The Best Free Diet Website: Fitday Versus Sparkpeople

A Guide to These Two Online Diet Leaders, and How to Choose Which is Right for You

By Wanda Leibowitz, published Sep 20, 2006
Published Content: 365  Total Views: 1,121,455  Favorited By: 58 CPs
Rating: 3.5 of 5
The fight to be the best free diet website is raging between established leader Fitday.com and its newer, rapidly growing competitor Sparkpeople.com. Fitday.com and Sparkpeople.com are two of the largest and most adaptable diet websites on the internet, and they share many similar features. However, Fitday.com and Sparkpeople.com are very different. They offer users vastly divergent interfaces, databases, and levels of guidance. The best free diet website is the one that works with your style, your mentality, and your habits, so read on and learn which one of these free diet website giants is right for you.


What They Have In Common
The versatility of simple nutrition and fitness tracking and self-reporting has planted it firmly at the core of both contenders for the best free diet website. Fitday.com and Sparkpeople.com have the same idea at their core: by tracking how you take on and expend calories, you will learn to make daily choices that leave you with a net caloric loss so that your body burns fat. This basic idea is useful to any dieter, whether you’re an Atkins fan or a vegan. So, this idea is what Sparkpeople.com and Fitday.com have in common. Both websites ask you to report the food you eat, and the exercise you do. Both offer tools to turn this information into easily readable charts so that you can self-monitor your changing habits at a glance. Both sites agree that these are features that the best free diet website needs to offer users so that they can individualize their programs.

Takeaways
  • The core idea of both sites is the same: track caloric intake and output, and create a deficit.
  • Fitday.com is simple to navigate, offers an exhaustive activity database, and is very hands-off.
  • Sparkpeople.com is loaded with motivational tips and complex features, and offers lots of guidance.
Did You Know?
Sparkpeople.com is not affiliated with Sparknotes.com, the popular study aid website started by Harvard students.
Resources
Comments
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I have been on the Fletcherism diet for a little over 3 months and have lost 37 pounds. I chew eat bite 32 times and eat Lunch and supper only and have a mid afternoon snack about 3 pm and another one at 8:30 at night. Be sure to chew eat bite at least 32 times. You will eat about 20-30 minutes and feel totally full and are eating a lot less calories by eating less food and you feel totally satisfied. Read Horace Fletcher's book in Google books called How I Became Young at Sixty. http://bestfreediet.googlepages.com/

Posted on 07/13/2008 at 1:07:50 PM

 
I use Sparkpeople. I have tried to use traineo. I have lost 100 pounds with Sparkpeople and have learned so much about myself that is will not be hard to keep it off Traineo does not have the behaviour modification tools needed to heal one from being cronically overweight.

Posted on 03/13/2008 at 11:03:55 PM

 
I signed up on traineo & while I do like some features (like drawing graphs from entered numeric data) I can't seem to find a place to enter my nutrition into, the site just asks for my # of calories ingested & measures those.. I do like the talk of exercises on boards & overall graphic view though it's too 'boxy' for me.. (& you have to 'close' each box..) Also, it seems to be geared toward weight loss, which wasn't my goal, so I felt silly having to put my actual weight into that.. My primary goal is tracking if I get enough daily nutrients (vitamins & minerals) to prevent feeling 'off' or getting sick... & maintain or improve health & wellbeing... & can't see how to do that on Traineo - or the free version of Sparkspeople or TheDailyPlate... So basically Fitday seems the only one that allows me to track those for free...? I do love the sense of community on those other sites so... hmm.. I wish they offered micronutrients-tracking with the free version too!! ;))

Posted on 02/29/2008 at 3:02:24 PM

 
dumbass

Posted on 02/06/2008 at 2:02:12 PM

 
I have just joined sparkpeople.com and would like to know if I can change my password from Marthajean to fatnsassy? Can you help me? Thanks.

Posted on 01/21/2008 at 8:01:07 PM

 
I LOVE sparkpeople. What a great community and loads of support. I have lost 25 pounds,and I am going to lose another 25.I am so grateful to Chris Downey (Sparks founder) he has invested his own money in ME.

Posted on 12/29/2007 at 10:12:29 AM

 
I just joined SparkPeople - it is amazing. It's an incredibly positive website with personal and public space - a perfect place to get the support you need and the privacy you want.

Posted on 07/18/2007 at 10:07:00 AM

 
I couldn't believe my luck when I found the SparkPeople diet. It has really motivated me into action I have passed on the link to three other friennds who are equally impressed. Thanks SparkPeople.

Posted on 05/17/2007 at 3:05:00 PM

 
I feel that SP is the best because the site is very motivating and they give you the tools to enhance your motivation!! I love it!!

Posted on 04/19/2007 at 9:04:00 AM

 
IMO SparkPeople is the best weight loss site because of the experts and the articles they have written!

Posted on 03/01/2007 at 11:03:00 AM

 
io soi vera y tengo 19anios y vivo con mi padre y con mi ermana porche mi madre esta muerta de 1anio

Posted on 01/25/2007 at 2:01:00 AM

 
Sparkpeople is great for tracking, informational, educational, and just plain enjoyable to use. I have recommended this site to others.

Posted on 09/29/2006 at 10:09:00 AM

 
Weird, I couldn't even sign up for Traineo....seems like it's still a little buggy. I think they relied a little too heavily on Ajax for programming without knowing everything about it.

Posted on 09/29/2006 at 7:09:00 AM

 
www.traineo.com is an even newer website. It's super cool and kick's both of the websites ass's IMHO

Posted on 09/28/2006 at 8:09:00 PM

 
oops, a character limit cut off the end of the post below - to finish: ...to improve the site. If you are interested, keep an eye on SparkPeople over the next year, we will keep adding new ways to help members reach goals! Chris/SparkGuy Downie SparkPeople Founder/CEO

Posted on 09/28/2006 at 6:09:00 PM

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