Get Slim With A Little Help From Your Friend

Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Article Date: 05 Jul 2006 - 0:00 PDT

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Reaching for that gallon of ice cream? Reach for your computer mouse instead and do what many successful dieters do to stick to their diet plan: buddy up to slim down.

Clinical studies show getting social support by "Buddying Up" increases weight loss success by encouraging dieters to stick to their diet and lifestyle improvement plans. More and more dieters are finding their Buddy Support network online at newly launched BuddySlim.com, a free social networking website dedicated to weight loss and healthy living. Much more than just another online dieting message board, BuddySlim.com is designed like MySpace, where dieters can create their own homepage complete with an online journal blog, favorite buddies, and interactive weight tracker. Better yet, BuddySlim has added security and privacy features so users can choose how much information they would like to share with others. Since its launch in January, users have already lost over 7,800 pounds.

For a limited time, BuddySlim.com is offering a free handbook of buddy weight loss strategies, "Your Step-by-Step Guide to Buddying Up and Losing Weight in 3 Weeks."

"Whether you're just starting out or need help with your present diet, buddying up is a very effective weight loss strategy that is often overlooked because people are too shy or scared to open up about their weight in person. BuddySlim makes it easy for people to team up with other dieters, who have similar goals and challenges, to gain the support and understanding needed to keep them on track," says Dr. Marc Lawrence, physician, nutritionist, and founder of BuddySlim.com.

In his new step-by-step guide, Dr. Marc details buddy weight loss tips and strategies: "To be successful with a diet buddy, you need to learn about proven strategies. Thousands of BuddySlim.com users are already using these strategies to buddy up and lose weight together."

Dr. Marc outlines his three-week Buddy Weight Loss Plan:

Week 1: Understand You

First, examine your motives. Why are you trying to lose weight? What does food represent to you? Do you feel supported in your weight loss goals?

Next, look at your history. What diets have you tried in the past and how successful were they? What were the reasons you think your diets failed?

Finally, review your strengths and weaknesses. You'll need to be aware of your pitfalls as you go forward and you can use your strengths to help guide you to success.

Week 2: Buddy Up

Here's a brief look at what Buddy Support can do for you:

-- A place for advice

-- Make yourself more accountable

-- Get your questions answered

-- Acknowledge your fears

-- Never feel you are on your own

-- Support and encouragement

Give and you shall receive. It is true. You get as much as you give. When you help your buddies out you are also helping yourself.

Week 3: Boost Your Self-Confidence

Remind yourself that you are a wonderful person. Envision your success and you will achieve your success. Remember the only limits are the ones you set. Dr. Marc outlines simple, effective strategies, such as these, to help strengthen your self-image and get the most out of buddy support. When you feel good about yourself, you become more successful not just in weight loss but in your everyday life.

To receive your FREE handbook, "Your Step-by-Step Guide to Buddying Up and Losing Weight in 3 Weeks," visit http://www.BuddySlim.com and download your copy today.

Marc Lawrence, MD, is a board certified Physician Nutrition Specialist and Emergency Medicine physician who specializes in weight loss, nutrition and healthy cooking. He is a graduate of Cornell Medical School and is residency trained at Stanford and Harvard. Dr. Marc is founder of BuddySlim.com and also teaches Gourmet Rx cooking classes in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, visit http://www.BuddySlim.com.

BuddySlim.com
http://www.BuddySlim.com