BuddySlim.com - Lose Weight Together

It has been scientifically proven that people that have social support when dieting lose more pounds and keep them off longer. Buddy Slim embraces this concept by creating a forum for weight-loss seekers to connect. Members can search for friends via diet type, exercise, age, sex, weight goals, or location. Users can read and maintain blogs about their personal weight-loss process. Finally, the site provides valuable weight loss information and tools- there is a section to count calories, recipes, a weight tracker, and a BMI conversion tool. Buddy Slim is a free service, and members have collectively lost over 220,000 pounds.

“Most people looking to lose weight feel like they’re on their own --it’s difficult to achieve lasting success because keeping the weight off requires help. My name is Marc Lawrence and I am a physician who created BuddySlim, as a fun and effective way to help people, like you, reach their weight loss goals. This free site will help you develop a community of buddies, who share your challenges, anxiety, goals – and ultimately, your long-term success.”

Buddy Slim includes a variety of useful and relevant resources for those looking to lose weight. The blog entries seem to be an effective outlet to maintain motivation. Best of all, compared to other weight loss centers, Buddy Slim is free.

How can Buddy Slim ensure member retention? While those that have embraced Buddy Slim seem to have done so wholeheartedly, I wonder how much it will mimic the “gym phenomenon”: an initial sign up, and then no repeat visits. Maybe contests or other incentives can retain more active members.