Recent research has found that 72% of people have tried and failed to diet this year. We asked Jodie Relf a Weight Management and Sports Dietitian at XLS-MEDICAL how diets are effected, both positively and negatively by relationships.
Relationships on Female First
How can couples help each other to weight loss success?
It's been proven time and time again that a 'buddy system' and/or a great support network are important in a successful weight loss strategy. Having your buddy/support network living under the same roof as you can make this even more successful.
It means that there won't be one person in the house trying to make healthy decisions whilst the other is bringing temptation in to the house. When one of you is having a bad day and about to give in to cravings the other can be there to motivate and keep you on track.
Encouraging words and compliments from your partner will always make you feel great - what a great way to keep motivated.
Experimenting with new recipes and exercise regimes together could even help encourage you to spend some quality time together.
You can play to each other's strengths - if one of you is good at and enjoys cooking then they can take responsibility for preparing healthy meals, the other may be good at and enjoy exercising - they can take the lead in finding fun workouts/activities.
Are they just as able to help each other cheat (and why) when one or both has a goal?
Absolutely, if your partner is going to indulge then you are far more likely to give in and join them. If they decide they can't be bothered to go to the gym you may be more likely to skip that day too.
It may not always be deliberate. Food is often how we bond; date night often involves going out for a meal or indulging in a night of movies on the couch with a take-out, we also celebrate special occasions with a meal out - this can be a challenging behaviour to change but very important when trying to lose weight.
Your partner may even encourage you a little to get you to join in on their cheat as they will feel less guilty knowing you were a little naughty too.
What are the worst habits couples get into with regards to their food?
- Becoming sedentary and doing less; as a couple you no longer need to go out and mingle, suddenly it becomes easier to just spend the night in on the couch.
- We stop making time for exercise. When you're single you can get home from work, put your trainers on and head to the gym or out for a run but when we have partners we feel bad doing this instead of spending time with them and end up doing less exercise.
- Eating the same portion sizes; our genetics, shape, metabolism and physical activity all influence how much we actually need to eat. If you are matching your partner's portion sizes there is a chance you're eating more than what your body needs.
- You fall for your partner's cravings, it's normal to have food cravings and sometimes we will end up giving in to them (and occasionally that's ok). But if we're giving in to our own cravings and then joining our partners when they give in to theirs that's a double whammy of bad food choices.
If one is trying to lose weight and the other isn't is it fair to encourage them to make two different meals?
I think that the couple needs to discuss this beforehand and figure out what works for them. If the person who is trying to lose weight would find it challenging to cook two meals, one being less healthy and resisting temptation then that would not be very fair.
What would you say is the best diet for couples who want to lose weight together?
Individuals are constantly on the search for 'the best' diet. The truth is there is no one best diet - the best diet for you is the one that you find easy to adopt, fits in with your lifestyle and you feel is sustainable. Why not start off by making small changes, like cooking most of your meals from scratch and reducing your portion sizes once you've got this right then look at building on these changes.
What would you say to a couple who have tried again and again to lose weight together and have failed each time?
It isn't unusual sadly. Our own XLS MEDICAL research carried out this summer showed that less than a quarter of dieters see the mission through to achieving weight loss goals or the end of a programme. The most common tipping point is lack of motivation for 41% of people, followed by boredom with the food, difficulty of managing at work, time challenges, and stress in keeping the plan going.
So- I would say that before they embark on their next attempt they need to understand why every other attempt has failed. Were the changes they made unrealistic and not sustainable? Were they not ready for the change? Adding a clinically proven slimming aid in to your weight loss tool box to accelerate weight loss and drive motivation can help overcome these barriers. When changes in food consumption are hard to maintain for example, a product such as XLS MEDICAL might have a part to play in helping, as it reduces the breakdown and absorption into the body of dietary carbohydrates, sugar and fat by blocking some of the activity of various digestive enzymes.
Alongside that, if it means writing down what you did before and highlighting what didn't work before and why in order to figure out what you need to do differently then go for it.
Remember that we all lose weight at different rates - males tend to lose weight faster than females. It's important to remember this and not become despondent when one loses more weight than the other.
Make sure that you have a plan/strategy in place that you both agree with - we all like to approach weight loss in different ways for example some prefer to have a very structured meal plan whereas others prefer flexibility so it's important to approach this in a way that works for both of you.
If a couple reaches their target weight- what is your advice for keeping it off?
- Don't throw all of your healthy habits/changes out the window because you've achieved your goal - try and include them in your daily life.
- Keep the menu exciting - make a pact to try at least one new healthy recipe every week, go grocery shopping together and keep an eye out for new healthy snacks and/or ingredients.
- Schedule regular date nights around a physical activity e.g. going for a long walk or hike.
- Set long term goals like running a race together - always having something to work towards helps you stay focused and on track.
- Make an effort to complement each other - if your partner keeps hearing how good you think they look they will be more motivated to keep it that way.
What are your thoughts in TV shows that encourage couples to lose weight together?
I think the programmes are great in highlighting how much of an impact your partner can have on your weight loss efforts - either good or bad. However I think it also makes people believe that they won't ever be successful in trying to lose weight together and will only achieve great results if they spend x amount of weeks apart. In reality the message couples should take from the show is that they can have a very negative impact on their partner's weight loss attempts and they need to work together as a team in order to succeed. If we look at losing weight for love as an example after 10 weeks apart the couples are re-united and then followed up in 3 months, truth be told the beginning weeks are often the easiest as it is when you are most determined and motivated it's the long term that becomes challenging especially as your rate of weight loss will often slow down - and the amazing thing is that these couples still achieve fantastic results even when they are back together - showing us that weight loss whilst living under the same roof is in fact achievable.
I think it is very important to encourage couples to lose weight together but both need to be in a place where they are ready to change or their chances of succeeding will not be very high.
XLS-Medical is a range of clinically proven slimming aids that support weight loss alongside healthy lifestyle changes. All XLS-MEDICAL products are clinically proven and are certified Medical Devices IIb.
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