be an awkward conversation, and some appointments go badly. Here's how to prepare, what to ask, and what to do if you don't feel heard.3 min
  2. 2Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes: What Weight Loss Can DoMore than 2 in 5 US adults have prediabetes, and it often goes undetected. Modest weight loss can cut your risk by more than half, and type 2 diabetes can sometimes go into remission.2 min
  3. 3High Blood Pressure and WeightNearly half of US adults have high blood pressure, and lifestyle changes can sometimes rival a medication. Here's what makes the biggest difference.2 min
  4. 4Cholesterol: What Your Numbers Mean and What Moves ThemLDL, HDL, triglycerides. A plain guide to your lipid panel, plus the food changes that make the most difference.3 min
  5. 5Fatty Liver Disease: The Quiet Condition Weight Loss Can ReverseIt now affects roughly a third of adults worldwide, it usually has no symptoms, and the liver can heal remarkably well if it's caught early.2 min
  6. 6Medications That Can Cause Weight GainIf you gained weight after starting a new prescription, it might not be in your head. Here are the common culprits, and how to raise it with your prescriber.2 min
  7. 7Weight-Loss Medications: GLP-1s and the Rest, ExplainedWegovy, Zepbound, the new pills and older options. How they work, how much weight people lose, the risks, and what happens when you stop.4 min
5

I want to get moving

From no exercise at all to a routine you can keep, including if your joints hurt.

  1. 1What Exercise Can and Can't Do for Your WeightIt's not the fastest way to lose weight, but it's one of the best ways to keep it off, and possibly the best thing you can do for your health overall.2 min
  2. 2A 12-Week Walking Plan for Complete BeginnersFrom 10 minutes around the block to 45-minute walks. All you need is a pair of comfortable shoes.2 min
  3. 3Exercising With Joint Pain or a Larger BodyA lot of fitness advice assumes a body that doesn't hurt. If yours does, here's what to do, and what to do instead.3 min
  4. 4Strength Training for BeginnersYou don't need a gym, a program from a bodybuilder, or to enjoy being sore. Two 30-minute sessions a week is enough to start.2 min
  5. 5A No-Equipment Home Workout, at Three Levels20 minutes in your living room. Start at whichever level matches where you are today, including sitting in a chair.2 min
  6. 6Everyday Movement: Why Your Steps Matter More Than Your WorkoutThe calories you burn outside the gym can dwarf the ones you burn in it. Here's how to increase them without any "exercise."3 min
6

Food feels hard right now

Cravings, stress eating, and guilt. Also how to tell when it's time for more support than a website can give.

  1. 1Cravings: Why You Get Them and How to Handle ThemBanning the food usually makes it worse. Here's what actually reduces cravings, and how to ride one out when it hits.3 min
  2. 2Emotional Eating: How to Tell and What to DoEveryone eats for comfort sometimes. It only becomes a problem when food is your only tool, and that's something you can change.3 min
  3. 3Stress and Weight: What's Really Going OnForget the "cortisol belly" ads. Stress mainly affects your weight through food, sleep and habits, and those are things you can work with.2 min
  4. 4You Fell Off. Here's How to Get Back On.One bad meal, one bad week, even one bad year. None of them erase what you know. Here's what to do next, and what not to do.3 min
  5. 5When Dieting Goes Too Far: Eating Disorder Warning Signs and Getting HelpEating disorders are serious, they affect people of every size and background, and people recover from them. If this page feels relevant, please keep reading.3 min