an inspirational reminder of what can be done if you put your mind to it.

Dieting in groups has been shown to be effective in numerous research projects and is also the reason why the Weight Watchers diet program is so popular. However you do not actually need to join a formal group to take advantage of the peer pressure benefits of losing weight with others.

All you need to do is find somebody who is either a good friend, a member of your family or a work colleague and talk to them about weight loss goals and weight loss ideas. For example the story of Kate Bonwick and her now husband John Butler should serve as an inspirational reminder of what can be done if you put your mind to it.

Kate and John lost over twenty stone between them before getting married. Kate weighed a whopping 24 stone and lost half of her body weight after making a commitment to eat healthily with John. John also shed a huge amount of weight going down from 23 stone to 15 before his wedding day.

Probably the most important thing about losing weight with a friend is to choose the right person. Find somebody whose life overlaps with yours, who has the same social circles and who is around the same age as you. Find somebody who you can talk to frankly and openly about what you want to achieve with your weight loss.

You should organize weekly weighing and exercise sessions together so that you do not lose sight of the end goal and you keep each other in check. Even when you reach your target weight it is important that you continue to meet up with your weight loss buddy so that you can continue to monitor any weight gain or weight loss.

Watch out for your overweight friends because obesity can be contagious and subconsciously they may feel threatened by your weight loss!