Today is my 10th anniversary of being in business! I blended my knowledge of nutrition and weight loss from my bachelors in nutrition and years in the field with my new learnings from coaching school on how to get to root causes and reorient toward higher visions. My process began to evolve with help from classmates who wanted to lose weight. I came up with the name Weight Loss Coach (now it’s a common title), got my business license and began to learn from every client.
Although I enjoy partnering with all people who are ready for weight loss coaching, my most favorite are those with heavy duty life-long food/weight struggles who have failed with diets many times. So, I get to see the qualities and fortitude in people who finally succeed.
Those who succeed, have tremendous courage to stay in the game when it gets uncomfortable. It’s a dirty messy process that they dare to see through.
Here is an excerpt of a recent follow-up e-mail I received from such a warrior:
“On my end, well, eating is good, slowing down is ok, exercise is excellent!!! I feel I am dealing with a little fear of letting go of old thoughts and patterns, but I love that I see this and always try to talk gently to myself. I get frustrated going back again and again to places where I doubt, fear or talk negatively… then I remember: one day at a time. And even if I get it wrong, this just makes room for me to get it right the next moment: this moment. I feel I’m fighting with myself a lot. I wonder if there’s a part of me that is really scared to be WELL? (This was ammunition for a breakthrough on our next call!)
I do feel, besides getting stuck at what feels like the same pothole over and over again, that I am much gentler with myself and more open to look and see what’s going on, and moving out of that pothole. But I must admit, I feel I want to make leaps and bounds! Move faster!”
This woman lost 2.2 lbs* in the week she wrote this. She dares to stay in the dirty messy process, seeing the mess and applying cleaning solutions to it in a bit by bit manner. On our call she said, “Nothing of this has been easy, but very step I have taken has been fun. I don’t mind having to do it again and again. I’m on the right track, I feel it and know it.”*
She’s an example of a particularly tough case with stubborn old patterns who chooses to stay in and create her best body and life. Most people I work with achieve their weight goal and the personal growth that’s attached to it. They hear their gremlins and are willing to be uncomfortable. They learn to be gentle, tender and compassionate with themselves to soften what’s hard. They become a loving, supportive presence for themselves so that they can feel their feelings and can go to those places that want to be addressed and healed.
Another warrior just celebrated her 26th wedding anniversary which she is proud about. As she changed, her husband’s response to her changed and their marriage dynamics improved. Those who stay in the process have tremendous rewards that affect their selfhood which touches every aspect of their lifes.
One woman’s body releases fat slowly because of her borderline low thyroid function. When I complimented her on her dedication for coming a long way she said:
“Well if you don’t fully invest yourself in it, how would you know if you really could succeed? . . . I’m a lot happier having lost 25 lbs* 6 months later than someone else would have, than if I got discouraged and gave up because I didn’t meet my expectations. I have patience because I can affect this. . . I hoped for behavior modification but didn’t know how hard it was going to be. Now, they manifest naturally every day. All those discussions about it’s OK to not be perfect. I now can have an ounce of chocolate cake and go off and do something else.”*
She pointed out that 25 lbs ago, she was someone who had a glass of wine when she came home from work and another 1-2 with dinner and often a high fat dinner. Now, she works out before coming home and feels like eating more nutritiously.*
If you dare, the rewards to your personhood are beyond tremendous!
“Bravery never goes out of style.” William M. Thackeray