Free online diet plans provide you all the essential ingredients you’ll need to shed your unhealthy weight and keep it off. According to research the most effective websites spotlight goal setting, food calculators, weight and exercise logs, and include a social support factor. Create personalized charts and weight loss reports to keep you logging in. Research also posits frequent and long online visits as contributing to successful weight loss and weight loss maintenance. Participate in web chats or bulletin boards to boost your long-term weight loss.

Reasonable Wins
A trial run will provide you with a viable goal and a feel for a website’s friendliness and feature options. Consider losing 2-pounds a week, or eliminating a 1000 calories a day, for one month. Enter a free online food tracker, for example, “MyPlate,” on LIVESTRONG.com, and test your tentative plan. Find the website’s calorie calculator and input your 2-pound goal. If the goal feels uncomfortable you can tweak your daily activity level, drop your goal to 1 pound a week, or enter your own estimate. Be mindful of losing 1 to 2 pounds a week as recommended by the Mayo Clinic. Personalize your goals to factor in your schedule, your preferred exercises, availability to exercise facilities and exercise partners, and your present health and fitness. Any special needs or concerns should be discussed with your health care provider before starting a weight loss or exercise program.

Observe your Eating
Begin your first week of food tracking observing your eating patterns and food choices. Find a daily quiet time to enter the foods you eat. Think of yourself as a detective looking for clues to your self-care. Monitor portion size, how often you eat, and the quality of your consumed foods and beverages. Observe the caloric value of the foods you most often eat. Identify foods that are high in fat, and empty in nutritional value. Discover lower fat alternatives by exploring the website’s healthy eating section. Keep an eye on your sugar consumption and consider healthier substitutions. Notice any drops in your energy or mood, or gaps between meals. Ponder your first week’s challenges and wins. Make one to three specific dietary improvements. Evaluate each week in this manner.

Monitor your Activities
Exercise is invaluable for lowering your risk for disease, improving emotional balance and maintaining weight loss. Explore the fitness toolbox on your chosen website for motivating measures. Learn to monitor your heart rate, or map out your next hiking trail and figure out its caloric burn. Invite friends to trek with you. Be mindful of the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines when you log the pace, time, frequency and intensity of each exercise bout. Acknowledge your strength of commitment daily.

Get Connected
Online connections help you discover more about yourself and your available options. Search the website for a message board, or a community or group button. Hook in to help you stay focused. Be an active participant and engage in conversation. Ask questions and listen to the experiences of others. Strengthen your commitment with partnerships. According to psychologist Albert Bandura, the originator of social learning theory, your habits and your environment begin to reflect your social connections. Make healthy associations and keep them.

Author's Bio: 

Danielle Vindez is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, and of Coach University. She holds a coaching certification from ICF and is an ACE, ACSM, and NSCA-certified personal trainer. You may contact her at www.defineyourselfcoaching.com