It's an ironic situation that the weight loss industry generates tens of billions of dollars in revenue each year, yet 67% of American adults are still overweight. When it comes to diets, there are a staggering amount of products available that can leave a dieter feeling overwhelmed and unmotivated. From what to eat and how to exercise; new techniques and workout trends; low-fat, low-carb, high-protein and gluten free - who can keep up with it all?
One of the best places to start your weight loss efforts is on the web, where you can learn what will work for you (before you buy) and find a support team to help you through the process. But like all the weight loss products on the market, the web is teeming with diet blogs, as well. We at Viewpoints have whittled down our favorite slim-down sites to help you focus in your fight against flab. Plus, we've heard your comments and want to share some of the best of the best sites that you love!
Does This Blog Make Us Look Fat?
The Skinny: This snarky blog is a pleasure to read, from cooking ideas to unique fitness tips like doing the laundry. This blog is definitely targeted at women, especially those who are tight on time and just want to feel good about themselves.
Best Bonus Feature: The Printables for Dieters section is a cute bonus that will definitely give you a laugh if you take a look. There are "drinking games" to get you to chug your water and even a printable portion guide.
Icing on the Cake: Sometimes reading can be tedious. We love the videos and cute cartoons featured on the site.
Start Making Choices
The Skinny: This blog/website has worked with various food companies to provide you with tons of healthy recipes, even if you're on a budget. You aren't just getting advice from another struggling dieter - you're hearing from the experts themselves. There are even fitness activities and guides.
Best Bonus Feature: Most of us just need that extra push to change our lifestyle. Evaluate your choices by finding your Balanced Life Index, which assesses your current nutrition, activity and well-being. Also, get a free meal plan and activity schedule.
Icing on the Cake: The Special Offers section features a few coupons every day for healthy items from your favorite brands, like Healthy Choice Ice Cream or Egg Beaters.
DIET BLOG
The Skinny: The name says it all: Consider this your go-to site for everything diet-related, featuring the best diet news, advice, opinions and real-world applications. This is a comprehensive site where any dieter can find helpful information to aid in his/her weight-loss efforts.
Best Bonus Feature: Easily search by categories ranging from Big Business to Body Image, Celebrities to Success Stories. One of our favorite clicks is "Funny Stuff," which offers up random anecdotes that always give us a laugh (often needed when dieting).
Icing on the Cake: Diet-Blog has received a "Best of the Web" award from Forbes Magazine, and has been featured in Shape Magazine and on Fox News.
FIT SUGAR
The Skinny: Part of the PopSugar Group, Fit Sugar is geared towards savvy women who care about looking and feeling good. Features include gear reviews, printable workouts, nutritional breakdowns and online calculators to help you figure out exactly what you should be eating and not eating.
Best Bonus Feature: The online community links all the branches of PopSugar, including Fit Sugar. Users can swap recipes, discuss weight-loss hurdles, compare notes on new diet products and more. Having an interactive, online support group can really aid in weight-loss efforts.
Icing on the Cake: On June 8th, PopSugar acquired FreshGuide, a move that will provide local editorial to online users. For Fit Sugar visitors, this means locally-geared content that will let you take advantage of Fit Sugar-endorsed diet tools available in your own backyard.
FIT BOTTOMED GIRLS
The Skinny: Also geared towards women (as the name suggests), Fit Bottomed Girls features fitness advice for real gals: workout DVD reviews, music playlists, new product information and fitness humor. Fit Bottomed Girls is run by Jenn and Erin, a duo whose collective voice is approachable, humorous and inspiring.
Best Bonus Feature: Check out the Giveaways sections for great products available to site users only (with new giveaways posted each week!).
Icing on the Cake: Since launching in May 2008, Fit Bottomed Girls has been featured in Oxygen Magazine, FitnessMagazine.com and Glamour. The site also partners with the nonprofit Girls on the Run, a running program which mentors and coaches young girls through fitness.
REFUSE TO REGAIN
The Skinny: In conjunction with her book "Refuse to Regain: Twelve Tough Rules that Maintain the Body You've Earned," Dr. Barbara Berkeley's website is an online resource dedicated to supporting people who have lost weight and want to keep it off. On the site, Berkeley partners with Lynn Haraldson-Bering, a freelance writer who lost 168 pounds and documented the entire process. Between the two, Refuse to Regain is a site that celebrates and motivates, tackling both physical and emotional outcomes of weight loss.
Best Bonus Feature: The site doesn't act like it's the only one out there, which is refreshing in comparison to the some of the mega-sites on the market tackling health issues. Rather, the two women are generous about providing external links and even invite guest bloggers to interact with their visitors.
Icing on the Cake: The site features content from several years back and, coupled with the more recent book by Berkeley, you have at your fingertips a wealth of knowledge and support when it comes to "refusing to regain."
FOODUCATE
The Skinny: Run by Hemi Weingarten, a father of three, Fooducate aims to find out just what exactly is in our favorite foods and how they affect our bodies. With so many products on the market and so many health claims, Fooducate is your go-to site to learn about things like how bad trans fats really are for you and what exactly nitrates are - all in an approachable, easy-to-read fashion.
Best Bonus Feature: Consider this your personal grocery advisor, essentially eliminating the need to stand in aisles for hours, reading every nutrition label and becoming more confused by the minute. Weingarten makes recommendations for you, simplifying your grocery trip and saving you time.
Icing on the Cake: For those who don't have time to read the blog daily, the "Quick Food Facts" tab is a lifesaver. Weingarten lists things like the most common sugar synonyms and fast facts about fats and oils.
WOMEN'S HEALTH
The Skinny: Between the uber-techincal science/medicine blogs and the quirky mom-and-pop diet blogs lies Women's Health: a credible yet approachable site to health and diet. The magazine and site is "for the woman who wants to reach a healthy, attractive weight but doesn't equate that with having thighs the size of toothpicks."
Best Bonus Feature: The site tackles all topics under the Wellness umbrella, including Sex & Love, Food, Yoga and Beauty & Style. We particularly like the 'Eat This, Not That" category, which feature real-life applications when it comes to make healthy food choices at restaurants we visit all the time.
Icing on the Cake: Make sure to sign up for the WH newsletter, which is delivered to your inbox as frequently as you'd like. Our favorite 'Eat This, Not That" is delivered five days/week, but other issues like "The Abs Diet Insider" is just once per week.