Losing Weight Together...

[admin]

Get Your Family Involved

We all know the health consequences of being overweight but solo weight loss can be such a lonely affair. If you’re worried that your husband and children may be packing on a few extra pounds, why not plan to lose weight together as a family? Losing weight as a family unit can make weight loss easier and much more fun than trying to do it alone. Here are some suggestions on how to make losing weight a family affair:

Discuss your goals

You’ll first want to discuss your idea with your family and enlist their support and cooperation. Have a family meeting and discuss your goals and how you plan on reaching them. Make sure everyone agrees to participate and elicit suggestions on how to increase your activity level as a group. Some ideas are nightly walks, trips to the roller skating rink, weekend hikes, canoeing, and trips to a family exercise club. Plan your activities for the next month or two with everyone’s cooperation. Create a notebook that lists each family member’s starting weight and their weight loss goals so you can chart each family member’s progress as they lose weight.

Clean out the refrigerator and cabinets

The best way to get started on your family weight loss plan is to remove obvious temptations from the refrigerator and cabinets. Get rid of all of those decadent desserts, chips, and other high calorie disasters that might prove too enticing. Plan a trip to the grocery store and bring along the whole family. Spend some time together picking out healthy treats such as fat free dips, fruits, and vegetables. By allowing everyone to participate in the selection of healthy foods, you’ll increase their motivation and enthusiasm.

Limit television time

Now that you have a plan to be more active, replace television time with the family activities you previously selected. Instead of tuning into the latest reality show, take a family walk instead. Give everyone the opportunity to discuss their day while enjoying the fresh night air. This will make the time pass more quickly and help you to bond as a family unit.

Prepare healthy family meals

Now that you’ve cleaned all of the temptations out of your refrigerator and cabinets, make it a goal to eat a healthy meal together as a family each evening. Swear off fast food restaurants for awhile and help your spouse and kids develop a taste for healthier fare. Keep some sugar-free, low fat ice cream or yogurt in the freezer for dessert.

Have regular family meetings

Plan a monthly meeting as a family to chart each person’s progress and discuss future goals. Continue to have monthly meetings until your family’s weight loss goals. At this point, you’ve probably succeeded in changing some of your family’s bad eating habits and have increased their activity level.

Weight loss doesn’t have to be an isolated, lonely activity. Find out how fun it can be when you do it together!

[Bonita]

Having a partner is so very important. I have a friend that take an water exercise class with me twice a week. It is not only more fun doing with someone but it helps to keep you accountable. You share your goals with each other and help with meeting those goals when one or the other needs a boost.