Most people who come to see me already know what they can be doing differently when it comes to managing their weight. Why many of them come in is because they see the value in accountability.
Whether it’s a medical professional, a family member, or a close friend, an ally who is sympathetic to your cause can help you to stay focused. During my first visit with patients, we brainstorm a plan together to develop strategies to help them to stay on track. Moving forward, however, it is the accountability that really keeps people going.
People can find paths to hold themselves answerable in different ways. Consulting with me in my office is one of them; you can also do things like joining Weight Watchers and attending meetings, setting up a challenge with coworkers, or joining an appropriate Facebook group.
One of the programs that we offer is the GPS weight loss program, which provides a private Facebook group for daily accountability. Members are welcome to post their food logs (also a great way to keep yourself on track) as well as to set goals for the week. This approach also encourages commitment, as the scale that we use is linked to a database that I monitor in the office.
Of course, accountability should never feel like it’s “the food police,” It should be supportive and feel like teamwork. I often create it with my friends to make sure that I exercise. We will make specific plans during the week to meet at certain times. Often it's a time that's very early in the morning – and if I did not have the accountability of meeting other people, it would be easy to keep sleeping!
Sometimes people wonder why they need this kind of transparency while they're working on losing weight. I think it's nice to not feel like you're in it alone, with the accountability helping to keep people motivated and moving forward.
We all need help with this in different ways. Often if you are not feeling accountable, if you make a wrong turn, you may keep heading in that direction rather than getting back on track.
My GPS philosophy will help you to turn on your internal GPS so that you keep recalculating and getting yourself back on track and in the right direction.
For more information on the GPS weight loss program, visit https://gps.mykajabi.com/gps.
Elizabeth DeRobertis is a Registered Dietitian with the Scarsdale Medical Group. To make an appointment, call 914-723-8100.