"We were new to the Internet and wanted a way to communicate with each other," Suzanne recalls. "We put it together as a tool to keep in touch on the Internet. We didn't think anyone would ever see it. We put up recipes and whatever else we thought could be useful. Eventually, it was discovered by other people who found the information useful, and it grew from there."

Today, www.3fatchicks.com is still going strong as they continue to share their own struggles while motivating other like-minded dieters to keep battling the bulge. They even released a book last spring, 3 Fat Chicks On A Diet: Because We're All In It Together (St. Martin's Press 2006).

A one-stop shop for dieters, 3 Fat Chicks On A Diet offers every weight loss tool imaginable -- from reviews to recipes to success stories. The Barnetts have created a site that has something for everybody, whether you're looking for low-fat, low-carb or any other pounds-shedding approach.

While many online programs promote one specific diet, the Barnett sisters are well aware that weight loss isn't a one-size-fits-all deal. In fact, while Suzanne, Jennifer and Amy maintain a unified front in their diet endeavors, they each rely on a different approach to shed the extra pounds. Amy, for example, underwent gastric bypass surgery while Suzanne relies on a Mediterranean style of eating. Working together, the slimming siblings lost an estimated 85 to 100 pounds each.

By offering information about a wealth of different weight-loss plans, the diet divas encourage their members to find the program that's right for them. Where one plan may fail, another might succeed.

"With our Web site in particular, people realize it's not one simple approach to weight loss. So many people try one diet and move on to another diet. If one diet doesn't work for you, it's easy to choose another. When you find it, you'll know it."

Despite the fact that they run the hugely successful Web site, they're the first to admit that their own diet endeavors have been far from perfect. Over the past 10 years, the sisters have had their ups and downs. Like anybody else, maintaining the loss has been difficult at times. Suzanne points out that although the sisters did gain back a great deal of the weight they'd lost over the years, they've managed to get back on track.

"Everything was great, and we let life get in the way," Suzanne says. "We stopped talking about weight loss on the Web site and that was bad for us. It kind of allowed us to go into hiding. While we did gain back substantial portions of weight, we snapped back out of it."

A large part of their renewed motivation comes from journaling on the Web site, a practice that makes them feel more accountable for their actions. Jennifer, Amy and Suzanne all keep personal logs of their experiences, which can be viewed on the site.

"We have over 60,000 registered members. It's amazing how many people reach their goals and get off track like the rest of us. People are very supportive, and it gives us a stronger goal because we feel like we owe it to them to get back on track and stay there."

The Barnett sisters are on their way back down, each working hard to reach their goal weights once again. Jennifer points out that the best words of wisdom that they can offer is a philosophy they've learned from their own experiences.

"Pick a diet you can stick with for the rest of your life," Jennifer says. "The diet never ends -- it just gets a little more flexible! If you love baked potatoes and real sugar, don't do South Beach. If you hate counting, don't do Weight Watchers. If you choose something that you find psychologically too restricting or too laborious, your chances of rebounding are higher.  There IS a diet you can stick with, but sometimes it takes a while to find it."

Visit the Barnett sisters at www.3fatchicks.com.