's motd Mnday April 21, 2008

[Guest guest]

A WEIGHT-LOSS BUDDY?

Monday, 21 April 2008

It's great to have a buddy to lose weight with. Well, it can start out great, anyway.

See, and Becky wrote me and asked for my help in putting them on a good weight-loss program. I called them up and we must have spent a good half-hour chatting on the phone. I told them about the FoodMover and they agreed they'd both get one.

These two ladies had been friends for 18 years. They were roommates in college and they'd been party-mates and "eating-mates" for all of those years, too. and Becky had about 80-100 pounds to lose, each.During our conversation, we went over their favorite foods and we talked about the healthier foods they should be eating now. We also talked about the kinds of exercise they should be doing and how often they should exercise. I was glad to see how jazzed-up they were by the end of our talk. They were really ready to begin! They told me they would E-mail me every couple of weeks and let me know how they were doing.

and Becky lived only about a mile apart from each other. So they made it a point to go for long walks together each morning. After their walks, they would go over their food plans together for the day. Oh, the E-mails I got from the two of them were so upbeat and positive. In the first week, and Becky had each lost four pounds. And then...it happened. One day, Becky called and said she couldn't walk that morning because she'd stayed up too late the night before and had not gotten enough sleep.But decided that she would walk alone that morning. And when she got back from her walk, like she would have done with Becky, she reviewed her food plans for the day, alone. A few more days went by without hearing from Becky so decided to call her. As it turned out, Becky had to leave town for a a funeral. But, once again, determined to keep going, kept her walking program going as she walked by herself for the next few days.

When the two of them decided to get together for a walk again, they did their weigh-ins. had lost three more pounds but, and it should have been no big surprise, Becky had gained two pounds. They walked that morning but could tell something was different with Becky's attitude. The two of them ended up getting into a little tiff and, I'm sad to tell you, their friendly walks together and their teamship meal planning stopped, too. sent me an E-mail about what had happened and I immediately had to call. I told the two of them that their little tiff had to come to and end and...now! I reminded them that their weight-loss efforts was not a competition and that they were not contestants on Biggest Loser! No, it was not about competing. It was about personal achievement, between friends! I told them that they had to get back together for their walks and to get back on track making their meal plans, too. And I told them that they had to send daily E-mails filled with motivation for each other. Well last week, I received another E-mail from the "Thelma & Louise" of weight-loss. The two of them are now both successfully staying on program and have each lost close to ten pounds. Not only are they on a roll, but they are also good buddies again. Like they should be! Whew!

Now if you're going to choose someone to be your weight-loss buddy, before you start, I want the two of you to review the rules, loud and clear. I want you both to remember that this is not a "competition." It's about two people who love and care enough about each other to always be there to lend the other a helping hand.And by the way, don't forget who your biggest weight-loss buddy is. The man who sparkles just for you...me!Love,