In a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers announced that obesity can spread from one person to another much like a contagious disease.
The risk is most prevalent between close friends. One of the researchers explained to the New York Times that, "when a close friend becomes obese, obesity may not look so bad."
So if weight gain is contagious, I would suggest than weight loss may be, too! We know that weight loss programs using a group dynamic are among the most successful.
From 12-step programs such as Overeaters Anonymous to commercial support groups such as Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, the support and understanding of a group are important factors in losing weight. In my book, The Principles, I encourage you to confront problems with supportive friends to lessen the shame of suffering alone.
Let's take a look at why groups are an important part of any weight loss plan:
Honesty
Secrets have a terrible power over us. They reinforce the idea that we are terrible people with behavior that is so shameful that we must suffer alone. Having been overweight as a child, I remember my bouts of "secret eating" that, at the time, I would have never confessed to anyone.
The shame of that behavior only encouraged me to repeat it, once again using food to deal with the feelings I had about my weight. Imagine the difference it would have made had I belonged to a group or had a close friend struggling with the same issue. So consider finding at least one person you can be honest with about your weight problem.
Feelings
Speaking of feelings, those who are trying to lose weight have a lot of them. And those feelings, which are not easy to share, can lead to depression and binge eating. I think the wonderful part of losing weight with a friend is being able to really talk about what I am feeling and how I use food to fix those feelings. You can try this out by just telling a friend, "When I feel ______, I tend to overeat."
Helping Others
One of the most effective ways to regain our self-respect is to help other people. When we are overweight, it is so easy to think of ourselves as losers who have nothing to offer. But it is much more difficult to fall into the well of self-pity when I am helping another person, especially someone facing the same dilemma as me. For example, I find it much easier to exercise if part of my motivation is to get my friend out of the house for a walk. By helping others to achieve health, I am actually helping myself.
However you plan to pursue a healthier life, I would encourage you not to do it alone. The community of Yahoo! Health can provide support through the knowledge that many of us face similar problems and we can work on them together.
The Principles
by Patrick Moore
Available now on Lulu.com, Amazon.Com, and BarnesandNoble.com.
