If you're trying to lose weight, you've no doubt been told over and over again to find a weight loss partner to help you stick with it. But if you work great in bigger groups, or if you have a competitive bent, you may want to try forming your own weight loss team. Weight loss teams can provide support and encouragement, as well as a social outlet. Learn start your own weight loss team and start shedding pounds together.
Instructions
Form Your Own Weight Loss Team
1. Find team members. There are two ways to go about finding weight loss team members: online and in person. Plenty of online forums, like PEERtrainer, exist and have teams already formed that you can join. Even better, you can form a team where you live, through your workplace, your gym, or other social places. Remember to be tactful when looking for new team members. Instead of telling a friend or acquaintance they should join because "they could stand to lose a few," mention you're starting a team and let them ask you about joining in. Better yet, try hanging fliers or sending a group email around to get interested folks on board.
2. Create a forum. You need some way to let people communicate to each other. If you've joined an online group, they likely already have a forum to post to. Otherwise, try creating your own Google or Yahoo! group. (The bonus is that groups help eliminate mass email clutter.) For a more personal group, hold regular meetings where you talk about your goals and successes, which is a great option for people who aren't so Web-savvy.
3. Set goals. One of the major benefits to a weight loss group is that members motivate each other to stay on track and meet their goals. You can set goals individually, as a group or both. Remember that goals should not be limited to pounds or inches lost, but should include lifestyle changes, like eating enough fruits and vegetables in a week. Also remember that not everyone will want to subject themselves to public weigh-ins, nor will they want to publicize how much they weigh, no matter how much they've lost. Don't make them. Let people report in anonymously, or get creative and do a group weigh-in on a really big scale (ever see that episode of The Office?).
4. Up the ante. Have fun and motivate members by giving out prizes from time to time. (Just not food!) And if your group thrives on competing and cash, look for group weight loss competitions either online or with other area groups.
5. Schedule social events. The great thing about starting a weight loss group is that it offers a social outlet for people with a common goal. Make friends and keep people motivated in your group by going out to special events that get people active or otherwise reinforce healthy habits. You could try a new vegetarian restaurant together, or play a game of touch football. This is also a great opportunity to invite experts, like a dietician, in to teach group members new strategies and tips and make sure people are approaching their weight loss in a healthy manner.
6. Issue additional challenges. Weight loss teams may start out that way, but they don't have to always concentrate on weight loss. Use your group to get more involved with your community. One weight loss team in Yuma,Arizona, challenged its members to donate one food item or $1 for every pound lost to a local food bank. Be creative to keep people motivated and feeling good about their weight loss.
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