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Supporting Your Weight Loss Goals
By: Joey Dweck, Thu Jun 1st, 2006
As anyone who has ever been on diet knows, trying to lose weight
is hard enough without any added pressures. While having your
own personal weight loss coach would certainly help matters, for
many people that is simply an unaffordable daydream.
Never the less, success stories around the world have proven
that the most issue regarding successful weight loss is not the
type of diet that you undertake, but rather the presence of
moral support to help you along the way.
Moral support provides a number of useful benefits while
attempting to lose weight. One of the most important of these
benefits is motivation. The very act of letting others know that
you intend to lose weight automatically makes you more
accountable to lose the weight. While you may feel its okay to
renege on your goals when it's only you involved; you will be
far less likely to break a promise to others. That in itself can
be a strong motivator. In addition, a support network can make
the time you spend exercising and dieting more enjoyable and
feel less like a chore.
There are a number of ways that you can gain the moral support
you need to make your weight loss program a success. One of the
easiest ways to do this is to find a weight loss buddy. This
individual may be someone within your own home or family or even
someone in your community or at your job; however they do not
necessarily need to be participating in a weight loss program as
long as they support your goals in a healthy manner.
This individual can support you by going to the gym with you or
even accompanying you during a daily walk. In today's hectic
world it can be difficult to find time to catch up and bond with
the important people in your life, but this provides an
excellent way to spend time with those close to you as well as
gain the needed emotional support to succeed at your weight loss
goals.
A support partner can also help motivate you by encouraging you
to stick with your commitments. Even someone who does not live
within your area can help by picking up the telephone to ask how
thing's are going.
Beyond finding a personal weight loss buddy, you can take
advantage of the benefits offered through moral support by
joining a weight loss support group. During the last few years,
these groups have become quite popular and boast numerous
success stories annually. Some of the most well known programs,
such as Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers, combine weight loss
support with specific diet regimens. For a specified fee members
meet on a regular basis to evaluate progress and does what works
and what does not.
While many of the most well known weight loss support programs
also combine specific diet regimens, not all support programs
provide strict dietary guidelines. Some support programs are
just about the support. Taking Off Pounds Sensibly, often
referred to as TOPS, is one of these groups. With more than
200,000 members in North America; TOPS was founded 50 years ago
for the purpose of providing ongoing support to dieters.
Online diet and weight loss forums also provide important moral
support for those engaged in weight loss efforts. Numerous
websites have sprung up all over the net for the sole purpose of
encouraging dieters to meet up in cyber space to discuss matters
related to weight loss. The accountability factor related to
weight loss forums may not be quite as strong as a weight loss
buddy or local weight loss and support program, but it can help
dieters to connect with like minded individuals on a host of
issues related to diet and weight loss.
Regardless of the type of support system you choose, the
important issue at hand is to make sure that you surround
yourself with individuals who will motivate and encourage you
during an admittedly difficult time. With the right combination
of support, nutrition and exercise you can accomplish anything.
About the author:
Joey Dweck is the Founder & CEO of WeightLossBuddy.com a website
committed to 24/7/365 support, expert advice, and helping people
find a buddy(s) who will support their effort to lose weight,
while changing to a healthier lifestyle. And it's all Free. Sign
up for the Free 4-Part E-Course "Losing For Good"
http://www.weightlossbuddy.com
