The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies - Meri Raffetto [93]
When you need accountability and support
Getting professional help with your efforts to embrace a low-glycemic lifestyle provides long-term support and accountability. Research shows that people who have a long-term support system are able to maintain their weight loss for a longer period of time.
Acquiring that long-term support goes much more smoothly when you do two things:
Find a registered dietician with whom you have a good relationship. Working with someone you trust and enjoy is crucial to establishing a long-term relationship. That way when you have a dietary crisis during the holidays and are feeling vulnerable, you instantly have someone to reach out to for that much-needed accountability and support.
Don't treat appointments with your dietician as temporary. Many people view working with a dietitian or nutritionist as temporary. They go in a few times just to get the diet information and expect to never set foot in the office again after they have it. Instead of taking this temporary approach, look at your dietician as you would your physician, someone with whom you have a long-time relationship and whose advice you trust.
If you have serious issues with emotional or stress eating, you may also find it helpful to work with a therapist or counselor. Many people also find support this way.
Enlisting the Right Friends and Family Members
Sometimes finding other individuals who're also working on weight loss using a low-glycemic diet can be helpful, especially if they're people you already know. Then again, it's also a great way to make new friends. Either way, there's something to be said about really understanding the pitfalls that may occur and celebrating the wins with someone who's going through the same types of experiences.
Whether you're turning to old friends or new for support, make sure they're truly being supportive of your new health changes. Better yet, make sure they're working on their own health goals!
The next sections explain how to involve the right friends, avoid people who'll drag you down, and start up your very own support group.
Knowing which friends to involve
There's nothing like working together toward health goals when you already have an established, trusting relationship. The trick is figuring out which friends will offer the best support for you in your weight-loss efforts with a low-glycemic diet. Why not just turn to your closest friends? Because they may not be the best support system for you if they don't see the point in the changes you're making.
Seek out support from friends and other loved ones who are already living the lifestyle you're aspiring to or who are making similar changes themselves. By being open about your efforts and goals, you may just find that some of your family and friends are seeking the same support from you, too.
I'm not asking you to give up your other friendships. Just use the more supportive bunch for discussions about your wins, challenges, and the changes you're seeing. Skip this kind of talk when you're with your other friends.
Avoiding saboteurs
Family and friends can be your best support system or your biggest saboteurs. You can't get rid of your family and friends, but you can limit conversations about your weight loss or new dietary changes.
Of course, sometimes doing so is easier said than done. It's one thing to divert a conversation if someone starts picking on your food choices at a restaurant, but it's another thing entirely when your spouse brings home a chocolate pie right after you tell