SOCIAL SUPPORT AUDIT

Print this page SOCIAL SUPPORT AUDIT How much support do you have in your life right now for what you are trying to accomplish? Take this quick true-false test designed to alert you to the levels of support or sabotage that currently exist in your relationships. Acknowledging these important aspects of your relational life can be liberating when you realize that at last you are getting real about what is going on. Circle true or false for all of the statements, whichever expresses exactly what is going on in your relationships. Again, don't be afraid to tell yourself the truth, even though it can be scary to admit certain things in your answers. The only thing worse about having nonsupportive relationships is to be in denial about those relationships. As is the case with any problem, early and appropriate intervention is vital to positive change. My friends or family (whichever best applies): 1. Compliment me on healthy eating. True/False 2. Refuse to eat in a healthy manner. True/False 3. Notice when my behavior changes in significantly positive ways. True/False 4. Insist on taking me to fast-food restaurants and buffets. True/False 5. Compliment me on my appearance. True/False 6. Push foods that are a problem for me. True/False 7. Help me purchase and prepare healthy meals. True/False 8. Protest changes in the family diet. True/False 9. Help me overcome temptations to eat. True/False 10. Make fun of my efforts to lose weight. True/False 11. Offer to exercise with me. True/False 12. Complain about the time I spend exercising. True/False 13. Give me encouragement to exercise and stick with it. True/False 14. Buy and bring home low-response cost foods that are not good for me. True/False 15. Rearrange their schedules to exercise with me. True/False 16. Don't want me to exercise, or don't support my efforts. True/False 17. Talk to me about exercise in a positive manner. True/False 18. Schedule activities that interfere with my exercise time. True/False 19. Provide helpful information about nutrition, exercise, and health. True/False 20. Eat fattening foods in front of me. True/False SCORING AND INTERPRETATION Any odd-numbered questions to which you answered False, and even-numbered questions to which you answered True, score against your relationships in terms of the level of support provided by people in your life. You should look over your responses to get a feel for where support problems may exist. Don't get down on yourself or the people in your life, though. Being aware of these chinks in your relationships is a good thing, because I believe that you can deal with anything as long as you recognize it. For more, go to chapter 7 in The Ultimate Weight Solutions: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom.