I found it helps me a lot to have someone I have to answer to every day. We talk on the phone and say what we've eaten and such and it helps knowing someone's going to call me on it if I screw up. I've gotten to where now I'm much more accountable to me because I've seen what I lost and don't want to screw it up, but in the beginning and while sitting on a plateau for a few weeks it helped keep me on track.
I don't have a buddy. When I first started trying to lose weight, I was so afraid I wouldn't succeed that I didn't tell anyone what I was doing, not even my closest friends. I hate to fail, but even more, I hate to fail publicly. The only person who knew was my SO, and I only told him because there was no getting around it--when I went to the gym, he would have wondered where I was going every day and why I was coming home so sweaty. It also would be pretty hard to hide all the food measuring, etc. Even after I had noticeably lost weight, I was still really uncomfortable talking about it; one of my friends mentioned it in a professional, group setting and I just about had a heart attack (my face flushed bright red, so much so that people commented on that--not helping!)
But I can see where having a buddy would be really helpful. It's probably why I spend so much time on this forum. I do have a personal trainer and when I've gotten off-plan and am trying to get back on, he'll sometimes ask me what I've eaten; it is helpful to have him do that. The support and encouragement I've gotten from my trainer has been key to my success.
The only person who knew at the beginning was my weight loss buddy for the same reason. All the other times I tried I'd give up and hated telling everyone.
I have no buddy, per se, but as soon as people noticed that I was losing weight, they all asked me how I did it, etc. While no one appears to have taken any of my advice (which was stay away from processed foods, count calories and fat, and exercise more), I did get the opportunity to talk about it.
At first, I didn't tell anyone but my family that I was on a diet. I wish I had a buddy, in fact I wish that buddy was my DD. She lost 15 pounds along with me (although her buddy is her best friend). But she gained it all back. She's the kind of girl that hears what Mom says and does the opposite in most cases, and it hurts me to think she doesn't take my advice. So I tend to keep my mouth shut around her when I would much rather talk about things with her. Those rare occasions when she starts the conversation are great!
So my real buddies are here at 3FC. When I need advice or support, I come here.
I used to, but she moved to Montreal and I moved to Victoria and....and....and...wahhhh growing up sucks sometimes. I get to see her on Friday though!!! AHHH!!!!!
No, I've never had a weight loss buddy. I've always been embarrassed by the fact that I want to lose weight. (I'm the type of person to route for the "outcast" and I sometimes felt that wanting to be thin instead of just being "bigger" meant I was betraying fat people. Don't ask me to explain my logic.)
I think that was also because I used to want to lose weight for vainity sack: I just thought I was huge (even when I weigh 132lbs, it wasn't good enough). Now that I want to mainly get healthy, and lose a little weight to do so, I think I'd like to have a weight loss buddy. Especially once I know I'm ready to fully commit and stop my disordered eating.
This site has kind of become my weight loss buddy - it's just that I have loads of them! Only my boyfriend and my parents know I'm actively trying to shift weight. I haven't told my friends because most of them are very slim and would be bored because they don't get it - can't blame them. One of my friends is a total saboteur and I'm not getting into that again. Another friend is very large - 25+ stone (sorry, don't know lbs) and I always feel uneasy talking to her about how I feel about my weight because she'd kill to be mine. She is actually incredibly supportive and has never made me feel like I'm complaining about nothing so it's in my head but there it is.
I like coming here and I particularly like this forum. I think that when you're a bit overweight but are within normal range or slightly above it people are less patient with how this makes you feel. Everybody here understands that you can be just as unhappy with an extra 20 as an extra 75 so these are my buddies
You got that right Doughnut, it IS such a struggle to lose weight no matter how much you have to lose and it can become all-consuming just the same. Just makes one even more sympathetic to our larger friends on 3FC, who have a much longer struggle ahead of them but who are so awesome for doing it.
As far as a weightloss buddy, I half-heartedly tried getting the ladies at work interested in a little club, but no interest there. My best friend is 6' tall and a size 2, naturally not from any manner of dieting or exercising..though I prefer being a bit curvy myself..we do look rather funny together as I'm so short and more round
So I come here as well every day to focus on my weightloss efforts.
I don't have a weightloss buddy but I wish I did. I used to work out with a friend but she gave up after just a couple of weeks. And now, it seems that everyone around me is tiny.
3FC is my weightloss buddy... Over the years I've had some but they come and go, same with exercise buddies. In the past few years since registering here it's strictly been 3FC... I now exercise for the most part on my own unless someone is as the gym and we are exercising the same body part, oh and I forgot I do have running buddies and a swimming buddy...