Photo credit: Julie Toy

With a collective national belt-tightening in progress, the word “free” catches our attention. So naturally we wanted to check out the virtual-fitness-training site MyFitnessTrainer.com, which is offering free six-month memberships to the first 50 people who sign up and share their weight-loss goals and fitness challenges on its Fitness Forum by April 1.

MyFitnessTrainer.com owner Annette Hudson notes that the deal is part of the site’s “Money’s tight, but your belt doesn’t have to be” special, which also includes a $23.99 sale on one-year memberships. The site works like this: You buy (or win) a membership, then send in your measurements and weight, as well as fitness goals. You keep a food diary on the site and then receive the virtual trainer’s recommended calorie and fiber intake. Members also get two new exercises a day to do at home, six days a week, for 15–30 minutes. (Workout items needed for the program include an exercise ball and resistance band.)

Hudson says her site is unique in that it adjusts the personal calorie goal to the member’s changing metabolism, based on information provided each week, such as sleep and eating habits and activity level. “A static calorie goal is one of the main reasons that diets fail,” she says.

Hudson explains the math behind the formula: “A pound of fat has 3,500 calories, and a pound of muscle has 600 calories. Using the member’s weight and body-fat percentage, the program figures out how many pounds of fat and how many pounds of muscle was lost or gained this week. This is converted to calories and then compared to the calories the member ate last week. In this way, the computer can ‘see’ how the body responded to the calories eaten.” The amount or calories per week to lose 2 pounds in the coming week then is calculated.

We think this sounds like a good plan for those strapped for time or cash. Do you think a virtual trainer could work for you? Or do you need a physical presence to get you physically fit?

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