There’s something to be said for the support of friends when trying to lose weight. My good friend and professional colleague joined the Emperor and I for a fabulous Italian dinner last night at Ralph’s Italian Restaurant in South Philly. We were talking about our struggles to lose weight and she told me that she had recently partnered with her good friend to work together in a common goal. The goal they set was to eat healthy, exercise, report to each other daily and open phone lines when either of them gets into a “crisis” situation. They also each set the goal of 20 pounds by May - very attainable!
I was excited and asked if I could join their small group! I was welcomed in.
I invited both of them to be authors on Fat Lady Singz and I’m hoping they will take me up on that offer and write posts on their struggles and successes.
What I struggle with most in trying to lose weight and make good, healthful choices when eating - is maintaining the motivation. I believe entering into this pursuit with friends and like-minded people will help tremendously overcoming that obstacle.
So now, WE will endeavor to persevere!
Posted on February 2nd, 2008 by lizzie
Filed under: Weight Loss Ramblings, Life in General, Diet Program Review
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You are so right, lady. When we first losing weight, we got motivation. But when we want to maintain our current weight, usually we have lost the motivation. Perseverance is the most important factor in weight loss
A good support group is so important. At first glance, I was surprised when I read about eating at a Italian Restaurant. They generally tend to be loaded with calories. I was told that a typical Fetucine Alfredo with chicken is the equivalent of 4 big macs. But looking at the menu at Ralphs Italian Restaurant, the food selection is quite good. Keep up the good work!
Losing weight is really a pain, i remember in my early 20’s when i started losing weight at first, it really is hard but as you progress you’ll get used to it. Now i am happy with my weights and healthy body, so loosing weight helps a lot.
Good points but losing weight is something you should want to do for yourself so motivation needs to come from when you start feeling good about yourself
That is great - support really does help a lot. I couldn’t do it without the support of my family and friends - I’ve been on this journey now to get healthy for over 90 weeks and lost a lot of weight so far, but there have been bumps in the road too.
These past couple of weeks have been a real struggle for me - gained 9 lbs two weeks ago and 19 this past week (and before that a slow gain as well) - definitely some fluid retention problems going on because I’m not eating much. But even though I knew it wasn’ t from food it has been emotionally a bit hard to deal with, especially since some in the blogging community have accused me of promoting an unhealthy lifestyle because of it - but having family and friends around me who know me and know that all I want is health (not some number on a scale or whacky diet) have gotten me through it and help keep my determination high. I will be seeing my cardiologist next week and I’ve started on some natural herbal supplements that seem to be helping.
Just keep up the good work!! Burn more than you consume and youll be good to go!! Good luck
Verbalizing your goals to your friends is huge because it forces you to live up to what you said you would do. I do this with a lot of my goals, and sometimes I don’t pull through and I feel dumb for not doing so. But, it works most of the time and is a true motivating factor. Keep up the good work. Stay focused and determined and you can do anything!
Hi
Perhaps you like to look into what would inspire you to reach yr dream weight instead of being motivated. i.e. Inspiration (from within you) Vs Motivation (from external). Once you are clear of what “inspires” you, it moves you into effective and consistent actions .
Loosing weight with a friend is an excellent idea. I never thought of this earlier. Thanks for the tip.
I think it’s fantastic when people work together to tackle something that is very important to them. The motivation factor then seems very mild because you have a support system, you have that person there to talk to you out of your crisis and remind you why you’re trying to achieve that goal. The boyfriend and I tried to quit smoking together a few months back, it didn’t work and we still haven’t successfully quit, but it’s a bit easier to go 3 days without killing each other when we were there to talk to each other and support one another.
Not feeling like you are “doing it alone” makes all the difference in the world! I have found that it is especially helpful to have an exercise partner. You are accountable to more people than yourself which makes it easier to follow.
Good luck!
The most important thing is to keep our motivation at the highest level. Family is important. If they can’t help you to motivate yourself in achieving your goal, it’ll be extremely hard to lose weight. Some people born with dedication, some people don’t. That’s why most American struggling with this problem.
Having a partner always makes life easier ( well sometimes) I am glad you found some one told help you on your journey to good health. Mazel tov
I think that ,when starting a weight loss program, a person should seek support only from true friends. Often times, friends can make you feel weird,like,when going to a restaurant and making fun of you for your meal choices. So, one should pay attention to these type of situations.
Before..I was so fat..and it affects my self esteem…My family and friends motivates me to lose weight..And now I managed to lose some..^_^
This may be of interest to readers of this blog since it goes in to detail each week on how to use cutting-edge nutrition, exercise, and healthy lifestyle techniques to lose weight and live a healthier life. It’s free so I figured I would share it… you can sign up for the Trim, Tone & Tighten Thursdays newsletter at www.stephencabral.com
Admirable intentions. But a fabulous Italian dinner and you discuss weight loss?
Seriously, if you have friends supporting your quest to lose weight, it does help a lot. I have this friend who keeps turning up to take me out for hanging out with other friends. And being in the company of reed thin people kinda motivates me to lose weight. had it not been for this friend, I would probably be spending a lot more time at home.
I totally agree with you, I have had friends make remarks about what great of shape I have been in. It really boosts my confidence and gets me working out even harder.
I’ve been trying with absolutely no success to get my wife to start exercising with me, because I just can’t force myself to do it on my own. She hates to do it and meanwhile I’m getting fat and she “thinks” she is.
So, any advice for someone who is deeply deeply personal about sharing these kinds of things? I’d like to take advantage of the “buddy system,” but I just can’t bring myself to confide in anyone about this highly sensitive issue.
May someone explain it a little bit deeper for me, please?
it’s always the maintaining huh?
no matter the goal.
tiring but exciting and exhilarating and…tiring?
did I mention tiring
MizFit
I totally agree with you like minded people can make a group and help in overcoming the obstacle.losing weight is problem of most of the people so you can make group for going to gymnasium and for a walk.
Wow, that is so beautiful!
The painting and the idea is wonderful. It is hard to build relationships like that now a days - at least for me
Elliott
it’s true about support. i didn’t realize it when i was trying to lose weight myself. i’ve done the diet part and now am looking to just eating healthy and exercising alot.
joined this personal trainer and i will honestly say that i would’ve quit if it wasn’t for my friend who is doing it also with me.
and reading about other people going through the same thing helps alot also!
My wife and I started our new ‘lifestyle choice’ diet together a couple months ago. Without her to be accountable to as well as myself, I don’t think I would have been able to keep it up. I’ve lost 20 lbs! Now the challenge is to not backslide. It is a lot like quiting smoking all right. All it takes is one puff, or one candy bar, and boom!
One important thing here that cabbage is considered to be an effective remedy for loosing weight. This vegetable inhibits the conversion of sugar and other carbohydrates into fat.
Well, it sounds really exciting for me!
Suppot is extremely important when dieting!
I think that to loose weight someones help is necessary like friend, husband etc.if we are positively motivated to do so then only we get success otherwise it is hard task.
Support is very important when loosing weight. It could be anyone else who is also loosing weight with you, a good doctor, a good personal trainer…It is important to have that extra little push for when you need it most. We all know how easy it is to quit your diet and just go back to the same old bad habbits. Having that one more person keeping an eye out for you can make the difference. It is also important for that person to understand whet loosing weight means, to either have lost weight or knows what he/she is doing. Anyhow, nice discussion you got going over here.
It is best to shop for vegetables and fruits that are in season. Food being in season is grow according to the Nature Mother’ s schedule that bestowed with vitamins and minerals at its best. Organic fruits and vegetables is a plus since it is free of chemicals put by the farmer to prevent the insects and weeds problems. The vegetables and fruits harvested during the season taste better than the genetically produces. based foods allergy pet diet flea.
Partnerships and connection are integral to success, something big business has ye to understand. We are all connected, and we need to help each other. Support can really motivate people to go far beyond driven to achieve miracles in their lives.
This has given me a new direction to think about as I would not have thought about it myself, although im not convinced its the best approach ……