How to Deal with Friends and Family During Weight Loss

Food pushers are sometimes well-meaning ("I made this cake because it's your favorite!"), but that doesn't make them any easier to deal with. A calm, sensible conversation about how much your dieting efforts and better health mean to you will hopefully nix the offers, or at the very least keep the "pusher" from feeling offended the next time you say no to that diet-decimating treat.

Believe it or not, someone in your life may try to sabotage you. There are a lot of different reasons this happens -- like insecurity or guilt -- and the "saboteurs" sometimes don't even realize what they are doing, but it can cause serious problems for your weight-loss efforts and your relationship. The best defense is to be emotionally prepared for what can happen and to plan how you'll cope if it does. For example, you may need to temporarily avoid the person who'd rather see you fail.

If your closest friends and relatives have never dealt with weight issues themselves, they may not understand the day-to-day struggles you are encountering or how to best help you with them. But if you need help, don't be afraid to ask! This can be as simple as requesting a friend who is a cooking whiz to show you some healthy food preparation methods or asking a family member to enjoy his high-cal snacks in the kitchen instead of noshing beside you on the couch while you're watching television.

Letting your friends know how much their help means will make them great weight-loss allies. For example, you might want to say "I need to lose weight for my health. I can't do it alone and I trust you to help me." instead of "Will you stop asking me to split your dessert for Pete's sake?". If you don't have a supportive friend or two, find a weight-loss buddy among coworkers or acquaintances who are trying to peel a few pounds, too. You'll gain a new friend while you lose weight together!