The North Star Diet and Weight Management Program is the result of my desire to educate individuals about safe and effective weight loss and weight maintenance. I was frustrated by many popular diet texts, the Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet, and Zone Diet, which have failed to address many of the components of safe and effective weight loss and weight maintenance. The information contained in this book has been distributed to numerous patients in my practice with highly successful results. My text allows individuals to safely lose weight utilizing customized meal plans based on the nutritional guidelines of the Institute of Medicine. The Institute of Medicine is the governmental institution which makes recommendations for the entire United States based on a critical review of all available medical and nutritional information. My book differs greatly from other resources because I provide calorie-specific meal plans and exercise routines which allow an individual to achieve weight loss and then maintain a stable weight.