Duties and responsibilities
The main responsibility of a weight loss consultant is to advise clients on weight loss and healthy living. Their typical duties include:
- Consulting with clients on how to adopt healthy eating habits
- Demonstrating the proper use of exercise equipment
- Devising exercise strategies for optimum weight loss
- Discussing fitness goals with clients
- Working one-on-one or with groups to offer advice on nutrition and exercise regimes
Qualifications
To become a weight loss consultant you will need a bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as nutrition or sports psychology. After this, although not a necessity, you may want to consider obtaining certification from the American Council on Exercise or the American Fitness Professional and Associates, as this will show you have the specialized knowledge and skills.
Skills and relevant work experience
As well as a genuine passion for healthy eating and exercise and a thorough knowledge of exercise and nutrition science, weight loss consultants also need:
- Active listening skills, as they will need to create trusting professional relationships with clients
- Verbal and written communication skills, as weight loss consultants will need to communicate their ideas with their clients verbally, and they will need to respond to emails and letters
- Compassion, as weight loss consultants will work with people who are struggling with their body image and will need to be able to sympathize with them
- Physical fitness as weight loss consultants will have to show clients how to do movements or use the equipment
- Problem solving skills as weight loss consultant will have to evaluate each client’s level of fitness and create appropriate goals and weight loss plans for them
Hours
Weight loss consultants tend to work full time and they sometimes may have to work weekends or evenings to meet their clients needs. Weight loss consultants may work in gyms, fitness centres or in community centres. Or, they may work privately by seeing clients in their homes or in private studios.
Salary
According to salary expert, the average salary of a weight loss consultant in the United States is $30,921 per year. For entry level positions, the average salary is $23,970 per year and for senior positions it is $36,521 per year.
Progression
Weight loss consultants can progress to managing a team of other weight loss consultants or to owning their own company.