Several unique terms and phrases describe the features of services we review on this site, some easier to grasp than others. This list briefly defines terms relevant to Online Diet Services.

Ratings

Food

These are the tools relating to food and diet the service includes with a membership. This includes meal trackers, recipes and custom meal plans.

Excerise

The tools the service offers to inform members about physical fitness or encourage regular exercise.

Community

Member boards and support groups the service provides which encourage members to support each other and to keep them motivated. This also includes expert advice or dietary consolation.

Additional Tools

These are the additional tools the diet service offers to help members follow their diet plans.

Ease of Use/Support

Information about a diet service should be easy to find and provide comprehensive details about what a subscription includes. They should also provide FAQs about the diet program as well as responsive email or telephone support for the diet service.

Food

Multiple Plan Options

The diet service offers more than one diet plan to suit your dietary needs and lifestyle.

Custom Meal Plans

After answering a series of question the diet service will customize a meal plan with recipes specifically designed for your tastes. This will often include a daily or full week schedule of breakfast, lunch and diner plans.

Recipes

The online diet service membership includes access to a recipe database. With this option, you can also change your assigned meal plans.

Meal Tracker

This allows you to record your daily food consumption.

Dining Out Guides & Tips

The service provides a guide to eating at restaurants and fast food. This will often include tips about which foods are acceptable on the diet and what to order.

Diet/Food Tips

The service provides tips about various foods or about your diet plan.

Exercise

Customized Workout Program

The diet service customizes a workout program for you based on a questionnaire about your personal fitness level and current exercise routine.

Workout Schedule

The online diet service will customize a workout schedule according to your workout program and will schedule it into your weekly activities.

Exercise Tracker

An online log, which allows you to record the duration and intensity of your exercise and physical activities.

Virtual Trainer/ Multimedia Videos

A multimedia video or computer generated image which walks you though your exercises and demonstrates proper form.

Exercise Tips

The service provides tips about exercise and physical fitness.

Community

Message Boards

A forum where members can leave messages, ask questions and support each other’s goals.

Expert Advice/ Consultations

he diet service is endorsed by doctors, dietitians, physical trainers or nutritionist, which members can email or get personal consultations pertaining to their personal dietary goals.

Inspirational Stories

Testimonials and inspirational stories about people whom have succeeded with the diet service.

Challenges

The service or support groups encourage members to participate in challenges against each other to facilitate weight loss.

Online Support Groups

Specialized chats or message groups for people with specific criteria like similar goals, interests or location. This could include forums like "Women 200+" or "Moms over 50." This also includes live chat rooms.

External Support Groups/ Meetings

The service also has local group meetings for members.

Additional Tools

Weight Tracker

The service provides a tool to track your weight loss progression.

Diary/Journal

A tool that allows you to express your feelings and insights about your diet program. Diaries and journals are often included with meal and exercise trackers.

Shopping Lists

The service generates a printable shopping list for the foods on your meal plan.

Calorie Counter

A device that will count or calculate the calories in a particular serving of food.

BMI Calculator

Body Mass Calculators indicate normal weight balances based on age, height and gender.

Carb Counter

Calculates the amount of carbohydrates in a particular serving of food.

Protein Counter

Counts the amount of protein in a serving of food.

Online Store

The service provides access to an online store of products pertaining to weight loss and fitness.

Access on Portable Device

For an additional fee or software purchase, your membership can be access from a portable device like a Palm Pilot or Pocket PC.

News

Articles

The diet service supplies news, magazine or Internet articles about weight loss, diets, exercise or fitness.

Emails/Newsletters

The service provides you with a regular newsletter or email updating you about services and your diet plan.

Ebooks

The diet service provides electronic books as part of your membership to supplement your diet regimen.

Ease of Use/Support

Telephone Support

The diet service provides a telephone number for support.

Email Support

The service provides an email address for customer or member support.

Online Help

A help section online provides answers to questions through an instant message interface.

Program Tour

The diet service provides a small tour detailing their diets and services.

FAQ/ Knowledge Base

A collection of answers to frequently asked questions.

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