Finding Support Pathways for Weight Loss
In my many years as health coach and weight loss expert I have seen first-hand the magic that can happen when a person aligns themselves with like-minded individuals for support. In fact, studies show if you seek support and accountability, you’ll have far more success in losing weight and keeping it off for the long-term. Back in the day, seeking support meant scheduling time to get away from your home and family, trial and error and personal exposure. Even before the pandemic, with the prevalence of the internet and social media, you had power in your hands at anytime, anywhere for little to no money and without leaving the comfort of your own home.
Nowadays we get to redefine what it means to “attend counseling sessions.” Over the past few years, that support can be found virtually in a myriad of ways from message boards and online communities to online paid certified coaching platforms, podcasts, XM radio stations to group forums and webinars. Remember the important take-away is – the more support “sessions” people attended, the more weight they lost and the less weight they regained. In today’s world there is literally always some way in which you can get support, education, information and the accountability you need. So, what that says to me is that with some behavior modification and some time to learn about and access these new systems, anything is possible. It is my truest belief that through technology and the communities and information available via the web we can turn the tide on the obesity epidemic.
Beginning to access and harness the true power of the communities and tools available online in a way that benefits you is a behavior modification. When implementing any new behavior, you need to consider how to trigger or spark that new behavior. It will depend on you setting some sort of a reminder for yourself to take an action or step into this world. I recommend setting aside 20-30 minutes three times a week in your calendar to begin searching out and finding the sites, apps and platforms that resonate with you. Use that time as well to reassess who and what you already subscribe to and follow – do they still motivate, educate, lift up, and resonate with you? If yes, keep following them. If the answer is no, go ahead and unsubscribe and unfollow. Take time on social media to search for weight loss hash tags and the people and platforms associated with them. Begin following them for inspiration, motivation and advice. Check YouTube channels or Instagram stories that feature weight loss cooking experts and free fitness videos. The resources are literally endless at this point. The only important thing is to find those who really “speak” to you and make sense to you and move you forward.
10 Things to Try
Tweet photos of yourself doing healthy activities – Studies show that every 10 Tweets can increase weight loss by 0.5 percent.
Declare a goal on social media.
Take a picture of meals before eating and post on a social account that you feel most comfortable on. That minuscule pause creates the awareness and accountability that is so lacking in today’s world of fast meals and mindless eating.
Download and listen to at least one weight loss and motivational podcast or radio show a week.
Spend one hour a week in online weight loss communities (if you haven’t already, come join the Liz Josefsberg community on Facebook). Some of the larger platforms cater separate boards dedicated to pretty much any weight loss belief or program and have extremely positive and supportive users. You can browse to gain insights and inspiration.
Try a new app. There are endless new apps flooding the market in the health and wellness space. Try a new food tracking or fitness app to shake it up and learn something new.
Consider purchasing a Bluetooth scale that automatically uploads your weigh in and body fat information to your app/account. That info can be viewed by those you give access to for greater accountability (like a health coach).
Create a weight loss inspiration and vision board for yourself on Pinterest. Revisit those images whenever you need a boost.
Read success stories.
Use the challenge feature available on many of the wearable technology platforms like Fitbit. These fun and interactive platforms allow you to invite friends and family to compete in steps challenges and more.
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