The internet is full of free, useful tools that can assist just about anyone with just about anything. If you have been struggling along a weight loss journey on your own, it is high time you put that solitary, lonely existence to rest.
Here are two websites that will change your weight loss trajectory (if not your life!); they offer useful tools, informative articles, and most importantly, the opportunity to join a community of fellow weight-loss-hopefuls.
LiveSTRONG.com
The LiveSTRONG website is one of the best I have seen recently. There is just so much useful stuff happening there! If this is the first time you have heard of liveSTRONG.com, I am so sorry for you! I am also so happy for you! You are about to embark on a wonderful experience!
Not only is the site a great resource for anyone who wants to lose weight, it is also a great motivator to simply live a healthier lifestyle. You could literally spend hours perusing the site’s content and still not absorb all the useful information that is available.
The site is organized pretty simply; the content is divided between tabs like food, fitness, and community.
Always emphasizing the difference between men’s and women’s body types, the lifestyle section offers tips specific to each sex.
One of the sites specialties is well-written, informative articles about popular health-related trends, topics, and scientific breakthroughs. The food section covers topics like food, drink, diet, nutrition, and weight loss management. There is also a special section of articles dedicated to allergies.
A very unique and special aspect of livesSTRONG.com is the community section. If you have been flying solo on your weight loss journey, I encourage you to grab a partner. Pronto.
Go to the community link and join one of the “Groups.” These groups are sorted by weight, age, exercise preferences, or common interests.
If none of those strike your fancy, maybe you should consider a “Dare;” just a few examples include: Take Your Daily Multivitamin, Quit Smoking, Run a Marathon, Reduce Stress, and Have More Patience with People (see…I told you this site could change your life!). These message boards offer accountability, encouragement, and people to share your victories (and shortcomings) with.
If you don’t have time to soak up all the wisdom this site offers or the community tab is too touchy-feely for you, don’t despair…there is still one part of the site that WILL help you. There are tons of tools and oh-so-wonderful aids.
- MyPlate is a calorie tracker that allows you to set your weight loss goals, track your daily caloric intake, and log your fitness activities. Once all of your personal information has been added, you can monitor your progress with up-to-date, personalized charts and graphs. Also, browse the largest online food library and select alternative, healthier options for foods. Diabetic? Not a problem. Check out MyPlate D. Getting started is easy. Enter your age, height, weight, goal (lose 1 pound per week, for example) and activity level (sedentary, light activity, moderate activity, very active). MyPlate calculates your daily calorie goal –“We estimate that this is the ideal daily calorie intake for you to achieve your weight goal.” From there, the sky is the limit!
- The Fitness and Exercise Directory tells you how many calories you’re burning with individual exercises. This is a great way to build an exercise routine to meet your particular goals or to check if your current plan is headed in the right direction. Browse the extensive library or enter a particular activity in the search field.
- Tons of healthy, delicious meal ideas are listed in the Recipes section. Submitted by liveSTRONG.com members who love to cook, you can find recipes tailored to your dietary needs, favorite foods, and more.
- Loops is a great tool for runners, cyclists, walkers or hikers. Map your routes, share them with friends, explore the Loops of others in your area, and track the calories burned in MyPlate.
- Experience the power of MyPlate in the palm of your hand with their app. Take this calorie tracker with you – wherever you go –and access the largest food and fitness database.
FitDay.com
The FitDay site is another fantastic online resource. A basic membership is free. There are also memberships available for a small fee that have tons of bells and whistles. However, the free package is more than enough to get you started.
The FitDay site is very similar to liveSTRONG.com’s MyPlate tool. So if you aren’t interested in all the jazzy features of liveSTRONG.com, slide over to FitDay.com instead.
After you have registered an account, it is easy to start navigating the site. The Dashboard has six categories: food, activity, weight, mood, calorie budget, and net calories.
For the most part, the site is pretty self-explanatory. In the food section, you can search for and add food items from a very thorough list to track your calorie consumption. You can also plan a daily menu and set customized nutrition goals.
Moving over to the activity tab, searching for types of activities is easy. Add them to your daily activity log and track calories burned, make an exercise plan for the week, and see your daily calorie balance.
You can also set your current weight, create weight goal, and view your progress. Editing the mood scale isn’t mandatory, but it is a good way to track how you feel throughout the process. Log your feelings about happiness, energy, hunger, stress, anger, health, and clarity on sliding scales. Check in regularly to monitor the calorie budget and net calorie counter.
And there you have it. Two great websites that are just sitting there in cyber space, waiting for you to take advantage of them! Utilize these highly recommended weight loss resources and let the latest in today’s technology help you along your journey.
Jessica Velasco is a health and fitness writer. She loves researching new and innovative weight loss techniques. For example, she is currently evaluating the effectiveness of vitamin b12 injections for weight loss for http://www.eb12injections.com/.
Categories: Fitness | Tags: fitday, internet, livestrong, online weight loss tools, use the internet for weight loss, weight loss | Permalink