This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Building Your Support System: The More, The Merrier!

Losing weight is never easy. This is my experience of how my support system continues to help me succeed in this journey.

When I decided to focus on weight loss and getting healthy, I knew that I needed help. As independent as I am in day-to-day life, this is one thing that I couldn’t do alone. There were many attempts made in the past to lose weight, but I kept it almost a “secret,” or at least tried to, because there was a certain amount of shame that I carried with this. However, I tried to approach it this time from the perspective of “this is not a diet; it’s a complete lifestyle change.”  

I make no excuses for how I got to this point in my life. I had been making poor food choices for years, and wasn’t interested in exercise. No one put those snacks in my hand and told me to eat them. No one told me that I couldn’t to go to the gym or take walks outside. I had spent many years in denial as to how truly serious the situation was. I own this, and knew that it was time, and okay, to lean on those around me. Asking for help and building a support system is not a sign of weakness. There are so many great resources out there, and I wasn’t ashamed to admit that I could use some cheerleaders.

As previously mentioned, I chose to use Weight Watchers for the food plan. There is a wonderful, supportive staff of friendly faces who are excited to celebrate your progress with you. I find it beneficial to answer to either someone, or the scale each week. It helps keep me accountable.

Find out what's happening in Yorktown-Somerswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

I choose to work with a personal trainer each week for exercise. Although I have been pretty good about incorporating exercise into my routine, I wanted to work with someone who would push me out of my comfort zone. John is passionate about his field and has a broad knowledge base about exercise and fitness. Our workouts are challenging, exhausting and test both my physical and mental limits at times. “I can’t” is not an option. From my experience, I find that a good trainer is one who is invested in you as a whole person, and who knows how far he/she can push you. It’s a relationship that you need to have total trust and comfort in. 

I have spent many years building and maintaining that invisible wall of shame and pain that comes along with obesity. This is the person who will see you at both your highs and lows. You need to allow that person to help you break down that wall, piece by piece. Each time I get through a tough session, or voice a new goal that I want to work towards with him, those “bricks” become a little easier to break through. John believes in me at times when I don’t.  The first time he put a box in front of me and told me to jump up onto it, I was thinking “is he kidding?” But I did it, over and over again. He has seen me overjoyed when I achieve a new goal or milestone. I’ve even had tears in front of him, and he does his best to talk me through it. This is the person that I share my concerns with, look to for motivation and expertise, and giggle a great deal with. 

Find out what's happening in Yorktown-Somerswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If personal training seems a little overwhelming or intimidating, then partner or group training is a great option as well. (Please refer to John Moljo’s blog for additional tips and ideas from a personal trainer’s perspective.)

You can also create a network of friends, family or colleagues for support. At work, some people like to go walking together during their lunch hour. Find some neighbors or friends with similar schedules or interests who may want to join you for a walk or run after dinner. I often plan to meet up with some of my gym friends for classes or workouts. These people are also great resources for recipe exchanges and bouncing ideas off of.

There are so many people around who I refer to as my “cheerleaders.” They share in my strides and success. Some have been at the finish line for races. Others have asked me if I had a preference in what restaurant we eat at knowing that the some menus can be more challenging for me to work from. Sometimes it just takes a smile or simple words of encouragement to keep me going. I appreciate and embrace the people that I surround myself with, and am so fortunate to have them.

This has definitely not been a “one woman show.” I can’t stress enough how helpful it is to have that support system. From my personal experience, I have found that letting go of the emotional baggage is as freeing as losing the physical pounds. I was always that girl that said “everything is fine.” Today, I am learning how to lean more on others when I need a little kick of inspiration or motivation. Is it easy? No…never is. It’s a process, and I continue to work on it daily. 

This journey can be life changing, but doesn’t have to be traveled alone.  

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?