A number of bloggers find attending the meetings required by diet programs like Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig too public. Others find them useful, but want another outlet for what often becomes a somewhat compulsive need for diet discussion not shared by nondieting friends and colleagues.
At least one, "Big Fat Blog: A Fat Acceptance Weblog," offers an alternative viewpoint.
But most dieters use their forums to poke fun at themselves, something they say is hard to do among people who are not attuned to what it is like to be seriously overweight.
"I've fallen off the wagon a bit but I'm already back on it," wrote the author of "Becoming Something Greater" on Aug. 8. "A McGriddle, quesadillas, guacamole with chips and potato chips have been involved in my downfall."
Other blog entries are painfully honest about the drawbacks of obesity. On July 22, Patricia Rimmer, 33, an accountant in Irving, Texas, who has lost 39.9kg and has 15.9kg more to go to reach her goal of 70.3kg, posted a list of her most-hated fat memories on www.abluenature.com/diet to remind herself of why she should keep going. Among them
"Calling in sick/late for work because I couldn't get into any of my clothes."
"Having people step as close to the wall as possible when passing you in the hallway -- as if being fat was contagious; or repulsive."
"Most of all, never truly feeling comfortable."
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