One of the first steps to losing weight is to surround yourself with a positive support system that can help you meet your fitness goals, advises the Mayo Clinic. While you should never rely on anyone but yourself to make those daily changes to help you lose weight, starting a support group can help you stay focused on your weight loss while helping others meet their own goals. Starting a weight-loss support group can bring a group of people with similar challenges together to foster an atmosphere of hope and perseverance through weight loss.
Step 1
Gauge the interest for a weight-loss support group in your community. Talk to coworkers and friends to see if they would be interested to see what the general consensus about a weight-loss support group is. You don't need to start a support group with people you know, but it's a good start.
Step 2
Choose the specifics about your weight-loss support group. Decide whether it will be anonymous, or which types of topics you'll cover. Consider guest speakers that you may invite to talk at your meetings. Write a sample schedule of a meeting so that you know how to fill your time wisely.
Step 3
Find a place to hold your support group meetings. A library is a good place to start, it may allow you to use one of the rooms after hours. A church building may also be a good choice, if it has a basement or classroom. You can even meet in a park or other public place. Do not meet in your own home until you've spent time with your group and trust the members.
Step 4
Create fliers about your support group that you can place in areas where nutritionally and weight loss-minded people would frequent. The grocery store may have a bulletin board that you can post on, as well as a local gym or college campus.
Step 5
Start the first meeting by outlining fitness and weight loss goals for the entire group. Decide how often you'll weigh in, and any rewards that may be put into place for reaching goals. For instance, if everyone in the group loses 5 lbs., you can go to a local healthy restaurant or go to a movie together. Establish an atmosphere of support by emphasizing that you'll lose the weight together, as opposed to a competition.
Tips and Warnings
- If starting a support group isn't feasible in your community, visit MyDietBuddy.com (see Resources) for more information about finding a weight-loss buddy.
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