EmailBest Reviewed
Weight Loss Programs
- Best weight-loss program overall Weight Watchers *Est. $20
- Best diet plan with prepackaged food Slim-Fast *Est. $40
- Best online weight-loss community eDiets.com *Est. $4
- Best diet program for vegetarians Dean Ornish Eat More, Weigh Less *Est. $15
Get info about new reports and updates
Best online weight-loss community
- Supports dozens of commercial diet programs
- Access to chat rooms and counselors
- May not be as effective as in-person diet plans
- Lack of transparency about costs and fees
The eDiets.com weight-loss plan is included in Consumer Reports' latest roundup of this category; it is also reviewed by Epicurious.com and owners post comments on TopDiets.com. Internet weight-loss programs in general are the subjects of an interesting study by The North American Association for the Study of Obesity.
Reviewers say eDiets is the best online diet program, praising it as convenient and a good choice if the idea of the weekly weigh-ins and group meetings of Weight Watchers (*est. $20 to join, $9 monthly) isn't your cup of tea. eDiets supports dozens of commercial diet programs; it also provides diet plans for those with special health restrictions and offers access to community features like peer-group chat rooms (an extra $2 per week) and personal advice from registered nutritional counselors. On the downside, users say eDiets can be overwhelming. Its website is busy and ad-heavy, and the service is not very up-front about additional fees or, for that matter, any fees.
Our Sources
1. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
eDiets is evaluated and rated by Consumer Reports magazine, along with seven other diet plans. All of the plans are assigned a score based on how well they measure up nutritionally to the guidelines established by the 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Review: Diet Plans: What the Studies Say, Editors of Consumer Reports, June 2007
This study looks at 255 healthy overweight and obese adults who participated in a six-month behavioral weight-control program conducted over interactive TV. Individuals received in-person or Internet support to help control their weight. Both groups had similar results, showing that Internet support may be as effective as face-to-face meetings.
Review: Effect of Internet Support on the Long-Term Maintenance of Weight Loss, Jean Harvey-Berino, et al, 2004
3. Epicurious
Epicurious.com compares the quality of prepared diet food of five popular weight loss programs: eDiets, the Zone, Jenny Craig, NutriSystem and PureFoods. Rankings reflect taste, nutritional content and portion size, among other factors. eDiets' freshly prepared (and expensive) food ranks highest, with The Zone coming in second.
Review: Prepared Diet Food: The Good, the Bad, and the Unhealthy, Megan O. Steintrager, Heather Tyree
4. TopDiets.com
On this forum, readers can post reviews of diets. eDiets gets about a dozen comments. Most say they like the convenience. Some complain about the cost.
Review: Diet Reviews, Contributors to TopDiets.com
Weight Loss Programs Runners Up:
4 picks by top review sites.
3 picks by top review sites.
2 picks by top review sites.
