Sometimes emotional support is crucial for successful weight loss
Every dieter has a skinny minnie of a friend who you have to painfully watch gobble up all she likes and still keep her flat tum. Or the other friend who doesn't care about her weight and happily suggests dvd nights every weekend, and emotionally backmails you into scoffing pizza, wine and crisps.
But don't give up your social life. Whether you're going out for lunch or to the cinema, having a get together at yours, or going to a glitzy party, there's no need to worry about breaking your diet to have a good time!
Support
One of the most difficult aspects of dieting or losing weight is maintaining your social life and relationships with your friends. It's easy to stay in your house all day and prepare healthy food with no distractions. Then your friend suggests meeting for a coffee where she'll probably enjoy a full fat latte and indulge in a chocolate brownie and you'll sit there with the only thing in your mouth being an after taste from that low fat-no mayo-no dressing-no taste-chicken salad you ate at lunch.
If you're going out to the pub or to the cinema, a place where you might be tempted to get some food, eat a healthy snack before leaving the house so you don't feel hungry
Though losing weight is a personal journey and only you can motivate yourself to carry it out, it does help if the people closest to you have some sort of consideration for what you're doing and instead of hindering (though they won't realise they're doing it) they could help.
Staying motivated
The first thing to do is to have a genunie chat to your friends and explain what you're doing and that you are motivated to stick with it and so not eat unhealthy food. Instead of declining their offer to go out, just suggest another place rather than going for fast-food.
Try recruiting a friend to join your exercise routine. If you know there's somebody counting on you to be at the gym for 8am, or they're counting on you to be at an exercise class, you'll be much less likely to bail. You might have a friend that's secretly trying to lose weight but just hasn't told anybody.
If you're following a certain diet plan and attend a club such as weightwatchers, it's really beneficial to chat to other slimmers about any troubles you're having, they might just have a great solution or way around your problem.
If you're feeling stuck and un-motivated, try keeping a food diary and writing down everything you eat. You'll be able to visually look at what you're eating on a day-to-day basis and you can be proud to fill in a successful day of healthy food.
Eating out
You can still eat out when dieting, it's just about counting calories and being aware of what you're choosing to eat. If you know you're going to a certain restaurant, you could look up the menu online and try and work out what you could have as a meal that allows you to stick to your limit.
You could suggest a place where there's a salad bar and stock up on that so you don't feel as though you're not eating, or a place where the menu includes the calories in each dish; this is becoming increasingly popular so diners can work out the nutritional value of their meal.
If you're going out to the pub or to the cinema, a place where you might be tempted to get some food, eat a healthy snack before leaving the house so you don't feel hungry. Take a bottle of water in your bag as a distraction, any time you feel like ordering food or eating, take a sip.
Eating in
It's definitely worth telling whoever you're living with that you're trying to lose weight. It doesn't help to come home to a fridge full of chocolate and cakes when you're battling to stay away (yes it really is a battle).
Somebody in your house might want to start healthy eating with you, and even if they don't, ask them not to come home with a kebab from the chippy and wave it in your face!
If you're having a party or a gathering then great, you can still provide the normal snacks for your guests but you can prepare as many of your own snacks as you like and munch away happily knowing your sticking to your plan.
The more you stick with it, the less you'll crave chocolate and crisps and cakes. As soon as your jeans fit better and your body feels great, you'll stop worrying about facing social situations where you're faced with unhealthy food. But don't be too hard on yourself if you do have a treat, everyone's allowed a tiny slip up now and again!
Alexandra Baracskai
Tagged in Diet Friendship