Bookmark Website  | Free Registration  | The Team
The Lounge  | Champions  | The Wire |  Schedule |  Audio  |  Arcade  |  The Top Ten  |  Historical  |  Email  |  Video

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:

Teen weight loss program shows some benefit
Fox News
Print Email Share Comments Recommend Tweet A low-key, long term approach to teen weight loss produced modest benefits in a clinical trial, Australian researchers report, though a version of the program that added texts and emails didn't help kids slim ...

and more »


Teen weight loss program shows some benefit
Reuters
By Kerry Grens | NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A low-key, long term approach to teen weight loss produced modest benefits in a clinical trial, Australian researchers report, though a version of the program that added texts and emails didn't help kids ...

and more »


New York Daily News

Weight-loss app for you and your doc
New York Daily News
While there is no shortage of smartphone apps for weight loss on the market, such as Lose It!, Calorie Counter, and My Fitness Pal, the American Medical Association (AMA) recently unveiled its own free app compatible with iPhones, iPad, iPod Touch, ...



HitFix

'Fat Chef': Big Mike's Astonishing Weight Loss (VIDEO)
Huffington Post
"Fat Chef" (Thurs., 10 pm EST on Food Network) combines two of the hottest trends on reality television right now-- cooking and weight loss. On Thursday night's episode, viewers followed Mike Digby on his journey toward a healthier life.
'Fat Chef' is more serious than the crass title would suggestHitFix (blog)

all 5 news articles »


Irish Independent

Weight Loss: From flab to fab
Irish Independent
Chrissie Russell asked the experts for the skinny on 12 of 2012's weight-loss tomes. Head of Energy Management, Helen Walsh is a fitness trainer with 20 years of experience helping clients reach their weight loss goals. Aveen Bannon is a consultant ...



Choose a Medical Weight Loss Center with a Superior Safety Track Record
Sacramento Bee
Dr. Feiz & Associates is a widely respected source for weight loss in Los Angeles, not just because of their success rate, but also because of their enduring commitment to the highest safety standards. Dr. Michael Feiz and his team have never had a ...

and more »


For weight loss, cutting back on calories matters most | Timi Gustafson
Tukwila Reporter
There is no real evidence that low-carb, low-fat or high-protein diets make as big a difference as overall calorie reduction when it comes to weight loss, according to Dr. George Bray who worked on the study. “Earlier research had found that certain ...

and more »


The Inquisitr

French obesity drug Mediator killed at least 1300 people - report
Kuwait News Agency
The National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM) reported that the drug, which was distributed for diabetes and weight loss for over three decades, had caused massive problems and led to over 3000 hospitalizations, as well as the large ...
Popular French Weight Loss Drug Killed and Harmed ThousandseMaxHealth
Weight-Loss Drug in France May Have Killed 1300, Study SaysThe Inquisitr
Weight-loss Drug Mediator and 4 Other Past Drug RecallsInternational Business Times

all 8 news articles »


Weight Loss Show Seeks Cast Saturday
Gazette Newspapers
"The Revolution," an ABC-TV show to help women lose weight and regain control of their lives, will conduct a casting call from 11 am to 3 pm Saturday, Feb. 12, at the Long Beach Town Center. Potential participants must be at least 18 years of age, ...



Ninemsn

Beyoncé's post-baby body is hers -- not ours
The Grio
"A lot of postpartum weight loss has to do with genes or the individual woman. Some women will look like they were never pregnant shortly after delivery, while others will struggle with weight loss," said theGrio.com's health editor Dr. Tyeese Gaines.
Beyonce's Amazing Baby Weight LossExaminer.com

all 472 news articles »

Google News


Advertisement



Section Site Map - Submit News - Feedback - Comments - Advertise with Us

Copyright © 2006 Luminati Inc. All rights reserved.