While achieving your weight loss goal may be an individual and personal journey, support from those closest around you can make all the difference between reaching your goal weight and not. Furthermore, family support is fundamental for long-term, sustainable lifestyle changes. What is more, everyone benefits!

Tips to get the family onside:

• Let your family know of your weight loss goals and that they are important to you. Tell them how much you value their support.
• Prepare healthy alternatives of family favourites.
• Make healthy meals that everyone will enjoy.
• Involve kids by getting them involved in the decision making process, shopping, preparation and cooking of the meal.
• Encourage family outings that are active and nutritious.
• When out on your daily walk or exercise routine, ask family to join you or join in with their activities. Alternatively, start a team sport with your family.

Goals Beyond the Scale

If you have set a goal for losing weight-great! You are off to a positive start. Having a clear goal is crucial for long-term success. It allows you to measure your progress, stay motivated and celebrate your achievements.

Losing weight is more than a number on the scales and by losing weight you are also improving many other important aspects in your life. Here are a few:

• Reduced dress size. Measure yourself once a month and see your centimetres shrinking away.
•  Improved overall health. By losing weight you are significantly reducing your risk of developing cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabtetes, high blood pressurem some types of cancer as well as asthma.
• Improved fitness. Everyday task will become easier, even getting out of bed will become easier as you will have more energy and stamina. Losing weight and becoming fitter means less puffing at simple tasks such as climbing stairs. Set yourself some future goals such as a 5 km run and start preparing for this.
• Reduced stress and coping strategies.
• Improved sleep.

You may have already set some goals or have dreamt of achieving certain goals. Start acting and stop dreaming because with small achievable goals, you can achieve your main goal.

Here are some goals you may have thought about:

• Fitting into your dream dress.
• Being more social and not hiding away or making excuses why you cannot attend. Start making dates with friends and aim to look your best.
• Attempt activities you would never have considered previously such as horse riding, rock climbing, beach volleyball etc.
• Being more active in your kid’s lives such as kicking a soccer ball in the back yard or helping out at your daughter’s netball club.

These are just a few examples. Goals are personal and individual but all have one thing in common-they are achievable if planning and work goes into achieving those.