Ensure that those closest to you tip the scale in your favour by following these simple guidelines...

Your BFF
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that your friends may increase your odds of gaining weight by 57 percent. “Women tend to match each other’s behaviour at the table,” says nutritionist Marisa Moore. Let your pal order first – she’ll feel pressure to set a good example, and you’ll likely follow her lead. And don’t invite your whole clique – a recent study in the journal Appetite found that ladies who lunched with four friends averaged 630kJ more per meal than those who dined with three.

Your Dog
Walking your pooch will shrink your paunch. In a study at the University of Missouri-Columbia, volunteers who got 30 minutes of leash time five times a week dropped an average of six kilograms in a year. On bad-weather days, play indoor games, like chasing your dog up and down the stairs, to help burn up his energy and your lunchtime toastie, suggests Dr Robert Kushner, co-author of Fitness Unleashed! A Dog and Owner’s Guide to Losing Weight and Gaining Health Together.

Your Guy
Researchers at the University of North Carolina found that women who live with a romantic partner increase their risk of becoming obese by 63 percent, and those who marry more than double it. But couples also have an easier time taking weight off: Duke University researchers discovered that people were 50 percent more likely to start exercising if their partner joined them. Get your guy to work up a sweat with you by cycling, running or playing tennis. And have him help out on the food front by cooking together at home. Eating out more than five times a week (which couples have been known to do) adds about 1212kJ on average to your daily diet – that’s the equivalent of 13.5kJ a year!

Your Colleagues
A study in Eating Behaviours found that when female colleagues teamed up to lose weight, they were more likely to exercise and dropped more kilograms early on. Ask your workplace to start an official fitness-incentive programme. Studies have shown that they encourage employees to set and meet weekly fitness goals while also increasing productivity. Or kick off your own Biggest Loser-style competition complete with weigh-ins and lunch-hour challenges like power walks, spin classes or yoga sessions.