Ladies, We Need Support - (and I don't mean just from our bras!)

Like a good bra, we all need support. People who will lift us up, help to point us in the right direction and make us look and feel good about ourselves. When your support system lets you down and you feel saggy and draggy...you know it's time to find new support.

Having a good support system is vital in your efforts to lose weight and change your lifestyle. You need to surround yourself with positive people who will share in your victories, encourage and motivate you when you need it, and never....let me say that again...never put you down when you mess up.

I have been very fortunate and want to go ahead and thank everyone who has been there for me. Thanks to my husband who first encouraged me to seek out a doctor who would help me with my medical issues. My husband has been willing to step out of his box and try new foods without complaining (much), he always tells me that I'm beautiful - even when I don't feel it, he has made a point of noticing my efforts and letting me know how proud he is. Thank you to my kids, who have not once made fun of me when trying out a new excercise. My son told me he will be my personal motivator when I think I'm too tired to push any further - and he has! He has gone to the gym with me, took over the cooking for a whole week - making sure everything was healthy!
Thank you to my mom, who has ALWAYS believed in me, even when I haven't believed in myself. Thank you to my co-workers. You may not know it, but you have been a big inspiration. I honestly don't know if I could have made it this far without the support of my co-workers. They have cheered me on, right from the beginning. Thank you to the people from my online support group. It has been great hearing your success stories, and life-saving to know I'm not alone.

As you can see from above, there are so many places you can seek support. My advice is to surround yourself with positive, encouraging people. Human emotion is contagious. I promise, if you are around people with a positive, optimistic outlook on life...you will catch it. Your attitude will change. You will start hearing yourself say, "I CAN DO IT!"

On the other hand, if you are around people who complain, whine, and just are generally miserable, it will bring you down. Try and stay away from those type people. I call them emotional vampires. They will drain you of any positive, happy, emotion you might have and bring you down where they are. Believe or not, these people are happy being miserable and they want you to be just as miserable as them.

**If your family doesn't encourage and support you in your efforts, you will need to look elsewhere. Face it, we all need positive affirmation. Most towns have some type of support group you can join. See if your location has a TOPS (taking off pounds sensibly), Weight Watchers, or Overeater Anonymous. Usually, these type groups meet once a week. If your location doesn't have one of these, why don't you start your own group?

**Online support groups are great as well. They offer the anonymity that some people like. If they don't really know you, they can't hurt you. You can post/write whatever you want...bad days, good days, victories and someone will always be there to write back. They are also a great source of inspiration and new ideas.

**Start a blog. It's a great way to tell your story. You know...sometimes your greatest supporter is yourself. Of course, it works both ways...sometimes your biggest enemy is yourself. Which side are you gonna pick?

**Let everyone know what you are doing. Ask them for their support. Tell your co-workers, let your neighbors know (if you are close), tell your friends. Believe me, you will quickly find out which ones are going to be your best supporters and motivators.

**Find a chubby buddy. This is someone who is at the same point you are. Someone you can call when you really want to eat that piece of chocolate cake, but need someone to talk you out of it. Maybe its someone you can go to the gym with so you don't feel like you stick out.

Don't ever think that you are embarking on this journey alone. You are not. Look around. There are so many of us out there that are considered overweight or obese. You can't tell by looking which ones have started changing their lives or which ones want to, but just don't have the know how or the courage to do so.

Well, I need to get off my soapbox for now. Gotta get ready for work.
Don't ya just love Fridays!