Archive for December 3rd, 2011

Contrary to the philosophy of many diet programs, using online diet plans don’t have to be expensive.

If you prefer to prepare your own food but still want to be held accountable, the community that comes with free diet plans can be extremely beneficial. In fact, there are many online diet plans that provide the feedback, tracking, accountability and knowledge that you need to get and keep you on track. In addition to keeping your costs down, most online plans provide a community of support from people who are working towards similar goals. They provide informational articles about current events and studies in the health and weight loss community. Some provide how-to videos on how to perform exercises that you might have never tried before. Here are the top three free online diet plans that you can check out:

Calorie Count

Major Perks:

• Android and iPhone apps available

• Online journal

• Informational articles

• Grading system

• Large community

Calorie Count is available through about.com and can be accessed at caloriecount.about.com. There are 4 million people who use Calorie Count as their online journal and networking site. The Calorie Count database has over 250,000 foods listed and allows you to add your own foods and their nutritional facts. Calorie Count recently introduced Calorie Camp. It is platform for sharing your diary and progress with the online Calorie Count community and earn badges for reaching your goals. You can also earn points for giving positive feedback to other users. Points can be used to redeem products and services.

Calorie Count lets you log both activity and food consumption. Your daily exercise is used to accurately gauge how many calories you are burning and how many calories you have left to consume. Foods and meals are also given a letter grading system from A to F to help users decide quickly what would be the best choice to have for a meal.

If you think you need additional help you can communicate with Calorie Count’s registered dietitians.

Spark People

Major Perks:

• Android and iPhone apps available

• online journal

• informational articles

• Large community

• Easy to use

One of the free online diet plans that are increasing in popularity is Spark People. Spark People has over 12 million members to date. You can track your food intake online in your online journal and easily build meal plans for the future. Spark People also includes exercise demos and videos so you don’t get bored with your workouts.

If you feel like your diet plan is getting stale, you can browse the database of healthy recipes and mix up your eating plan. And on those days when you just don’t feel motivated to keep going, you can read an inspirational story or get a daily email about someone who has had success using Spark People and sticking to their plans.

SparkPages allows you to share photos, blog about your trials and triumphs, and find a community of people who might have similar challenges.

FitDay

Major Perks:

• iPhone app available

• online journal

• Available without advertising

• Available offline

FitDay offers many of the same benefits as the first two online diet plans. Fit Day allows you to track your food intake and activity level. Discussions about diet and exercise are posted in the forums so that the community can interact. One benefit that FitDay offers that the others do not is the option to buy the service and get rid of all advertising. You can also download FitDay PC to your desktop and track your progress, food intake and exercise without an internet connection. FitDay PC also gives you advanced tools and reports on your blood sugar and body fat percentage.

When choosing one of these free diet plans, it is important to consider how much help or accountability you need. Calorie Count and Spark People have expert dietitians for you to contact when you need extra help. All of these plans provide an active community of members that support each other and provide feedback on each other’s progress.

If you have a medical condition that might complicate your weight loss such as diabetes or heart disease, it is best to consult with your doctor about your concerns. Using and use one of these free online diet plans can be an invaluable tool to keep your doctor apprised of your progress and help you to pinpoint where you need to focus your energy more.

Choose a plan that allows you to be flexible. All of these online plans provide flexibility in your food choices. Emphasis is placed on your energy intake versus your energy output i.e. calories burned versus calories consumed. Many plans can be customized to fit specific dietary requirements such as diabetic or vegetarian options. Rigid plans lead to quick failure and disappointment.