How To Indulge and Win The Battle of The Bulge During The Holidays: Get Yourself a Buddy
If you are trying to lose weight, the holidays literally are the heaviest time of the year. So how do you eat, drink and be merry while you're counting every single calorie? By getting a buddy who will help you make the right choices bite by bite. Scientific studies have shown that people who diet with partners are much more likely to lose weight and to keep it off. And there's no more crucial time to have a buddy on your side than from Thanksgiving to New Year's. "During the holidays, you can use all the help you can get," says Alan Gettis, a nutritionist and clinical psychologist in River Edge, N.J. "I urge my clients to get a full-time year-round a buddy, it could be a husband or a wife, a neighbor or a friend. I've also been telling my clients about www.WeightLossBuddy.com, where they can sign up for a buddy for free." But don't wait for the first feast to find a buddy, says Susan Holmberg, a nutritionist and behavioral therapist in Oradell, N.J. "Once you start overeating, you don't want a buddy," she says. Buddies give you moral support and help you identify bad eating habits and patterns because they have been there, too, she says. "You may want to have more than one buddy," she says. "You can have one on the phone and one who exercises with you and goes to parties with you. You can make deals with your buddy where you both go to the party but only one of you goes through the buffet line or where you agree to split one meal." Buddies also are like therapists and coaches, who listen to you and keep you on the right path. "Your buddy should be a person you can share your feelings with and rely on in a pinch without fear that your feelings will be used as ammunition against you," Gettis says. Holmberg says that www.WeightLossBuddy.com is particularly helpful to people who may be reluctant to change because those who sign on can choose a either real-life buddy, someone in their geographical area they can meet and exercise with, or select someone to work with solely online or via the phone. "Sometimes anonymity is good," she says. "You are much more likely to try it if you don't have to meet the person." Gettis points out that with www.WeightLossBuddy, "you can find someone with similar goals, and both of you can support each other." Buddies also take on active roles, getting you to stop a bad habit and replace it with a healthy one. Gettis likens the process to a marathon, where the runners are tempted to give up before the 26th mile because it is so difficult to stay the course. "The 18- to 19-mile mark is the crucial one," he says. "During a marathon I was once in, I came upon two guys running - one was hurting, and the other was encouraging him to keep running. I followed them for two to three miles, and the one kept saying, 'Leave me.' The other kept saying, 'I'm not going to.' And I thought, 'What great friends!' Then I heard the one hurting say, 'What's your name?'" Perhaps the most important role that buddies play is helping plan strategies and then making sure that you make them work. "They can teach you to take baby steps and to change your environment," Holmberg says. "For instance, they may suggest that you keep sneakers in your trunk or put on your gym clothes as you leave the office so you don't have an excuse not to exercise. They can call ahead to the party to check on the menu and give you a low-cal recipe to bring so there's at least one thing that you can eat." Holmberg says that some of the changes are so simple that people overlook them. A buddy may, for instance, suggest that you get at the end of the buffet line so there is less food available or help the host wash dishes because if your hands are wet, you are less likely to nibble on the last remaining crumbs from the serving dishes. "If you are asked to bring dessert, your buddy may remind you not to make chocolate chip cookies because the last time you ate a dozen cookies before you brought them to the party and nibbled the chips while baking and suggest that instead you make something like a pie that can't be nibbled because it is cut only when served." Buddies also can help you practice being assertive, not aggressive to make significant changes in your diet and your lifestyle. "By being assertive, you attack the task," Gettis says. "By being aggressive, you attack the person. You need to stand your ground and in a firm but angry voice say: 'I really would appreciate it if you would not bring home anything fattening. You may have had good intentions, but I'd feel better if you didn't do it again.'" So don't wait until you're boxed in by back-to-back parties and surrounded by wall-to-wall goodies to find a buddy. Make an early New Year's resolution to do it now, long before the marathon feasts begin, Gettis says. "You have to be realistic, so don't count on losing 10 to 12 pounds during the holidays. Don't say you'll lose 10 pounds during the holidays, and don't gain 10 either. And get someone to be your buddy for all 12 months of the year. You have nothing to lose - but weight." Copyright © 2004, Weight Loss Buddy Press About The Author Joey Dweck
Your Weight Loss Buddy
PO Box 488 Tenafly NJ 07670
Tel. 877-BuddyUp We at http://www.WeightLossBuddy.com are committed to helping you find a 24/7 buddy who will not only help you lose weight but who also will get you to change to a healthy lifestyle. You choose your own diet and your own exercise regime, and we find you a buddy who literally will stick with you through thick and thin. Signing up for a buddy is free. Simply visit the website or call up 1-877-BUDDY-UP.
MORE RESOURCES:
Library offers beginner's yoga classLog Cabin Democrat, AR - 16 hours agoA beginner's yoga class is being held weekly at the Faulkner County Library. The class is on-going, meeting from 7 to 8 pm on Tuesdays. ... |
Yoga event to raise money for animal shelterMinot Daily News, ND - 2 hours agoBy JILL SCHRAMM, Staff Writer, jschramm@minotdailynews.com Two Minot yoga instructors have teamed up with the Souris Valley Animal Shelter to share the ... |
Defining yoga, one style at a timeCommon Ground, CA - 15 hours agoThat’s the philosophy that inspired Jivamukti Yoga founders Sharon Gannon and David Life, who developed the style in their Manhattan studio in 1984. ... |
Living Your Yoga: Seated pose brings tranquilityWashington Examiner, DC - 8 hours agoBy Kimberly Wilson Andrew Harnik/Examiner Welcome back to our ongoing series dedicated to living your yoga! This series explores yoga as a lifestyle through ... |
Supatha Yoga celebrates anniversaryScarlet Scuttlebutt, NJ - 2 hours agoThis dream included sharing her lifelong passion for yoga, a practice that saved her life and has kept her healthy for more than 35 years. ... |
Yoga - Google News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Obesity as an Issue Today and the Half Ton Man
Following recent reports of a South Dakota man weighing half a ton, and losing 500 pounds in one year (he still weighs over 450!). Obesity has become part of the headlines once again.
No Low Carb Diet Progress? Sleep In To Get Thin!
If your low carb diet is going nowhere, maybe its time to get more sleep. In a paper presented at the North American Association for the Study of Obesity, researchers found that people, who got little sleep, got fat.
Nutrition and Metabolism Disorder
What is the relationship between intake of nutrition and metabolism disorder? Is slow metabolism the cause of my overweight? Are there any types of nutrition that can speed it up? Could a pill speed it up?There are many myths and misconceptions about metabolism. The idea that a low metabolic rate is always responsible for excess weight is one of them.
Weight Loss Benefits of Massage
There is no question that having a massage makes you feel great. Even having a deep-tissue, sports massage makes you feel wonderful afterwards.
How to Lose Belly Fat: Latest Secrets from the Research Labs, Part 2
Abdominal fat is now seen as a growing health hazard, an indicator and contributor to "Syndrome X," or metabolic syndrome. The risks of metabolic syndrome go far beyond a bulge at your waistline, and include heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
Body Dysmorphia: Mind Games After Gastric Bypass Surgery
Maybe you've heard about body dysmorphia - it's a mental image many victims of anorexia nervosa have that tells them they look fat, even when they are emaciated. Bariatric patients can suffer from body dysmorphia as well.
Diet: Changing Your Focus
Have you ever decided to take a trip somewhere relatively unfamiliar? Suddenly, everywhere you look, there is something about your planned destination. Turn on a television travel channel and it is featured.
How To Lose Weight and Stay Thin
Diet is one of the most controversial subjects around. Bring it up at a party and I can guarantee you'll have everyone's interest whether they're talking or not.
When Dieting Should You Weigh Yourself Every Day?
How to Break the Weighing HabitFace it, if you weigh yourself more than once a day, you are a serious scale addict, and if you let the number on the scale affect how you feel, and whether it's going to be a good day, you are probably a bit too involved with that appliance. Danger, danger! Step away from the scale!The scale simply cannot tell the difference between muscle and fat, and while fat is bulky and lumpy, muscle is sleek and shapely.
Fun, Fun, Fun: The Best Exercises for Quick Weight Loss
The best exercises for quick weight loss in my opinion are activities that you enjoy because you will be more apt to continue doing them over a long period of time.Many people think that starting an exercise program will mean months of agony in front of them.
How To Get Slim With Healthy Eating Habits
Many women want to be slim. Maybe you're one of them.
Are you Making these Weight Loss Mistakes?
There are all kinds of fad diets and quick fixes to weight loss out there. In reality, if you want to lose weight (besides liposuction) there is only one way to do it - that is to burn more calories than you consume.
Gastric Bypass Patients at Risk for Stomach Blockage: How to Avoid This
In a gastric bypass the connection between he stomach pouch and the small intestine is called the gastrojejunal anastomosis. It is roughly the diameter of a ladies little finger.
Pick Up Your Pen and Lose Weight!
Although every dieter knows that keeping food records is a key to permanent weight loss, few understand the importance of also keeping an "emotional journal." In fact, one dieter lost 100 pounds, thanks in part to the insights gained through daily journaling.
Dieting Mistakes - 5 Easy Tips to Avoid Disaster
Looking to avoid the dieting mistakes many of our weight loss readers have made? Are you interested in steering away from the pitfalls many of us fall into while considering which diet plan makes sense? Perhaps you're just wanting to jump start your own path to nutrition and wellness -- whichever your goal you'll be better off learning from the mistakes of countless others.While the basics of weight loss include time honored classics like 'eat right and exercise' many of us get caught up in the hype and spin of today's weight loss services.
Weight Loss Strategies
If you want any weight loss program to work you have to perform "Strength Training". It's absolutely imperative during the course of a lifetime not only for weight loss goals but also for general health and well-being.
The Best Weight Loss Advice Youll Ever Get
"Who are you to give me weight loss advice?" I hear you ask. "You have no dietary or medical qualifications, but you're going to give me the best advice I'm ever likely to hear?"Let me explain.
Gaining Weight After Gastric Bypass? Bad Snacks May be the Cause
As I become acquainted with many of our LivingAfterWLS.com community members I'm finding that old snacking habits have crept back in to our lives.
Protecting Your Spine and Lower Back While You Lose Weight
When most people begin a Weight Loss program or diet plan so that they can tone up and/or lose weight, the often forget about THE most important aspect of any exercise and diet program: Safety.Although there are numerous ways in which exercising safely is beneficial to you, one of the most important and the least observed is concerning the spine and lower back.
Take Anything... Just Leave My Coffee Alone!
The pursuit of a healthier me (or you) shouldn't involve losing everything we enjoy. However, it has been well-established that caffeine consumption confounds weight loss activities and most of us begin our day with a big, hot cup of it.
|
