Will you be my Buddy? The Importance of a Support System for Weight Loss

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Weight loss and maintenance feel some days when you are about to travel and don't know what the weather will be like. Should I pack an umbrella, a light jacket, shorts, or snow boots (especially if you are traveling to Colorado in September)? And one of the weight loss and maintenance solutions we encounter is about the support system /community we engage. 

Cue in; the solution is to have a buddy that is dieting. Incollingo Rodriguez's team in 2019 observed first-year college roommates randomized into diet conditions where neither roommate was dieting, one roommate was dieting, and another was not, and both roommates were dieting. They measured the weight loss, compliance, stress levels, anxiety, and depression among the roommates for three weeks. And the conclusion was the dieters lost more weight than the non-dieters. But they also observed that when two roommates were dieting, there were more anxiety, depression, and stress eating disorders vs. when only one roommate was dieting. Also, having a supportive partner (buddy) who challenges and provides you with autonomy in making healthier choices is more successful than having a buddy who chooses what you eat and limits your freedom in making choices to foster healthy behavioral changes. An ideal buddy would be supportive and not on a diet.

We are on the weight loss road as a couple. Do you have any suggestions?

Couples on a weight loss journey together have had strained relationships if their perspectives on weight loss and approaches for weight loss differ. For example, if they have a positive outlook on the weight loss journey and act as a team to succeed in that goal vs. being alone and rarely discussing the weight loss as a team. Sharing and agreeing on the plan with your partner about the weight loss approach and environment is essential so that you both are on the same page to win the weight loss and maintenance battle without adding stress to the relationship. For example, if you agree that weight loss is a journey together, and even if one pushes another to make better choices or makes them feel guilty, it is viewed as a concern for the partner's health in a favorable environment rather than manipulative. And the weight loss journey can be influenced by many partners (not just romantic ) we encounter daily, including family, friends, and coworkers.

We also come in contact with our colleagues at work. Many of us spend a large proportion of our day at work with our colleagues (pre-COVID and now post-COVID for some of us). We are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables and engage in physical activity when our coworkers encourage a healthy lifestyle. In turn, we are more likely to be surrounded by a healthy culture by creating it and feeding each other into a healthier lifestyle. So deducing that your buddy for the weight loss journey needs to be there for you, support you, have a similar approach, and not necessarily, always be on a diet themselves. 

Weight Watchers (WW) is one of the most popular weight loss programs incorporating a buddy system. In addition, weight Watchers has online and in-person, which contain many of the pro-cons we discussed above. One of the studies with over 700 participants enrolled in a 15-week online weight loss program had a choice to have a buddy or not. The most significant BMI and waist size decrease was with people with a buddy (again, not necessarily always a friend or romantic partner). So the success of the online program was due to having a buddy that was not on a diet.

Where can I recruit non-dieting buddies to support me through the weight loss journey? So glad you asked; that is something we will have to discuss next time, all about the virtual buddies. 

References:

René M. Dailey. Strategies in Context: How Perceptions of Romantic Partner Support for Weight Loss Vary by the Relational Context. Health Communication, 2018;

van der Put, Anne, and Lea Ellwardt. "Employees' Healthy Eating and Physical Activity: The Role of Colleague Encouragement and Behaviour - BMC Public Health." BioMed Central, BioMed Central, 1 Nov. 2022, https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-022-14394-0.