I have many patients that tell me that they socialize with different circles of friends. There are the “book club” friends, the “boating” friends, the “walking” friends, the “card game” friends, the “church group” friends,etc.
We are all , to a large extent or small extent, influenced by the behaviors of others when we socialize with them. I refer to this as the “Herd Mentality”, meaning that many animal species “jojn the herd” in whatever activities are being performed. Yes, humans are the highest life-form animal (well, this could be debated at times) but we all tend to exhibit the same behaviors as others in the groups we choose to belong to.
This seems obvious, but here goes: In your long-term weight control journey, try to spend lots more time with the “circle of friends” that engage in “healthy” behaviors as opposed to the circle of friends that wanna “Party Like Its 1999” (or 1969, 1979, 1989 or whatever decade is the most wild one for you).
Clearly, hanging much more with the gym/walking circle of friends will be more beneficial to your weight loss efforts than spending lots of time chugging drinks with the boating friends or cavorting with the circle of friends that make trips to the wineries every week.
This entry is not meant to encourage you to “shun” your more “partying” circle of friends, but rather, perhaps redirect more time to that more “healthy” circle of friends. Having this support and encouragement will pave the way for a more successful weight control effort.
And what would this entry be without the intro music to the show, “Friends”. Enjoy!
