Communications Coaching

Okay so when I am talking to clients and I ask them what they want…it is always interesting to see what they come back with.

“I want to lose weight.” One woman said.

“Really? How much?” I responded.

“30 pounds. Let’s get started!” She said.

So it began. I wanted to get clear first of all on if she had an ideal weight or if she just wanted to lose the weight and then gain it back. She thought this was insane, yet, language defines our thinking. When someone says they want to lose something, I want to know what it is they want to gain. When it comes to weight, I ask clients to focus on where they want to be….you know, the final end result. The reason this is so important is because if the goal is to lose x amount of weight, once that is completed, the goal is reached. This often means people go back to eating the same way. They reached their goal. Yay! Woo Hoo! What’s next? It hasn’t really changed anything.

I ask my clients to focus on the weight they want to be at and then start hanging out with people and eating with people that are at that weight and observe what those people eat. How they eat. Is it fast? Is it slow? Do they eat on the run? Ask them for recipes.

The other thing is, go buy a pair of jeans, pants or something that you will get into when you are the ideal weight. Envision yourself at that weight. How will you feel? How will you look? What is it about that weight that is attractive to you? Is it about health? Is it that you were this weight when you got married or graduated from High School?

What are you doing to focus on this weight? What books are you reading? Do you read healthy eating tips? Do you get magazines? What restaurants do you like to frequent? Do you belong to a gym? Is your family overweight? What types of influences will you have when you are at your ideal weight?

A lot of people get hung up on the mechanics of losing weight. They will have smaller portions and they will go to a gym and workout. 80% of weightloss is about food. It is not about exercise. Exercise is great…how can you incorporate it into your life? How about take the stairs instead of the elevator or park your car in the spot way out there. Add these things to your normal routine and create new habits there.

Look at your social life. Does it revolve around eating and drinking? What other things could you do? Could you get together to play cards instead of a dinner group? Could you go bowling? Incorporate activities into your social life.

It has been said that results are often harsh yet always fair. If you are a yo-yo dieter, change your thinking about losing weight. If you don’t, you are likely to find it much easier than you lost it!

Coach Michelle Shelton
www.boldtalent.com