May 2008 PEERtrainer Community Thread Archive

What Is PEERtrainer??

If you are like most people, you know how to lose weight and get fit, but simply have a hard time following through. PEERtrainer was built to help you follow through, via daily logging and peer support. It is easy to get started--you log your food, exercise, thoughts each day. This takes about 5 minutes, and is a great habit to develop. You do this in small weight loss groups of 4 and larger "teams". The logging makes you much more aware of your habits. The group members read your logs and keep you motivated and supported. This tight integration of logging with free online weight loss support groups is very effective. It is also a unique and patent-pending process.

How to I sign up on PEERtrainer and get started?

It is easy to get started on PEERtrainer.

1. You Sign Up. It is free.
2. Join Groups and Teams. If you don't find ones you like- Start One. Active Groups Fill Up Quickly, You Might Want To Start A Couple To Get The Perfect Mix of People.

Here Are Some Other Tips To Help You Be Successful:

3. Develop the Logging Habit. Daily logging is the cornerstone of effective weight loss, and engages you in a process called "self-monitoring." Basically a conversation with yourself each day.
4. If you are new to logging, only focus on that for the first few days. It takes a while to develop a new habit, and you want to start this process by breaking them down into easy, achievable goals.
5. Find active weight loss groups and teams. This is the SINGLE most important factor in the success of a group. Yes, you might want to find people with similar interests, geography, backgrounds etc-- but first and foremost find active members to facilitate weight loss in an online group.
6. If you don't, join This Team and you will be personally welcomed into PEERtrainer.
7. Start slow. Find achievable, short term goals. Whether you want to lose 50 pounds or train for a marathon, it is going to take time. Take your time. It will make it easier, you'll be more successful, and you'll have more fun.
8. Would you like some advice on how to get started losing weight? Click to Read this article which outlines the steps needed to achieve success.
9. The PEERtrainer "Aha Moment." The other members of your group or team can see and read your logs, and you see what you are eating. The first week on PEERtrainer is an eye opener for most people.
10. You can join as many groups as you want, our users suggest that three is a good number to be part of. The only thing we ask is to be positive and active in your groups.
11. You can invite friends directly into your group, through an "Invite a Friend" feature. Put in their email address, and they will be sent an invitation right to your group. When they sign up, they will be automatically placed in your group.


Finding the right mix of groups is well worth the effort. A broad support network is a powerful thing. If you want help getting started, email us or ask a question in the Community.

The PEERtrainer success formula-- log consistently, comment actively, commit to your group...you'll most likely meet your diet and fitness goals. Once you get comfortable with logging and the small group interaction, you'll be hooked, and most likely find PEERtrainer to be highly effective.

Check out the Spotlight The PEERtrainer Spotlight contains three groups of four people each, logging and commenting publicly. This is a great way to see real people using PEERtrainer, and a great way to see the power of small groups interacting, where each person gets the focus they need. Its also a great way to see how different people approach weight loss, and how they are succeeding at it. It is very motivating. They are also a fun group of people!

The "Community" is a great resource. If you have created a new public group, post a note in the community. You'll get some active and helpful participants. If you are looking for a group to join, post a note and people will tell you about groups that would be a fit. The community is a great place to ask almost any question, no matter how personal. Most likely you'll get great answers. The PEERtrainer community is very welcoming to new users.

New To PEERtrainer groups and teams. PEERtrainer moderates online weight support groups for new users for free. It is a great place to get started, and get the online diet support you need. You will interact with a PEERtrainer coach whose job is to get you going. The coach will check in at least once a day, and will answer any question thrown at them. Many of our users find these groups very helpful at the beginning. To find a group, put in your zip code in "Find/Create a Group" and you will find one for your area.

Share as much info as possible. Brainstorm about different diets and fitness programs. You'll be surprised at how knowledgeable your peers are.

Mix and match. You don't need to follow the same diet or have the same weight-loss goals as your PEERtrainer group members. Not everyone wants to be Hollywood skinny, for instance. The common denominator is a shared fitness goal. Having a good mix of members may expose you to ideas you never considered.

If your group's just not clicking, you're only a few clicks away from a PEERtrainer group that's a better fit. Just like in dating, not everyone is compatible.

Your group members count on you and vice versa. Put some thought and encouragement into your comments. It'll pay off, especially when Ben & Jerry are calling your name!

Like any fitness regimen, commitment equals success. For the best chance to reach your fitness target, and to help your PEERtrainer members achieve theirs, we recommend you log on at least 4 times a week. If you haven't logged in a group in 7 days, you are removed from the group and a private group is created with your information. You can join another group or invite your friends when you're ready to be active again!


How To Lose Weight: 10 Ideas That Will Set The Stage For Long Term and Healthy Weight Loss Success
Successful weight loss is hard work and takes time. It takes a sustained physical and mental effort. Most well known diets do not work, but substantial changes in one's diet work very well. This article outlines proven advice and approaches to losing weight and keeping it off long term.

1. Figure Out The Real Reason Why You Want To Lose Weight.

If you've been thinking about losing the last 10 pounds or the first 50 pounds, it's most likely been on your mind for a very long time. Why are you here reading this now? Did you have a scary doctors visit? Were you unable to run after your child today? Did you find yourself getting ready for work today and having every single pair of pants be tight? Did you see yourself in a family picture? Are you dating someone that is healthier than you and its inspired you? What is the real reason? Having that reason is the single most important part of your journey because your journey will get difficult. Very difficult. You will be doing very well for a week or two, but then the challenge sets in. Stress, family and work demands will set in. Someone will say something offensive to you and will knock you off your game. You will be at a friends birthday party and everyone will be having food and cake and you'll want some too. If you have that reason, that core motivator of why you're doing this, it will be a powerful tool to help you get through the rough time and get back on track.

2. Write it Down and Have a Way to Measure Your Progress

Once you have the reason, take that reason and put it into a goal and have a weekly plan to stay accountable. Do you hate the scale? That's ok, maybe one day you will make friends with it. In the meantime, buy a measuring tape and take your measurements weekly and chart your progress that way. Find something that works for you, whether it's an old pair of jeans that you try on once a week, a measuring tape, a scale, your partners eyes, whatever it is and measure your progress.

It's important for you to see progress so that you stick with your plan. You're running a marathon and if you don't see the miles tick off as you get closer to the finish line, how are you going to know that what you're doing is working? Logging your goals, your progress and your daily habits will show you what is working and most importantly, give you the confidence to keep up your good work. Your first week on PEERtrainer is critical if you have never logged before. Once you develop the habit, you'll be hooked on a very good habit.

3. Get a Support System

Support works. Who is around you daily to give you help being accountable for weight loss? Are they supportive of your quest for a healthy lifestyle? Would it be better for them if you stayed 30 pounds heavier? Is your friend secretly happier that she's the thinner one who gets more attention? Is your husband secretly happy that you're overweight so he doesn't have to deal with his own weight problem? This is a tough endeavor why make it harder with people who don't support you, or people who want to support you but unconsciously make it harder for you? No, it's not realistic to leave your family or roommate or best friend if they aren't supportive of your weight loss efforts. But you can find people, en masse, that will be supportive of your goals.

PEERtrainer is an excellent place for support; you can be as anonymous as you want to be and they are in the boat with you. They haven't heard it all before and they aren't sick of your weight problem. Find groups that support your efforts and most importantly support the efforts of others in the groups. Be helped but also be an inspiration. If a group stops working for you, don't use it as an excuse to quit. Find another group; it might help you even more than your last one. What you'll also find is that as you succeed, others succeed along with you. Even your friends will start to have a salad eventually as they see you persevere. If you're a mom, your children will develop healthy habits that they'll have for a lifetime.

4. Take a baby step: Commit to one change, for only 7 days.

When people start to get a hold of their weight loss efforts and their health, suddenly they want to change everything. They want to switch from huge pasta bowls with cheese and watching TV to only eating salads, fruits and vegetables, healthy proteins and running/strength training every day. Additionally, they commit to drinking 8 glasses of water a day, 8 hours of sleep along with taking a mulitvitamin along with 5 other personal goals, and only then, they feel like they're ready to get started. This kind of thinking usually sets you up for failure.

Take on one challenge and start small. Maybe its something like, this week, I will not eat chocolate. Only commit to one thing. If other healthy habits start to take hold, that's fine. But commit to only one challenge. This usually prevents being overwhelmed and subsequently, saying, I just can't do this. As you begin to master that challenge, write it down daily. Day 1, no chocolate! , Day 2, no chocolate. On day 5, you start to feel really good about your ability to make a positive habit happen and that gives you confidence to tackle the next step. Once you feel like you've mastered that challenge, then you can move on to the next one.

5. Don't Believe the Myth That You Can and Will Lose 2 pounds a week.

This myth has set up many people for disappointment. I've seen people lose a pound a week and be disappointed in themselves. Every body is different and one sushi dinner can up the scale by 3 pounds. You'll lose a couple pounds one week, one pound the next week and sometimes you'll gain a pound the following week. What is important is the trend. You didn't gain the weight in a measured fashion of 2 pounds per week, you're not going to lose it in the same way. Recognize the trend and chart your progress week to week to notice the overall loss. I've seen very successful weight loss efforts with diligent plans have an average loss of 5 pounds a month.

6. Question Everything You've Learned Up To This Point

Realize that you are different and your emotional triggers are different. A visit to your mother in law may send you into a tailspin while someone else may have no problem. No one source of information is the end all. It takes several tools, and those tools need to be customized to you for you to be successful. Be open to ideas. Just because an idea goes against everything you've heard your whole life, doesn't mean it's wrong. It could be right. The more you question your current base set of knowledge, and the more you're open to the information being shared around you, the more chances you have being successful. After all, your current set of knowledge didn't take you to the successful place you want to be. Learn and listen to those around you.

7. Learn What a Portion Size Really Is.

Your stomach is about the size of your fist. Most plates of dinner served at a restaurant are twice, sometimes three times the size of this. Make it a buffet and you could be eating a portion that is 6 times the size of your stomach. An appetizer is usually a sensible portion size for your stomach. Use the palm of your hand to get a good sense of how much protein you should eat at any given meal. Make the rest of the plate full of vegetables. When it comes to dessert, the three bite rule is unparalleled for satisfaction and portion control. If you want dessert, have three bites. There is no dessert that is forbidden, and you'll find that after the three bites, you're mindlessly eating. Once you try this a few times, you'll see how easy it is to maintain.

8. Why Everyone Says To Eat Your Vegetables and Why You Should.

The basic deal is that the bulk of your diet should be fruits and vegetables. All the nutrients you need aren't in dairy, meat and processed bread. One of the reasons that people overeat is because of nutrient deficiency. The nutrient deficiency that is created by the lack of fruits and vegetables tells the body, "keep eating." I haven't gotten the nutrients I need yet. So you eat and you eat and you eat but the body still hasn't gotten what it needs. It's still looking for the nutrients only available in fruits and vegetables. Did you know that a serving of beans (legumes) has the same amount of protein as a serving of meat? The calories are also the same, but the fat content of beans is negligible. The fiber content of beans is extremely high. Meat is the exact opposite. The most important part though, is that beans will fill you up even more so than a hamburger. Try it and you will be amazed. What if you don't like fruits and vegetables? Take out a pen and list all the vegetables you've heard of and we'll bet there are a few you like. Artichokes? Corn? Cucumber? You don't have to eat a different one a day. Find a few you like, and start to incorporate them in your diet. You'll find, as time goes on and you get suggestions of ways to prepare them from others, you'll start to try different ones. Just get the habit formed with ones you like and your body will start to build up its nutrient reserves.

9. Get Moving.

You hear it all the time, take the steps instead of the escalator. Park your car in the far lot. Take a walk to the other side of the office instead of sending an email. Studies show that you don't have to get the whole 30 minutes in at one time to enjoy the benefits of oxygen moving through your system. 5 minutes here, 5 minutes there adds up over the course of the day. If you're having trouble getting to the gym, commit to 5 minutes. Usually the tough part of working out is just getting there; once you're there, you'll usually finish your entire workout. Don't like the gym because it's too expensive or inconvenient or you generally just feel self conscious about your body? It's extraordinary how many other options now exist. Fit TV has all day fitness programming that makes it as easy as turning on your TV and moving your coffee table to get 30 minutes in. Are you a stay at home mom? Now there are fitness classes that are designed for you and your baby; you can take them with you! What if you just don't like it, no matter what you've tried? There are plenty of things that you have to do in life that you don't like, but you have to do it anyway because of the result. Just commit to 5 minutes, just for the day and develop the habit. You actually might start to like it.

10. Don't Give Up!

The only way that you fail at losing weight - or anything in life - is by giving up. It's unfortunate when you watch someone give up because it's precisely at that point that they need to push through. It's easy to give up when you hit a plateau. It's easy to give up when you've had a bad weekend of eating and hanging out on the sofa. But what happens is devastating; all the work that you put in to lose 5 pounds, after you go off track takes weeks, sometimes months, just to get back to that original 5 pound loss. Plateaus don't mean it's time to give up; they mean its time to change your approach. Overeating all weekend isn't a sign to bail; it's a sign to examine what situation brought about that trigger, to learn and figure out ways to cope next time. Every situation is a chance to learn how to cope and how to use those skills in other areas that are as important as your weight loss and your health. The last 5% of every journey is usually the hardest. Don't ever, ever, ever give up. Your family needs you. Your friends need you. You are too important to give up on. Re-read your reason for why you're doing this in the first place and just keep on going.