What's are the risks of using the product or services?
Some methods for losing weight are riskier than others. Diets that require drastic food restriction should be under the supervision of a physician. Get details about side effects or risks that can occur from using the product or service. Check with your primary health care provider before you take prescription or over-the-counter weight loss drugs or other products that are part of the weight loss program. Steer clear of harmful "self help" weight loss tactics, such as smoking, fasting, purging, or abusing laxatives.

What are all the costs of this program?
Ask for an itemized price list that includes membership fees, fee for weekly visits, and costs for items such as diagnostic tests, food meal replacements, dietary supplements, or other products in the program.

How can I improve my chances for keeping the weight off?
The Guidelines require participating programs to give you information about difficulties that many dieters experience with keeping weight off and how you can increase your odds for success.

How successful are other people who follow this program?
Ask whether the program can provide studies that document its success. If so, ask what percentage of all customers have completed the program, how much weight they lost, and how successfully they've kept the weight off over a one-year period or longer. Although the Guidelines do not require providers to disclose detailed program results, providers may give you some of this information. Remember, information based on only some of the people in the program probably reflects those most successful at meeting their weight loss and maintenance goals.

What If a Provider Claims to Follow the Guidelines, But Won't Answer My Questions?
No law requires providers of weight loss products or services to give you the information the Guidelines call for. However, a provider that claims to follow the Guidelines must give you all required information and it must be truthful and accurate.

If a provider claims to follow the Guidelines, but does not give you all required information, of if you suspect the information is not truthful or accurate, call the the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) toll-free help line at 1.877.FTC.HELP, use the FTC's online complaint form at www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint or contact the Partnership at the address below:

Federal Trade Commission
Bureau of Consumer Protection
600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20580
Attention: Partnership for Healthy Weight Management