It’s important to define what support you want from your family and friends when you are losing weight. You need to decide who you want to support you, and just as importantly what type of support you want.
Some people want their friends and family to totally ignore what they eat and whether they exercise; they prefer that their spouses never comment on their weight loss efforts. Other people wish to be praised every time they do well and ignored when they slip. And yet other people wish to be monitored and told outright that they don’t need a second helping, or that they shouldn’t buy chocolate at the supermarket.
Consider what type of support has worked for you in the past and what might work best for you in the future. And think about who you want to support you. We’ve listed some scenarios below to help you brainstorm. Think about if you want support and who you want support from:
- Ignore my weight management efforts completely (never mention them)
- Reinforce my successes and ignore my setbacks
- Monitor my weight management behaviours with verbal reminders
- Never offer me anything fattening
- Offer me whatever everyone else is having and let me decide
- Eat differently when they're with me
- Encourage me to exercise
- Comment on my physical appearance
- Ask how my weight management efforts are progressing
- Ask how they can help
- Ask me how much weight I've lost
- Comment on how well I'm doing
- Be there for me in difficult times
- Prepare low fat foods for me to eat.
It’s important to be confident in your knowledge of the kind of support that you want, otherwise well meaning family and friends may inadvertently perpetuate problems.
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