Online weight loss support sites can help you to stay motivated when you are dieting giving you a better chance of reaching your goals. They give you access to health, exercise and nutritional information without the need to pay joining or subscription fees. You will usually need to sign up using your email address and create a profile so you can keep track of your progress.
Personal Profile
Your personal profile on a free weight loss website gives you a place to enter all of your information. You will have a public page that other members can see and private pages where you can enter your weight loss details. Your public page allows you to make friends and interact with other members if you wish to do so while your private pages allow you to keep track of your weight, daily calorie intake and exercise. You can choose to fully interact with the site and its members or just record your details as a way of measuring your progress.
Food Tracking
Weight loss support sites usually have a food tracking area. Some allow you to enter all of the foods you eat throughout the day and will help you to work out the total number of calories you are eating. Some break your food down into percentages to show the amount of carbohydrates, protein, fruit, vegetables and fat in your diet and how close you are to your daily nutritional values. If this seems like too much work, some sites allow you to enter an average number of calories without going into details.
Exercise Tracking
Exercise goes hand in hand with weight loss so it is a good idea to record your activities along with your food intake. Most sites allow you to enter your chosen activity and the length of time you spend doing it. This tool can help you to calculate the number of calories you burn during your chosen activity. Sites recognize that non-exercise related activities burn calories too so you will also see other options such as gardening, cleaning and home repair in this section.
Vital Support
Making friends and interacting with other members is a good way of keeping yourself motivated and can be invaluable during the hard times when you would be tempted to give up altogether. Members chat about food, exercise and a whole range of other topics in the sites forums and chat rooms. You can share your dieting successes and disasters or read what others have to say and be inspired by their achievements. If you have any problems or questions there is usually someone who has experienced the same thing and can offer advice or you may find yourself helping other members and sharing your own tips.
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