If you’re looking to lose weight, you can use social media to your advantage, no matter the social network: Instagram or Twitter; Pinterest or Reddit. It was proven that people who expressed themselves on Twitter were more goal-oriented.
Lynell Ross, a certified health and wellness coach and behavior change specialist declares: “Using social media, you can find a supportive network of family, friends and followers.” Positivity and reassurance are key in achieving your goals.” Take into consideration these things when you post:
Follow People with Mutual Goals
Emin Gharibian, a psychologist at Verdugo Psychological Associates suggests us to connect with people that share our goals: “if you’re a 35-year-old mom-to-be, you’ll likely have a different exercise routine, diet and goals compared to someone who is 20 and not pregnant.” Seek your inspiration, but do not compare yourself with others.
Don’t post too often
Don’t make an obsession with losing weight. Don’t post too often. If you feel down each time you share about your weight loss, you should reduce the number of posts to less than one per day. “Weight loss doesn’t happen overnight, it will take time and consistency,” says Ross.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions
If you want to post questions on forums or in social media groups, don’t be afraid you’ll be judged. “It’s almost guaranteed that if you have a question, other people have that same question or had it at one point,” says Gharibian. It’s bad not to have questions, not to want to discover more and do better.
Avoid toxic people online
Some people love putting other people down because of their insecurities and you will find a lot of these people online. You always have the “block” option. You’re making a lifestyle change and that takes time. Some people can meet their goals in six months, some take one year, some take two years — there’s no one-size-fits-all.” says Gharibian.
Choose the right medium for you
Do you prefer visual feed or text one? Some people prefer the visual-heavy feed on Instagram, whereas others prefer short, text-focused posts on Twitter. Other people prefer to have a certain degree of privacy and choose Facebook Groups which can be “a great resource to ask for advice in real-time and get answers “. “Also, people tend to be less rude or mean on Facebook compared to forums because there isn’t as much anonymity on the former,” says Gharibian.
Invent a hashtag just for you
Use a hashtag for your weight-loss goals (like #EmylosesPounds) each time you post a photo or message. This way, you can click it to aggregate your posts and follow your progress over the days, weeks and months. Ross affirms: “A little step like this could have a big impact on keeping you motivated and maintaining consistency in achieving your goals,”
Each time to celebrate a goal achievement you can post before/after photos. This can help you to boost your motivation.
Best of luck in losing weight and use social media in your advantage without getting too obsessed.
