Consistently logging onto interactive weight management websites may help individuals lose weight and keep it off, according to the findings of a new study.

The study, which appears in the Journal of Medical Internet Research and was funded by the National Institutes of Health, evaluated an internet-based weight maintenance intervention involving 348 participants.

Researchers found consistent website users who logged on and recorded their weight at least once a month for two-and-a-half years maintained the most weight loss.

"Consistency and accountability are essential in any weight maintenance program," said study lead author Kristine Funk, M.S., R.D. "The unique part of this intervention was that it was available on the internet, whenever and wherever people wanted to use it."

The study’s authors advise consumers to look for several things when choosing a weight management website. They say sites that encourage accountability by asking users to consistently record weight, exercise, and calories consumed, sites that include tailored or personalized information, sites with interactive features that allow users to communicate with each other and with nutrition and exercise experts as well as sites with accurate health information are best.