Silverback Posted July 15, 2011 Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 Anyone use Daily Burn or Spark People? If so...cons vs pros of each...if you use one, why and not the other? Discuss..... Quote Link to comment
VintageGeek Posted July 15, 2011 Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 I used Spark People for a while and checked out Daily Burn for a couple of days. I don't generally do well with tracking - I get way too obsessive and freaked out and it runs my whole life. Both seem pretty good. Spark People has a lot (I mean A LOT) of stuff - there's the points system where you earn points for every good thing you do, there are a ton of really informative articles, the food database is really incredibly hugely comprehensive, you can join groups and socialize on forums, and there are customized diet plans and workout routines you can incorporate into every day. You even get your own page with a blog, and you can "friend" people and use your points to buy people virtual gifts. You really could spend the whole day on that site and not run out of things to do or read about. That being said, the site is an eyesore and a mess, difficult to navigate (or at least, could be way simpler), and it feels crowded. Also, you can't walk five steps without getting spammed about their book, which I'm sure is great, but geez. Even if you buy it the ads don't go away. But as far as I can tell, everything is free. Daily Burn is definitely calmer and feels more professional. I didn't really explore all the angles, but if I absolutely had to pick between the two, I'd go with Daily Burn, because it feels more like a tool for helping you out rather than the social networking lifestyle that Spark People is. I don't know that it's as comprehensive, but it definitely seems better for people who have serious, definable goals, whereas Spark People seems more motivational in nature. Quote Link to comment
'Roos Posted July 15, 2011 Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 I have been using daily burn for the last week and really like it. I've never done calorie tracking, and I'm really just using it to get a baseline read on my nutrition requirements and where I am right now. That said, it's simple, straight forward, and so far, quite effective. Also, the water tracker reminds me every time I go to log things on, to go drink a glass of water - very helpful! Quote Link to comment
beepboop Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 Used SparkPeople on and off for a year; I second everything VintageGeek said, right down to preferring Daily Burn, and I only signed up today. I'll add that SP may be more appropriate for absolute fitness beginners, while you'll want to know a little more about your goals and how to reach them with DB (or pay monthly for guidance). Daily Burn + fitness tracker is customizable, e.g. enter varied sets/reps/weight for any one exercise + fitness tracker estimates calories burned from each exercise entered + easily search for different exercises with text or video instruction + food tracker offers nutrition info by the USDA; custom foods also allowed - meal planner AND most training plans are for paid accts - sponsored/affiliated with Gatorade; ads on every page for free members Quote "The only good race pace is suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die." -- Steve Prefontaine Link to comment
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