Relationships/Dating

Support From a Spouse Does Make a Difference

Receiving support from a spouse or significant other does make a difference in your weight loss journey. Support can come in many ways, whether it’s someone listening to your challenges and fears along the way, a partner to exercise with, a commitment to keeping high calorie and tempting foods out of the house, or simply a person to cheer you on and tell you what a great job you are doing. Every ounce of support gives you the strength to keep moving forward with your efforts and makes the challenge a little bit easier along the way. When you are not receiving the support you need, the best thing to do is simply to ask for it.

Resources

To learn more about relationships during weight loss, check out these titles from Amazon.com:

Food and Love by Gary Smalley

Matt Hoover's Guide to Life, Love, and Losing Weight by Matt Hoover (Winner of the Biggest Lose)

BBW can.t find SM: Plus-size e-dating ain.t easy

image courtesy of article/Christie Hyde

Plus-size singles say their weight makes online dating difficult, reports MSNBC.

Singles who have tried sites like Match.com, eHarmony, or Plentyoffish.com with no luck are now trying dating sites such as MoretoLove.com, where they know men are looking for larger women and aren't required to include their weight or size in profiles.

Laura Triplett, an assistant professor at California State University who specializes in fat discrimination, advises women to focus on other characteristics in their profiles. Other dating sites that cater to the plus-size market are BBPeopleMeet.com and BBWRomance.com.

To read the full article, please visit BBW can't find SM: Plus-size e-dating ain't easy.

Was this article helpful? If so, comment below and let other users know what you think.

Resources

Check out these titles on Amazon.com:

Food and Love, by Gary Smalley

My Other Body: A Memoir of Love, Fat, Life, and Death, by Ann Pai

Are Your Friends Making You Fat?

For years, philosophers and sociologists have theorized that behaviors . both positive and negative . can be contagious. Now, new research is showing that health habits often pass between members of the same social circle.

Analyzing data collected for a heart study, a pair of social scientists discovered a social basis for healthy habits: People who surround themselves with happy, active individuals are likely to be happy and active as well. The same is true of unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, unhappiness, and obesity.

Researchers noted that when one person in the study became obese, his or her friends were 57 percent more likely to also become obese. In some cases, behaviors were even passed across two degrees of separation: even if a friend of a friend became obese, participants in the study were 20 percent more likely to become obese as well.

To read the full story, please visitÂ Are Your Friends Making You Fat?

Was this article helpful? If so, comment below and let other users know what you think.

Resources

To learn more about this topic, check out these titles on Amazon.com:

What Happy People Know: How the New Science of Happiness Can Change Your Life for the Better, byÂ Dan Baker andÂ Cameron Stauth

The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want, byÂ Sonja Lyubomirsky

Be ready for changes in your relationships

Don't be surprised if your decision to undergo bariatric surgery sparks changes in your relationships with others. Though some of your friends and family members are sure to support your decision and be happy for the changes you are making, there are others who may feel jealous of, threatened by, or uncomfortable about your decision.

These friends and family members who inadvertently or directly try to hamper your success are known as "intimate saboteurs." Building a support group of positive individuals is important in dealing with negative reactions from others.

To read the full article, please visitÂ Be ready for changes in your relationships.

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Resources

To learn more about relationships, check out these titles on Amazon.com:

Relationship Rescue: A Seven-Step Strategy for Reconnecting with Your Partner, by Phillip C. McGraw, PhD

The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate, by Gary Chapman

Looking for love, 650-pound virgin loses 410

photo courtesy of MSNBC.com

Overweight for most of his life, David Smith found himself, at 650 pounds, friendless, jobless, and afraid to go out in public. He realized he had to change his life or his obesity would kill him. Though he contemplated suicide, he decided instead to reach out to a local TV station for help. David's story caught the attention of personal trainer Chris Powell.

Together, they devised a program that would allow David to incorporate small changes into his schedule and start losing the weight. Just 26 months later, David had lost over 400 pounds. His story became the subject of a TLC documentary called The 650-pound Virgin.

To read his story and watch a video of David on the Today show, please visitÂ Looking for love, 650-pound virgin loses 410.

Was this article helpful? If so, comment below and let other users know what you think.

Resources:

To learn more about obesity and relationships, check out these titles from Amazon.com:

Matt Hoover's Guide to Life, Love, and Losing Weight, by Matt Hoover

Food and Love, by Gary Smalley

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