How to Lose Weight: #3: Work With Friends

A few years ago, I taught for a public school that had a very successful football program (usually ranked number one in the state in their division). Despite being a rural school, they consistently dominated in football. When I read some of their literature over the summer, I looked at some of the things they recommended for the student athletes. One of the suggestions was "talk football," that is, when hanging out with friends, the coaches wanted the athletes to think about and bring up the topic of football. I think this is a little extreme, since students have a lot of other things to worry about besides football, including academics, but I understand the point, which is that if you want to be successful at something, and stick with it, it helps to work together, share ideas, and generate excitement together.

I think this illustrates an important point about losing weight and keeping it off. I have found that weight loss is easier if I have friends and family helping me out, working with me to lose weight and be healthy. This includes sharing ideas, providing support, generating excitement, and giving mutual aid to stay on the path. If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense: if you value something, it is likely your family and friends value it as well, which is likely one reason why your friends and family are your friends and family. This is why I suggest asking your family and friends for at least a basic level of support (no sabotaging) and even investigating to see if your friends and family might make good formal or informal weight loss "partners." It is important to have support, and people that you can "talk weight loss" and "talk health" with.