Should You Tell Your Friends When You're Trying to Lose Weight? | Women's Health

Dropping pounds is seriously hard, even under the best of circumstances. One thing that can make you less likely to succumb to a drive-thru bender? If you let friends in on your weight-loss goals. Here's why: “The more support you can get from friends, coworkers, or family members, the stronger your resolve will be to stick with it,” says Philadelphia-based nutritionist Janet Brill, R.D.

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It has to do with feeling accountable to people you care about—you don’t want to throw in the towel and come off as a quitter if you’ve soundly and firmly pledged to lose 10 pounds by spring break. But just as importantly, friends in the know will cheer you on and provide emotional support when you’re losing your motivation to hit the gym or eat yet another salad. That’s the reason why group diet programs, such as Weight Watchers, or shows like The Biggest Loser, tend to work, says Brill. "The most successful dieters are the ones who have some kind of outside support."

There is one caveat, though: Make sure you only tell people you know will have your back, not frenemy dessert pushers or your sister who sucks down crap food every day and may be less-than-supportive because she's worried about losing her partner in crime, warns Brill.

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And be cautious about how you use social media, too. Tweeting out the weight you lose each week may score you supportive feedback, but posting endlessly about how hungry you are or Instagramming snaps of all your meals may just end up grating on your support system and backfiring.

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