My Buddy and Me

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Here is the meeting summary from March 29, 2011.

Do you guys remember that commercial from years back-
“My buddy, My buddy, wherever I go he goes my buddy…my buddy…my buddy and me”
Oh come on you remember- and there was “kid sister, kid sister” ha ok well anywho this week’s entire meeting topic was on the importance of having a buddy to help you along your weight loss journey!

Sometimes we need a buddy to help us get through all the emotional ups and downs of a weight loss journey. Almost everyone could stand to have an activity buddy or even a tracking buddy. Maybe you need a recipe buddy- someone who will swap food ideas with you.

A lot of times we leave the meeting room super pumped up and motivated…but by the time the weekend rolls around our peppiness has begun to fizzle. Having a buddy to hold yourself accountable to and motivate you can help you stick to the plan no matter what day of the week.

Now there are several different types of buddies out there. We will start though with 4 main categories:
1. The enforcer: A straight talker. Someone who will help you recognize excuses and gently call you out on them.
2. The Cheerleader: Someone who will help you recognize successes in whatever form they come.
3. The Shoulder: Someone who will relate to you in the tough times and will be there to commiserate but not let you give up.
4. The Competitor: Someone who helps you strive to do your best and inspires you to go the extra distance.

Now I am sure that you can kind of identify with all of those categories but the great thing is we do not always have to be the same type of buddy. Depending on our moods our “buddy title” can change…which is also great because we do not always need the same type of buddy.

I guess I’m doing a flashback newsletter…ha but my all time favorite television show is the Golden Girls! I used to watch it with my grandmother and I thought it was funny then….when I watch it now that I am older (and get all the jokes) it is hilarious!!

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The four of these ladies were very different in many, many ways, but yet somehow they always managed to be there for each other! Dorothy and Sophia were more like the enforcers, Rose was more like the cheerleader, and Blanche was pretty much the competitor (especially when it came to men). Yet at times every single one of these women were the shoulder for each other to rest upon.

When we fall off the bandwagon….sometimes we need the enforcer or the competitor to push us back on track. When we are saddened by the news at the scale sometimes we need the cheerleader to tell us “that’s ok way to go! At least you are eating healthier and your clothes fit better.”

When we have had a death in the family and we catch ourselves emotionally eating, sometimes we just need that shoulder to cry on.

There are several different places where you can find a buddy….the best place (go figure) is right there in the meeting room! For 30 minutes of your super busy life, you are in a room full of people going through the exact same things that you are.
You got a problem- baby there is somebody in the room that has the answer for you.

Next week in the meeting room, take the time to introduce yourself to someone you don’t know. Let’s make our meeting like a family get together (without the fighting). Talk, socialize, encourage, and buddy up with each other.

Now if that thought terrifies you, use the e-Tools Community, including the message boards, blogs, and social networking features (like those on Facebook), to find potential weight-loss buddies.

You might also want to encourage a friend, relative, or co-worker to join, so you’ll have a buddy to sit with at the meetings. What better time to join than right now….

If it has been a while since you have attended a meeting, and you have fallen off the bandwagon, we have a great promotion going on right now to help encourage you to step back into the meeting room. Spread the word to your potential future buddies, friends and family members who have talked about joining.

So what do you personally need help with? Do you need someone to work out with, to get you out of bed in the mornings and push you to exercise? Do you need someone who is going to encourage you to track every little thing that goes into your mouth? Have you lost a little motivation? Maybe weight loss is not going as fast as you had hoped or you have started to get burned out. Do you feel like you are eating the same things all the time?

If any of these are your symptoms then finding the perfect buddy is the answer.

Now one buddy does not have to meet all of your qualifications. There are strength in numbers! Find several different buddies who can help you finally reach those weight loss goals. Now if you want a buddy you also should be willing to be a buddy too.
Help each other through the hard times and be the support that you so desperately seek.