I have spent years helping people lose weight. Cheering them on, educating on food and nutrients, providing tough love, celebrating with them, and feeling the struggle with them. Today I want to share what I learned over those years in hopes that it inspires you to dig deep into your life. In full disclosure I want to be clear that this is my story from a health coach and counselor’s perspective, not the story of any of my clients.
Sometimes the hardest part isn't the physical weight loss. Often times the hardest part of losing weight is finding and understanding your why. Sometimes there's healing that needs to take place to lose weight. Hang in there with me as I explain what I mean. I know if you’ve ever been on a journey to lose weight, it's not easy. It’s hard choices, uncomfortable group dinners, saying no when you want to say yes, it’s stepping outside of your comfort zone, and navigating the grocery store aisles in a new way. But this isn’t the weight itself, it’s the journey. It's your individual journey to health.
Let’s talk about healing the body. While weight loss for health is important, it’s not the end all be all. People can lose weight, but if we don’t understand how the body is functioning as a whole and uncover the dysfunction it’s a disservice. There’s a bigger picture, one that looks at how your body is functioning as a whole, discovers where there are deficiencies, and what needs attention. Taking a look at the bigger picture opens the door to healing your gut, uncovering food sensitivities, and acknowledging where your body isn’t functioning optimally. It gives you the opportunity to not just lose weight, but to truly heal your body. Think about a digestive system that works. No more heartburn, irregular bowel movements, bloating, joint pain, I could go on.
Let’s talk about emotions. It’s fighting the battle of how food makes a person feel and shedding the emotions tied to the weight. Without this deep work, the weight doesn’t stay off. Feelings around food run deep. Self-worth and self-esteem get mixed into types of food, good and bad are the labels given to food, somehow then defining the person as good or bad. Weight loss is no joking matter, it’s emotional deep work. It pushes you out of your comfort zone, teaches you about confidence, and making difficult decisions for results that aren’t always seen. It’s a journey.
This year as you are googling “How to lose weight?” or “weight loss Virginia Beach” think hard about what your goal is. Do you just want to lose 10, 30, or 50 pounds or do you want to figure out why you’re gaining weight or why you eat when you’re emotional, and what to do about it?
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