Last week we talked about the first step in making lasting changes to your eating – commitment. If you missed it, I recommend you click here and read it before reading this post. Now that we’ve laid the foundation for making changes to our eating, we must talk about the next step – getting support and accountability.
When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Gets Support
If commitment to a goal is the foundation of a house, then support and accountability would be the framing of a house. If the support and accountability is not there or if it’s weak, then the whole house will fall down. Your changes won’t last if you have little to no support or accountability, no matter how strong your commitment is to your goal.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Changes won’t last if you have no support or accountability, no matter how strongly you’re committed @platewithcait” quote=”Changes won’t last if you have no support or accountability, no matter how strongly you’re committed @platewithcait” theme=”style5″]
We all need support when we’re doing something challenging. We especially need support when we’re trying to build healthy eating habits.
Have you ever tried making a change to your eating when no one else in your household feels the conviction as you do? Or when the people around you fight the changes you’re trying to make?
Nearly impossible to make the change, right? You can make a lasting change without support or accountability; it will just be fifty times harder to do so.
So, if you want to make it easier for yourself, then find a group of people to support you and encourage you towards your goal. As the saying goes, no man is an island.
Support vs. Accountability
With support, you can find the strength to keep going when life throws you a curveball. You can also find hope when circumstances make you feel hopeless. Support can come from one person, but often comes from a group of people.
If you live with someone(s) who is negative towards your eating changes, then you need to find others who will be supportive of the changes. Negativity from others, especially when it’s your family, can be harmful to any change you want to make. So, all the more important to build a support group to combat those Negative Nancies.
With accountability, you can find help staying on track to reach your goal(s). Accountability often comes from one person. This is because accountability is more personal in that you share your struggles and obstacles with that person. An accountability partner is someone who helps you overcome anything preventing you from reaching your goal.
I recommend finding a support group and an accountability partner.
But, if you can only choose one then that’s quite alright. Just choose whether you need a support group or accountability partner more, depending on your situation and personality.
Where to Find Support and Accountability
If you’re looking for an accountability partner, think of someone you know now who you trust enough to share your struggles and obstacles with. Choose someone who has a similar goal to yours, someone you feel comfortable enough to be honest with.
If you’re looking for a support group, you could gather a group of your friends who have similar goals to yours. You could also search for Facebook groups specific to the goal you want to reach. Below are a few different Facebook groups…
Journey To Lose It- 2018 Weight Loss Support Group
Fitsister’s Health/Fitness Tribe! Motivation and Support!
Healthy Eating Lifestyle Support Group
Nourished and Prosperous Business Women
Just a friendly reminder, you don’t have to follow these steps. This is just to help you make eating changes that will last.
So, if you don’t think you need to commit to your goal, or find support or accountability, then go ahead and try the way you think will work. If your way doesn’t work, then humor me by trying these steps. Maybe it works for you, maybe it doesn’t.
The goal here is for you to try a different way of making changes to your eating to see if it works for you.
Next week we’ll talk about figuring out what healthy eating change to make first.
Have you made changes to your eating that have lasted? If you have, comment below with the ways that have worked for you!
It may be as simple as “I just did it” or as complex as working with professionals to help make changes. Neither way is wrong. The only ways that are wrong are the ones that don’t help you make eating changes that last.
I think support and accountability are often overlooked as keys to changing a behavior. I appreciate the differentiation between support and accountability that you provided. It\’s helpful to see how they differ!
You’re so right, Shannon! And I realized recently that I had support in keeping my goals but didn’t have accountability, which is why I added the differentiation between the two. Very convicting!