Thanks to everyone who participated. I tried very hard to keep up with you... Excellent questions and comments and dialog. Time FLIES. I'd love to continue this in further chats... we didn't even get to talk about what the Boys & Girls Clubs discovered about programs that work for healthy kids. :) Maybe Emily and Cooper will bring me back in the future! Thanks for your supportiveness! So nice!!

Tues, Sept 29 at 1:00 pm ET: A major research study has shown that thousands of people who've lost a lot of weight and kept it off have key behaviors in common. Another study tells us how much you need to lose to be healthy (it's less than you think) and there's medical news on effective ways for kids to lose weight. Dr. Val Jones is sharing the latest medical developments and will lead a discussion on this big, important topic. Join the conversation and share your story, your feelings and your thoughts.

This topic is for MammaLoves... I have some good news for you! Researchers from the NIH have discovered that substantial medical benefits occur from weight loss as small as 5-10% of total body weight. For a person who weighs 200 pounds, that means that a reasonable health goal would be to weigh 180 or 190 pounds. There is a common misconception that we have to achieve a “normal” weight to be healthy – but science doesn’t back that up. It’s important for us to strive to be healthy and strong, rather than super thin. So hang in there MammaLoves - you may not have as far to go as you think to achieve health benefits. Set the bar with science, not aesthetics. :)

Tues, Sept 29 at 1:00 pm ET: A major research study has shown that thousands of people who've lost a lot of weight and kept it off have key behaviors in common. Another study tells us how much you need to lose to be healthy (it's less than you think) and there's medical news on effective ways for kids to lose weight. Dr. Val Jones is sharing the latest medical developments and will lead a discussion on this big, important topic. Join the conversation and share your story, your feelings and your thoughts.

Well hello. I'm excited about our chat today and expect to learn as much from you as you may from the studies I'll discuss! To get started, here's what I'd like to summarize about the research on successful, long term weight loss: Losing weight is good – but from a medical perspective, keeping it off is what really matters. The largest study ever done on people who have kept off 30 pounds or more for at least a year is the National Weight Control Registry. They’ve been following people who have been successful at weight maintenance since 1994. They wanted to know what these peoples’ secrets to success are. Some are obvious and some might surprise you. The obvious thing is: 1. People in the study combined diet and exercise to achieve their goals. Almost none achieved long term weight loss with just one or the other. The surprising things are: 1. They had to make serious lifestyle changes. 90% had to exercise at least 1 hour/day and resort to a permanent low calorie diet to maintain their weight loss 2. 75% weighed themselves at least once/week 3. Most ate breakfast every day. 4. Walking was the most popular form of exercise. Wearing a pedometer may contribute to losing 5 pounds/year. 5. Half of the dieters used a program (like Weight Watchers), and half succeeded on their own. So... What do you make of this research? Does it ring true for you?

Tues, Sept 29 at 1:00 pm ET: A major research study has shown that thousands of people who've lost a lot of weight and kept it off have key behaviors in common. Another study tells us how much you need to lose to be healthy (it's less than you think) and there's medical news on effective ways for kids to lose weight. Dr. Val Jones is sharing the latest medical developments and will lead a discussion on this big, important topic. Join the conversation and share your story, your feelings and your thoughts.

Hi Melissa, Do you know anything about Tom Harkin's provision (that he added to the HELP bill) whereby alternative medicine practitioners would be considered part of the "healthcare workforce," and able to bill Medicare for their services? As a physician I worry about patients not receiving standard of care treatments... and then us tax payers paying for it! :)

AT 1 pm EST, MONDAY, JULY 6: Find out all you need to know about what is in store for the future of healthcare - especially as it pertains to women and families. Want to know more about what the pending healthcare legislation means to you? You may wonder - what is a public health plan and does it mean I'll have to give up my health insurance? We all have so many questions and we have a leading expert to help! Join us as we talk about these and many more questions with Melissa Schober, Senior Legislative Analyst at Women's Policy, Inc.