PEERTRAINER
www.peertrainer.com
This free site encourages members to log their eating and workout habits, and to create or join any number of groups in which they share their progress with other group members. The site also has free tips and online seminars; some personalized training services are available for a fee.
ABOUT.COM: WEIGHT LOSS
http://weightloss.about.com
This site serves as a portal to articles on countless aspects of weight loss, including nutrition, exercise, and body image. It also features a blog by the site’s weight loss “Guide,” who has written on the topic for nine years, has lost 50 pounds, and aspires to lose another 40.
NATIONAL WEIGHT CONTROL REGISTRY
www.nwcr.ws
This site, founded by medical researchers, both collects information from successful weight losers for research purposes and shares research findings with the public so that would-be weight losers can learn from the experiences of others. The site counts over 5,000 members who have lost at least 30 pounds and maintained 30 pounds of weight loss for a year or longer. Anyone who meets these standards can join; names are kept confidential, and members are periodically asked to complete questionnaires on their thoughts and behaviors related to weight. Most findings are on the site in both original form and a reader-friendly format.
SHAPE UP AMERICA!
www.shapeup.org
Founded in 1994 by former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, Shape Up America! is committed to raising awareness of obesity as a health issue and to providing information on healthy weight management. The Web site has a variety of information on physical activity and weight loss, including a Body Fat Lab to calculate body fat percentage, a Cyberkitchen for calculating calories, a Fitness Center with guides to achieving weight-loss goals, and a section on beginning a 10,000 Steps program. There is also a free monthly e-mail newsletter.
Podcast
MY THIN LIFESTYLE WITH KAREN BENTLEY
http://www.mythinlifestyle.com/interviews.php?show=previous
This podcast (series of audio recordings) features interviews with numerous weight-loss experts and authors. Topics discussed include toxins and weight gain, the influence of culture on weight, artificial sweeteners, and fitness versus fatness. Episodes can be listened to individually online or downloaded automatically to a program such as iTunes. The podcast is free.
Membership organization
TOPS (TAKE OFF POUNDS SENSIBLY)
4575 South 5th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53207
(414) 482-4620
topsinteractive@tops.org
www.tops.org
This nonprofit weight-loss support organization has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. Chapters meet to discuss weight-loss efforts and to receive nutrition and exercise education, often using materials published by TOPS. Visitors to the Web site can search for a chapter in their area. Membership costs $26 annually in the United States and $30 in Canada.
