I’ve been helping others lose weight, overcome emotional eating and other forms of self-sabotage, and heal their hearts for ten years as a coach. I’ve learned a lot, and here are just a few of the lessons:
- 1. Reaching and Maintaining a goal weight requires some focus and attention. Just like with budgets or work tasks or household care, if we give it regular attention, do the ongoing maintenance tasks that need to be done, and automate what we can to make it easier for us, we tend to get the results we’re looking for. It’s not magic. It’s consistency.
- 2. I sometimes still want things I choose not to have – but it’s almost never about the food, it’s the memory associated with that food. If I MUST have it, a couple of bites will do when you take time to enjoy them. I must confess, some of those things I thought I MUST have – when I took time to really taste them, the reality did not live up to the memory of the flavor. Sad but true. The good news is that when it isn’t as good as we remember, it’s easier to let go.
- 3. No one expects you to succeed – and some are quietly rooting for you to fail. My grandmother’s sisters had this between them, and I picked it up. If someone lost their weight, it was like disloyalty. We gave each other permission to stay heavier. It sounds crazy if we say it like that, but we see it in other areas. It’s sort of like the new person who is eager to please and works too fast making the rest look bad. It’s not about the pounds — your health is too important to allow that to sabotage your choices.
- 4. To be honest, sometimes I really don’t want to do the things required to stay on track – go for that walk, make those choices. Also to be honest, the consequences have never been worth it.
- 5. Self-control is not a negative or a lack. It’s not punishment. It’s freedom. Who knew?
- 6. NOTHING is instantaneous or magic. All the instant diet fixes also have instant failure awaiting. If they had that magical formulation, it wouldn’t have such side effects or be fail when we stop taking it. The truth is: When we stop doing what works, we stop getting the results. When we make consistently good choices, we continue to succeed.
More next week.
In the meantime, register for my Masterclass in December. Or let’s talk so you can get on track to reach your goal.
