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" Losing weight is always a challenge, and even more so if friends and family are still indulging in the high-calorie foods you love. But what if you could, so to speak, all eat from the same plate? These teams \u2014 husbands and wives, three sisters, a mom and daughter, and a pair of best friends \u2014 found that when they turned to each other as diet buddies, they were finally able to drop the pounds that had plagued them for years. Science backs them up: Studies, including a well-known one from Brown University Medical School and the University of Minnesota, have shown that individuals who partner with another successful dieter are more likely to stick with their regimens \u2014 and lose more weight \u2014 than those who go it alone. They also have less trouble keeping it off. The secret, our teams say, goes beyond swapping recipes and workout tips (though that helps, too). It&amp;#039;s that they truly support each other, offering encouragement when someone hits a rough patch and celebrating as the victories accumulate.  &amp;quot;We posted our weights on a whiteboard and wrote little notes&amp;quot; Lindze, 34 &amp;amp;amp; Brad Merritt, 37; Atlanta Weight: His and Hers College sweethearts who have been married for 11 years and who are the parents of Zella, 3, Lindze and Brad had always been open with each other about their weight troubles. Brad, a game designer for Cartoon Network, had struggled to stay slim most of his life, but for Lindze, a makeup artist, &amp;quot;it was the college 10, the married 10, and the baby 30&amp;quot; that pushed her to 185 pounds.  Health Hits:  In 2009, Lindze needed surgery to repair a heart valve and was advised to lose weight first. She chose Weight Watchers \u2014 &amp;quot;A friend had lost a lot on the program&amp;quot; \u2014 and shed 15 pounds before going into the hospital, then another 35 afterward. But it was surgery that added to Brad&amp;#039;s weight woes: A back operation in 2007 curtailed his exercise, and with his weight over 200, he, too, joined Weight Watchers.  When the Going Got Tough...  These two knew just how to help each other \u2014 and still do as they work to maintain their weight. Whenever Lindze wanted to get ice cream after a bad day, Brad refused to support her emotional-eating habit: &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m not going with you,&amp;quot; he&amp;#039;d say, adding, &amp;quot;You&amp;#039;re doing so well \u2014 don&amp;#039;t give up.&amp;quot; Lindze enjoys cooking Brad&amp;#039;s favorite foods adapted for their diet, like her lower-cal version of pulled pork. And every week, after they post their weights on a whiteboard near their scale \u2014 &amp;quot;We learned it&amp;#039;s important to nab gains quickly&amp;quot; \u2014 they write encouraging notes (&amp;quot;You&amp;#039;re awesome!&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;We won&amp;#039;t give up!&amp;quot;) if they&amp;#039;ve backslid a bit.       Lindze Before: 185 lbs. Now: 135 lbs.  Lost: 50 lbs.  Brad Before: 225 lbs. Now: 180 lbs.  Lost: 45 lbs. Total Lost: 95 lbs.     &amp;quot;Parties used to be about food. Now we eat before going out, then focus on socializing&amp;quot; The Kelly Sisters: Kat, 46; Moira, 47, &amp;amp;amp; Dede, 44; Massapequa, NY; Casselberry, FL; Winter Park, FL Three&amp;#039;s The Charm:  Every time a Kelly sister loses five pounds, she texts &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s a charming day&amp;quot; to the other two and is soon rewarded with a new addition for her charm bracelet. &amp;quot;Celebrating these small milestones makes it a lot easier to stick with our diets,&amp;quot; says Moira.  It Started With Kat:  Ten months before her 45th birthday, she set a goal of becoming &amp;quot;fit and fabulous.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;I hated looking in the mirror,&amp;quot; says Kat, who, like her sisters, is an elementary school teacher. &amp;quot;I also felt hypocritical talking to children about making good food choices when I weighed almost 300 pounds.&amp;quot; A friend recommended Medifast, which allows six meals a day (five preportioned and one fresh), and they all started together. Within a month, Dede and Kat had each lost 25 pounds and Moira, 18.  Sister acts They never stop cheering each other on. When Dede, who hadn&amp;#039;t exercised for 18 years, trained for and ran a 10K race in December, &amp;quot;I was so proud,&amp;quot; says Moira. The sisters also swap tips, like breaking up Medifast bars to nibble on at the movies instead of popcorn. (Or Moira&amp;#039;s trick: carrying Medifast bars in her car, purse, schoolbag \u2014 &amp;quot;everywhere.&amp;quot;) And now, as they near their goals \u2014 Kat hopes to lose 20 more pounds, Moira, 10, and Dede, 15 \u2014 the women know they&amp;#039;ll have to keep working to stay healthy and at their new weights. &amp;quot;We will,&amp;quot; says Moira. &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;ll tie each other down before we let this happen again.&amp;quot;       Kat Before: 292 lbs. Now: 195 lbs.  Lost: 97 lbs.  Moira Before: 230 lbs. Now: 168 lbs.  Lost: 62 lbs. Dede Before: 278 lbs. Now: 176 lbs.  Lost: 102 lbs. Total Lost: 261 lbs.     &amp;quot;We tinker with the diet meals and then text each other the results&amp;quot; Cora Martin, 32 &amp;amp;amp; Brenda Venner, 56; Bremerton, WA Of Genes and Jeans: Brenda Venner laughs every time she hears an ad for Not Your Daughter&amp;#039;s Jeans. &amp;quot;Oh, yes, they are,&amp;quot; she says, still amazed that after years of wearing size 18s, she can now fit into Cora&amp;#039;s size 6 hand-me-downs. &amp;quot;It was Cora who motivated me to lose weight,&amp;quot; she says.  The Right Move(s)...  Cora, an Internet marketing manager, had just returned to the Seattle area when she decided to tackle the extra 32 pounds she&amp;#039;d put on while pregnant with daughter Carlie, now 2. Happily, the move brought her nearer to her parents. Cora, who had lost weight on Nutrisystem after her son, Theodore, 5, was born, liked the program&amp;#039;s convenience: &amp;quot;I can take the meals on the go,&amp;quot; she says. Brenda, a management analyst for the federal government, had long struggled with her weight \u2014 &amp;quot;I had trouble with portions&amp;quot; \u2014 and was inspired to join her daughter. Soon the two were e-mailing reviews of the plan&amp;#039;s muffins and bars as well as results of experiments with the meals, like turning the taco option into a salad.  Running It Off:  It was Brenda, however, who recruited Cora to join her in running. Now the two regularly participate in 5Ks and recently even ran their first 12K. &amp;quot;In the beginning, we brought up the rear,&amp;quot; says Cora, but in April 2010, Brenda took first place in a 5K, and two months later, in June, Cora won her first as well.       Cora Before: 169 lbs. Now: 127 lbs.  Lost: 42 lbs.  Brenda Before: 203 lbs. Now: 138 lbs.  Lost: 65 lbs. Total Lost: 107 lbs.     &amp;quot;The first thing we order at a restaurant is a takeout container.&amp;quot; Jessica Goodale, 27 &amp;amp;amp; Jennifer Krygowski, 27; Jacksonville, FL Bonding In Band:  Jessica Goodale had always considered herself &amp;quot;the fat kid.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Other students at middle school would stomp the ground as I walked by,&amp;quot; she recalls. But not Jennifer Krygowski, whom she met in band and who soon became her best friend. For Jennifer, it was college \u2014 and runs for fast food \u2014 that packed on the extra 35 pounds. Jessica&amp;#039;s Freak-Out Moment: In January 2009, when she saw a vacation photo of herself in a T-shirt and jeans, &amp;quot;I was so shocked, I joined Weight Watchers that Monday,&amp;quot; says Jessica, a purchasing agent for a utility company. It was tough at first: &amp;quot;Most members lose five pounds in two weeks, but it took me a month.&amp;quot; Still, a year later, when Jessica had dropped 30 pounds, Jennifer, a musician who plays oboe and English horn in two community orchestras, was inspired to sign up, too. Because of their schedules, they can&amp;#039;t attend meetings together, but they always text each other their weigh-in results.  BFFs On The Town: &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s fun to go out to dinner with a friend who&amp;#039;s on the same diet,&amp;quot; says Jessica. The two also try to meet at a weekly Zumba class. And their next dual project? Jessica will be maid of honor (&amp;quot;both of us in strapless!&amp;quot;) at Jennifer&amp;#039;s wedding in November.       Jessica Before: 206 lbs. Now: 150 lbs.  Lost: 56 lbs.  Jennifer Before: 183 lbs. Now: 166 lbs.  Lost: 17 lbs. Total Lost: 73 lbs.     &amp;quot;When cravings hit, we eat a low-cal waffle with strawberries.&amp;quot;  Wendy, 41 &amp;amp;amp; Marty Beckers, 35; Yuma, AZ &amp;quot;Junk Food Vegetarians&amp;quot; That&amp;#039;s how Wendy and Marty describe themselves on the diet they were following as a newly married couple 12 years ago. &amp;quot;Dinner might have been pizza, breadsticks, and a half-gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream,&amp;quot; says Wendy. She had tried at least seven different diets, but nothing worked. Marty, too, had struggled to lose weight, but he notes that, ironically, once he met Wendy and was no longer dating, he lost his motivation. Then Wendy&amp;#039;s doctor warned that she could have a stroke if she didn&amp;#039;t slim down, and Marty joined her on a diet: &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;d do anything for Wendy.&amp;quot;  Getting Healthy:  The couple, who own a software company, signed up with Jenny Craig, and in addition to the meals mailed to them each week, they started eating fruits and vegetables their counselor recommended. &amp;quot;It forced us to buy &amp;#039;new&amp;#039; foods, like kale,&amp;quot; says Wendy. They liked the fresh items so much that four years ago they became vegans. &amp;quot;Now we feel we&amp;#039;re doing everything we can for our health and to help the environment,&amp;quot; Marty explains. Scaling New Heights:  When they started on Jenny Craig, Wendy couldn&amp;#039;t make it up a flight of stairs. However, after they&amp;#039;d each lost 20 pounds \u2014 about six weeks into their diet \u2014 the couple climbed Yuma&amp;#039;s Telegraph Pass (1,558 feet) and proudly signed the logbook at the top. &amp;quot;We used to laugh at the idea of going up there,&amp;quot; says Wendy, but since then, they&amp;#039;ve done it dozens of times, and she climbs it every single day with their dogs.       Marty Before: 287 lbs. Now: 195 lbs.  Lost: 92 lbs.  Wendy Before: 328 lbs. Now: 189 lbs.  Lost: 139 lbs. Total Lost: 231 lbs.    "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/diet-nutrition/a13295/weight-loss-buddy/>