Weight Loss Weekly

Weight Loss Weekly is a weekly collaboration between me and three other bloggers trying to lose weight.  Join us every Monday as we discuss tips and strategies as well as our successes and pitfalls on our crazy weight loss journeys.

This week's question is asked by yours truly!  I ask:

"How do your family and friends support you or hinder you in your weight loss efforts? Do they adapt easily to your changing habits and help you along, or do they confront your new habits with skepticism?"

This question obviously stemmed from a specific event.  Let me paint a picture for you.  The place? Applebees. The dessert? Cheesecake shooter...eew. After a bite, I put my fork down not wanting to waste the calories. My friends (well, not so much anymore) look over at me and sneer, "Oh, is this the new thing you're doing now?" Fortunately, the comment makes me think about our friendship rather than my weight loss goals and efforts, but there is always that nagging doubt...."is this my next new thing or am I truly committed to making a lifestyle change?"  This incident happened to me about eight weeks into my weight loss journey.  At the time, I was down about 13lbs. and was comfortably wearing a pair of jeans that had previously been so tight, I could only wear them for 30 minutes on laundry day while my others were in the wash.  

There I was so proud of myself and my accomplishment, not wanting to ruin it by retreating to an old habit and eating a disgusting dessert, and they were trying to negate my great feelings in one snide comment.  Well, like I said, they are not really my friends any more.  There are no hard feelings, we still say hi and chat if we run into each other, but I realized how toxic "friends" like that can be to a lifestyle change.

My husband, on the other hand, is extremely supportive of my weight loss efforts.  He cheers me on by loving every healthy meal I make and is excited by new clothes I have to buy (minus the money part) because my old clothes are getting frumpy and baggy.  This makes all the difference in the world to a lifestyle change.  You definitely need your life partner to support you in a life style change, and mine does that for me.  As for my old friends, they are still stuck in their old way of life.  I do not judge them, but as I said, there is no love lost on my part.  I prefer to hang out with people now who are like my husband, supportive and enthusiastic for me.  That is much healthier for the new healthier me.

Let's here what the other three have to say on this topic:

Bernie from Yo-yo No More says:

"I think the most amazing way in which my friends and family support me is by loving me no matter what. I can be in "crazed diet" mode or in "don't give a stuff" mode and they just accept me for me, and carry on being the best family and friends a girl could ask for." Read more at Yo-yonomore.

Sunny from That Extra 20 Pounds says:

"My husband has been really good. Like when I was first trying to change my eating habits and was cranky and starving, ready to give up and chow down on a whole bag of potato chips..." keep reading at www.ThatExtra20Pounds.blogspot.com

Nurit from 1 Family. Friendly. Food is taking a week off from Weight Loss Weekly to participate in the United Way's Hunger Action Week.  She and other bloggers have committed to feeding their families, or just themselves, for the week, on the budget allotted to a family of equivalent size on food stamps.  For Nurit's family of four, she is allotted only $22 a day to feed them.  Please pop over to her blog to cheer her on as she brings awareness to the struggles families on food stamps face feeding their families nutritious meals.