Ebsimon+-+INF+Draft

Ebsimon - INF Draft Page

Elizabeth Simon Dr. Archibald Comp 110.50 10/29/2008


 * Online Weight Loss Communities**

In the United states alone, the weight loss industry has become a multi-billion dollar business. Every year more and more Americans are diagnosed with type two diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. Our federal government has referred to this an obesity epidemic. Going forward, online weight loss communities will continue to increase in both number and participation. These online health support websites are a way for people to receive positive feedback and emotional support as well as some help making a significant change in their lifestyle.

There are several well known membership-only weight loss websites. One of the oldest companies is Weight Watchers. As most people know, weight watchers was around long before the internet. The cornerstone of the plan is to attend regular meetings, and with the internet, users can do this online from the privacy of their home. Basically, one would sign up and create an account and password which would allow you access to the whole site. For a fairly low monthly payment, you have your choice of two different types of plans. The popular "Flex" plan is basically defined by the user. "Every food is assigned a point value based on it's amount of calories, fat and fiber." ("The Flex Plan and Core Plan." __WeightWatchers.com__. 2008. Weight Watchers International. 27 Oct 2008 .) As long as you stay within your point range you should start to lose weight. Weight Watchers members also have access to their food diaries twenty four hours per day, as well as over 1000 recipe ideas and a number of online exercise demonstrations. The site boasts a large number of success stories available to inspire members, some of which contain actual video diaries.

These days almost everyone has heard about the South Beach diet. It is one of the most popular and well respected weight loss programs both on and off the internet. The South Beach website is also a paid membership type site, similar to Weight Watchers. After you choose a password you log into the site and use all of the available tools. This plan is divided in three phases, which you progress through as you lose weight. All of your recommendations are personalized for you, and where you are in the plan. Phase one is "designed to eliminate cravings for refined sugar and carbohydrates...kick-starting your weight loss." (  "How it Works - 3 Phases to Success." __The South Beach Diet__. 2008. The South Beach Diet. 27 Oct 2008 .) The second and third phases are a bit less intense, and one would presumably enter a maintenance phase after reaching a healthy weight.

The South Beach Website is very user friendly and has more detail than Weight Watchers. There are literally thousands of recipes and a tool to help users create a shopping list. The founder of the program, Dr. Arthur Agatston designed the program from a cardiologists point of view and promises to "lower your risk not just for heart attack and stroke..but for many other diseases." ("Welcome from Dr. Agatston." __The South Beach Diet__. 2008. The South Beach Diet. 27 Oct 2008 .)

There are weight loss support websites that are completely free, and these sites are also growing by leaps and bounds. One particular site, Spark People has some interesting features. They have the message boards which are the hallmark of online weight loss, but they also offer the ability to create our own spark people web page, which is linked to your profile in the community. With your own page you can share your weight loss charts, and your meals plans with other users. [|Link to Spark People Page Creator.] 

Another free online diet plan which has gained in popularity is the Daily Plate. This website is more of a journal, which you can make public or keep private if you prefer. The daily plate allows users to plan their weight loss by using handy tools such as a calorie goal calculator, customized for each person's age and other health factors. Users have the ability to log in exercise time and calculate calories burned through activity. The daily plate has a number of message boards with topics ranging from basic weight loss to eating disorder support. They also have a feature which they refer to as Groups, "where you can keep track of every one's progress, see what every one's eating, and exchange messages that only your group members can read". ( "Groups." __The Daily Plate__. 2008. The Daily Plate, LLC. 28 Oct 2008 . )  The biggest advantage to using a site like Spark People or Daily Plate is that they both include a huge directory of every food you can imagine, including store brands.

Beyond the very widely used and commercial weight loss communities, there are also smaller websites owned and maintained by individuals or groups of individuals. Dotty's Weight Loss Zone was founded by Dottie Coon in 1998 "to keep me motivated and help others on their own journey". ( Coon, Dottie. "Frequently Asked Questions." __Dottie's Weight Loss Zone__. 1998-2008. 28 Oct 2008 ) This website has all of the same message board features as the paid sites, and offers the user some explanation for the Weight Watchers point system, which is great for someone who otherwise could not afford membership and access to the information. Dottie's Weight Loss Zone also has a long list restaurants with accompanying lists of nutritional information for their menus. This information is quite valuable to anybody who is interested in diet and fitness.

Obviously, many people are interested in diet and fitness or none of these communities would exist. What is still questioned by many is the long term success of these programs. Critics argue that face-to-face interaction with a physician or dietitian may be more effective. A group of physicians published a study they did involving online diets and email interaction in the Journal of the American Medical Association in April, 2003. The results indicated that "adding email counseling to a basic internet weight loss intervention program significantly improved weight loss in adults at risk for diabetes". ( Tate, Deborah H., Elizabeth H. Jackvony, Rena R. Wing. "Effects of Internet Behavioral Counseling on Weight Loss in Adults at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes." __JAMA__ 289(2003): 1833-1836. ) It seems that the idea of participating in an online plan, with the encouragement of others is very appealing to people that would shy away from a formal group meeting. It also looks like direct interaction, such as emails and message boards increase the odds of success.

An article appeared in the Wall Street Journal in late 2007 which stated "Since September 2006 Calorie-Count..and it's new enhanced version Calorie-Count Plus together have added 400,000 new members". (De Avila, Joseph. The Social-Networking Diet." Wall Street Journal __10 Oct 2007, Digital Network: Business. ).__ Despite some mixed reviews from the medical community these communities are surviving and thriving with thousands of new members joining every month.

In this age of convenience and instant health information it is easy for us to look around and determine if we need to get in shape. If we are going to do it, we want to do it with as little money and effort as possible. This is why online weight loss communities exist, because we are seeking the advice of others from the comfort of our home. These online support networks allow us to envision a better version of ourselves, a fit and healthy one. But more importantly than that, they offer a supportive and non-judgmental environment for people to discuss their weight loss struggles. Anything that allows people to mentor and celebrate each other's successes is a good thing in my book.

 Matt VanLenten's feedback for Elizabeth Simon's 3.1INF:

sufficiently clear. Online health support systems and web sites will continue to increase and help people with their problem. The introduction is just a short summary and introduction into the body of the paper. Each paragraph of the body is different website or system for weight loss. It starts out with on the first ones created and goes from there. The conclusion sums up the paper and its points. It was organized well and it is the best way seperating each website into its own little piece. The whole paper was relevent to the thesis all telling about the different weight loss sites. Some examples used that helped were including the web site addressing in the article to help the readers get more information on the subject. Explaining a little bit about each one was helpful without going to in detail making the paper really long. I never was interesting in checking out weight loss websites or programs so it didn't really appeal to me. In the summaries of the web sites, you could include may testamonials if possible by users. Instead of just having how the web site works but include the differnce between each other with their plans. A little bit. It started out with a nice statistic but after that it kind of just goes into the sites. Maybe stretch out the introduction a little bit in explaining more about what its about.
 * What is the thesis? Type out the thesis you find in the paper in your own words; it will help you see whether the writer's main insight is made
 * How is the essay organized? Describe in three or four sentences how the essay is organized. This will help you determine if the structure was clear.
 * Was the organization logical? Was this the best way the writer could present their information?
 * Were any parts not relevant to the thesis? As a reader did you pause to wonder how a statement or paragraph was related to the thesis?
 * What examples and types of evidence were most convincing? Did the essay engage your emotions and appeal to your experiences in appropriate ways?
 * What two places could use more development? Which places in the text need more evidence, examples, explanation.
 * Did the introduction catch your attention? The writer was probably writing about a topic that already interests them, so did they communicate that interest to you?

Melissa Worthington's feedback for Elizabeth Simon's 3.1INF:

What is the thesis? Type out the thesis you find in the paper in your own words; it will help you see whether the writer's main insight is made sufficiently clear. The thesis of this paper is weight loss websites are beneficial for Americans because it helps people balance and manage their everyday routine of exercise and calorie intake. How is the essay organized? Describe in three or four sentences how the essay is organized. This will help you determine if the structure was clear. This essay was organized well because the author divided each paragraph to describe each different type of weight loss program. It begins with an introduction, then body paragraphs, then a conclusion to why these programs are beneficial. Was the organization logical? Was this the best way the writer could present their information? The organization was logical because the author began with two famous weight loss programs then discussed less popular ways to lose weight via the internet. One thing that I think could be added is just an introduction to the two most popular programs and maybe have them introduced in the same paragraph. Were any parts not relevant to the thesis? As a reader did you pause to wonder how a statement or paragraph was related to the thesis? What examples and types of evidence were most convincing? Did the essay engage your emotions and appeal to your experiences in appropriate ways? The author simply explained each program, there was really no evidence needed to convince anything. This essay appealed to my emotions in just the fact that it taught me different ways I could use the internet for weight loss, which would be appropriate. What two places could use more development? Which places in the text need more evidence, examples, explanation. One place that could use more development would be the introduction. Try to add more details to connect obesity to the value of the internet. Also, I think you could elaborate a little more about each program. I don't have much prior knowledge of the differences between the popular programs. Did the introduction catch your attention? The writer was probably writing about a topic that already interests them, so did they communicate that interest to you? The introduction did catch my attention with a statistic. The interest was communicated to me through much detail and a good conclusion of the topic of weight loss.