Inspiration Part One - Tool Seven: Body Buddy

When I called my friend, Jacque, a physically fit, athletic, successful realtor whom I have known for 10 years, to ask her to be my body buddy, I knew she was perfect for the job – emotionally available, someone I like and admire, someone I can trust. It also helps that she lives in another state. She isn’t able to catch me in the act. In the face of a snack attack, I can choose to call her or not. What I didn’t know at the time is how inspirational she would turn out to be.

The idea of a body buddy is simple, choose a support person whom you must email, call or tell by some other means what you ate throughout the day – every day. What an intimidating concept! Intrusive! It almost stopped me in my tracks. There would be no more secret snacks. I would have to bare all. It was time to be honest with myself as well as Jacque about what I was eating every day.

In the beginning, if I had a bad eating day I didn’t write. I felt embarrassed - not wanting to open myself up to be judged. But one night I decided to let her in to my dark day of eating instead of hiding under the cloak of shame. Jacque, proving herself to be the kickass friend that she is, wrote back to me about her blunders as well - even made me laugh a little. I started breathing a little easier that night – I am not alone. Nobody is judging me.

Even with her encouragement though, life caught up to me and caused me to slip up in the last month. I lost my job, my daughter wasn’t sleeping and I wasn’t sure if I would ever find the time/energy to journal again. Yesterday I was at a crisis point. Would I continue with this book and this blog or would I fall off the bandwagon? Then I got an email from Jacque checking in with me to see how my food journaling was going. How motivational! Amazing how one single email could jump start my failing drive. She remembered. She cared. She let me know that we are partners. We’re in this together. That was all I needed. I felt the motivation creeping up from deep inside me – I can do this.