ArcaMax

It’s the Best with a Buddy

"Most people put all their effort into finding the right diet or exercise program but don't put any energy into creating a support and accountability system, and too often, that's where the devil lies," says Adam Shafran, DC, an exercise physiologist and chiropractor who is the author of You Can't Lose Weight Alone: The Partner Power Weight Loss Program

Dr. Shafran may have part of the answer but in my opinion he’s leaving out the best parts.

I agree that to diet successfully it’s good to have structure. We built a lot of structure into Plan Z. We give people the coaching and education they need. Instead of telling people what to do, we also tell them why. That’s the most important. Adults need to learn why so they can apply the learning properly and with conviction. Most of our dieters diet alone so we have a major league support team too.

I am still amazed at how happy people are who get the opportunity to diet with a buddy. The buddy most often is a spouse or significant other. Sometimes the buddy doesn’t live with the other dieter and in even other cases they are living across the country from each other. I get email all the time with stories of the benefits of buddy dieting. So here are a few of those stories with hints on successful dieting with a buddy.

Pick recipes together. Maybe one buddy gets to choose three dinner recipes for the week and the other gets three and then you go out one night. Plan Z has over 800 recipes now and everything from comfort food to gourmet so it’s fun deciding what you’re going to eat. Get adventuresome. There’s no reason you can’t try new things and diet at the same time. And you don’t have to eat bland or boring. Just make a meal plan. It keeps you from buzzing through the drive thru at the last minute if you already have a meal planned.

Shop Together. I get notes from men who say they haven’t been in a grocery store in years; decades even. When they shop with their wife they are amazed. They have learned to read labels. They are astonished at how many things in a grocery store have sugar or high fructose corn syrup in them. (The answer is over 80% of the products do). I didn’t ask them to shop together. It just happens and they are finding it to be a pleasant experience and they are even trying new vegetables!

Cook Together. Sometimes one partner plays sous chef to the other one being the master chef. In my case that means my husband does some of the chopping. He’s become quite adept with a chef’s knife and has his dicing down pat. Dinner comes together faster that way.

One guy in Colorado told me that before Plan Z he never even set foot in the kitchen until dinner was done. His wife did all the cooking. He got so into cooking that his kids surprised him at Christmas with a whole new set of knives. Now they can give him culinary gifts for birthdays too.

Another way to split up duty is one dieter cooks and the other one cleans up. My husband makes me sit and watch TV while he cleans up and then he brings me dessert. Most often he rustles up a bowl of “raspberry ice cream”. He loves that stuff and I don’t mind eating it most days either. You already have that recipe.

Weigh Ins. This is one way to hold each other accountable. Weigh yourself and report out. I have heard of many a man doing the happy dance in his bathroom after he gets off the scale. Just the vision of that makes me smile.

Compare Water Intake. We suggest that dieters drink 100 ounces of water per day. That takes getting used to for most so it’s a good idea to check in with each other around noon and see how it’s going. I try to get my 100 ounces before dinner so I don’t have to drink too much too close to bedtime. Your body gets used to the water but the first week or so you’re in the potty a lot during the night. We did an informal study and found that those who hit 100 ounces consistently lost 30 percent more weight than those who drank less than 70 ounces. That’s a big difference!

Make things in batches. Many a dieting buddy pair take some time on a Sunday and cook up a couple of recipes for things that can be done in big batches. Things like chili or soup. That way you have a go-to lunch all ready to go. You want to mix things up though. Don’t let your body get bored eating the same things over and over again. If you do, you risk losing less weight. It’s weird but it can happen. Take advantage of your freezer too. Many a recipe freezes well in small containers that can fit in your lunch box.

Rate the food. You can both go on line and rate the recipes for Plan Z. Or you can just compare tasting notes. Buddies who live cross country do this all the time. Some ladies in Canada chatted every day by email or text about what they were eating and what they recommended.

Motivate Each Other. Everyone has a bad day on a diet. You should not expect to lose everyday so be there for each other. But no cheating. Cheating on a diet doesn’t hurt anyone except you. This is your time to make yourself a priority.

Be Public About It. Your buddy might be someone who cares about you but doesn’t live with you, so you can be pen pals of some sort. Or even consider posting about your progress on facebook. Or tweet your progress.

Share the love. Share the success. Share your dieting experiences; especially if they are good ones.

Mexican Chicken Bowl

This is a quick and easy meal to prepare. You can make it in batches so you get several servings and it travels and reheats in a microwave easily. Mexican food lovers in your family will love this. It’s not very spicy. You can always add hot sauce to fire it up.

Serves 4

Olive oil spray
3 – 4 cups of cooked chicken, shredded or diced. 24 to 30 ounces total.
½ cup of diced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced. (jar garlic can work but fresh will be better)
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 head of escarole, dark outer leaves removed, inner leaves chopped coarsely
3 cups Italian canned diced tomatoes or use fresh. Choose your favorite flavor. I used the ones with garlic, onion and green pepper.
1 tsp dried oregano
Grated sea salt to taste
1.5 cups of water
¾ cup of organic chicken broth
1 to 3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (optional)
2 cups of baby spinach

In a soup pot, spray the olive oil and add the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir on medium until onion wilts.

Then add the cooked chicken, the escarole, diced tomatoes, oregano, water and chicken broth. Cook on medium bubble for about 10 minutes. This will wilt the escarole to a nice chew. It will still have a little bit of bite to it but it will be tender. Season with salt. Add the vinegar if you choose to use it.

Right before you want to serve, add the spinach. That will wilt immediately.

Cheers,
Zola