Guest Author - Anita Grace Simpson

There are many weight loss and fitness sites available on the web today. Some are more clinical – the sites authored by doctors and other health care professionals – while others are similar to self-help groups, in which dieters support and advise one another. There are websites that focus on particular methods of dieting – the South Beach Diet, Weight Watchers, and others.

Sparkpeople.com combines elements of the above three types. Medical information, such as how to control cholesterol or characteristics of diabetes, is readily available. The SparkPeople community includes message boards, Spark Teams, and members’ individual SparkPages. The SparkDiet leads members to develop healthy eating patterns that can be followed for life.

I have worked with many weight loss websites in the past, but sparkpeople.com is my favorite by far! Here are the reasons I prefer SparkPeople to other sites such as ediets or Weight Watchers.

First, SparkPeople focuses on lifestyle change rather than following a specific diet plan or reaching a number on a scale. Although goals are very important for members, articles and emails continually emphasize the need for change in overall attitudes and behaviors, not just how many crunches are done in a week or how many carbs per day. For example, the Diet Overview that new members read first explains “the keys to a lifestyle transition that fixes the problem once and for all – motivation, healthy habits, and confidence.” Thus, Sparkpeople.com offers a whole section of motivational articles, and the SparkDiet includes healthy habit development in each of its four stages, as well as “fast break” goals to build confidence.

Second, SparkPeople offers an easy way to track nutrition and fitness, including glasses of water drunk, food consumed at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack, cardio workouts, and strength training. Members are encouraged to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. When a member signs up, he or she answers questions and receives suggested calorie and nutrient target intakes, as well as an exercise plan. The nutrition database contains a wide variety of food and beverages, plus members can add information on an item that is not in the database. Developing a list of favorite foods makes tracking even faster. The site calculates the number of calories, carbs, protein, and fat that have been consumed. Other nutrients can be tracked as well. Over a longer term, totals can be displayed in a table or on a graph so that the member can see his or her progress.

Cardio exercise is measured in minutes per day/week as well as calories burned. Exercises available range from yoga to jogging. Strength training is a little less flexible. If a person does not train with weights (at the gym or at home), he or she can create a program based on strength level, equipment available (such as resistance bands), and individual preference. However, the list of available exercises is somewhat sparse. This is one of the few “cons” I have for sparkpeople.com.

Third, I love the point system that SparkPeople uses! Points are available for many actions, not just meeting a calorie goal or doing x cardio minutes. Reading SparkPeople emails is a good way to acquire points. Using the nutrition and fitness trackers, drinking 8 glasses of water a day, posting to the message boards, and reading articles are all ways to get more points. Recipes are also available – in fact, the recipe section of SparkPeople has expanded to be its own website! – and points are given for making a recipe or for adding one to the database. There are no tangible rewards for getting points, which is why I was very surprised at how much they motivated me! Perhaps it is similar to the gold stars I received as a kid.

Last, but certainly not least, all the resources at SparkPeople are absolutely free! There is no charge for any aspect of the program. The founder, Chris “SparkGuy” Downie, used the philosophy of healthy habits and motivation to change his own life. He strongly believes in keeping expenses down so that advertising is enough to cover those expenses, and no membership fees are necessary. Surprisingly, the advertisements are not excessive or intrusive, either.

Sparkpeople.com is a great site for anyone, not just those who want to lose weight and increase fitness levels. Because it has rich motivational resources, I recommend the site to anyone who wants to achieve a goal!