Seventy-five percent of women admit to being competitive with their friends about weight. While a little healthy competition is okay, friends are there to make life easier, and to support and encourage each other along the way. It’s one thing to enroll in a weight loss program or fitness classes with friends; in fact, you’re more likely to stick with a program and actually go to the gym when you have a workout buddy. But make sure you keep it fun! Don’t let others achievements or failures make you feel better or worse about yourself.
And stop making fat talk a normal topic of conversation! A study from Northwestern University found that ninety-three percent of subjects said they engaged in fat talk. It doesn’t specify how often people talk about it, but chances are it’s probably at least once a day.
“It’s so common that most of us don’t give it a thought,” says study author Rachel Salk.
It might be common, but it’s certainly not healthy. You don’t hear guys talking about feeling fat or bloated, or feeling guilty about eating a pint of ice cream the night before. Try to pay close attention to negative conversations that come up about weight or body image, and make an effort to change the subject or say something positive instead. We may not be able to eat or drink like the guys, but we can at least love our bodies like they do!