The Internet is a powerful tool in helping many Americans take on the challenge of losing and controlling weight. Thousands of websites exist with the sole purpose of helping dieters educate themselves and stay motivated. One trend in online weight loss support is the use of a weight loss tracker, which helps dieters visualize their progress and keep on the right path of weight reduction.
Trackers with Journals
FitDay.com offers a dieters its free online Diet and Weigh Loss Journal by visiting its website (see References). Labeled tabs at the top of the site allow dieters to enter food eaten, track weigh-ins and set and modify weight loss goals. FitDay.com even provides a diary-like tabs for general journaling and for tracking dieter moods over time. Dieters need to register prior to accessing the free weight loss tools. Upgraded memberships are available, but no purchase is required to access the basic tool suite.
Visual Weight Loss Trackers
For dieters who are not looking for support but still want to view their weight loss progress, The Ticker Factory offers customizable weight loss tickers on its site (see References). The tickers are designed like a number line, and a slider moves up or down the line to chart your progress. Once you have chosen your design and slider, you set up a password. At this point you must choose if the ticker is going to countdown pounds lost or chart weight loss. The difference is that in the former, a user who sets a 20 pound weight loss goal, then sees their ticker move between one and 20 pounds. In the latter, the dieters current weight is listed and progress is tracked with the actual weight of the dieter. Once the ticker has been created, a simple click will add it personal Facebook, iGoogle and other online pages.
Medical Weight Loss Trackers
MedHelp.org is a free online health resource that lets dieters track their weight loss online by registering at the MedHelp site (see References). After a brief registration, users input personal statistics such as height and weight. A weight loss goal is established, and a time frame in which to accomplish this goal is selected. It is up to the individual to choose long-term or short-term weight loss goals.
Nutritional Trackers
The United States Department of Agriculture created the Food Pyramid to help Americans visualize a complete, balanced diet. MyPyramid.gov allows users to assess both their food intake and physical activity through their journaling software. A downloadable tutorial is available at the MyPyramid.gov site. Dieters must register first, no email address required, and then update their weight each time they log in. The MyPyramid software analyzes height-weight information and then takes into account food intake and physical activity to provide dieters with an overall picture of nutritional deficits and excesses. The program even provides an estimate of the actual caloric overage or deficit each day. At the end of each week, month or year, line charts create a visual image of each dieter's progress.
Trackers with Online Community Support
Online weight-loss communities like BuddySlim.com provide guidance, education and emotional support for dieters. This all-in-one approach allows users to log in to their personalized account and track food intake, exercise, weight loss and even calories burned each day. The BuddySlim.com weight loss tracker is a visual tracker similar to trackers offered by The Ticker Factory. The customizable ticker includes several color and themes to make tracking weight loss fun. Message boards and the emphasis on utilizing friendships and a sense of community help make staying motivated and on target much easier.
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