Social support and weight loss: Find your tribe to lose more weight and keep it off!

Joanna Kriehn, MS, RDN, CDCES - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES)

Having social support for weight loss increases your chances of success, both with the initial loss and long-term maintenance. So, there’s no reason to go it alone. Learn how it works and get tips to help you find your tribe.

How does social support enhance weight loss?

Studies have shown that those with a support network lose more weight and keep it off longer. While the exact reason behind it is unknown, connecting with other like-minded individuals makes sense to help us weather the ups and downs of something as nuanced as weight loss.

Finding others who value health and wellness (in-person or online) provides motivation. It also helps keep up your momentum from a practical and emotional standpoint.

Find your tribe

Start by searching out like-minded folks in all aspects of your life. You may not know it, but chances are you interact with health-conscious individuals regularly.

Whether you work from home or go into an office, there are likely other people around you who are actively working to lose weight and improve their health. Connecting with those also interested in supporting weight-loss goals helps you to feel stronger about your own abilities.

Ways to meet other health-conscious individuals

Attend a workout class regularly. Consistency helps improve your fitness and increases your chances of encountering the same people. Chatting about a challenging workout or new happenings at the gym keeps it casual while allowing connection.
Volunteer and/or participate in a fun run or walk. Supporting causes that are important to you opens another possibility for meeting people.
Mention your health goals during everyday casual conversations. Sharing your new health goal with other parents at drop-off or during after-school activities may lead to finding a new workout partner!

Be the change you want to see at work

Start a lunchtime walking group or encourage walking meetings during suitable weather. Getting the ball rolling can be the hardest part.

If you work from home, encourage teammates to use an online reporting tool to track their activity. Build in a bit of competition and rewards, and you'll suddenly find that people are on board. Online weight-loss support can be just as motivating as in-person!

Providing remote support

You can live in a different city and still be a workout buddy. Providing accountability can be as easy as texting a friend to announce your exercise plan for the day or gently nudging with reminders to get in their daily movement.

Sharing your exercise plans keeps you accountable, even when you have a busy day. Your workout buddy will see right through excuses and call you out. Don't have someone to text or call for support? No worries. There are many ways to find online weight-loss support to help you stay the course.

Online support for weight loss

Online support can fill the gaps if you lack support from friends and family.

MyNetDiary offers online support for weight loss through our Community feature. Community is a safe place to share successes, offer encouragement, share before and after photos, or ask for advice. Users must be 18 years or older to use Community.

To access Community, tap on your dashboard's "Community" tab.

In addition to the general forum, MyNetDiary offers the ability to create or join groups. Tap the "Groups" tab at the top, just to the right of the Home tab.

Committing to consistently tracking your food and activity will make the most of your online weight-loss support network. After being true to yourself, you'll have tips and tricks to share with others, making it easier to offer thoughtful support.

Be your own support

Do you ever get discouraged with your progress or engage in negative self-talk? Try to find ways to talk to yourself as you would a friend. Kind words and forgiveness go a long way. This positivity will help you stay on track and maintain motivation, especially when the scale fails to reflect your hard work.

Many folks are harder on themselves than their friends when changing habits. Finding ways to support yourself through the ups and downs of weight loss is key to long-term success.

Like any journey, weight loss is a process that naturally comes with triumphs and challenges. Finding social support for weight loss from co-workers, neighbors, and online connections will increase your chances of success and even raise the fun factor along the way.