CyberDiet.com Launches First Internet Weight LossProgram Combining Personalization and Support;...

NEW YORK--(BW HealthWire)--July 29, 1999--

CyberDiet.com, the award-winning consumer health Web site, owned by Mediconsult.com (Nasdaq:MCNS) (http://www.mediconsult.com), today announced the launch of its "Succeeding at Weight Loss" program. For the 97 million people in the United States

who struggle with weight management, this interactive resource provides the information, encouragement and personalized roadmap to achieve success. With the program's launch at www.cyberdiet.com, consumers now have access to a weight loss tool developed by registered dietitians that combines sound, flexible nutrition advice, personal exercise programs and lifestyle change skills that support lifelong weight management.

"It is so difficult for those trying to change their diets, exercise and lifestyle to do it on their own," says Timi Gustafson, registered dietitian, lifestyle change educator and co-founder of CyberDiet. "For nearly 20 years, I have looked for a program that combines all of the elements necessary for successful yet healthy weight management. Only now with the launch of the `Succeeding at Weight Loss' program have people had round-the-clock access to a personalized, free, anonymous and easy-to-use resource that really works."

The road to success through the "Succeeding at Weight Loss" program encourages people to change entrenched habits leading to weight gain and poor health, while redefining the meaning of weight loss success through positive thinking, support, relaxation and self-acceptance. The program even offers an eight-week meal plan that contains comprehensive choices, shopping lists and recipes for four calorie ranges and 16 different food categories.

CyberDiet empowers its visitors with the resources and community to help people lead healthy lives. In addition to extensive diet and nutrition resources, CyberDiet also offers a "Health Club" - now available as a free service to all CyberDiet visitors - that creates a personalized health plan. It allows members to store personal information on-line, create customized meal modules, and take advantage of a 12-week specially designed exercise program.

This focus on individualization, community, support and sound nutritional information has resulted in a loyal following of nearly 250,000 CyberDiet visitors who return to the site each month. In fact, this strong feeling of connection among CyberDiet visitors resulted in a face-to-face, live event recently held in Chicago. "CyberDiet has become a refuge for people who want to be healthy and, even more importantly, want the support and encouragement of others going through the same struggle," said Claudia Parker Lutz, a registered dietitian with CyberDiet. "The friendships that have been developed on-line are absolutely amazing, as evidenced by the group of several `CyberDieters' who met for the first time in mid-July."

CyberDiet has received numerous awards for its work in helping to empower consumers to manage their health through better nutrition. Just recently, CyberDiet was rated a "top rated" website by MedExplorer and "Today's Most Incredibly Useful Site" by ZD and Yahoo Internet Life.

Sherri Shafer, R.D., C.D.E., a dietitian at University of California - San Francisco Medical Center, said, "Succeeding at Weight Loss, the new online weight loss program by Cyberdiet, is an interactive, educational and fun site. It offers tips on eating right, exercising and staying on track, all in a user friendly format. But most importantly, it's safe, accurate information that you can trust".

About CyberDiet

CyberDiet.com (http://www.cyberdiet.com) is an award-winning nutrition and diet Web site that harnesses the interactive power of the Web to educate and encourage people to manage their health through better nutrition. With its proprietary interactive tools and extremely active on-line support groups, CyberDiet has become a highly-visited and returned-to leader among health sites on the Web. CyberDiet is owned by Mediconsult.com (http://www.mediconsult.com), a leading provider of patient-oriented healthcare information and services on the World Wide Web. Mediconsult's growing network of sites educate and empower consumers to manage their health by providing the most in-depth medical information and breadth of support available on the Web.

Editor's Note: Additional resources are available. Please contact Megan Guffey at Noonan/Russo Communications for any of the following:

-- Interviews with CyberDiet.com or Mediconsult.com spokespeople

-- Interviews with visitors who use CyberDiet.com

-- B-roll package, Video News Release or Radio News Release