Web site that tracks what you eat

By Amy McRee, NEWS 9

The average person will pack an extra five to ten pounds over the holidays. No matter how you stack it, the formula for gaining weight is pretty simple. Now there's a tool that could help keep you keep in check.

The tool is TheDailyPlate.com. It keeps track of what you eat and it couldn't be any easier to use.

Maghin Merrill uses the web site. She is hoping when she ties the knot in 3 short months, her walk down the aisle with fiancé Bobby will show her 10 pounds lighter and more toned. It won't come easily.

"It is a chore; it's a task that weighs on your mind," Merrill said. "Every day you get up in the morning and you think what am I going to eat for breakfast? You have to plan it; plan ahead and think."

Now Merrill just logs on to TheDailyPlate.com, plugs in the food she's about to eat, and the web site searches for the product and computes the calories and other nutritional values.

The site also tracks your exercise, Merrill found she could eat a lot  more calories when she exercises, since she's burning more calories.

Merrill says she's already started making better choices, since the web site will even show her healthier alternatives to the foods she's already eating, and it seems to be working. She's already dropped a couple of pounds since she started it a few weeks ago.

The site is free to use but it gives you options to upgrade your membership at a cost. It also has message boards where you can talk with other members and exchanges meals.