If you’re looking to drop pounds, you’ve probably clicked around a few weight-loss Web sites only to find that many charge a fee. These three, however, dish up advice and useful tools for free.

Peer Trainer provides a blank online form on which to record food intake, exercise, and notes. If you eat three desserts a day, it’s hard to ignore when it’s on your screen, which can spur you to do better. There are also online groups in which to chat about anything from dealing with arm jiggle to the best way to grill veggies.

Calorie Count takes the food log a step further. First, you’ll take a short quiz that gives you a calorie target to shoot for. To record what you eat, search the food database. Fill in the amount you ate and it will appear in your log, along with a grade of A through F for how healthy the food is. There’s also a nice section of reader-submitted recipes.

SparkPeople works similarly to Calorie Count but also provides preset meal plans with shopping lists. Besides recording total calorie intake, you can track specific nutrients, such as salt or carbs. Be sure to check out the online videos in the fitness section, including a 10-minute hips and thighs routine.

Posted by Betsy Wiesendanger, Contributing Editor

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