The average American is seventeen pounds heavier than twenty years ago. America's increasing fat problem is no longer just an aesthetic issue but rapidly on the way to becoming the leading cause of preventable death in this country. Weight loss is part of the prescription for many medical problems such as high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, elevated blood pressure, or diabetes. In fact, most of these conditions can be prevented or successfully treated with weight loss alone. In this book, the physicians at 1-800-Drs DIET answer all the questions that patients have about losing weight, including how hormones control fat metabolism, which hormones to check and why correcting hormonal imbalances helps with weight loss and relieves symptoms such as fatigue, stress, and loss of energy. The book also explains the rationale for each step in a logical approach to weight loss management, including all the steps that your physician can take to help you with this most modern of all maladies.