I have been using the site for a week now and every day someone has written to offer me encouragement and support. I have used the site to track the amount of calories I am consuming each day and the number of miles I have walked. I've also figured out the amount of calories that are in a serving of a number of my recipes using their recipe analyzer. There are endless recipes, free exercise videos (which are geared toward the new and intermediate exerciser), message boards, health and fitness articles, and many resources about healthier eating.
I've used Weight Watchers Online in the past, and the Nutrition Tracker offered by SparkPeople is similar. I also am getting gobs more support than I got before (and even more support than I ever got at an actual Weight Watchers meeting). During the first phase of using the site you are encouraged to eat like you normally do to see where your calories are coming from; it's not until two weeks in that you actually start limiting your calories (though you can start early if you want). You are given goals to achieve each day, such as walking the dog, drinking 8 cups of water, getting 8 hours of sleep, etc. They are achievable and small; therefore, you don't feel like you are failing before you even begin. Goals are reviewed and added to over time so that you are continually adding more small steps which add up to more health and fitness.
SO, it's a great site, it's free, and you can be my friend (I'm ktcwmom). Check it out and save some money on those other diet programs AND succeed at the weight loss/fitness game!
