NASM WEIGHT LOSS SPECIALIST EVALUATION EXAM
2025/2026 QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS TAGGED A+
✔✔The healthcare system incorporates the following disciplines: - ✔✔Hospitals,
emergency clinics, and trauma centers
Ambulatory care centers, including personal physicians and specialists
Therapists, including physical therapists, cardiac rehab professionals, massage
therapists, and bariatric specialists
Ancillary facilities, including dentists and ophthalmologists
Behavioral health specialties, including psychiatrists, psychologists, addictions
specialists, and social workers
Alternative medicine practitioners (licensed), including chiropractors, acupuncture
physicians, and massage therapists
Long-term care, including home health and hospice
Health and fitness specialties, including personal trainers, performance specialists,
Nutrition Coaches, and group exercise instructors
✔✔The Nutrition Coach CANNOT - ✔✔Provide specific meal plans and daily menus.
Prescribe specific supplements or recommend vitamins and/or mineral dosages.
Suggest drastic caloric restriction.
Promote fasting, detoxification, or other extreme nutritional practices.
Prescribe diets that omit or severely restrict certain food groups.
In anyway, go against recommendations of licensed healthcare professionals.
Provide detailed nutritional plans for athletes who participate in extreme training
programs (i.e., Ironman triathletes or ultra-marathoners).
Prescribe dietary plans for those with chronic health conditions (i.e., diabetes or heart
disease).
Provide nutrition therapy to treat or prevent disease.
Provide exercise prescriptions or detailed programming (unless already certified as a
personal trainer).
✔✔The Nutrition Coach CAN - ✔✔Evaluate current eating plans and provide general
guidance.
Recommend the client discuss supplement use with their personal registered dietitian
nutritionist, physician, or pharmacist.
Promote caloric guidelines outlined by the USDA's MyPlate, the United Kingdom's
Eatwell Guide, or other acceptable entities.
Recommend gradual dietary modifications and consistent dietary practices.
Discuss the importance of a balanced intake of macronutrients.
Refer back to the client's personal healthcare provider when necessary.
Offer nutritional guidelines for anyone wanting to participate in typical athletic pursuits
(i.e., masters swimming or a 10K run).
Provide guidance for healthy populations.
Offer advice on eating behaviors and/or macronutrients that are known to reduce the
risk of disease or slow disease progression.
Offer exercise and physical activity guidelines.
,✔✔A few examples of key items to cover could include questions around the following: -
✔✔Client nutritional goals
Personal stumbling blocks
Food aversions, preferences, known allergies, etc.
Hydration
Food triggers
Exercise habits
Daily activity patterns
✔✔The physical assessment is another important tool used by the Nutrition Coach.
Common assessments include the following: - ✔✔Height
Weight
Body composition
Anthropometric measures of girth (arm, neck, chest, waist, hip, thigh, and calf)
✔✔Macronutrients - ✔✔Nutrients required in large quantities, including carbohydrates,
proteins, and fats.
✔✔Micronutrients - ✔✔Nutrients required in smaller quantities, including vitamins and
minerals.
✔✔Information should be: - ✔✔Highly relevant. For example, discussions on meal prep
for a family would not be relevant if the client is single and lives alone.
Based on prior experience. The client who has had countless attempts at weight loss
can relate to weight loss strategies, especially if he or she is open to options and has
bought into trying new things.
Practical. The single parent with a full-time job and three children, who have a plethora
of after-school activities, may not have time to prep food for an hour every day.
Perceived to be important. If a client just lost a partner to a heart attack, the client may
likely be very interested in heart-healthy foods.
✔✔The SCOFF Questions - ✔✔Do you make yourself Sick because you feel
uncomfortably full?
Do you worry that you have lost Control over how much you eat?
Have you recently lost more than One stone (14 lbs) in a 3-month period?
Do you believe yourself to be Fat when others say you are too thin?
Would you say that Food dominates your life?
✔✔Hypoglycemia - ✔✔A condition of an abnormally low blood glucose (blood sugar)
level in the blood.
✔✔What is an open-ended question? - ✔✔A question that cannot be answered with a
yes or no and requires more detail
, ✔✔The roles and responsibilities of a WLS fall into four key areas in program design.
These are: - ✔✔Assessment, Education, Implementation, and Intervention
✔✔Which of the following assessments is self-guided and consists of risk stratification
and a decision tree to help determine if participating in physical activity or a fitness
assessment is considered safe? - ✔✔Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire
✔✔They found out what worked for them; there was no universal change. -
✔✔According to the National Weight Control Registry, what change did every
participant make to successfully maintain weight loss?
✔✔Jose consumes two 500ml bottles of cola per day. What is a recommended strategy
to reduce his calorie intake from sugary beverages? - ✔✔Switch to diet soda
✔✔In most calorie-restricted diets that lead to weight loss, approximately how much of
the weight lost is from the loss of lean body mass (LBM)? - ✔✔0.25
✔✔What is the purpose of the Arrange step in the 5 A's framework? - ✔✔To establish
accountability established through regular (weekly) follow-up on progress.
✔✔In terms of social influence, which of the following describes when people change
their behavior to behave more like other people? - ✔✔Conformity
✔✔The median age of the U.S. population has risen by how many years since 1970? -
✔✔10
✔✔Fat soluble vitamins are often lower in obese individuals for what reason? -
✔✔Sequestered into fat tissue
✔✔BMI may miss what percent of people who are considered medically overfat when
their BMI is below 30? - ✔✔About 50%
✔✔One of the roles of a WLS is to be a coach to clients on their weight loss journey.
Which of the following best describes the role of a coach in this context? - ✔✔A fitness
professional who is a mentor and guide to the client, helps the client identify and
address obstacles in their weight loss goals, and provides support and accountability
through the client's journey
✔✔Which of the following best describes the continuum of care in healthcare? - ✔✔An
integrated model of care that provides individuals with guidance, aid, and healthcare at
varying levels of intensity through different stages of their life
2025/2026 QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS TAGGED A+
✔✔The healthcare system incorporates the following disciplines: - ✔✔Hospitals,
emergency clinics, and trauma centers
Ambulatory care centers, including personal physicians and specialists
Therapists, including physical therapists, cardiac rehab professionals, massage
therapists, and bariatric specialists
Ancillary facilities, including dentists and ophthalmologists
Behavioral health specialties, including psychiatrists, psychologists, addictions
specialists, and social workers
Alternative medicine practitioners (licensed), including chiropractors, acupuncture
physicians, and massage therapists
Long-term care, including home health and hospice
Health and fitness specialties, including personal trainers, performance specialists,
Nutrition Coaches, and group exercise instructors
✔✔The Nutrition Coach CANNOT - ✔✔Provide specific meal plans and daily menus.
Prescribe specific supplements or recommend vitamins and/or mineral dosages.
Suggest drastic caloric restriction.
Promote fasting, detoxification, or other extreme nutritional practices.
Prescribe diets that omit or severely restrict certain food groups.
In anyway, go against recommendations of licensed healthcare professionals.
Provide detailed nutritional plans for athletes who participate in extreme training
programs (i.e., Ironman triathletes or ultra-marathoners).
Prescribe dietary plans for those with chronic health conditions (i.e., diabetes or heart
disease).
Provide nutrition therapy to treat or prevent disease.
Provide exercise prescriptions or detailed programming (unless already certified as a
personal trainer).
✔✔The Nutrition Coach CAN - ✔✔Evaluate current eating plans and provide general
guidance.
Recommend the client discuss supplement use with their personal registered dietitian
nutritionist, physician, or pharmacist.
Promote caloric guidelines outlined by the USDA's MyPlate, the United Kingdom's
Eatwell Guide, or other acceptable entities.
Recommend gradual dietary modifications and consistent dietary practices.
Discuss the importance of a balanced intake of macronutrients.
Refer back to the client's personal healthcare provider when necessary.
Offer nutritional guidelines for anyone wanting to participate in typical athletic pursuits
(i.e., masters swimming or a 10K run).
Provide guidance for healthy populations.
Offer advice on eating behaviors and/or macronutrients that are known to reduce the
risk of disease or slow disease progression.
Offer exercise and physical activity guidelines.
,✔✔A few examples of key items to cover could include questions around the following: -
✔✔Client nutritional goals
Personal stumbling blocks
Food aversions, preferences, known allergies, etc.
Hydration
Food triggers
Exercise habits
Daily activity patterns
✔✔The physical assessment is another important tool used by the Nutrition Coach.
Common assessments include the following: - ✔✔Height
Weight
Body composition
Anthropometric measures of girth (arm, neck, chest, waist, hip, thigh, and calf)
✔✔Macronutrients - ✔✔Nutrients required in large quantities, including carbohydrates,
proteins, and fats.
✔✔Micronutrients - ✔✔Nutrients required in smaller quantities, including vitamins and
minerals.
✔✔Information should be: - ✔✔Highly relevant. For example, discussions on meal prep
for a family would not be relevant if the client is single and lives alone.
Based on prior experience. The client who has had countless attempts at weight loss
can relate to weight loss strategies, especially if he or she is open to options and has
bought into trying new things.
Practical. The single parent with a full-time job and three children, who have a plethora
of after-school activities, may not have time to prep food for an hour every day.
Perceived to be important. If a client just lost a partner to a heart attack, the client may
likely be very interested in heart-healthy foods.
✔✔The SCOFF Questions - ✔✔Do you make yourself Sick because you feel
uncomfortably full?
Do you worry that you have lost Control over how much you eat?
Have you recently lost more than One stone (14 lbs) in a 3-month period?
Do you believe yourself to be Fat when others say you are too thin?
Would you say that Food dominates your life?
✔✔Hypoglycemia - ✔✔A condition of an abnormally low blood glucose (blood sugar)
level in the blood.
✔✔What is an open-ended question? - ✔✔A question that cannot be answered with a
yes or no and requires more detail
, ✔✔The roles and responsibilities of a WLS fall into four key areas in program design.
These are: - ✔✔Assessment, Education, Implementation, and Intervention
✔✔Which of the following assessments is self-guided and consists of risk stratification
and a decision tree to help determine if participating in physical activity or a fitness
assessment is considered safe? - ✔✔Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire
✔✔They found out what worked for them; there was no universal change. -
✔✔According to the National Weight Control Registry, what change did every
participant make to successfully maintain weight loss?
✔✔Jose consumes two 500ml bottles of cola per day. What is a recommended strategy
to reduce his calorie intake from sugary beverages? - ✔✔Switch to diet soda
✔✔In most calorie-restricted diets that lead to weight loss, approximately how much of
the weight lost is from the loss of lean body mass (LBM)? - ✔✔0.25
✔✔What is the purpose of the Arrange step in the 5 A's framework? - ✔✔To establish
accountability established through regular (weekly) follow-up on progress.
✔✔In terms of social influence, which of the following describes when people change
their behavior to behave more like other people? - ✔✔Conformity
✔✔The median age of the U.S. population has risen by how many years since 1970? -
✔✔10
✔✔Fat soluble vitamins are often lower in obese individuals for what reason? -
✔✔Sequestered into fat tissue
✔✔BMI may miss what percent of people who are considered medically overfat when
their BMI is below 30? - ✔✔About 50%
✔✔One of the roles of a WLS is to be a coach to clients on their weight loss journey.
Which of the following best describes the role of a coach in this context? - ✔✔A fitness
professional who is a mentor and guide to the client, helps the client identify and
address obstacles in their weight loss goals, and provides support and accountability
through the client's journey
✔✔Which of the following best describes the continuum of care in healthcare? - ✔✔An
integrated model of care that provides individuals with guidance, aid, and healthcare at
varying levels of intensity through different stages of their life
