The desire to lose weight and look good in smaller sizes is hardly a solitary phenomenon. Indeed, countless men and women each year yearn to be ten, twenty, even fifty or more pounds lighter. It is this collective desire that keeps the diet industry so profitable, with nearly millions of dollars spent annually on weight loss supplements, diet books, gym memberships, and specialized food for burning fat. Thousands of people, tens of thousands, face the new year with the same resolutions: take off the pounds and keep them off.

So why is it, when we diet, we sometimes feel so alone? What is it about trying to lose weight that makes us feel like outsiders in a sea of people who seem content with their lives? Is it because we feel uncomfortable in restaurants, as if we're forced to limit our option to avoid fatty fried foods and rich cream sauces? Is it because we're ashamed to admit that we need to lose weight, and hence risk humiliation?

There is certainly no reason to feel alone during a process in which so many people engage themselves. This is why companies like Weight Watchers have thrived over the decades, not so much because people find the weight loss plans effective, but because the sense of community is there to make the process of losing weight less clinical and less isolated. When you attend a meeting of men and women who want to lose weight, you gain a sense of camaraderie that establishes a better comfort level for achieving your dieting goals. Such meetings offer support to men and women so they don't have to feel alone.

What do you do, though, if such places don't exist where you live? What do you do if your schedule is so demanding that by the time you are free to meet, the meetings are over? Truly, it can be inconvenient for a dieter to join a weight loss support group that meets during the day when you are working, more so if the meetings are too far away for even driving.

This doesn't mean you should count out the possibility of continuing a diet alone. Friends and family will always lend support when you need it, but to see a diet to success sometimes it takes more than a sympathizing soul to help push you away from the table. Sometimes it takes a diet buddy to help get you past the temptations and bolster the desire to move and gain a fit lifestyle.

Think of it, as you will, like the partnership fostered in twelve-step groups. People seeking to end an addiction are assigned a "sponsor," a person to turn to in times desperation. When recovering addicts are tempted to fall off the wagon, a quick phone call to their sponsors fortifies the bond between the two, which works to help the addict overcome the pull to stray. So can the concept work with dieters, yet in the case of having a diet buddy, both parties involved seek the support and have much to gain, and lose!

Having a diet buddy to lean on in times of trouble and triumph can help the weight loss process. You have more than just a sympathetic ear, you have the wisdom of another person who is going through the exact same trials, shares the same goals, and is willing to help you for your benefit and his. From a diet buddy you can learn dieting methods that may work for you, recipes to help cut the fat from your daily regimen, and if the person is close by you have an exercise partner. If you should happen to find a long-distance buddy through the Internet, it shouldn't prevent you from communication, either. Take a walk with a portable phone and match your progress together. Use an instant messaging device to recap the day's weight loss program, and above all else show the encouragement you would want your buddy to give to you.

Sharing your hopes and dream can be beneficial in that your own confidence is boosted, and hence your drive to lose weight is strengthened in a diet partnership bond. As you look forward to losing weigh, whether you plan to start now or in the new year, consider sharing your joys and burdens with somebody else who doesn't want to walk the same road alone. You may find, with a friend, that you will arrive at your destination sooner than you realize.