Finding a Diet Coach By Michael Morrello, M.S. Licensed Psychologist

Very few people who have struggled with dieting can lose weight and sustain that weight loss without the help and encouragement from another person. Studies show consistently that getting someone to support you increases your chance of success.

Your Diet Coach Can: Keep you Motivated: They can help remind you why your efforts are worthwhile. If you start getting discouraged, your coach can remind you that you dont usually feel that way and that most of the time you actually feel good about dieting. Build your Self-confidence: Your diet coach can help make sure that you give yourself credit on an ongoing basis. They can also help get you back on track after you slip up. They can help remind you what you have learned up to this point.

Help you solve problems: Your diet coach can help you solve diet and non-diet related problems, such as: Lack of time, Pressure from family to eat differently, Felling unmotivated. Keep you Accountable: Knowing that you have to report on your progress to someone can motivate you to stick to your plan. This is a crucial component of the program. Make sure you are completely honest with your diet coach.

Help you take a more useful perspective: Imagine your diet coach looking over your shoulder at times when your resolve is weak. When you consider straying from your food plan, think to yourself, What would my coach say to me now? Doing so can help you better stick to your plan. How Do I Find a Coach For the remainder of this program you can use me as your coach, but eventually you will need to find your own coach. You will need to find your coach soon, because dieters are much less likely to try and find a coach after they have encountered a rough spot in their diet.

Enlist the help of a close friend or family member: They dont have to be a diet expert, but they do need to be Positive, Good problem solver, Supportive, Motivating, Proud of you. Consider starting this program with a friend or family member: This way you can be each others diet coach.

Join an Organized Group: Look into weight-loss support groups offered in your community. Such as this one or: You want a group in which people describe their successes, help others with their diet-related difficulties, and share useful weight-loss strategies. If you join a group, you wont feel alone. Viewing their mistakes in an objective, problem-solving way can help you take a more useful view of your own difficulties.

You might get a good feeling from helping others– from being helped by them. You might meet someone who will agree to be your diet coach. Find a Diet Professional: Consider working one-on-one with a mental health professional. However, you dont want to pick someone who focuses only on the supposed root cause of your weight problems. You want someone who helps you identify and counter your unhelpful thinking, gives practical advice, is highly encouraging and motivating, and is willing to help you implement this program.

Investigate Internet Support: Face-to-face interaction is usually more desirable but if you absolutely cant meet with someone in person, investigate weight-loss support groups on the Internet. One study showed that participants who enrolled in a weight-maintenance program over the Internet sustained the same amount of weight loss as participants who met with a support group in person.

What to Discuss with your Coach During weekly meetings you should discuss: Your change in weight, just how much the scale went up or down. Your successes for the week. Mention anything that you deserve credit for. The struggles you had during the week. Cravings, slipups, and/or life stressors. Mention anything that might get in your way of following the program. Report your sabotaging thoughts and ask them to help you respond to them.

Initiate communication at key times when: When youre going into a high risk situations– such as a party or family celebration– in which youre concerned you might stray. Together you can figure out strategies to use to keep you on track. When youve strayed from your plan. Discuss what you need to do to get back on track. You might especially need help if youre criticizing yourself and feeling like a failure.

Call or daily if: Youre struggling to stick to your daily eating plan. Ive found that some people need to give an account to their coach of what they ate during the day every evening for the first few weeks or longer. Some dieters will not eat certain foods because they will not want to report it to their diet coach. Youre struggling to complete other daily tasks in this program. You wont have to depend on your diet coach forever. All your struggles will get easier and easier as time goes on.