Your Friend on a Diet?

Do you know that it is very difficult to live on a special meal diet? Not because I can’t but because the loved ones around me don’t allow me to! And they don’t even know that they are doing this to me.
To be on a diet or on a special meal diet is not that easy. You can quit smoking, you can quit drugs but you can’t quit eating altogether right? And the loved ones and friends eating near you and around you stop you right on the track. So if you are my friend, your support is very important when I go on a special diet.

It is important to appreciate your friend’s motivation and in order to understand the best way to be supportive, find out from your friend the reason for her wanting to go on this diet example - is she trying to lose weight or body fat? Or is she dieting because of health concerns like diabetes or high cholesterol or does she want to look and feel younger?

What you can do as a close friend or a relative is not to tempt your friend. When going out to eat, suggest restaurants with healthy menu options. Since alcohol is high in calories refrain from ordering that in front of your friend. Don’t give your friend presents that are food related example - do not give a box of chocolate when you return from your holiday! Try to eat in and eat healthy food together and always have healthy snacks in your fridge if your dieting friend is visiting you.

Give moral support to your friend by giving comments like “since you started on your diet, you seem to be more energetic” or “your skin is looking very good now”. Refrain from telling your friend “you are not fat” or “you don’t need to go on a diet”. You will have to take note that diet is supposed to be on improving health than on losing weight!

While you are with your friend, you need not be a food police. Don’t constantly point out to her that “you should not eat this” and or “don’t eat that”. And another important point – do not announce to the whole world that she is on a diet…….your friend may not like that. Be supportive but not control. It’s the dieter’s responsibility to be in control of her food. Because she is the one who is going to suffer the consequences. Trust me, it is normal to backslide sometimes and have cheat meals here and there.

You can join your friend in the whole process of dieting, even if you are skinny to the bones – diet for health reasons. Eat a healthy meal and support your friend and in the process look after yourself too!