You’ve made your New Year’s resolution once again: you’re going to try shedding some pounds. But you need a diet plan-preferably a free one. Where to go? The following six websites offer free diet plans that will help you keep your New Year’s resolution.
1. SparkPeople (www.sparkpeople.com/)
SparkPeople is a great resource for people trying to lose weight. When you sign up (registration is required), you can choose to either follow a weight loss program or go without a set goal in mind. The site will calculate your BMI based on your height and weight and ask you to set a target weight along with the date you wish to achieve it by. You’re then asked about your meal plan preferences, conditions, your personal goals, and if you want to share your progress with other people on the site. After that’s finished, you can then pick a team that matches your profile to help motivate you.
With a nutrition and fitness tracker, weigh-ins, and even the option to create your own page, SparkPeople has all the resources necessary to create a great plan and its strong community orientation helps motivate dieters. It may overwhelm people looking for a simple diet plan, but for those who are looking for an interactive site, SparkPeople is perfect.
2. My Calorie Counter (http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/)
Like SparkPeople, My Calorie Counter offers you tools such as your own blog page, calorie counter, weight tracker, recipes, and more. Registration, again, is required. You’ll fill out your body weight and height as well as giving your e-mail address and checking off any newsletter you might want, and then the site will give you your own page.
While their community page isn’t as advanced as SparkPeople’s, you still have the option to make friends and participate in their forums to help motivate you to achieve your goals. My Calorie Counter also features a section where you can ask a panel of experts health questions. Most important of all, this site offers a meal planner, which gives you an outline of food suggestions for the week.
3. About.com’s Calorie Count (http://caloriecount.about.com/)
This free calorie count website is one of the most popular diet resource on the Internet. You must register and create a profile. You’ll be asked for your height, weight, sleep time, body type, and activity level, and the site will suggest whether you should lose weight or maintain your weight. You’ll also be given a daily calorie target. You’ll also be given the option to join a group.
After you complete your profile, you’ll be taken to your page, which includes a food log, an activity log, a list of your groups and friends, and a journal. While you’ll have to create your own diet plan on this site, its sleek and user-friendly design makes it one of the best resources you can choose for your dieting needs.
3. Start Your Diet (http://startyourdiet.com/free-membership.htm)
Start Your Diet allows you two options: a free membership with limited access and a deluxe membership with full access that costs $29.99 for a year. The free membership allows you to track your weight, BMI, and water intake. You can also plan out your goals and create your own weight charts.
If you’re overwhelmed by the previous three sites, Start Your Diet is a simpler solution. However, the free membership does not offer nearly as many tools as the others.
5. Free Dieting (http://www.freedieting.com/)
Free Dieting is like an encyclopedia of diet websites. While the websites linked to their page are not typically free, Free Dieting rates popular websites and links to handy reviews. The site also tells you which sites are suitable for who.
They also provide free diet plans. By clicking on “Free Diet Plans” on the left-hand menu, you’ll be taken to another screen. Scroll down to “Free Meal Plans,” and they offer a variety based on calorie-intake and popular diets. It’s definitely not a comprehensive site, but if you want to browse and see which diet fits you best, then Free Dieting is a good start.
6. Diet Information (http://www.diet-i.com/)
Diet Information is similar to Free Dieting. It too has a listing of popular diets on its sidebar. The site provides an overview of a diet, its claims, its drawbacks, a summary, and a general opinion. They also often include a “typical day’s menu.”
The writers on this website are quite sensible, and they warn people away from fad diets and mention how likely you are to keep the weight off if you follow a plan. This site doesn’t have much beyond summaries, but it’s a great place to get some brief facts without any hassle.
