Many people on a weight control journey make a specific point not to tell others about this. Here are several reasons why they will keep their mission silent:
- There is a fear of “failure”- When a person discloses that he/she is on a concerted, structured effort to lose weight, people around them will see whether “success or failure” occurs. If it is the case that weight loss does not occur, the person fears that they will be viewed as a “failure” by others.
- There is an “embarrassment” factor: Many overweight/obese people are often embarrassed about their body habitus and issues involved with the weight are kept private.
- If a program, such as Serotonin-Plus is being utilized, people often do not want to let others know that they had to reach out for help and cannot lose the weight on their own.
Here is the major reason why I believe everyone on a weight control journey, should, in fact, tell others around them along with a qualification:
There are many people in your world that can either positively or negatively impact your weight control success. As an example, telling your spouse and children AND asking for their help will be quite beneficial. If your spouse/children are constantly derailing your weight control by dangling ice cream and cookies in front of you at night, by telling them about your quest for improved health, the chances are they will purposefully consume these items out of your vision. If you tell your friends about your efforts, better chances that at gatherings they will not push alcohol and desserts on you.
As far as people that do not/cannot impact your weight control journey, there is certainly no reason to disclose these efforts to them. However, any person in your world does care about you would want to help you. Therefore telling these people about your mission will be quite helpful.
So, if you are a “silent” person on a weight control mission, consider opening up to the people that will become your support team. Silence may be “golden”…but not in the weight control world!
