Weight Loss and Obesity Support Groups or Going it Alone?

Out of all the misconceptions and lies about ways to lose weight, the myth of will power is perhaps the most destructive. People fighting obesity hear it all the time: Excess weight equals weak will power. It's just not true. Certainly the ability to establish a goal and achieve it is part of weight loss, but that isn't will power.

Will power alone will not help you lose weight, and it certainly won't overcome a compulsive eating disorder. You also need a plan. Trusting will power to prevent overeating doesn't work if you haven't carefully examined all the situations you may find yourself in. Do you have a plan for when you eat out? How will you react when the boss treats the staff to doughnuts and coffee? How will you decline when people offer you food? If you rely on will power to see you through these types of situations without considering them until they're upon you, chances are good that you won't know how to react.

And what happens if you do "fail?" Many people blame themselves and feel guilty, or rebel against the restrictions their will power is imposing on them and binge. Then they feel guilty, and try again, and fail, and so on. It's a vicious cycle; one that's often seen in compulsive eating disorders.

Weight loss support groups have long been a part of successful weight loss programs. Many hospitals offer clinical weight loss support groups run by registered health care professionals, while others are strictly for-profit organizations. Obesity solutions vary widely from organization to organization, as do success rates. In fact, it's often hard to obtain the success rates from weight loss programs. Some groups prefer not to publish them—low success rates frighten off prospective customers.

Taking part in a weight loss support group can provide a sense of community and support that you won't get attempting to lose weight by yourself. These groups offer a place for people who share similar joys and trials about losing weight and recovering from bariatric surgery and look at changing behavior as motivation for losing weight. While the effectiveness of weight loss in a group as opposed to other treatments has not been proven, some people may find that a sense of community motivates them.

Some groups, however, do more harm than good. If the weight loss support group favors weight loss at any cost, including the use of fad diets and heavily restrictive diets, take heed. Obesity solutions should include behavior changes and a balanced diet to be effective over the long term.

Clinical weight loss programs are sometimes available through hospitals, and are run by qualified health care professionals who understand that weight loss is successful only if the weight is kept off. You have access to doctors, dieticians and other health care professionals. Behavior modification may be available to help maintain weight loss, although many people fall back on old habits when they leave the program. Support groups are highly recommended for people who are considering or recovering from bariatric surgery.

Non-clinical weight loss support groups are less likely to be led by health care professionals. Indeed, the group leader may have no health care experience at all. Many non-clinical companies require that you use their prepared foods and dietary supplements. Much of the individual effort is taken out of food preparation. Of course, such services are often expensive, and only work as long as you're on the program.

Online support is fairly new, and the effectiveness of this approach has yet to be determined. Some online support groups are simply chat lines, while others charge a fee and offer dietary advice, menu planning and access to online health care professionals. The advantage of such programs is the availability of 24-hour crisis help, a variety of menus and food suggestions, chat rooms made up of kindred spirits, and access to charts showing your progress. The disadvantage is the relative anonymity—it can keep people isolated when they need to go out and face the world.

Regardless of the type of support group you choose, satisfy all of your questions before joining. You may want to ask the following:

Will power alone, ultimately, is too vague a concept to help you lose weight and keep it off. Instead, you need to set specific goals and work towards them. List all the situations where your weight loss program will be at risk: at restaurants, at work, shopping, anything at all. Then brainstorm ways that you can react in those circumstances. If you've decided how to act ahead of time, you'll be better able to react to situations that threaten your weight loss goals.

Remember that you don't have to do this without support. Talk to your family, your friends, even your co-workers if you feel comfortable doing so, and explain what you're trying to do. Ask if they can help you achieve your goals by avoiding putting you in situations where you're tempted to cheat a bit. Most people will be willing and understanding.

If you do give in to temptation, learn how to forgive yourself immediately. This is easier said than done. Guilt is a powerful emotion. It's also one that often leads to compulsive eating. Eating that little extra on your lunch break can set off feelings of guilt that lead to an all-day eating binge. Instead, accept that you will have setbacks. You will slide back into old habits occasionally. That's fine. Try not to dwell on them.

The Japanese have a wonderful saying: Fall down seven times, get up eight. It means the obstacles on the way to a goal don't matter, nor do the number of times you falter along the way. What matters is that you keep going after every stumble.

Resources

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). (nd). Selecting a weight loss program.

Wing, R.R., & Tate, D.F. (2002, March 1). Behavior modification for obesity. Endotext.com.