Spark People
Free weight loss community
BACKGROUND
SparkPeople is a community. SparkPeople is a health site. SparkPeople is a fully-developed free diet plan. It incorporates a lifestyle-change approach to healthy living. It bases its nutritional components upon the food pyramid and its diet plan on the premise that you must take in less calories than you expend, in order to lose weight.
SparkPeople does not simply provide a one-line synopsis of what dieting should or shouldn’t look like. Instead, it guides you through a four-stage program that you initiate and sustain through education, group support and motivation. All this is done online via a community that exchanges information through forums, shared recipes and stories of success or failure, from people who are navigating through the same journey as yourself.
SparkPeople began in 2001 as a goal-setting site. When it became apparent that nearly all of the contributors and community members shared the goals of wanting sound nutrition, fitness and healthy lifestyles, they flung themselves full-heartedly into providing the best information about health that they could find. This lead to a full-scale discussion about the kinds of dieting programs that consistently produced results. What they came to believe, after all the study and input was complete, is that there is no magic bullet when it comes to living healthy. Being healthy is about both daily and lifetime choices. The site that exists today is a collaborative effort and attracts nearly two million users. In 2006, SparkPeople was ranked as the 6th most visited site in the “Health and Medical-Wellbeing” category and 3rd amongst diet sites. Spark’s mission is about creating support that translates into success and “sparks” the desire to pass “lessons learned” to others.
PROS
SparkPeople is about providing our body with a total fitness regime, including all the nutrients that a diet rich in variety can provide, all the exercise it needs to regain its desire for activity versus lethargy, and all the emotional support that reinforces the fact that we are a human community with the ability to motivate and sustain one another through victory and setbacks.
- Complete four-step plan and educational tools to make each step understandable.
- Forums and support modules on-site to help direct and support each member’s efforts.
- Email reminders that help you remain true to goals, or offer alternative methods when life gets in the way.
- Diagnostic tools for determining Base Metabolic Rate (BMR), age, weight, etc., which take into account the time frame you desire to reach your goal and help devise a weight-loss plan, accordingly.
- Support, Support, Support. Educational, motivational, momentum boosters, no punishment for not keeping “up to speed.” The ability to catch up when topics are missed.
- Meet people who like the same activities as yourself.
- Thousands of user-suggested recipes and comments from those who tried them.
- FREE. The plan, the support and the community remain one of the few free weight loss regimines in the world.
CONS
The SparkPeople are not private weight loss counselors. They provide you with the tools to learn about your body’s nutritional needs and about the science of caloric intake versus energy used. The support community and educational articles and discussions, along with groups who meet to enjoy their favorite recreational activity, fill up the crux of the program.
- No pre-prepared meals.
- No magic-bullet pills.
- More information than you can digest at one sitting. (It is best to take in each subject as it pertains to your personal goals).
- Easy to “surf past” forums that might be pertinent to your current situation, since they are so varied.
CONCLUSION
The Internet now affords us neighborhood meetings from the comfort of our own home. For those brave enough to enter even one discussion group, the opportunities for growth are limitless. The SparkPeople have filled an enormous need by bringing some of the best information they can provide to the general site, and then, by offering varied groups of people at differing stages of the journey, who can share, encourage and enjoy one another. Spark is most likely for that person who is willing to take personal responsibility for their progress, while enjoying the obviously well-intentioned input of others who have met and overcome their own hurdles. By sharing what works and doesn’t work among one another, no task seems nearly as daunting.
COMMON MISSPELLINGS
Spark People, Spart People, Spark Diet, Sperk People, Spark Peeple
Anonymous: sparkpeople does just that, it gets you motivated to endure the weight loss journey
desperate2bskny: there are so many people that are so happy to help you on this program. Everyone is very encouraging
Anonymous: Just joined recently. Lots of great weight loss, nutrition and fitness tools
Anonymous: I LOVE Sparkpeople. It is great for those who have pretty good self-motivation and just need a few simple tools to help them get on track. Forums provide great support (so many types of groups!) and the tracking tools make it almost fun to get in shape. A+++
Jennifer: I've been on SparkPeople for almost two years now, and I couldn't imagine my life without it. The best place to go when you need support!! :)
Maureen Canale: Spread The Spark...Long Live Sparky Town!!! Never in my life would I have imagined myself as part of an online community. I am a Believer...this is where I am supposed to be...MoeDancing I am...come get Sparked!
TruTallica: I love Sparkpeople, this has been the easiest way for me to shed 10 lbs, I need much much more to go but with the help of spark, I realize that I need the support the forums provide and that it's not a quick weight loss program. I'm glad there's no miracle pill or any nasty pre-packaged meals. If you need to rely on a pill or pre-packaged meals to lose weight, you're doing something wrong and you've got the idea of losing weight wrong!
sweetluv: SparkPeople.com is an answer to my prayers. I don't do their diet, I do my own thing...which is basically just making better choices, eating healthy foods and trying to make time for exercise. But the people there are amazing, so welcoming and motivating. I track my food, water, and exercise daily on that site and have lost 13 lbs thus far (6 weeks). It's just a positive place to be.
Patricia: Love, Love Spark People I lost already 12 pounds in 3 weeks...I have not once felt overwhelmed, the stories that you read are so compelling, it really make you believe you can do it too...and I am doing it!!!! GO SPARK PEOPLE!!!! I encourage anyone just to be part of it.
Anna: I can't not use sparkpeople. when I stop tracking my food etc, i gain weight. When i am "good" i lose weight. So I believe in sparkpeople, it has helped my boyfriend lose 20 pounds and i am now on my way too.
Virgogal72: Sparkpeople is a site for someone who wants long term results. It is not the cookie cutter diet, or the quick fix. SparkPeople support building,developing and maintaining a HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP with our bodies in many aspects, not just food. I I am the typical yoyo dieter and need to lose over 100 lbs. I normally lose interest & motivation before the weight on the other diet programs. started Spark in Jan of this year and have had a lasting motivation and loss of weight and gain of healthy habits, more than any other attempt prior. I am and will continue to be a fan and cheerleader for Spark and thank them (the coaches, program developers and memebers) for their encouragement, motivation and real guidence.
Adrienne: You list - No pre-prepared meals. - No magic-bullet pills. - More information than you can digest at one sitting. As Cons but many people see that as Pros. You can eat what you want, there are no pills so its healthy and maintainable and affordable. I don't think these cons are cons at all. BTW I currently use Sparkpeople and its great.
Misty: SparkPeople is easy and fun. It's a good place to learn smart lifestyle choices and make lots of friends.
