How To Talk To Friends About Weight Loss

Robert Ziltzer, MD, FACP, FAAP

You’ve seen friends chase diets, repeating the cycle only to regain the weight they’ve lost. You yourself may have experienced the same frustration.

It’s a common story.

But what if I told you, surrounding yourself with people who are losing weight will help you on your journey.

Is Weight Loss Contagious?

A 2007 study showed that someone with a friend or family member with obesity was 57% more likely to develop obesity themselves.

But just as we know that weight gain is contagious, so is weight loss.

Losing weight is easier when you have the support of those around you. The myth that someone can lose weight on their own is widespread. The chances of success are far greater when under the care of a medical weight loss professional.

How to Suggest Weight Loss to a Loved One

Here are some words to help your friends and family get professional help for weight loss:

1. “Let me know when you’re serious about losing weight.”
2. “I used to think I could do it on my own too.”
3. “When you’re ready to lose weight, a weight loss center is the place to go.”
4. “I’m under the care of a medical doctor/nurse practitioner, therefore it’s safe.”
5. “I learned that it wasn’t my fault. When I started treating it as a medical problem, I finally found success.”
6. “Do you want help with your weight?”

Obesity As A Disease

Finding disarming words to say is the best way to reduce defensiveness in others. Cancer used to be a shameful disease that people felt was their own fault. Now people who get treatment for cancer are heroes. Those who get professional help for obesity are also heroes!

This is How You Lose the Weight, Once and For All

If you’re ready to say goodbye to quick fixes that never last? And you’re serious about losing the weight for good? We’re the experts you can trust to guide you through a weight loss program that will not only take the weight off but keep it off.
Schedule a consultation with us today.