Stay Strong Against "Derailers!"

ebr250

Here is a nice little blurb from the HR at my company about supportive and unsupportive people (aka Derailers!). I hope you guys like it and find it helpful!

"Diet Center’s Behavior Tip of the Week – Supportive or Unsupportive!
Have you ever told a friend or a family member that you decided to change your eating habits to lose weight and get healthy. You truly believed that person would be so happy for you and so encouraging and low and behold the friend or family member was so unsupportive and said something like you are so stupid and you are wasting your time. Crushing your feelings and leaving you stunned and dazed. Wondering if what they said is true that it is a waste of time to improve your health. We all know that it is never a waste of time to get healthy and happy!

Friends or family members may be unsupportive of your weight loss efforts. Sometimes their lack of support may be unintentional. You may know people who like to bake sweets and share them with you. Maybe you have family members who don’t like to see you “deprive” yourself of favorite foods. Then there are people who are unsupportive because they may need to lose weight also, and feel guilty about not making an effort. You may have family members who don’t like having healthier food items around the house. Or, maybe you have coworkers who miss having you eat out with them.

Think about your relationships with friends and/or family members. Is there a strain on relationships when you’re trying to lose weight? Do you find people encouraging you to consume foods that are inappropriate for your Diet Center program? Whether your friends or family are jealous of your efforts, are uncomfortable with change, or believe that giving you cakes and candies make you happy – try to understand how this can affect your weight loss efforts.

You can begin by accepting the fact that some people will be unsupportive. Then realize that you can learn to deal with the situation and still succeed. This may involve learning how to politely refuse mom’s special cookies. It may take time to become comfortable selecting healthier food choices when you dine out with others. This may also involve learning how to communicate your needs to others.

It’s common for friends and family to challenge one’s weight loss efforts. A survey showed that 24,000 overweight women reported that losing weight created relationship problems. It may take some time and understanding, but in the end everyone can be happy with your weight loss success. If you personally have experienced unsupportive friends or family members and it has actually derailed your weight loss efforts please don’t give up. You deserve to be healthy, happy, and to feel good about your weight."