There is something about social connection that enhances our ability to stick with a new habit or practice. The feeling of “we’re in this together” seems to encourage success within a group setting. In a recent study published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, researchers found that online dieters who were well connected and participated in an online dieting program were most likely to lose weight when compared to those who participated less.
“Our findings suggest that people can do very well at losing weight with minimal professional help when they become centrally connected to others on the same weight loss journey,” noted Bonnie Spring, PhD.
The researchers found that users who did not connect to others lost about five percent of their body weight over the course of six months while those who were somewhat connected lost almost seven percent and those who were most connected lost over eight percent of their weight.
That’s good news for our Skinny Gut Forum. If you are following the Skinny Gut Diet (or want to be!), the Skinny Gut Forum is a place where you can interact with me and others to get support and encouragement.
Or, why not start a support group of your own? Maybe you have a few friends who want to try the diet. You could create a Facebook group to check in and encourage each other while sharing tips about how to be successful. Clinical studies have found that regular tracking of progress helps people to lose more weight. Report your weekly weight and inches lost in your group to help keep you on track.