The benefits of teamwork plenty and it appears that one of them is helping you cut weight. Health experts confirm that friends who slim together, stick together – to their diet plan! Not only that, they also have a higher chance of staying thin for longer.
The road to weight loss is a long one, and it can get lonely, being the only one having to consciously watch what you eat and how much you exercise. This is why the idea of having a diet buddy can seem pretty appealing. It makes weight loss seem like lot less of a struggle with someone to motivate you to keep pushing yourself and share the responsibility.
However, know that this isn’t just one of those ordinary friendship goals. You’re both different people, after all, and even though your target may be the same, your method may be totally different from each other’s. So if you and your friend are considering this weight loss strategy, there are a few things you may want to keep in mind.
1. Good Friends Aren’t Always Good Diet Friends
When it comes to choosing a friend, we pretty much know what qualities we’re looking for. However, those same virtues may not necessarily make your BFF the best diet buddy for you. No doubt, your best friend loves you dearly and will stand by you no matter what. This friendship is perfect in other areas of your life. But if you’re still overweight at the end of the day and are struggling just as hard to lose your pounds, this partnership doesn’t qualify as the one to help you lose weight.
Pick someone who will motivate you when you feel like you’re going on a rebound, who will be happy for your progress even if they have fallen a little behind, and someone who will not be too preachy of their own success. They should also be honest and firm enough to point out that you’re slacking off, if you may happen to do so.
These are the key qualities you need to be looking for when picking a diet buddy.
2. Know Each Other’s Weaknesses
Successful weight loss is the result of a combination of factors like the food you’re eating, what time you’re having your meals at, and what your workout routine is like. These are all very personal choices, and you cannot expect your diet friend to share the same ones.
This is why diet plans are never one-size-fits-all so don’t bother wasting time trying to outline a plan that suits both your needs.
What can really help, however, is knowing each other’s weak points and moments and helping each other to resist the temptation to slide back into old habits. These could include encouraging each other to make it to the gym or stopping each other from giving in to unhealthy hunger-fixes.
Weight loss is a hard goal to achieve because of all the obstacles you have to overcome. But if you’re there to hold each other’s hand through those obstacles, losing weight seems much more doable.
3. Always Set Realistic Goals
There are two approaches to weight loss. One – the quick way which involves a bunch of artificial supplements, week-long juice detoxes, or starvation which isn’t too realistic. Two, which involves a healthy, balanced diet and a disciplined exercise routine. Assuming that the latter is your preferred choice of approach, having a friend who leans towards the former method can not only be very distracting but also very stressful.
So even though your food and workout preferences may vary from each other’s, make sure the basic approach to weight loss is the same. This will help you both be more in sync with each other’s outlook, and will, in turn, help you understand and support each other better.
4. Don’t Ignore The Warning Signs
The whole point of having a diet friend is to help make weight loss seem less stressful and more fun. You want someone who will cheer you up and keep pushing you when your willpower hits a low, someone who will be happy for you when you’ve successfully shed some pounds.
So if at any point, you feel demotivated or judged, it’s a sign that your diet partner isn’t right for you and that there’s really no point sticking it out. Don’t hesitate to be honest about this with your diet friend and ignore the red flags because that will truly be the end to all your weight loss dreams.
5. Be Responsible For Your Actions
Just because you’ve both sworn a solemn oath that you will be there for each other throughout this weight loss journey no matter what, it doesn’t mean you’re still not accountable for the choices you make during this time. Your diet friend is just around to help you get over some extra tough bumps on the road, but you can’t expect them to literally babysit you, right?
For instance, you can’t be lazy enough to skip gym, and then blame it on your partner saying they didn’t motivate you enough. So take responsibility for your decisions, keep track of all the calories you eat in a day and push yourself to go to the gym. This will help you lose weight faster, and be a good diet friend as well!
