Blog Watch
By BECKEY BRIGHT
January 29, 2007; Page R9

DIETING

Half of Me
PastaQueen.com/halfofme

Jennette, a Web developer living in Indianapolis, started this dieting blog to document her quest to lose half her body weight. Her frequent entries discuss her "life as a fat person losing weight" and her reactions to news stories that relate to obesity and public perceptions about obesity.

Each Saturday, she posts a weigh-in and every couple of months she takes a series of photos from eight different angles, which she has turned into a three-dimensional view that shows the gradual changes in her appearance.

This ad-supported blog also offers an RSS feed, so you can get an alert when a new posting appears.

Does This Font Make Me Look Fat?
AthenaLaughed.blogspot.com

This yearlong blog takes readers through one woman's at times amusingly documented, though seriously undertaken, effort to lose weight. Like many dieting blogs, this one is a simple and honest, publicly private effort to understand what causes us to overeat. Like many other bloggers, she is tackling other issues besides weight. For instance, she discusses her continuing effort to get control of her personal finances as well.

The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl
www.DietGirl.org/dietgirl

This blog with a superhero name is from a young woman based in Scotland. "When I started the site in 2001," she writes, "I figured if I gave myself a superhero-esque name then maybe I would try and live up to it."

"Diet Girl" has lost exactly half her body weight as of December 2006 since starting at 351 pounds in 2001. This easy-to-navigate blog includes stat snapshots of her progress, archive links and photo comparisons, as well as breezy posts on day-to-day experiences with food, exercise and alcohol.

Diary of a Fat, Angry Woman
FatAngryWoman.blogspot.com

This blog, from a recent mother of two in Central Valley, Calif., deals with food addiction and eating disorder. FatMom, as she calls herself, says she is trying to save her life and her marriage by losing her excess weight, "but first I have to find out WHY I overeat." As a teenager, "FatMom" was anorexic -- at 5 feet, five inches, she says, she weighed 85 pounds. By the time she started blogging in April 2006, she weighed 240 pounds.

"After 23 years of battling eating disorders, I decided I wanted to live," she writes. The blog is one part of that effort, as is going to Overeaters Anonymous.

DEPRESSION

Been Broken
But-Still-Trying.blogspot.com

Been Broken is a first-person account of one 40-something man's struggle with mental-health problems. "Broken" says he has had various diagnoses, including clinical depression, and has experienced periods of homelessness and drug addiction. "Broken" discusses his fears, his impressions of how alcohol affects his mood and his connections with others, and there are many illustrations and photos interspersed throughout the site. Recent posts included commentary on a short story by Henry James and a German film. But the posts aren't critiques; "Broken" uses them as a window into human psychology and an examination of his own state of mind. There also are frequent posts by readers of the blog as well as links to many other mental-health blogs and resources.

Ten Minute Freefall
TenMinuteFreefall.blogspot.com

"Some people live in a 'black hole.' It's called depression. After 42+ years of wrestling with this demon, I think I might have an insight or two to share," writes the author of the Ten Minute Freefall blog. The author is a "mostly retired" minister from Harrison, Ark., who includes many sermon-like anecdotes in his posts. But rather than sounding preachy, entries are written with lots of humor and candor. Posts include discussions of his initial skepticism and then conviction that support groups can be extremely helpful for coping with depression, as well as useful information on its treatments, and discussions on topics such as the differences between circumstantial or situational depression and clinical depression.

Deborah Gray's Blog
Blogs.HealthCentral.com/depression/deborah-grays-blog

This blogger, who goes by Deborah Gray, says she lived with undiagnosed clinical depression from childhood through young adulthood until she was diagnosed at age 27, and began managing her depression with medication and psychotherapy. In her blog at MyDepressionConnection.com, the Connecticut resident writes that "information and support are the two things that sustain and empower us in our battle with illness." The blog mostly provides summaries and links to news articles on depression and its treatment. But posts also tackle issues such as managing emotions during the holiday season and knowing when to stop therapy.

Shades of Black
NickMack.net

NickMack is a woman in her 20s who has been diagnosed and treated for bipolar disorder. She started her blog in September 2006. But through frequent posts, including links to resources and articles about treatment, she says she aims to clear the stigma associated with bipolar disorder and provide a source of comfort for others, including "resources that can be used to help you...the ones you love and care for, and...me."

--Ms. Bright is an editor for The Wall Street Journal Online in New York.

Write to Beckey Bright at beckey.bright@wsj.com

URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116974934638087961.html

Copyright 2007 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.