There’s no doubt that the path to weight loss can be a difficult journey. It can boost your spirits to know that someone is right there with you in the struggle to form discipline and good habits and get HEALTHY! This is where a “diet partner” can be useful. This partner will share in your weight loss, workouts, and accountability. They can uplift you and help motivate you. Many nutrition coaches now say having a diet partner can make the difference between failure and success with any weight loss plan. If there is no form of accountability with your fitness and nutrition routine, you are more likely to fail. It is important to make sure you are keeping track so that you can see how close you are to reaching your ultimate goals.
Dieting is Easier With A Support System
“Most people put all their effort into finding the right diet or exercise program but don’t put any energy into creating a support and accountability system, and too often, that’s where the devil lies,” says Adam Shafran, DC, an exercise physiologist and chiropractor who is the author of You Can’t Lose Weight Alone: The Partner Power Weight Loss Program.
It is important to find success and not lack a good support system. In the past, I have found myself starting one program after another…only to lose interest until I feel guilty again and then begin another. The A.D.D. dieting has to stop! Reflecting on my times of success it was always when I had a partner to work out with and follow a plan with. There are others who agree and there is research to prove that dieting is difficult to achieve alone.
In research published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology in 2005, doctors at Brown Medical School and Dartmouth University found that people who had an exercise buddy who successfully lost weight were more successful at losing, too.
So who should you turn to?
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How to find a Good Diet Partner
Most of us have friends and coworkers around us each day. It’s easy to think of a few that you like being around and list off the things you like about our best friends. But if you’re thinking of using these same guidelines and traits to find a diet and fitness buddy, you could be making a mistake. It’s not that they are a bad person, but their habits might be counterproductive for you to reach your goals.
Experts say that sometimes, qualities you would never tolerate in a best buddie, such as holding you accountable for every bite you take and asking you about your progress constantly, could be the very qualities you need in a weight loss buddy.
So how do you figure out what you need? Think carefully and be brutally honest about what you need to get your weight loss program working. Focus on doing things together, Shafran says.
A good diet partnership is just two people who share a common goal and know they can count on each other to help them achieve that goal in whatever way it takes to do that.
For some, that may mean working out together or getting together to cook or swap recipes a couple times a week. For others, it can mean taking turns babysitting so that each of you can get to the gym separately. As long as both partners know what the other needs and expects, then things can progress towards their ultimate goal.
Be sure to include both short-term goals such as “I will prep 6 meals 2 times a week,” and, “I want to get to the gym three times a week and I need you to go with me.” Don’t forget long-term ones — such as “I want to lose 25 pounds over the next year”, or “I’d like to be able to run a 10K before I’m 30.” When you take the time to set goals, you can remind yourself and your partner of the things you’re trying to accomplish.
Remember you are diet partners that want to enhance the weight loss journey and make it easier and more fun for each of you. This kind of sacrifice and encouragement can build a lifelong friendship.