SparkPeople

SparkPeople began in 2001 in Cincinnati. The company was founded on principles of helping people with goal-setting and motivation. The weight loss website grew out of this and was released in 2002 (called GoalPilot). Chris Downie, Spark's founder wanted to find a way to give back and help people in the process. Over the years SparkPeople has grown into a huge diet and fitness resource.

Tthe vast majority of SparkPeople is free (advertising supported) except for SparkPeople Live and their Healthy Produce Smart Phone Application.

Diet Plan AND Fitness

SparkPeople is a powerful on-line service featuring all the tools you could possibly use in a weight loss program. Meal plans, exercise demonstrations, pretty calculators and trackers, loads of resources, and message boards.

Equal emphasis is placed on the fitness component (alongside dietary recommendations). In fact, SparkPeople is all about meeting the simple goals of eating less and exercising more.

They have members from over 150 countries and have programs for everyone from teens to expecting mothers. SparkPeople has also released an inspirational book entitled The Spark which contains the stories of their most successful members along with their 28 Day Breakthrough Plan. They recommend this book to all members as a way to jump-start weight loss and start off on the right foot.

So What About The Diet?

Originally the macro-nutrient recommendations place SparkPeople as a moderate fat, high carb, low protein diet - similar the guidelines of the old USDA Food Pyramid. A typical diet recommendation will come out at 15% protein, 55% carbohydrate, and 30% fats (or less). Now the nutrient goals can now be customized on SparkPeople - you do not have to remain with traditional food guidelines, which allows for flexibility in choosing low carb or high protein options.

Calorie recommendations are based on whether you select "moderate" or "aggressive" weight loss. Selecting aggressive will put the calorie recommendations on the low side - too low for an active person.

Program Components

SparkPeople Live: This is the new premium feature added to SparkPeople. Basically, it is a 24/7 support network in which dieters can receive the encouragement, advice, and motivation they need to be successful. This feature comes out of an overwhelming amount of research that shows that dieters who have a strong support system in place are the most successful. This feature is available for $12.99 per month. Click here to learn more about this feature.

SparkPeople Live is being offered for Free to try out for the first week!

SparkRecipes: Members receive access to over 300,000 healthy recipes submitted by other members. This section also gives cooking tips and suggestions concerning how to make your favorite recipes healthier.

SparkPeople Mobile: If you have a smart phone then you can take SparkPeople with you anywhere with their iPhone, iPad, Android, and BlackBerry phone applications. They have three apps available.

• Food and Fitness Tracker (free)
• Healthy Recipes (free)
• Healthy Produce (paid)

The DailySpark: This is SparkPeople's blog written by experts in the fields of nutrition, motivation, and exercise. It contains 1000's of useful articles, meal ideas, and fitness recommendations.

Is SparkPeople Recommended?

Millions of people have been helped by SparkPeople and this program is of great value because most of it is offered for free. The only downside to SparkPeople is that it operates in a totally online environment. Some people do better when they have face to face support and a real life personal trainer. If you have some self-motivation then SparkPeople will probably work for you and those that need more support can opt for the SparkPeople Live feature.

How Do They Compare To Others?

SparkPeople represents excellent value for money.

SparkPeople is similar to DietWatch, but DietWatch offer a complete and thorough course on emotional eating - making DietWatch a superior offering (however DietWatch has subscription fees).

eDiets is also similar, but is more aligned with popular diets such as the Atkins or Slim Fast. eDiets is also more expensive.

Our Take - eDiets vs SparkPeople vs DietWatch
Use eDiets if you want to follow a specific diet regimen. Use SparkPeople if you aren't so interested in diet alone but want a holistic motivator.

Use DietWatch if you want a few more dietary options and the option to explore and solve any eating issues you may have.