A support network can help you lose excess weight

Did you know that people who have weight-loss buddies and group support are more likely to lose excess weight than those who don’t? That’s something we teach people taking part in the Trim Down, Bardstown! weight-loss program. That’s why, whether your aim is to eat healthier, exercise more, or lose excess weight, it’s a great idea to find a fitness friend — or maybe more than one. In fact, experts say that sharing your goals is vital to achieving them. “Electing” your own “board of directors” can help you get results.

When you look for support:

• Don’t be afraid to share your goals with family members and friends. Having those closest to you in on your plans can mean daily, valuable support and assistance. You may even find that they’re willing to modify their own lives, at least temporarily, to help you get healthy — by giving up soft drinks, or helping plan healthy meals, or keeping desserts out of the house, for example. What’s more, just the fact that you have confided in them is a powerful motivator.

• If someone close to you is unsupportive, either tune out the negativity or distance yourself from that person. If that person is your partner or lives in the same household, the problem is a bit more complicated. Try to understand the motivation behind the negativity while you remain consistent about your goals.

• Don’t expect one fitness buddy to be all things. Instead, enlist a group of people who can share your varied interests in small ways, whether by swapping healthy recipes, exercising with you, or confiding weight-loss secrets. Not only will that keep you from relying too heavily on one resource, but it will also expand your circle of friends.

• Fit your weight-loss behaviors into your life in small and varied ways, such as a healthy potluck meal with co-workers, an evening walk with your spouse, or a brief morning chat with your fitness buddy. You’ll be helping others while you help yourself.

Support networks

• For free online tools, visit sparkpeople.com. This web site is filled with tips on eating, exercising, combating cravings, and a wealth of other useful information.

• Overeaters Anonymous (OA) meets at 5:30 p.m. Thursdays at the First Presbyterian Church at the corner of Broadway and Second Street in Bardstown. OA offers a program of recovery from compulsive overeating that addresses physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.

• TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) 224 meets Thursdays at the Bardstown Civic Center. Weigh-ins begin at 6:15 p.m. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. For information, call 348-9612. Dues are $28 per year.

• TOPS 262 meets Wednesdays at the Bardstown Civic Center. Weigh-ins begin at 10:30 a.m. The meeting begins at noon. For more information, call 502-827-3943. Annual dues are $28.