There are many people you can choose from to help keep you accountable for your weight loss goals. You can choose your significant other, a close friend or family member (such as your sister or your mom,) or an in-person or virtual weight management support group. You can also choose someone who specializes in weight loss and has the knowledge and expertise to help you troubleshoot challenges and celebrate successes. Friendly reminder 😉 – This is exactly what we do in our online weight loss coaching programs.
What’s most important is that you choose an accountability partner who you can trust and be honest with. If you’re feeling stuck, ask yourself these questions about the person you are considering to be your accountability partner:
✅ Does this person support me and my goals without judgment or shame?
A good accountability partner should encourage you and ask tough questions (at times), but in a proactive way instead of shaming or criticizing you for setbacks.
✅ Is this person reliable and consistent?
Accountability won’t help you reach your goals if it’s sporadic or unpredictable. Try to choose a person who is reliable and can consistently check in with you to discuss setbacks and successes.
✅ Does this person understand and/or respect your approach to weight loss?
There are literally thousands of diets, programs, and strategies that you can use to lose weight. Choose an accountability buddy whose philosophies around nutrition, fitness, stress management, sleep, and overall health align with your own beliefs strategies.
✅ Can this person provide both encouragement and tough love when needed?
The best accountability partners are the ones who can be honest with you 100% of the time. Sometimes the people who love you the most aren’t the best accountability partners for your weight loss journey because it adds strain to your relationship when they are required to have tough conversations with you. Choose someone who can be honest with you and have tough conversations when needed.
✅ Are you comfortable being open and honest with this person?
Accountability only works if you can be fully transparent with your accountability partner. From setbacks to successes to struggles, choosing someone without fear of judgement or embarrassment is key.
Ultimately, there is no right or wrong answer in regard to the best person to help you achieve your weight loss goals. For some people, it will be a close family member or friend. For others, it will be an independent professional (like a doctor, coach, etc.) who is fully vested in your weight loss journey. What matters most is that the person will be there for you through the inevitable highs and lows of a weight loss journey.
How to Keep Yourself Accountable for Weight Loss
As wonderful as it is to have an accountability partner, ultimately, the goal is for you to hold yourself accountable! At Strong with Sarah, it’s never our goal to keep clients for years and years because they rely on us to maintain their weight loss. Our goal is to teach our clients the habits and skills necessary to lose weight AND maintain their results on their own long-term. That means learning the skills to exercise and eat healthy meals (most of the time) that you can do (without telling anyone else) for the next 5 months and 5 years!
