5 Tips: How to Tell Someone They Need to Lose Weight

If you know someone who needs to lose weight, it's important to approach the situation gingerly should you decide to tell them they need to lose weight. Make sure you're coming from a true place of love rather than a place of anger, embarrassment or disgust. Telling someone they need to lose weight can be a very tricky situation so it's important to have a plan before you address the situation. Here are 5 tips on how to tell someone they need to lose weight.

1. Plan out your conversation - How will you approach the subject? No need to write out a script but you'll need to think it through. The last thing you want to do is hurt your dear friend, family member or significant other's feelings.

2. Identify with the person - Identifying with the person is a great way to begin a conversation. What do I mean by identifying? Find a way to connect with them regarding weight loss and/or health. Admit you want or need to lose weight. If you don't need to lose weight, sparking up a conversation about the fact that you want to become healthier might be the perfect lead in to a conversation about weight loss. In addition, by admitting you want to improve yourself may put the other person at ease. You can even offer to embark on this journey with them. Often times, success comes when people can hold each other accountable.

3. Approach it from a medical standpoint - State facts about health and wellness rather than giving your opinion on weight loss. Letting someone know they can drastically improve their health, relieve joint pain, lower blood pressure and cholesterol to name a few sounds much better than you telling them they should simply do it to look better. Make sure you're prepared with facts from reputable institutions that you can rattle off.

4. The happiness factor - Has your friend or relative been unhappy since they gained weight? Point out that you've noticed they aren't as happy as they used to be. Let them know that since they gained weight, that person has become distant, isn't attending friend or family functions and seems reserved. Help them determine why they aren't happy. Is it just the weight gain or something else? If necessary, help your friend or family find help to address underlying issues first followed by weight loss help. You've got one life so it's really important to live it to the fullest. Everyone deserves the chance to really enjoy life.

5. Offer suggestions - Do you research and offer weigh loss suggestions. Make sure to have an array of options including weight loss diet programs, fitness trainers to help them, websites they can reference and even weight loss spa programs they could attend to get a jump start.

The last thing you want to do is hurt someone's feelings or turn them against you. It's important to really think your conversation through and decipher which route is best for you. Weight is usually such a fragile subject so make sure your intentions are for the other person and not yourself.