Weight Loss, Diet and Fitness Program

There are plenty of websites that promise to help you drop those pounds for good, but do they really get the job done? Researchers at the University of Vermont have looked into the issue, and have found that some of these sites are quite effective for helping someone lose weight and keep it off.

The researchers first presented their findings about web-style weight loss at a conference co-sponsored by the North American Association for the Study of Obesity (NAASO) and the American Diabetes Association. They learned that dieters had the most success if a website had an interactive approach. Features like message boards, chat rooms and areas where members could seek expert advice all helped people lose weight. In fact, the University of Vermont researchers found that those who used such a site lost more than twice the amount of weight as those who used a site that just offered information.

It appeared that interaction with others about weight-loss progress is the key to a successful program. “If you don’t have some accountability or monitoring, people are unlikely to follow though for more than two or three weeks,” explained Thomas Wadden, director of the Weight and Eating Disorders program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and president-elect of NAASO.