ST. JOSEPH — A local health care provider will be offering a class to help patients manage weight loss in the new year.

The Lakeland Weight Loss Center is offering a series of free seminars titled, “Lose Weight…Find Health.” The first seminar will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 2 in the Community Room at Caring Circle in St. Joseph, located at 4025 Health Park Lane. A second seminar will be hosted on Wednesday, Jan. 16 in the Community Conference Room at Lakeland Medical Suites in Niles, located at 42 North St. Joseph Ave.. Both seminars will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Bariatric surgeon Michael Schuhknecht, DO, will discuss programs available for losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight for years to come. The Lakeland Weight Loss Center specializes in working with each person to create a customized lifestyle plan, including medical weight loss management through diet or bariatric surgery, nutrition counseling, individualized exercise programs and monthly support groups.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, about 190 million adults in the United States are overweight and obese. Individuals more than 40 percent overweight are twice as likely to die prematurely as someone of average weight.

However, the good news is that losing as little as 5 to 15 percent of initial body weight can reduce risk of diabetes and other illnesses, and can even eliminate the need for some medications, said Lakeland officials.

For more information or to register for the seminar, visit lakelandweightlosscenter.com/events or call (269) 927-5361.

Spectrum Health Lakeland is a nonprofit, community-owned health system serving southwest Michigan and northern Indiana. The healthcare provider offers a full continuum of care and wellness services including three hospitals, an outpatient surgery center, a cancer center and 41 physician practices. Lakeland is a division of Spectrum Health with 30,000 professionals, 4,100 medical staff experts, 3,200 volunteers and a health plan serving 1 million members. Lakeland has been recognized as one of the nation’s 15 Top Health

Systems by Truven Health Analytics, part of IBM Watson HealthTM.