Friendships That Fight Flab

Julie’s wellspring of willpower sprang not just from her own determination, but also from her best friend, Kim Shepherd, 41, who also lives in Yukon, Okla. When Julie would discover that there were doughnuts or catered Mexican cuisine (her favorite!) at her office, she’d e-mail Kim and lament that her job was land-mined with fattening food bombs. “Every time I told her I was tempted, she’d say, ‘You can do this!’” Julie recalls. “I felt so much stronger because she was by my side.”

A reliable weight-loss buddy is indispensable, says Julie. “Kim was someone I could call on day or night.” And the support flowed both ways. Kim says Julie’s battle gave her the gumption to curtail her own consumption. “If she could lose weight with all of her health issues, so could I,” vowed Kim, who lost 20 lbs. from January to June of 2004 and has kept off 13 lbs.

Eating out together proved to be a boon to both women. They got into the habit of ordering a single entrée that they split between them.

A weight-loss buddy doesn’t have to lose weight with you, but she should be empathetic, says Julie. Like Kim, she has to know when to halt the pity party and when to give you a hug and tell you to stop being so self-critical. The ideal weight-loss pal, Julie adds, is “someone who loves you and accepts you whether you weigh 400 lbs. or 90 lbs. — someone who is capable of unconditional love and friendship.”