It's the Best with a Buddy
Chief Dieter
Plan Z Diet
“Most people put all their effort into finding the right diet or exercise program, but don’t put any energy into creating a support and accountability system, and too often, that’s where the devil lies,” says Adam Shafran, DC, an exercise physiologist and chiropractor who is the author of You Can’t Lose Weight Alone: The Partner Power Weight Loss Program.
Dr. Shafran may have part of the answer, but in my opinion he’s leaving out the best parts.
I agree that to diet successfully it’s good to have structure. We built a lot of structure into the Plan Z Diet. We give people the coaching and education they need. Instead of telling people what to do, we also tell them why. That’s the most important part of the Plan Z Diet. Adults need to learn why so they can apply the learning properly and with conviction. Most of our Plan Z dieters diet alone so we have a major league support team, too.
I am still amazed at how happy people are who get the opportunity to try the Plan Z Diet with a buddy. The buddy most often is a spouse or significant other. Sometimes the buddy doesn’t live with the other dieter and in even other cases they are living across the country from each other. I get emails all the time with stories of the benefits of buddy dieting on the Plan Z Diet. So here are a few of those stories with hints on successful dieting with a buddy.
Shop Together
I get notes from men who say they haven’t been in a grocery store in years; decades even. When they shop with their wives they are amazed. They have learned to read labels. They are astonished at how many things in a grocery store have sugar or high fructose corn syrup in them (the answer is over 80% of the products do). I didn’t ask them to shop together. It just happens and they are finding it to be a pleasant experience and they are even trying new vegetables!
Cook Together
Sometimes one partner plays sous chef to the other one being the master chef. In my case that means my husband does some of the chopping. He’s become quite adept with a chef’s knife and has his dicing down pat. Dinner comes together faster that way.
One guy in Colorado told me that before Plan Z he never even set foot in the kitchen until dinner was done. His wife did all the cooking. After being on Plan Z he got so into cooking that his kids surprised him at Christmas with a whole new set of knives. Now, they can give him culinary gifts for birthdays, too.
Another way to split up duty is one dieter cooks and the other one cleans up. My husband makes me sit and watch TV while he cleans up and then he brings me dessert. Most often he rustles up a bowl of Plan Z Diet raspberry ice cream. He loves that stuff and I don’t mind eating it most days either.
Weigh Ins
This is one way to hold each other accountable. Weigh yourself and report out. I have heard of many a man doing the happy dance in his bathroom after he gets off the scale. Just the vision of that makes me smile.
Compare Water Intake
We suggest that dieters drink 100 oz of water per day. That takes getting used to for most so it’s a good idea to check in with each other around noon and see how it’s going. I try to get my 100 oz before dinner so I don’t have to drink too much too close to bedtime. Your body gets used to the water, but the first week or so you’re in the potty a lot during the night. We did an informal study and found that those who hit 100 oz consistently lost 30% more weight than those who drank less than 70 ounces. That’s a big difference!
Make Things in Batches
Many a dieting buddy pair take some time on a Sunday and cook up a couple of recipes for things that can be done in big batches. Things like chili or soup. That way you have a go-to lunch all ready to go. You want to mix things up though. Don’t let your body get bored eating the same things over and over again. If you do, you risk losing less weight. It’s weird, but it can happen. Take advantage of your freezer too. Many a recipe freezes well in small containers that can fit in your lunch box.
Rate the Food
You can both go online and rate the recipes for Plan Z. Or you can just compare tasting notes. Buddies who live cross country do this all the time. Some ladies in Canada chatted every day by email or text about what they were eating and what they recommended.
Motivate Each Other
Everyone has a bad day on the diet. You should not expect to lose everyday, so be there for each other. But no cheating. Cheating on a diet doesn’t hurt anyone except you. This is your time to make yourself a priority.
Be Public About It
Your buddy might be someone who cares about you but doesn’t live with you, so you can be pen pals of some sort. Or even consider posting about your progress on Facebook. Or Tweet your progress.
Wanna do Plan Z with a Buddy?
Give us a call in the office.You’ll get special pricing and the fun of having your own personal support network.
Share the love. Share the success. Share your dieting experiences; especially if they are good ones.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/
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