There are plenty of websites that provide information to support you in your weight loss efforts. Some may not be as free as they first appear -- they're invitations to join well-known or even unreliable weight-loss programs. Losing weight is difficult enough. You don't need to spend your energy judging which sites are reliable. Rely on reputation and government resources for free, trustworthy information and advice.
NIH.gov
This site from the U.S. National Institutes of Health provides an A-Z index for easy navigation. The search engine at the top right of each page is effective. Type "weight loss" into it and you're offered an intimidating 16,400 hits. Don't worry, it also provides options to refine your search -- from "body weight," "weight loss life" and "weight loss nutrition" to "help prevent body weight."
CDC.gov
Being overweight or obese are known risks for many chronic and/or deadly diseases. So it's natural that the fderal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would offer plenty of free information. An A-Z grid for topics and conditions is prominent on the home page. The search engine, located at the top right of each page, is easy to use. Type in "weight loss" and you'll get 8,590 hits -- from as basic as you want to see to as complex as you'd ever care to go. Heed the advice at the bottom of the page of hits. Some links will take you to other sites that are not necessarily endorsed by the CDC. But, the CDC site has more than enough to satiate your appetite for information and advice, so you need not stray.
Nutrition.gov
On this site, the National Agricultural Library offers countless pages of advice and tips from changing your diet to changing your behavior. The site was created by the Food and Nutrition Information Center and the NAL, with help from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. Most of the FNIC staff members who maintain and update the site are registered dieticians.
MayoClinic.com
For more than a century, the Mayo Clinic -- now with facilities in three states and a thorough website -- has carried an international reputation as the "go to" place for treatment and information. The free website displays its A-Z grid prominently on the home page to navigate to topics and medical conditions. An effective search engine is available in the upper left quadrant of that page. Type "weight loss" into it you'll get 323 hits under the heading "Weight-loss basics -- everything from diet and exercise to weight-loss drugs and surgery."
LiveSTRONG.com
This site possibly has more hits than the others combined. Type "weight loss" into its search engine, and about 149,000 hits come up. A partnership between Demand Media and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, it delves into lifestyle, fitness and daily health, with new articles published daily and interactive tools. Thousands of reliable writers across the world scour trustworthy sources to bring you reliable information on a wealth of topics, including weight loss.
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