Almost everyone at some point in their lives has made a pledge to get into shape and to lose weight. However, while so many of us have at some point set out with this intention, the number of people who have been successful in this attempt is much lower.
So what's the reason for this? Some people will say it's genetic and that they don't have the right genes for losing weight or gaining muscle, and others will point to time or lifestyle factors. Whatever the confounding factors though, the thing that prevents a diet (as long as it's a healthy and normal diet attempt) from working always boils down to this: the person didn't stick at it long enough. And the same is true with training programs.
There are many reasons for this - most of which are psychological and would take a long time to solve, but in many cases there is also a very large social element which has a lot to do with whether or not we manage to stick to our training or diet. Here we will look at how this comes into play, and what we can do about it.
Social Eating and Drinking
Most people I know put on weight when they begin a new relationship, and I understand this process because it happened to be to a degree when I was younger. The main reason for this is simply that I now eat a lot more chocolate or cake - sometimes I'll buy my girlfriend a box of chocolates and of course she'll want to share it, and other times she'll suggest that we have something nice for pudding during our evening in and to refuse would be a little antisocial. Here there is a social pressure to eat more sweets than I normally would, and this is on top of the usually urges I might get during the day. Now I'm eating when I crave a chocolate, and when she craves one.
Likewise in groups this can be bad - and of course many of us will drink alcohol, or we will share cake or something to eat where again refusing would be seen as being the 'party pooper'.
So what's the solution? Well partly of course it's simply being aware of this problem and then using your willpower to refuse regardless of how it makes you come across in the group. At the same time though it's also a matter of making sure that everyone knows you're on a diet and of explaining to them why you want to lose weight and what that entails. When they understand this it will be much easier for them to accept when you refuse to eat something sweet. The other solution is to just be really strict with yourself the rest of the time and to save your rewards for when you're in company.
The Plus Side of Friends
Friends and family aren't all bad though, and they can actually sometimes help you to lose weight or get in shape by giving you the moral support that you need. To benefit from this, try and get your friends and family to join in with your new health regime and this way you'll help them too.
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