While the market for diets and weight management programs is constantly growing and full of new fads and quick weight loss tools, consumers should be aware that a wide variety of tools and resources are available free of charge. Health organizations and non-profit websites offer excellent resources, and if dieters invest some time investing options they can often discover useful tools that will improve their weight loss plan.
Weight Loss and Nutrition Guides
Health organizations like the US Department of Agriculture, the Mayo Clinic and the National Institutes of Health all provide extensive online weight loss resources. Guides and tutorials have been prepared and posted to inform consumer about healthy dieting and weight management. Dieters can research different diet plans, learn about food metabolism and exercise, and read about important concepts such as meal planning and cooking. Dieters can use these free resources to develop a strong knowledge base about nutrition and weight management.
Portion Control and Food Facts
Organizations such as the Weight Control Information Network and the Mayo Clinic also offer information and detailed charts regarding serving sizes, portion control, and nutrition facts for specific foods. Users can learn how to measure a correct serving size of protein, vegetables and carbohydrates, and can then calculate the estimated calories in a meal based on calorie charts and food databases. Dieters can also learn how to swap out high-fat or high-calorie foods in favor of similar lower-calorie selections.
Online Calculators and Tracking Programs
Online diet programs, such as BuddySlim.com offer a variety of free diet calculators. Dieters can calculate their initial body mass index, their long-term weight loss goals, and calories consumed. These programs also offer diet journals and charting, allowing users to enter daily food intake and physical activity. Results can then be graphed, and dieters will have a visual record of their activities, food intake, and weight loss. These programs can be used to track and observe significant changes or patterns over time.
Support Groups and Blogs
Many online programs such as BuddySlim.com and FitClick.com also offer online discussion forums and peer-to-peer diet support. Individuals can do daily or weekly check-ins with a partner or group, creating a system of motivation and accountability. These sights and many professional organizations, such as the Mayo Clinic, have numerous expert blogs from which dieters can get important updates about nutrition studies or diet strategies. Many blogs also offer a question and comment area where experts will respond to users.
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