Skinny Eating isn’t a diet, it’s a lifestyle. As Oprah will tell anyone willing to listen – long term weight loss is a lifestyle change.

Like most things in your life, they impact more than you.

Any lifestyle change impacts the people around you.

The mom on a diet making the usual meals (that she can’t eat) for the family will tell you how true (and hard) it is.

It is easier if you hold the reins on what the people around you eat. It gives you a little control (and the ability to introduce new ideas).

We are all conditioned by our surroundings. Our definition of normal comes from what we know and live on a daily basis. They become our routines and our habits. 

Changing that “normal” effects everyone involved in your normal. There is a science that says that changing tastes takes repetition  Remember when we introducted our babies to solid food. The veges were first, the sweets last. It’s about conditioning and repetition. The same reason we have regional diets. 

Changing your habits usually includes changing the habits of those around you. At the very least their expectations. They don’t talk about that side of it much in diet how-tos.

It’s hard enough to change your own habits, how do you change those around you when they don’t believe there is a reason to change?

Slowly.

Start by talking about what you want to do, even before you commit. Get the people you need on your team thinking about it. Remember it takes them some time to digest the idea and get behind you. And to commit to the changes…

Please don’t expect to wake up one morning and announce to those around you that you’re (all) starting changes that morning. You. will. fail.

Help them to digest and build expectations, slowly.

I am truly blessed! We’re not fanatical and we’re living mostly in the empty nest… fewer meals to make and people involved. But it took some “digestion time” to get everyone (mostly) on board.

Sometimes everyone slips… my wonderful hubby brought Voortman cookies and lunchtime pies into the house this past week. I held firm on the cookies, the pies… well the Cherry was delightful! A little extra walking and running on  my list!

Any change in your life includes the people around you, your team.

Make it easy for them to help by making it easy for them to understand and giving them time to get on board.