Losing weight may be easy to some. But keeping it off is challenging to all. More than 90 percent of people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off have modified their diets and increased their physical activity, the National Weight Registry reports. More than 50 percent of them followed a program. There are several free online diet and exercise programs to choose from. Choose a plan that you can follow for the rest of your life.
USDA MyPyramid Plan
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid Plan is a free online diet and exercise program. It is based on the MyPyramid food guide and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The meal plan is low in fat and includes a variety of healthy foods from each of the food groups. The MyPyramid Plan will create a personalized diet that includes calories and specific food recommendations from each food group based on your age, weight, height and activity level. It also includes an exercise plan and tips on how to be more active. The MyPyramid Plan also provides a food and physical activity tracking tool called the MyPyramid Tracker to help you stay focused and motivated.
CaloriesCount
CaloriesCount is another free online diet and exercise program. Its primary purpose is to teach you how to control your caloric intake to get to a healthier weight, while still continuing to eat the foods you enjoy. The diet-assessment tool determines the number of calories you need to eat each day to get to your goal weight. Use the online food-calorie calculator and food diary to keep you on track. CaloriesCount also offers free calorie-controlled meal plans with recipes and grocery lists. In addition to help with dieting, CaloriesCount offers tips and information on various exercise plans including circuit training, boot camp-style exercise programs and the benefits of walking.
MyPlate
MyPlate is another free online diet and exercise program provided by the health-oriented LIVESTRONG.com website. MyPlate also provides calorie needs information, but includes calorie goals for weight loss, weight maintenance or weight gain. The free online food diary calculates not only calories, but fat, protein and nutrient intake as well. In addition to a food diary, MyPlate also offers an exercise diary to help you track the number of calories you burn. You can monitor your progress on your MyPlate main page. MyPlate also keeps you motivated by offering online support with other dieters. Dieters share recipes, meal plans and tips to stay on track.
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