SparkPeople.com - New York

I found sparkpeople a few years ago and they keep getting better over time. I am constantly waiting for them to begin charging because the amount of support you get from professionals in the health and wellness field is impressive. Yet, it remains free and survives on income from ads. However, unlike a lot of ad sponsored websites, sparkpeople's ads are not annoying.

Sparkpeople offers a free online food journal which can be customized with a week of food options. This is great for people who hate to do meal planning. The meals are realistic for the average kitchen and you'll find food that can be made in the standard kitchen. It also contains the nutritional information from restaurants and processed food. I find it useful to log in before going to my favorite restaurant and figuring out my meal before. Then I'm less likely to stray from the healthier choices.

The site boosts a novice friendly exercise section which offers tutorials for various exercises and strength training activities. It also has message boards a hundreds of groups to join. If you are an avid reader, you will find several like minded sparkpeople to talk with.

This is a great place to hand out and learn some healthy tips for living better.

I found SparkPeople last year and lost about 15 pounds on it! I thought the recipes were very well thought out and it was easy to keep track of what I ate since I could easily look up all the different foods that I bought at the supermarket. I would highly suggest it to anyone looking to keep a food diary and track their fitness goals.

This website is great. It's very clear cut and to the point. The only downside is it does not tell you how many calories you burn when you do strength training exercises.

To be honest I never lost weight on it but that's because I'm already at my ideal weight. Nonetheless it's a great tool to loss weight as well as just be a healthy person.

I've been using SparkPeople since October 2006 and have lost over 30 pounds.

I stumbled upon this website last year when I was trying to get in shape. Most of these internet sites charge outrageous fees considering that the only services that they are providing are via their website. SparkPeople is different. It is ENTIRELY free of charge and focuses on overall wellness -- not just short-term weightloss. As they put it, they want to make lifestyle changes that will stick.

Everything on the site is amazing. They have meal plans and exercise instruction videos. They have fantastic articles and the message boards are a great way to stay motivated. And you can chart your progress through graphs! Even if you are not looking to lose weight, SparkPeople can help you make improvements in your health by encouraging you to drink more water and make smart food substitutions that will benefit everyone.

It is hard to rate this site since it doesn't really fall into the categories listed. I'm essentially addicted to it and would recommend it to anyone who wants to make healthy changes in their life. What better time than the start of a New Year?