Losing weight is incredibly difficult to do on your own, especially at first. Getting past the three-month hump and making a real habit out of staying healthy might require a little help. 

We’re going to talk about the idea of getting an accountability buddy for weight loss in this article. It might seem like you should be able to do it all on your own, but you’re not alone in having difficulties with the process. 

Let’s see what an accountability buddy for weight loss might be a great idea. 

Why You Might Need an Accountability Buddy

An accountability buddy in our younger days was traditionally a friend or partner who you kept in touch with on field trips in elementary school, or someone with whom you had a mutual responsibility to keep safe on some kind of trip. 

As we grow, the accountability buddy’s role isn’t so much to keep us safe so much as to make sure we’re staying on top of the things we need to do and cheer us on when we are doing well. This is especially helpful with diet and exercise regimens. 

For whatever reason, even though losing weight is one of the best things we can do for our health and happiness, it’s incredibly hard to do. The brain will come up with all sorts of tempting excuses to get out of dieting and exercising. 

The tricky part is that nobody knows you better than your own brain does, so it can produce hand-crafted excuses that are more seductive than anything else the world would ever throw at you. That’s why so many people fail to stick with their goals.

That equation gets shifted when you introduce another person into your weight loss journey, though. 

Let’s take a look at just how an accountability body changes things.  

Your Buddy Interferes With Excuses

Let’s say you’ve told someone that you’re going to, say, stop eating refined sugars for three months. You call them every day to let them know how you’re doing, and they’re doing the same. 

Both of you have an obligation to the other to keep on your diet plan. If you slip up, you have to admit it to the other person. If they know that you’re not holding up your end of the bargain, they might decide to give up as well. 

In this way, your actions are directly tied to the health and wellbeing of another person. When you pass the candy section at the grocery store, your mind might be naturally inclined to make up an excuse to buy something. 

Suddenly, you remember that you have a responsibility and made a commitment to your accountability buddy. The cost, then, is for more than the benefit of enjoying a candy bar. 

In this way, the accountability buddy is always with you, guiding your decisions in relation to your mutual goals. 

When You Speak It, It Becomes Real

Another factor that makes accountability buddies great is that they offer you a way to make your goals known to the rest of the world.

When you’re just going through your day and decide to start losing weight, you don’t really have any obligation to follow through on those goals. You might go to the gym once or twice, but there isn’t much binding you to your goals so you stop going.

Speaking your goals out loud to another person changes the way you feel about them. It’s no longer a passing thought, but an actual statement that you’ve expressed. This solidifies your desire and makes the process a little more important. 

Your Buddy Helps 

In the best-case scenario, your accountability buddy will help you by trying to achieve the same goal that you are. It’s also possible to find someone who you simply report back to, and that’s extremely useful as well, especially if they have struggled in the past with their weight and have now hit their goal and maintained it.  I often find that when clients of mine refer their friends or family members they are so excited to see them do well so they will also take on the role of being an accountability buddy.

That said, working with someone on the same goal allows that person to provide motivation and insight. They can give you tips on how to do a specific thing or handle a situation, and you can do the same. 

When you’re mutually benefiting one another, the process becomes more enjoyable and meaningful. Not only will you be more likely to complete your goals, but you’ll enjoy the process a great deal more by helping and being helped. 

Have You Tried Everything Else?

If you’re still not sure whether or not you need an accountability buddy, ask yourself if anything else you’ve tried has worked.  Then ask yourself if you felt that you had support and accountability or were you feeling alone in all those past attempts. 

There’s no shame in admitting that we’re not able to go through some things alone. It’s important to acknowledge that you need help, though, and many people around you are in the same situation. IF you felt alone in all your past attempts then that is the common denominator so maybe that is the situation that you need to change the next time you decide it is time to lose weight.

If you’ve tried numerous weight loss methods and plans but nothing has worked, it might be time to switch it up. There are few things more powerful than pressure from the people around us to keep going. 

We’re social beings, and we want to maintain respect in the eyes of others. That inherent factor in human beings can be used as an exceptional motivating factor. Accountability buddies have been around forever, and human support will never stop being an important factor in challenging situations. 

If you’re not convinced, think of your favorite tales of epic journeys. 

Would Frodo have ever delivered the ring without the help of Samwise? Could Harry have defeated Voldemort without Hermoine and Ron? We need the help of our friends, and they need us. 

It’s just the way it is. Plus, accomplishing a goal together will only serve to deepen your friendship and make you both healthier! You’ll experience the best results if you work together on a specific program that also incorporates medical supervision and weight loss plans. 

Is It Time to Lose Weight?

Hopefully, you’re starting to see how important it is to have an accountability buddy. If you’re taking the first steps on your weight-loss journey, we’re here to help you with the next steps. 

Are you ready to get started on the path to a healthier you? Learn more about the Dr Sher’s FastLane Weight Loss program to decide if it’s right for you!  Just book a short 15 minute assessment call so Dr Sher can learn more about your challenges losing weight and then she can let you know if one of her programs is right for you.