May
2
United we stand; the diet partner
Filed Under Eating Healthy, Motivation
We’ve been talking about getting the other people in your life involved with your plan to get healthier. We covered general communication, now we’re going to get more specific. Should you get someone actively involved in your eating plan? First, let’s stop thinking about this as a diet partner. When you say diet partner to most people they tend to think of a temporary thing. Some short term plan that you’re going to succeed at and then stop. That’s the worst way to think about all this.
You are not trying some temporary diet here, you’re making a permanent change to your life. You’re not going to stop in two months, or in a year, or in two year. You’re going to keep going because when you stop, you’ll just go back to where you were. That’s the problem with most diets, they’re temporary solutions to long term problems. So before thinking about a partner, make sure you understand the commitment here. That said, getting a partner could be a short term solution that helps you through the gradual changes until you get to where you want to be.
Benefits of a Partner
- Research - A partner can help you find new ways to change your diet. They can come up with new suggestions for healthy meals that you might never have thought of. They can find new restaurants or recipes that you don’t have time to look for. Essentially, they’re one more person doing the research on what to eat and when to eat it.
- Motivation - A partner can help you remain motivated. You might both be committed to changing your lives, but everyone has weak moments. A partner will help you through those.
- Support - It’s hard to be the only person in the room being healthy. If you have friends with unhealthy habits, it can be difficult to change your life while spending time with them. A partner helps you see that you’re not alone. You’re not the only one in the room not eating the chips and salsa.
Downsides to Partners
- Different Preferences - It’s hard to find healthy food, especially when two people have different preferences. It’s bad enough trying to find that one dish on the menu that isn’t full of fat, but what if you can’t even decide on a restaurant?
- Drag Factor - What happens if your partner is having problems? Are they going to drag you down with them? Do you have to spend every day trying to motivate them? Eventually, you’ll end up unmotivated yourself.
- Disagreements - Health is not an exact science. Different people have a different idea of what is or isn’t healthy. What happens when you disagree on what to eat?
Recommendation
Overall, I believe having someone helping you out is a plus. The benefits of a good partner do outweigh the disadvantages. You’ll find yourself more motivated and better informed if you’re not working alone. The key is finding the right partner. Communication is your best tool here. Find someone in your life who you spend a lot of time with. They’re the ideal partner. Then explain to them exactly what it is that you’re trying to accomplish. Talk about your goals and what you expect to change about your life. Make sure they have similar goals. Don’t try to convince someone to change against their will, that’s the worst way to find help. Above all, keep communicating.
Ideally, your diet partner is going to be your wife, husband, fiance or someone else who is close to you. They’re the ones who eat most meals with you and so are best suited to help you change your eating habits. If that’s not possible, find a close friend, a family member or a coworker. The more time you spend with this person, the better. If even that’s not possible, go online. There are multiple discussion groups and forums where you’ll find people in the exact same situation as you. They’re looking to change and trying to find people to talk to.
If you know of a good online group or forum to discuss eating habits or healthy diets, please post them in the comments.
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