Diet with buddies

When you try to diet to lose weight or to get into shape suddenly you will hear voices “why diet” “you are in good shape” “don’t you miss cake” or a sarcastic smile!

Some voices are concerned may be from parents and some who try to sabotage your diet knowingly for no reasons. How to start and stick to your plans till you reach your goal?

Answer is: Diet with your siblings or friends

One thing that bonds us all together is “food”. Eating together means exchanging ideas, planning, laugh and getting to know each other better.

If you feel that everyone is putting pressure on you and sabotaging your diet plan then involve them in your diet.

According to American Psychological Association, when you want to shed pounds have a social network and share tips on diets and exercise together. It will help to lose weight steadily.

How you can involve in your weight loss program?

1. Encourage others: Tell your friends, sisters how dieting and losing weight will give you confidence and how their participation is much appreciated and motivates you.
2. Involve them in diet plan: Sit together and sketch your diet plan. Get their inputs. Do search, and have few recommended dieting programs. Discuss and sketch together.
3. Have points: Have every day, every week weight loss goals. For every pound/pounds weight loss give certain points. Whoever loses weight (strictly by following the diet not by starving) will get points and additional points for extra pound loss.
4. Treat for everyone: If you all exceed your goals by following diet plans, take a small break and have a good treat with everyone who participated in diet program. This brings smile and positivity to work together. Get back to your diet after small treat.
5. Plan on interesting activities with healthy meals: Go for hiking, camping, dinner and a movie with healthy snacks and meals.
6. Cook together: Discuss about good interesting recipes and calories. Plan meals together and cook healthy, nutrient meals together.
7. Fitness Apps: Having shared fitness Apps helps to lose weight. It encourages others to complete daily goals.
8. Set weight loss challenge: It takes two to six months’ time for buddies to lose noticeable weight loss. Set a goal for each week – 1 to 2 pounds. Measure body fat percentage during your challenge. Losing body fat is recommended way to lose weight.
9. Exchange views: If you are succeeding and your diet partner is not, talk to them and be honest about your diet. This will help them get back to track and keeps them motivated.
10. Workout together: To make it fun, go for fitness classes together, workout together. Select a personal trainer and enroll for strength training. Some classes are more fun – Zumba, yoga, Pilates, spinning, body works classes motivates as working together is always fun.
11. Mini events: Get together once a while as wells as at the end of diet program. Meeting periodically during diet program help maintain interest and positive to reach goal. Yoga in farm or park, healthy lunch pot-luck, walkathon, 5K runs or walk – followed by healthy snack helps all motivated including yourself. Get others inputs too for mini events planning.

If your group is more than 4-5 people, then establish a challenge contest guideline. Create a detailed parameter, dates, measurement plan, diet program, activities and banned activities (such as starving, taking weight loss supplements), points and prizes if any.

Working and dieting together helps to keep motivated to reach fitness goal. It is always hard to make changes in lifestyle especially when we are surrounded by dear ones who might discourage us in different ways. Willpower, having like- minded people with us, friends and siblings’ participation to take part in our diet program gives support and strength to reach our goal.

Image source: Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash