Losing weight is hard. It’s not only difficult to abstain from eating your favorite foods, it’s difficult to deal with the psychological effects of doing so. What’s worse is that the experience can be isolating. Social events are often punctuated with food, and much of the time this food is not the kind of food that helps you lose weight.
If you’ve undergone bariatric surgery, the psychological effects of weight loss can be even more overwhelming. For this reason, whether you’ve gotten surgery or not, anyone who is on a weight loss journey would benefit greatly from utilizing weight loss support groups.
What are weight loss support groups and why are they so important?
What is a weight loss support group?
Weight loss support groups are groups of people who gather together (either online or in person) to share their experiences and discuss topics about their weight loss journey. Ideally, weight loss support groups will provide a structure. You might have meetings every week at a certain time when people all gather to discuss their lives.
Weight loss support groups can be provided by hospitals, community centers, and can even be started by anyone. You could start a weight loss support group yourself if you’re in need of one!
The Benefits Of Weight Loss Support Groups
Accountability
Having a support group can help keep everyone accountable for their own weight loss results. It can also discourage unhealthy eating behaviors. When attending support groups, it’s important to be truthful about your experiences and be honest about when you mess up. Sometimes, you may eat a little bit more than you were supposed to. Weight loss support groups can help you navigate the difficulty of “falling off the wagon”.
Community
Not everyone has the same amount of knowledge about weight loss and how to maintain it. You may speak to a dietitian or a doctor, but their knowledge may not be perfectly applicable to your situation. When you’re in a weight loss support group, you’re surrounded by people who may have useful knowledge about weight loss that you can benefit from.
It’s highly recommended that you find a support group for weight loss. ALO Bariatrics provides access to weight loss support groups to their bariatric surgery patients. Learn more about post surgery instructions here!
