Facebook has been around now for well over 15 years and the social media giant evokes strong feelings in lots of people. People are pretty squarely in the love it or hate it camp when it comes to the first-ever hyper popularized social media site.
But, there is one area where Facebook does really well, even wooing people to sign up who resisted for a decade or more. Facebook Groups is a really effective way to get people together around a particular subject or interest or cause.
Even Facebook haters find themselves unable to quit their account for good because the groups really do bring serious value and positive contribution to their lives. So. What does this have to do with nutrition or weight loss?
Being a member of a Facebook Group centered around weight loss and nutrition just may be that extra something special that takes your weight-loss journey from okay to slay. Let’s talk about some of the reasons why this is true (no, really, it is) and how you can work this to your advantage without compromising your deep desire to stay far away from any high school classmate drama.
3 Ways Facebook Groups Improve Weight Loss Results
- Belonging to a Community
This is a big one. When you become a member of a well-organized and facilitated Facebook Group, you become part of a community. You will know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you are not alone in this!
When we feel like we belong, especially when everyone else in the group is working towards the same goal, our goals become more reachable. We feel accepted for who we are and can see very clearly that so many others have the same struggles that we do. That is potent and powerful and fills our minds with all sorts of “I’ve got this!” bravada.
2. Increasing Accountability
Think about a time when you started a new workout routine. The alarm went off in the wee hours of the morning, you grunted and rolled over, and figured, nah. Not today. I’ll start tomorrow. After all, you were only letting yourself down. Now, that’s painful and needs to be healed, no doubt. But when we are looking at this strictly from the angle of getting it done to reach your goals, accountability is majorly important.
So, take your workout routine again. Now imagine that you and your neighbor had decided together that you were going to start taking a morning jog that very same morning. If you knew she was going to be on that dark street corner, sweatshirt pulled tight, waiting on you to walk up and join her, guess what would have happened when your alarm went off? That’s right. You may still have grunted but you would never leave her hanging. And that’s accountability.
Being part of a Facebook Group is like having a whole gaggle of girlfriends waiting for you to get up and get down on this weight loss thing. The other members of your group will hold you accountable, and not in the finger-wagging way, either. Just knowing that other people expect you to show up and share is hugely effective.
3. Getting Different Perspectives
We all have completely unique experiences and personalities, of course. In a Facebook Group there is naturally going to be some shared struggles, experiences, and interests. I mean, that’s kind of the point, right? But, we all have completely unique experiences and personalities and in those differences lies a treasure trove of super valuable information.
Anytime you participate in a weight loss program, there are going to be times when you feel unsure or stuck. All of your life experiences and your personality traits are gonna rain down on that situation, sometimes following not-so-helpful thought patterns. When you reach out to your Facebook Group and share your situation, the other members of the group will respond with a flurry of supportive suggestions, many of which would have never crossed your mind.
Being able to receive different perspectives on how to solve a problem leads to innovation. It is true in the business world and it is true in science and it is also true in weight loss. You will be surprised to see just how different, but absurdly spot on, the input of others can be.
Avoiding the Facebook Feed Drama, Ranting, Politics, Etc.
Let’s just pretend that there was a time when Facebook was a novelty and scrolling through your feed felt good. Connecting with old friends from high school sounded like a good idea. It was even fun and nostalgic for a time.
Well, times have certainly changed for many of us. I mean, when your feed started filling up with divisive rants and Lularoe leggings, you may have started feeling less warm and fuzzy and more distant and stabby. Totally get that. Our eyes just don’t roll far enough into our heads to deal.
The key to leveraging all that positive goodness that can come out of a Facebook Group and avoiding all that torture is to pull a fast one and go incognito. Here’s what to do.
- Open a new, not associated with your actual full name, Gmail account. If your weight loss group has a name, you could incorporate that. If you want to just be cheeky, go for that, too. Just do remember that it’s possible that your email address will have to be shared with other members of the group so don’t go completely off the rails, unless you embrace embarrassment full heartedly.
- Use that new email address to create a new Facebook account. You can use a picture of yourself unless you have some stalker friend from 3rd grade who has all the time in the world to seek you out and give you one last chance to join her pyramid scheme team. Then go with an icon.
- Use that new Facebook account to join the Facebook Group and that alone. Do not add any outside of the group friends, even though Facebook will relentlessly ask you to do so. Resist!
- When you go to Facebook, go directly into your group and enjoy! Don’t get sucked into the dings and the noise and the invites. If you want to focus up here, stay the course. Don’t go to the feed, just go to your private, sane, welcoming, warm, fuzzy, safe space.
If you still find connection and comfort and value on your Facebook feed, that is fabulous for you! Keep the good vibes rolling and just join the group with your existing account. Bottom line, though, don’t miss out on all the goodness that can come from groups because your Facebook feed from the past makes you break out in hives. If you find yourself looking for the kind of support, accountability, and perspectives that make weight loss more achievable, we have a program for you.
Exclusive Health Coaching in Denver
Whole Woman Health is the top health clinic for women in Denver and we are here to help you get back to your healthiest self. Other nutrition services in Denver fail to provide the emotional and psychological support that is so necessary to long-term success. Not us.
We offer a weight loss program exclusively for women called The SHED and it covers all the bases, bridging the gap between mind and body and changing your relationship with food. And yes, it includes an active, engaged, supportive Facebook Group to help you reach your goals. If you are ready to invest in getting back to the best version of yourself, register today.