A shout-out! Holla if you hear me!

We've all been on some sort of diet or eating plan before...or we're on one now. I've done Weight Watchers, South Beach, Body for Life, Fat Smash, Extreme Fat Smash, Pastor Deborah Dukes Accelerated Weight Loss Plan, you name it. And each time (except for the last which wasn't exactly my fault), the weight came back on. Why? Was I not committed enough? Maybe. Was I just too greedy. Probably. Was it because I didn't have a support system? DEFINITELY!

Here's a thought: In a study of women trying to lose weight, getting support accompanied an improvement in the participants’ ability to control their eating and choose lower-calorie foods.1

While I was sucessful on some (WW for sure), and others sent me running to the ER, one thing has remained constant. Having a support system is IMPORTANT! Ask me how I know....I don't have one now.

Weight Watchers does promote getting support in a group setting, but if you don't personally know anyone in the meeting, it's hard to make a connection with someone who will hold you accountable. And that's what I need. Someone who knows me. If I call them and tell them I've had a bad day, they will know to coax me off the edge of the ledge, and will tell me to not turn into the next McDonald's thru I see. They will know to tell me that I have a big, white dress to get into in 78 days and to get my butt to the gym, even when I DO NOT want to go!

My closest family members and friends try to stay relatively healthy. They work out and they eat right (at least some of the time). But most of them are in NC while I'm in MD. And without this support system, I can honestly say I'm floundering. I know sometimes you have to pull your ownself up by your own bootstraps, but at this point, I'm so stressed about the wedding, work, and how to keep the lights on, that I don't even know where my boots ARE!

Just know that if you have a weight loss buddy, and they are hanging there with you every step, that you are well on your way! So this is just a shout-out to all of the good weight loss buddies of the world. Keep it up! WE NEED YOU!

(From the WW website) 1Wolfe WA. A review: maximizing social support—a neglected strategy for improving weight management with African-American women. Ethn Dis. 2004 Spring; 14(2):212-8