What if it could be easy?
Let's talk about the mistake that keeps women starting over with weight loss.
Something I’ve been coaching my clients on keeps coming up over and over again, so I thought I’d write an email about it because I bet it may be something you’ve struggled with too.
It’s the feeling of not doing enough.
As women, we’re used to the idea that losing weight has to be big, dramatic, and really hard. This is especially true for those of us who grew up in diet culture. The signs that you’re doing it “right” include white knuckling through temptations, always being hungry, and thinking about what you can and can’t eat every second of every day.
It’s exhausting. It feels hard. But it also feels like that’s how weight loss is supposed to be.
And sure, it can work. But do you think it’s sustainable?! I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to feel hungry all the time for the rest of my life. And I also don’t want my life to have to revolve around food… thinking of food, planning food, avoiding food… no thanks.
What if it could be easy? (Spoiler alert, it can be!)
That’s what I help my clients with every day. But all of them have said some version of the same thing: I don’t feel like I’m doing enough, this feels too easy, there is no way this can actually work, etc.
We work a lot on the mindset of health and wellness alongside the physical and nutritional stuff, but this is always a hard one.
And then there’s the fact that sustainable fat loss doesn’t happen overnight. Or even very quickly. And our brains hate that. We want proof that it’s working right now, even when the real results are still being built behind the scenes.
In my coaching, we work a lot on trusting the process, measuring success off of the scale, and focusing on making the next right choice. I teach them how to listen to their bodies and to respond to the signals their bodies are sending.
Because at the end of the day, most of the symptoms women feel (like hunger, fatigue, bloating, etc) are just signals from their bodies communicating what it needs. But you can’t hear them or figure out what they mean if you’re constantly forcing yourself to ignore hunger or stick to a restrictive plan at all costs.
I think this is why so many women feel like they’re constantly starting over. They can follow a plan, white-knuckle their way through a challenge, and be “good” for a few weeks. But nobody ever taught them how to make decisions when life gets messy. When they’re stressed, tired, traveling, celebrating, eating out, or simply not feeling motivated. And that’s where real life happens.
If your plan only works when life is going “according to plan,” it’s not sustainable.
I always say there are a million ways to lose weight and all of them can work. But what can you live with for the rest of your life?
That’s the question.
Motivation and willpower will fade, life gets busy, kids get sick, vacations happen, and stress is everywhere. The goal is to build habits that still work when life gets messy instead of following the perfect plan.
That’s why if you learn the principles for true lasting weight loss, you can lose weight for the last time and not be chained to a restrictive plan for the rest of your life.
I recently had the opportunity to talk about this on the How to Get Ahead podcast with Millennial Life Coaches.
The episode is called “How Do I Lose Weight Without Restrictive Diets as a Busy Mom?” We had a really great conversation all about why restrictive diets often fail, why breakfast is one of the first things I help clients improve, how my Fuel Trio™ approach helps reduce cravings and support sustainable weight loss, and why mindset and grace matter so much in the process.
If you’ve ever wondered, “How do I actually lose weight without following another restrictive plan?” I think you’ll enjoy this conversation!
And if you're tired of starting over and want help figuring out what sustainable weight loss could look like in your real life, reply to this email or book a free Summer Reset Strategy Session. I'd love to help!
With grace,
Andrea
