Are your friends helping or hindering your weight loss?

going to click on the vid and article but to share in the topic my best friend and I have decided together to be healthy so she is definately a big help for me. We are one another's support system, she's the one who introduced me to this site! It's been lovely!

My husband has been hugely instrumental in losing weight. He has been there for me even though he does not need to lose weight at all. He has cut back his meat and cheese and everything and not complained once.

I think this is definitely true. But I think we also have to consider the other side of the equation. How might *you* feel if your best friend suddenly became a Buddhist. And everytime asked them if you wanted do something that you have *always* done together, they have some Buddhist reason why they don't want to do it...and may even feel hurt that you keep asking them. You don't mind them reaching nirvana, but the reality is that all the things you once had in common have changed....and they seem to feel like because trying to reach nirvana is an all around good thing, that you can't feel sad or disappointed by it.

I guess my point is that sudden changes are hard to accept. And sometimes "new converts" of any kind can be a little...obnoxious. You know its true. Maybe you can't see it in yourself, but you can certainly see it in other people. Because the truth is, just because you decided to change, doesn't mean that everyone around you is going to change along with you. Trying to make them go for a hike on "girls night out" instead of for pizza and beer may be a little unrealistic. The answer might not be to "dump your unsupportive friends"...advice I see all the time on MFP ("they're just jealous...") but perhaps you could broaden your network to include new friends without dropping your old one's. You can still meet your pizza and beer friends (sometimes) after you've done something else...after the pizza...and have a drink and a laugh. Once they see that there is still some semblance of the same person, they will eventually chill out. And, of course, you will chill out too once your new way of life isn't so "new" anymore.

They will adjust. And the work folks? IF you get really good at saying no, they eventualy change their image of you as the person who always says yes, and they *will* stop offering. And their sneers (what are you a health nut? A bite won't kill you! You're *always* on a diet. You look fine!) will eventually turn to quiet admiration (you are so disciplinied!). Humans are animals, and like all animals, change makes them anxious and surly. But they eventually get use to it. I just suggest we have a little bit more compassion for our "un-converted" friends and colleagues.

I'm looking to lose about 10lbs because I don't have much to lose, just my tummy that is my problem area so I'm eating better and trying to add some exercise in too. I hope to get to where I want to be by Christmas.

I still go out with friends some weekends and try not to think about calories then - if we want to have a takeaway and some wine why not? But I try not to make this too often so that I'm still keeping up the hard work most of the time.

My boyfriend is really supportive. He was with me before I put on the 10lbs I now want to lose and loved a slimmer me so he is helping me when he can. I don't want to burdon him with having to have the same meals I do becuase of my eating plan so I'm quite happy to make 2 different meals so that he's not being forced to change his eating habits because of me wanting to lose weight!

I have a skinny friend who isn't the greatest support. We went to our local for a glass of wine one night and she wanted some crisps (chips). She tried her best to get me to eat a packet too but I resisted. She said I mayaswell eat them seeing as I was having a glass of wine anyway?
She also goes on about how she feels fat - after a chinese meal she lay on the floor saying "look how big my belly is after eating that" when her belly hadn't moved from being pancake flat! I feel she can be very insensitive alot of the time as she doesn't seem to support me in what I'm trying to do but at the same time I just take it on the chin and try not to let it get to me. It's obviously the way she is.

If I want to lose weight it has to be down to me whether I have friendly support or not

I have a friend who lies about her weight...now the reason this hinders me is really in my head, but it gets to me sometimes-- here's why--I have a really hard time looking at someone and telling if they are bigger than me-- I usually think I am bigger than everyone- so it helps me to be able to look at someone close to my size to know what I look like. After I had worked really hard and lost my first 40 pounds I mentioned that I now weighed x to this friend... she says oh I weigh a pound less than that-- now I worked my tail off to lose that weight and was feeling great and yadda yadda.... but then I looked at her and thought I worked this hard and I still look like that??? Well I was discussing this with my trainer (who she worked with a few times before she quit) and talked to him about how discouraged I felt now b/c of this conversation--- he looked at me and laughed and said...... you know she's lying about her weight right??? I know the real problem is my distorted body image, but really do you need to lie about your weight to a close friend? She did the same thing during our pregnancies-- she says she only gained 9 pounds yadda yadda....... I have had to learn just not to discuss weight with her.

My friend is 22 like me so not a teenage girl but does act like it alot lol!
I do think you're right - she's saying she looks fat etc. so that I'll so "what! you're soo skinny!!" etc. but I ignore it.
We've been friends for years do it's not a case of finding a more mature friend - I just know how to handle her
I sometimes feel she brings weight up because that is the only thing she has one up on me about.
I've been with my boyfriend for 6 years and we have a great relationship, we both have good jobs and managed to afford our own house and car.
My friend lives with her dad, doesn't always get on with her boyfriend and has only just got a job after being unemployed for a good few months. So if bragging about her weight makes her feel good then I'll go along with it. I have so many other things to make me smile than a few lbs

Makes sense! That's craziness. Girls are weird :P j/k

Sometimes we just have to remember that it's just a number anyway. As can be seen where people with the same height/BMI can have totally different body compositions.

So true- it's really just a number :-)