Beyond Diet and Exercise: The Importance of Support

Making changes to improve your health, wellbeing and your weight takes commitment. One single approach simply isn’t enough for sustainable, long-term change. You need to consider the three fundamental components of successful weight management – your dietary intake, your physical activity and changing your behaviours.

Research shows that having more social support from family and friends makes you more likely to engage in a positive diet and exercise behaviours. One such study showed that more than 70% of women who experience the most frequent support from friends and family were considered ‘very successful’ at losing weight at the 6-month mark of their journey.

Support Yourself Along Your Journey

You have the power to be your most trusted supporter or your most dependable saboteur!

Take the time to show kindness and understanding to yourself, acknowledge that you have already taken the first step to making a lifestyle change just by beginning to think about it. Then become a fearless warrior who believes in you, and never, ever gives up.

Offer yourself the opportunity for education around positive food and physical activity behaviours, and then set yourself a realistic goal.

Once you set your goal, be committed to taking care of yourself. Get plenty of sleep, take time to do the things you enjoy and remember to notice the changes you achieve other than weight loss – improved self esteem, reduced measurements, changes to the foods you eat and your energy levels.

Research tells us that our own perceptions can drive behaviour change, so if you notice the changes and think positively about your progress, you are more likely to keep moving forward.

Create A Supportive Environment

When it comes to changing your choices around food and physical activity, and then maintaining these changes, there are what we refer to as barriers and facilitators.

• Barriers can include family and time commitments, lack of social support, lack of motivation and enjoyment relating to the diet and lifestyle changes you are making.
• Facilitators can include, high levels of social support, seeing weight loss results early, having the ability to be more adaptable, and another facilitator to weight management has been shown to be feeling like you are a part of a healthy lifestyle or weight loss program – such as Jenny Craig!

It’s a long-term change that you’re trying to achieve, so put the support in place to keep you on track with your healthy behaviour change. Develop new friendships around healthy behaviours and access new networks that support a healthy lifestyle (such as established walking or hiking clubs).

Think about the type of physical activities that can easily become a part of your everyday life and can be maintained in the long term.

Get The Support Of Others

Be intentional and choose the right people who can support you on your journey to positive change.

It takes effort and commitment to lose weight and prevent weight regain, so gather those people who can give you long-term support. Nurture existing positive friendships, find a local support group, join online groups or networks, and look for support from within your family and even from your work colleagues

Additional support might come from your local community in the form of walking, other exercise, or gardening groups. You will be well supported on a weight management program like Jenny Craig with one-on-one coaching sessions with your own personal Weight Loss Coach.

Lean On Your Jenny Craig Weight Loss Coach

Your Jenny Craig Weight Loss Coach is there to support you from the very start in helping you set a realistic goal. Then they will support you in ensuring that you follow the meal plan designed specifically for weight loss, to help you get the best success from your menu.

Your Coach will help you plan physical activities in your week and to problem solve. Use your regular weigh-in sessions with your Coach as an opportunity to monitor and review your progress towards your goals.

They will keep you accountable,  motivated and when it all feels too hard, to get you back on track!

There are so many reasons to take proactive steps towards healthier choices and a healthy weight – it will help you to experience improved quality of life, and it can reduce your risk of developing  various diseases like type 2 diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, depression and dementia.

So speak to a Jenny Craig Coach to get started on your weight loss journey today! 

Danielle Bowman, Dietitian

Accredited Practising Dietitian

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Danielle is an Accredited Practising Dietitian, and the Nutrition and Program Manager at Jenny Craig. She has a Bachelor of Applied Science and a Master of Nutrition and Dietetics, both from Deakin University. She has worked in clinical nutrition, corporate food industry settings, as well as in private practice. She’s passionate about guiding people towards diet and lifestyle choices that bring benefits to their health and wellbeing.