The advantages of an expertly designed Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center plan are available to those who want to lose weight on their own. helps you assess your own reasons for weight gain. With this knowledge, you can design your own personal step-by-step program for weight loss based on the approach that has been so successful at the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center. This individualized approach takes into account personal differences in such areas as emotional makeup, lifestyle, family circumstances, coping style, physical health, and economic means. Unlike typical diet books that offer simplistic or formulaic recommendations for weight loss, tells you how to develop and follow a plan that meets your own specific needs. As you read through the book, you will establish your own weight loss goals, dietary aims, and exercise schedule, while building critical skills to help you cope with temptation, frustration, and anything else that interferes with your goal. "The basic message is this: You do not need to change everything about yourself and your life to lose weight and keep it off. You do need to identify your specific problem areas and find creative, individualized solutions."—Lawrence J. Cheskin, M.D.