Change for the Better

Wouldn’t it be awesome if weight loss was fun and easy? Wouldn’t it be awesome if you didn’t feel you had to sacrifice time or feel depraved? Would you believe me if I told you I have done just that?

One of the great outcomes of the journey I’ve been on is that my relationship to my body and food have dramatically shifted.

I’ve lost over 25 lbs in the last 4 months. I’m thankful that I’ve gotten to be a client of this transformation work and experience the changes for myself.

Previous weight loss for me has consisted of doing exercise videos, spending hours on a treadmill or exercise bike, and weight lifting videos. It also involved eating less and restricting what I ate. I always saw weight loss periods as temporarily putting up with different changes so I could get the outcome I wanted - losing weight. My weight has gone up and down over the years and my last weight gain from my pregnancy with my daughter I wasn’t able to lose. Three and half years of being around the same weight and wanting to lose more I wasn’t looking forward to the commitment and taking time away from other things I wanted to do. I was at the point of thinking I’m just going to have to accept my weight and make peace with it.

In February of this year I started going through my coaching program with a practice client and I also committed to going on my own experience through the program and took advantage of training labs with other coaches.

All it took was a long term plan! More importantly, a program that was tailored to my lifestyle and my goals.

Let me tell you, committing to this for myself was so worth it! There’s so much power in having accountability and support with your struggles and seeing the other side now. One of my goals was to lose weight and have more energy and I had sooo many blocks with my relationship with food and movement.

At the start I wasn’t getting outside or doing any form of exercise regularly. I was hovering around the same weight, overwhelmed with where to start and what to do.

One thing that holds most people back is not having a custom plan that works with them. Not a cookie cutter program that you're forced to follow.

Because let's be honest, none of that stuff works long term. It sure didn’t for me previously.

Without changing the way that we view food and exercise and doing it in a way that we can easily improve, we will always fall off the wagon.

It's just human nature.

I was able to get past my blocks around movement/exercise and start building a healthy relationship with my body and food. I began losing weight easily without doing what I previously thought I had to do. I still ate sweets, I still enjoyed all the foods I liked and I wasn’t on an extreme exercise routine. I was doing things I enjoyed - like walking, playing games with my kids and dancing around the house to music. The pounds started coming off and I was actually enjoying myself. I knew I had found a way that worked for me and was sustainable.

Instead of trying to force yourself to eat boring foods or do workouts you can't stand, start doing the things you enjoy that are aligned with your goals!

Last week it was pretty hot and I tried on some shorts that I previously hadn’t been able to fit in, they fit!

I was also being faced with body shame and the feelings that came up with wearing shorts out again. It's been a while since I’ve worn shorts out and felt comfortable. No matter the weight there’s so much self love and mindset work I had also been doing for myself. Wearing shorts and celebrating weight loss and facing my body shame/fears and talking about my body compassionately has gotten me to a better place. For me just wanting to lose weight wasn’t enough motivation to take action, it was more about being able to enjoy life more and having more energy for doing things I love like spending time with my family and friends.

My body is not an apology, my body is my friend (thanks Sonya Renee Taylor for those phrases). I can be loving to myself and treat myself compassionately and the way I would treat a loved one or friend. My relationship with food/movement is no longer a daily struggle, it's something I’m feeling at peace with more and more.

For those of you who know you need extra support, I want to show you how to become your best self and come to peace with your relationship to food and movement without giving up the things you love.