ARE YOUR FRIENDS MAKING YOU FAT?

Did you know that having an obese friend increases your risk of obesity by 57%? If you’re the sibling of an overweight or obese person, your risk of putting on the pounds increases 40% and, if you’re the spouse, by 37%.

Those were the findings of a study by researchers from Harvard and UC San Diego that looked at patterns in social networks of more than 12,000 people over thirty years. As you can imagine, the conclusion that your friends can make you fat surprised and angered a lot of people.

One man who wasn’t the least bit surprised by the study is Tony Dean, author of The Fast Diet: Families Always Succeed Together. Tony and his family lost more than 500 pounds after they decided that if they got fat together, they could get fit together. Now Tony is leading groups all over the country, and as far away as Australia, to help people learn how to lose weight and keep it off.

Tony joins me on my radio show, the Libby Gill Show, this Sunday from 3-5 pm PST on KarmaAir.com to share the dieting secrets that finally worked for him and his family. He’ll also explain how working as a team, setting up clear accountability factors and making the challenge fun can keep anyone on track.

So even if you’ve been a yo-yo dieter, struggled with weight loss for years, or are surrounded by overweight friends and family members, this is your chance to call in and ask Tony for advice. You can call in live on-air to 1-888-495-2762 or leave your questions and comments here for me to address during the show.