Want to Change? Get a Support Team

I have found that accountability is "the missing link" in many weight loss programs, and once implemented becomes a driving force that propels you into taking consistent, daily action.

John Sifferman
Fitness Professional

Hope is well, so be happy, because I receive many calls and I go running in the morning to lose weight

I think all of the above is great advice. Many people just need support to get it done. I was heavy when I was younger & lost the weight & did exercise on my own but I realized that I like planning my own food program & now I am very self motivated in terms of exercising. BUT, many people are not & they realize that & doing the steps above will help them with their weight loss goals & keep them accountable which is hard to do if you are not one to be self-motivated or you just never seem to stick with anything. You have to do what works for you.

Accountability is great! I found that posting in the various diet forums really helped my weight loss, and you can even join http://search.twitter.com/#twitterdiet to find Twitter folk who are on their own personal weight loss journeys too.

Completely True. I have clients that are in different countries and I do weekly calls with them and guess what? They see results.

In fact, their results are just as effective as with the people I work with one-on-one. It all comes down to their motivation levels. If you are motivated, you will take action on your own and wont really need anyone there.

What do you guys think?

I forgot to reply to the question at the end of the post about whether anyone has helped with my fitness or health goals. I have to give a shout out to my husband. He has been the most supportive husband ever. I am pretty "OCD" about my exercise, diet etc. I really like to eat what I want to eat & I don't "join in" just because I am at a party or get together. I bring my own food to be safe plus I know what does & does not upset my stomach. This never bothers him. I also work out at some pretty crazy times & he supports me with that too!

Yes, I do "enjoy" too but it is what I prefer & what is important to me as a "fun treat or break" from my normal every day food plan. I don't want to waste calories just because....

I am so lucky to have the support of my husband. And yes, my friends are there for me too. They are used to me!

Like Jody, I'm very self-motivated when it comes to exercise. I like to see how far I can push myself and I love to test my limits, so working out is never really a problem for me. I actually have to schedule in rest days because I know that if I don't schedule them, I won't take them. As far as eating, I like to eat healthy foods and I'm not really that tempted by junk anymore. But that wasn't always the case...when I first started losing weight, I frequently whined about not being able to eat all the crap I used to eat anymore. But my friends that lived in my dorm with me were very helpful...one of my friends in particular was always cracking me up by saying things like "Holy cow, did you know that there are over 200 calories in ONE Pop Tart? Who even eats only one of those anyway? They're like, MEANT to be eaten 2 at a time. So you used to eat two Pop Tarts and a giant Frappuccino for breakfast, right? No wonder you were starving again by 10 am...Pop Tarts are insanely small. Now you get to eat a whole bowl of cereal and milk and a piece of fruit. Doesn't it make sense that eating this way is way better?" And she was usually right. It didn't hurt that she had a killer body and I wanted a nice body as well. She definitely helped motivate me to eat well that year.

There's a website that I found featured in a local (Seattle) paper and it takes accountability and support groups to a different level.

I have lost 65 pounds in the last year and couldn't have done it without my support group. The website is called http://www.fatbet.net. Check it out!