How to Get Someone to Lose Weight

I am often asked how you get someone who does not want to lose weight, to lose weight. The answer is simple, you can't. If a person does not want to lose weight you will not force them into it. Dale Carnegie said it best when he wrote, "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still."

However, with that said, what you need to do is to get them to want to lose weight. You don't do it through fighting. You don't do it through picking on them. You don't do it through bringing it to their attention. This will usually do nothing but piss them off. It will drive them to stay away from you. It will have the opposite effect you were going after.

How do you get someone to lose weight? You do it by guiding them to that conclusion for themselves.

What do I mean by guiding them? What I mean is this. There are things that they want. There are things that they desire. There are dreams that they dream. There are things that scare the heck out of them.

The key is to find out casually what these things are and question them in casual settings. Over time, you can systematically tie these things to being thinner. If you can do this successfully they will want to drop the weight, and you won't have to try to convince them.

You can also do it by setting an example. Start eating healthier yourself. Start an exercise program. Start eating smaller portions. If they ask what you are doing, tell them you want to be slim. Tell them that you want a healthier future so you are starting now. Be the example and let them know why you are doing it (other than to be the example). Invite them to lunch and order a salad. Tell them that you decided to start eating right so that you can drop some weight and feel better.

Invite them to go for a walk with you. Tell them that you really want someone to go with you. If they resist too much, back off and go for a walk by yourself. Once again, set the example.

Remember, if you push the weight issue with them, they will push back and hate you for it. It is about being subtle and about setting the right example. It is about leading someone to want to do it, not for you, but for them.