Weight Loss Specialist

Master the Art of Weight Loss Coaching

Unravel the Weight Loss Puzzle: Help Clients Achieve Lasting Results. NASM’s Weight Loss Specialization equips you to go beyond the scale and address the root causes of weight gain. Empower clients with the knowledge and tools for sustainable success.

Course Overview

NASM-GFI

What You’ll Learn

The NASM Weight Loss Specialist course is designed to equip professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to help clients effectively lose weight and maintain a healthy body composition. This comprehensive program covers the science of weight management, including the role of nutrition, exercise, and behavior change. Participants will learn to develop customized weight loss plans, address common challenges, and apply evidence-based strategies to support long-term success. The course emphasizes practical skills and evidence-based approaches to ensure effective weight loss coaching. Here's an overview of the course and what you can expect to learn:

A high school degree and basic communication skills are required, along with physical fitness and training experience.

The PBC course is fully endorsed by NASM (1.9)

Getting Started with Us

Achieving sustainable weight loss takes more than diet and exercise alone. It requires an understanding of all the physiological, psychological, and psychosocial factors at play that can make weight loss seem so difficult for so many people. In this specialization you’ll learn about the obesity epidemic, the science of weight loss and metabolism, fitness and nutrition coaching strategies, and much more.

When you choose NASM for your Weight Loss Specialization, you’ll get access to:

    • World-class fitness & nutrition experts
    • Peer-reviewed content from the brightest minds in the industry
    • State-of-the-art digital learning platform designed to meet multiple learning styles
    • A curriculum that is consistently reviewed and updated with the most up-to-date material available

See the full Weight Loss Specialization curriculum here.

NASM’s online program makes becoming a Weight Loss Specialization as easy and convenient as can be. By completing the self-guided study materials at your own pace, you can become a Weight Loss Specialization and begin working with clients in as little as 8-10 weeks.

To become an NASM Weight Loss Specialization, you simply have to:

1) Enroll in the program.

2) Complete the self-guided online study materials in your own time from the comfort of home.

3) Pass the certification exam.

After completing the study materials, you’ll take an online exam to earn your Weight Loss Specialization. This exam features:

    • 100 multiple-choice questions
    • 90 minutes to complete
    • Open-book format
    • 70% required to pass
    • 3 test attempts included

NASM has over 35 years of experience training the world’s top fitness professionals, and we do it better than anyone else. NASM credentials stand out to employers and distinguish you as a highly trained fitness professional.

 

Since our formation, we’ve trained over 1.5 million fitness professionals in 100+ countries. In that time we’ve developed extensive partnerships with over 12,000 gyms and health clubs. That means we have the connections necessary to help you get in the door and gain employment from the fitness company of your dreams.

Customize your Payment Plan

All payment plans are 0% interest, with no fees, penalties or credit check!

starting at:

Total: €798

€266 × 3 Payments

€699

One-Time Payment

Premium Self-Study
Benefits:
Young instructor showing exercises with dumbbells to overweight woman during training in class

Why Become a Weight Loss Specialist

  • Impact Lives:

    Help clients achieve and maintain their weight loss goals, improving their overall health and quality of life.

  • Growing Field:

    Tap into the expanding market of weight management and obesity prevention.

  • Diverse Opportunities:

    Work in various settings such as gyms, clinics, private practice, and online platforms.

  • Expertise Development:

    Gain specialized knowledge in nutrition, exercise, and behavior change for effective weight loss strategies.

  • Personal Fulfillment:

    Experience satisfaction from making a meaningful difference in clients’ lives.

  • Career Growth:

    Enhance your professional credentials and expand your career opportunities.

  • Financial Potential:

    Benefit from competitive income and business opportunities in a high-demand field.

  • Holistic Approach:

    Provide comprehensive support that integrates nutrition, exercise, and behavioral coaching.

Get Certified In 4 Steps

1

Register & Prepare

Choose your package, register, and start your self-study with the course materials and gain the theoretical knowledge to support the practical skills learning taught in the live course.

2

Attend the Course

Attend the live course (in-Person or virtual) and apply your knowledge while learning high-performance practical skills, and getting expert advice, feedback, coaching.

3

Pass Your Exams

You have 365 days from enrollment to complete the final exam, which has 100 multiple-choice questions. The exam lasts 90 minutes, and you need a 70% to pass. You get 3 attempts, with additional retests available for purchase.

4

Download Your Certificate

Welcome to the world of Fitness Professionals.

What are the Objectives of this course?

Curriculum

Although it is not required, it is recommended that candidates have at least one of the following credentials:

    • PT Certification
    • Certified Massage Therapist
    • NCCA, ICREPs or EREPs Accredited Health/Fitness Certification
    • 4-Year College Degree

Chapter 1: Introduction

Review the course structure, program objectives, and meet the client personas that will be used as case studies throughout the course

Chapter 2: Scope of Practice

This chapter provides an overview of the landscape of healthcare and describes where a Weight Loss Specialist fits into the healthcare continuum. Develop an understanding of how to best serve your clients while ensuring you follow best practices.

    • 5 Infographics
    • 3 Videos
    • 3 Printable Handouts

Chapter 3: The State of Obesity

Understand the scope of obesity and how it impacts society and ultimately clients. Learn the primary reasons for obesity and how clients may become obese. These insights are important for understanding clients at a fundamental level and how key drivers of obesity can be addressed by a Weight Loss Specialist.

Chapter 4: The Physiology of Obesity

Learn what changes occur in the body due to obesity and how that can affect the health and physical properties of the body, including the organ systems, hormones, metabolism, and neurobiology. All of these aspects can affect the way people with obesity respond to exercise.

Chapter 5: Psychosocial and Obesity

This chapter will discuss three critical domains of the psychosocial components of obesity: mental health, social influences, and eating disorders. Learn about self-esteem and body image, and how to empathize with your clients over these aspects of mental health. Social influences and social determinants of obesity will be explored in depth and potential solutions to addressing these issues will be provided.

    • 18 Infographics
    • 3 Videos

Chapter 6: Metabolism

Understand the metabolism and how it relates to obesity, including energy balance and energy needs as well as the role of environment and genetics. Learn about the primary theories of what causes obesity from a metabolic standpoint and how a Weight Loss Specialist can operationalize those theories in practice and provide solutions to clients who have difficulty losing weight.

Chapter 7: Nutrition and Supplementation

Understand nutrition, supplementation, and dieting as it relates to obesity. Popular dietary schemes and archetypes have been used to address obesity for decades. Review these diets in detail as well as their efficacy and utility.

Chapter 8: The Impact of Exercise on Weight Loss

Exercise is most commonly thought of as one of the critical components to weight loss; however, exactly how it affects weight loss is often misunderstood. This chapter will provide an in-depth review of how exercise affects weight loss from a calorie expenditure perspective, a metabolic perspective, a health perspective, and the effects of exercise on mental health.

Chapter 9: Psychology of Weight Loss

The psychological effects of weight loss are as important as the physiological ones. This chapter will review five key components of the psychology of weight loss: coping, dieting, will power, adherence, and ambivalence.

    • 36 Infographics
    • 4 Videos
    • 5 Printable Handouts

Chapter 10: The Client Intake Process

A critical component to achieving success as a Weight Loss Specialist is developing a clear, consistent, and thorough intake process. Individuals who require weight loss have specific needs when it comes to assessment. This chapter will review the fundamental components of developing a proper intake process and will provide a set of robust tools for Weight Loss Specialists to use.

Chapter 11: Conducting Fitness Assessments

Understanding the readiness and fitness of a client is imperative for Weight Loss Specialists. These assessments and tests (like calculating calories for goal weights) help the Weight Loss Specialist understand the current state of a client and determine where the appropriate starting point is using a thoughtful, systematic approach.

  • 7 Infographics
  • 4 Videos
  • 15 Printable Handouts

Chapter 12: Nutrition Coaching Strategies for Weight Loss

Learn how to create a weight loss program, how to use strategies to increase adherence to the plan, and how to apply various assessment tools to make modifications during the plan to ensure ongoing success for the client. Learn about behavior change models that have been shown in research to be effective.

Chapter 13: Fitness Coaching Strategies for Weight Loss

Understand how exercise for the individual client differs, how intensity can affect overall energy expenditure via the constrained energy model, and the role of NEAT in the context of fitness coaching and weight loss.

Chapter 14: Integrating Nutrition and Fitness with the Weight Loss Client

Nutrition and fitness coaching are often part of an integrated plan. This chapter will utilize client personas to help you learn how to integrate the nutrition and fitness plans developed for a client. This chapter will provide a straightforward, defined process for how to set up, implement, and evaluate an integrated program for a client.

Chapter 15: Weight Maintenance and Sustainability

Sustainability and setting clients up for long term success is one of the most important aspects for a Weight Loss Specialist to consider. This chapter will review key aspects of how to ensure clients have sustainable results.

  • 11 Infographics
  • 6 Videos
  • 4 Printable Handouts

After the completion of the course, you will take an online final exam from the comfort of your own home, or wherever you prefer to take tests, that consists of 100 questions. Each question will be multiple-choice. The exam is timed and cannot exceed 90 minutes. To pass, you need a score of 70% or higher. Don’t fret though, if you score below that, you have up to 3 attempts to pass.

Overweight woman exercising with dumbbells in health club with instructor training mature woman in background

The course includes:

WEIGHT LOSS SPECIALIZATION FAQS

You will have 1 year from the day of enrollment to take your final exam.

No, you do not need to renew your NASM Weight Loss Specialization. Once you pass your final exam, your NASM-WLS specialization certificate never expires.

You will have 3 attempts to pass the final exam.

The AFAA GFI course is completely self-paced. You have 180 days to take the final exam from the date of purchase. Many students may complete the course in as little as 6 to 8 weeks. Exact times will vary depending on the student, prior experience and dedication to the material.

No, is it not required to take the Weight Loss Specialization program.

NASM-WLS is approved for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) by the following organizations:

1.9 CEUs

19 CEUs

2.0 CECs

10 CIMPSA  Endorsed CPD Points

The final exam is administered online within your student portal. It consists of 100 multiple-choice questions and 90 minutes for completion.

Join us at Fitness Academy Europe and embark on an inspiring journey toward becoming a NASM-certified fitness specialist. Your gateway to a thriving career in the fitness industry begins right here, right now. Let’s make your fitness dreams a reality together.

START YOUR JOURNEY JOURNEY TODAY

Get in touch with us now and start your path towards personal and professional growth. Complete the form below and receive a call back from our team.

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