SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 2, 2009 – LIVESTRONG.COM, the definitive destination for relevant and useful health, fitness and lifestyle-related information, today announced the culmination of a six-week Diet Face Off, a battle of healthy weight-loss strategies. Five LIVESTRONG.COM users lost a total of 72 pounds, with the support of an online community of one million members and six million visitors, as well as certified nutritionist Laura Cuomo. The Diet Face-Off pitted five famous diet programs against each other, including the South Beach Diet Supercharged, Weight Watchers, Jillian Michaels’ Making the Cut, the Mediterranean Diet, and the Flat Belly Diet.

The challenge offered the users the opportunity to set clear goals for themselves, and track their progress using LIVESTRONG.COM’s unique tools, including The Daily Plate, which allows users to track their food intake and exercise. The users also logged their experiences, including both their successes and struggles, by blogging and creating video diaries in real time.

Each of the five dieters came from unique backgrounds and volunteered to take control of their health and wellness by learning healthy eating and lifestyle habits. The Diet Face Off connected these users with each other and the LIVESTRONG.COM community at large, who offered their support and encouragement via hundreds of comments on the dieters’ weekly blogs and videos.

To add to the program, Certified Nutritionist Laura Cuomo helped participants tackle their diets safely, offering additional encouragement and support through daily blog entries and videos. Those guided by Cuomo include:

• William Fuentes of Meridan, Connecticut – Fuentes tried the South Beach Diet Supercharged, and lost a total of 31 pounds over the course of the Diet Face Off.
• Emilee Frisbie of Denver, Colorado – Frisbie took on the Weight Watchers diet and lost more than 12 pounds.
• Jack Boulous of Chicago, Illinois – Boulous tried Jillian Michaels’ Making the Cut diet and lost a total of 8 pounds.
• LaShawn Bowens of Dallas, Texas – Bowens committed to the Mediterranean Diet and lost more than 12 pounds.
• Teresa McChane of Davenport, Iowa – McChane took on the Flat Belly Diet and lost a total of 9 pounds.

Based on interviews and regular reporting from the dieters on an individual basis, the South Beach Diet Supercharged proved to be the most effective with pounds lost for William and Weight Watchers proved to be the diet that was the easiest to stick to for Emilee. Overall, every dieter reported success in losing weight, exercising more, and learning how to make their diets fit within their lifestyles, and key to this success were the tools and community available on LIVESTRONG.COM.

“The Diet Face Off came along at the perfect time for me,” said challenger and Denver resident Emilee Frisbie, who was paired with the Weight Watchers Diet. “I like the structure of this diet and combined with the LIVESTRONG.COM tools and the active community I can easily stay accountable to myself and my friends on the site. On Weight Watchers I can really eat whatever I want, and The Daily Plate on LIVESTRONG.COM gives me all the information that I need to stay on top of tracking the calories, fiber and fat for what I eat.”

According to a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, reduced-calorie diets conducted over a two-year period resulted in clinically meaningful weight loss. “When it comes to losing weight safely, choosing a diet is only the beginning of the process,” said nutritionist Laura Cuomo. “Committing to your weight-loss plan, remaining responsible for your choices and tracking them on a tool like The Daily Plate, you will succeed. All of the Diet Face Off challengers remained focused on their goals, through the ups and the downs, and ultimately, they all lost weight, and learned healthy habits that will help them change their lives.”

About LIVESTRONG.COM
The LIVESTRONG™ brand has become a global movement dedicated to changing the world through living well. Demand Media, Inc., in alliance with The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), created LIVESTRONG.COM as the definitive online social conversation for health, fitness and lifestyle. Through relevant and useful content, interactive tools and an engaged community, LIVESTRONG.COM is designed to inspire people to change their lives, help themselves and help others. For additional information about LIVESTRONG.COM, please visit: www.livestrong.com

About Demand Media
As the leader in distributed social media, Demand Media™ makes possible more than 3 billion conversations every month. The Demand Media platform harnesses the creativity of individuals to deliver valuable content and help websites grow by providing content and community features that consumers truly want. The privately held company was founded in May 2006 and is based in Santa Monica, CA, with offices in Bellevue, WA, Austin, TX, New York, NY and London, UK. For more information about Demand Media, Inc., please visit: www.demandmedia.com

LIVESTRONG is a trademark and/or registered trademark of the Lance Armstrong Foundation in the United States and/or other countries. Demand Media is a trademark and/or registered trademark of Demand Media, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.
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