Family and friends are often responsible for deviations and deviations from the diet that hinder weight loss.
- According to a new study from the University of Surrey, family and loved ones can sabotage your weight loss journey.
- Researchers claim that social support can have negative effects that promote deviations and sprains.
- For the researchers, it would be interesting to make interventions with relatives to help them show more solidarity with the person on the diet.
If you’re on a diet to shed extra pounds, beware of family and friends. A study, conducted by researchers at the University of Surrey (United Kingdom), reveals that loved ones can adopt behaviors and attitudes that sabotage attempts to lose weight.
Weight gain: those around you can sabotage the regime’s efforts
After reviewing various studies carried out on the impact of social support in the field of health, and more specifically weight loss, the British scientific team noticed that it was far from always positive and beneficial. . According to them, the environment can be at the origin of “sabotage” and eating behaviors that compromise the diet or the follow-up of a healthier diet.
“Weight loss often leads to changes, ranging from giving a person more confidence to changing the social dynamics in their relationships. Many do not appreciate such changes and may, consciously or unconsciously, try to derail the a person’s attempts to lose weight in order to keep things as they are”explains Jane Ogden, professor of health psychology and lead author of the study, in a communicated.
Extra pounds can also come from well-meaning loved ones
Sisters-in-law/brothers-in-law, childhood friends or envious colleagues are not the only enemies of your silhouette, you must also be wary of well-meaning relatives, according to the study published in Current Obesity Reports. And in the first place, the “feeders”. These individuals for whom food is a sign of love or status, lead people who are satiated or seeking to reduce their caloric intake to eat more than they would like.
Relatives who provide unwavering support are also to be feared. Scientists have noticed that some friends or family members can collude with the dieter and then also support behaviors that are not consistent with the weight loss goals set.
“People seek to lose weight for a number of reasons, whether for their overall health or to feel better about themselves. The support of friends and family can be an invaluable tool in helping people achieve their goals, but sometimes their loved ones thwart their efforts by tempting them with unhealthy foods or acting as a barrier to adopting a healthier lifestyle.”warns Jane Ogden. “We need to explore this area further to develop interventions that could target family and friends and help them be more supportive of those they are about to lose weight in”concludes the expert.
