Stephanie Smith has a very familiar tale of weight gain. As she got older, the pounds slowly started sneaking up on her. And then she had kids.

"I ended up topping off over 200 pounds and only being 5 feet 2 inches ... that was really tough for me," Smith said.

So this working mother of two made a very public commitment.

Smith said, "When I started this journey, I decided to use Facebook as an accountability. So I use my notepad on Facebook and I flat out put it out there for everybody that's on my friends list that I'm going to lose 60 to 70 pounds."

What she discovered is unwavering support -- which became quite obvious the night she really didn't want to get on the elliptical before going to bed.

"I knew if I posted on my status, 'Tell me it's not too late to do my cardio now.' I had 10 people respond within minutes, 'It's not too late,' (and) 'Get on, do it.'"

But Smith didn't stop there. An online friend told her about SparkPeople.

"I use it to track all of my food. I use their nutrition tracker." Smith said, "I enter everything that I eat in a day and I also use it to track all of my exercise."

There are numerous online dieting sites out there, but they all seem to have one thing in common.

Chief Wellness Officer at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Michael Roizen, said it's the key to success.

"Use the buddy system." Roizen explained, "Whether it's a buddy in person, whether it's a buddy through the internet, whether it's a buddy on the phone, use something to gain support."

Michelle Augustine is a pediatric nurse at the Cleveland Clinic. She's also a mother of six.

Augustine has taken full advantage of the hospital's offer to pay for employees to use Weight Watchers online.

"Well, so far, I've lost over 40 pounds," Augustine said.

Augustine has gone from a size 22 to a 12.

What's done the trick for her is entering everything she eats.

Augustine said, "It makes me more accountable. I see I may have gained a pound that week, or I didn't lose and I can go, 'Oh, what did I eat? What day did I do something wrong?'"

There's also a place to share recipes and support.

You don't have to make the traditional Weight Watchers meetings either. You can do it online at your convenience.

Michelle is one of the 5,000 hospital employees who have chosen to go with Weight Watchers.

Roizen said, "Of that group, a very small number has decided to use the Internet. But those that are using the Internet, the early results are that they're succeeding just as much as those in the other settings."

Smith has gone down two sizes since deciding to use Facebook and SparkPeople about a month ago. She said she'll be sticking with it.

"It's crucial. I honestly couldn't do without it," Smith said.

There are hundreds of ways to use the internet to help you diet. Most major diet plans have a Web site connected to the plan. Some are free, and some require a fee. Here are some examples of interactive diet sites:

• Weight Watchers
• SparkPeople
• South Beach Diet
• eDiets
• FitDay
• Prevention Magazine's Online diet