By Kenneth Schwarz, Ph.D, and Julie Schwarz
www.mariaslastdiet.com
Do you talk with other women about food and weight? Do you really talk, or do you only speak about it superficially―what diet you are currently on, what you ate today, how you cheated, how much you’ve lost or not lost?
Do you ever really talk about what you go through in relation to your eating and your weight? Do you think you could share your secrets as you diet with another woman? If you haven’t done this, it could be a great support system for you.
When you team up with another woman, you can bounce things off one another. You can check out your thinking. You can look to your diet buddy for new ideas. You can give one another added strength, confidence, and hope.
Here’s how to partner up when you diet.
1. Decide how you will meet―on the phone, through email, in person.
2. Decide how often you will talk. It’s good to set up a special time at
least once a week and keep to it.
3. Pick a question of the day to discuss from the following:
Do we feel safe enough with one another to really open up?
You can share your apprehensions about discussing very personal matters and make each other feel comfortable enough to talk about real issues.
How much do we want to fix our weight problems?
You can confirm your desire to lose weight and discuss what things about the problem are most troubling.
How critical are we of ourselves and others?
Being self-critical is an important issue for women. You can help by
supporting one another and not being critical of one another.
What has really been keeping us overweight?
You can encourage one another to find true answers.
How can we best help one another?
You can ask each other for what you really need.
What are our biggest secrets about our eating?
Sharing those things you are most ashamed of gets rid of a big burden.
