The following is a guest post from momAgendaCOMM blogger Christy Mensi.
Winter is long gone and nothing says it’s time to lose a few pounds like pulling out the shorts, squeezing into them, and taking a gander in the mirror! Let me make this a little more real for you: summer is only about 50 days away.
When it comes to losing weight, there are so many places you can find support and motivation. There’s no doubt that losing weight in a group setting (whether in person or online) is much easier and a lot more fun than losing alone.
1. Weight Watchers or as I like to call it, “Our Lady of Perpetual Weight Loss” is a wonderful place to find support, albeit it’s a little pricey. You attend weekly meetings, weigh-in, and have access to group support and wonderful tools.
2. MyFitnessPal is a website and great Smartphone app. You can track everything you eat with their fantastic food database, document your fitness achievements, connect with all of your friends, or make new ones all through their app! They also have great forums where you can find other people that have similar weight loss goals.
3. If you use a pedometer device like FitBit, you can also find your friends who use FitBit through their app. It’s one of my favorite ways to keep up with my friends via my iPhone. I can cheer them on and send private messages. It’s also fun to compete to see who can get the most steps in everyday!
4. The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans (which happens to be my site) hosts numerous online weight loss challenges throughout the year, along with virtual races and fitness challenges. We’re just about to kick off a brand new 6-month weight loss challenge through DietBet. You wager $25 dollars a month, check-in daily, weekly, or monthly – it’s up to you, and if you lose 10% of your body weight you WIN and collect your share of the pot! DietBet calls their service social dieting. It’s a lot of fun to experience a group diet game together!
5. Facebook is a wonderful place to create your own weight loss challenge group. Create a private group, invite your friends, and covertly lose weight while supporting each other all day long on your favorite social media outlet. The Sisterhood has a private Facebook group that was started at the beginning of the year, and it’s the best thing we’ve ever done. All the ladies on there have become like family, lifting each other up, and kicking each other in the rear when needed.
So let’s get this straight: there are no quick fixes when it comes to weight loss. It’s hard, but it also can be enjoyable with the support of friends. Join an existing weight loss challenge group like The Sisterhood, round up your friends or co-workers and create your own challenge, hit a Weight Watchers meeting, or find like-minded people through weight loss apps.
Whatever you do, don’t do it alone. You’ll have more fun, and be more likely to look good in those shorts this summer if you lose weight with the support of friends.
Christy Mensi is a homeschooling mom and wife residing in a tiny Texas town. When she realized her jeans were too tight in 2008, she co-founded the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. What started out as a little-known blog for friends has evolved into an award winning, healthy living and fitness website, spawning a popular recipe site: Shrinking Kitchen.
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