Spark People

  I've been focusing on my weight loss goals pretty hard core lately. The best resource I use is Spark People . This website has everything I need and it's free!

I'm sure there are many features that I am not currently utilizing, but here's some of the features that I love.

*Nutrition Tracker. Spark People already has a great database of common foods but I can also manual add stuff if I can't find it. I can also create food groupings which is just awesome...I mean really, who wants to add each ingredient that they used to make up dinner every single time?

*Fitness Tracker. Once again they have a great database of exercises. What's awesome though, is that the calories burned it based on ME. The treadmill might tell me I only burned 50 calories but Spark People tells me the truth.

*Meal Plans. You don't have to use the meal plans, but they are pretty awesome. I set my week up all at once and then print the grocery list. If there's something I don't like I can easily swap it for something similar (they give me a list of options!).

*Spark Pages. You get your own page to customize and make your own. You can have a weight ticker, photos, blog etc. It's basically like a Myspace page, but cooler. ;) (Really who uses Myspace anymore?)

*Community. The community is what makes Spark People so amazing. They have Teams you can join based on your needs and interests, community forums, challenges...The people are so supportive! With a small amount of effort (just start yapping!) you can make lasting friendships with people who have similar goals to your own.

If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, you can check out their sister site Baby Fit. Baby Fit focuses on your health as a Mommy. They have great due date clubs and a similar atmosphere to Spark People.

If you decide to join Spark People, be sure to add me, Smurfyabs!