Having a diet buddy can help you improve your motivation and stay on track. According to Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom in an article for the website iVillage, support can help you remain focused and continue on your diet even when things get difficult. Although having a support system face-to-face might be ideal, not everybody is able to find a diet buddy in their social circle. One alternative is to look for online diet support groups, which offer the same support but in an anonymous environment.
My Diet Buddy
My Diet Buddy is a weight-loss support site that allows you to connect with other people trying to lose weight. Here, you can find a single buddy to talk to directly, or you can form your own small groups so you can work together toward a common goal. To use My Diet Buddy, you'll need to create a profile, which includes the amount of weight you need to lose, how much exercise you're doing and what diet you are following. You can also include some words about your weight loss struggle or a short bio. Aside from connecting with others, you can also post questions on diet and weight loss for professionals to answer.
PEERtrainer
PEERtrainer is a website that offers a number of diet, fitness and health support groups. Any member can create a new group, but each group must consist of four people. If you don't know anybody to join your group, you can post the name of the group on the PEERtrainer website and invite others to join. Groups have specific goals. For example, you might find a "50 and over weight loss" group or an "over 100 lbs. to lose" group. PEERtrainer also has an open forum, where all members can post. If you don't want to be part of a specific mini-group, you can simply join the community forums and search for support there.
Weight Loss Buddy
Despite its name, Weight Loss Buddy is not just about finding a single person to partner up with. Instead, the site focuses on offering a number of different ways to find diet support. Members can start or join groups, participate in chats or forums, ask questions from experts and find a one-on-one diet buddy. You can also create your own team, which looks and works similar to a Facebook fan page. You can share messages, post challenges and share photos and stats. Members can also start their own blogs.
