The Wrong Question

Until about 18 months ago, I had a deeply seeded belief that I was incapable of ever feeling good again. After DECADES of trying to lose weight and achieve better health I knew what to expect: 

Try hard. Burn out. Miss food. Miss life. Feel bad for being so undisciplined. Just eat the food. Feeling hopeless. More weight gain. Pressure. Guilt. Try hard again. Rinse and repeat with every fad diet under the sun.

Then July of 2023 brought me clarity. I was so sick and overweight that I was missing out on life and the amazing opportunities that God intended for me. I was ready to admit I couldn’t do this on my own and decided to try something called a health coach. (Worst case scenario, I was out the money I invested, 6 months of my time, and still feeling fat and terrible like every year before so why not?)  

That was where I learned that I didn’t have to be perfect and I needed to drop my faulty beliefs about what success has to look like. I could screw it up some days and just keep on going. As long as I made small doable goals, I never got overwhelmed. When I got trapped in my head and couldn’t see the blind spots that were holding me back, my health coach talked me through it. He promised that I would be successful if I just showed up every week and pretty soon I actually started believing it could be true. 

After losing 40 lbs and keeping it off for 6 months now-I know what to expect: daily consistent effort, accountability, no guilt, no pressure, new habits, new life, and a deep down belief that this is not temporary. This is me enjoying a balanced life and I feel good again. 

(Oh…and brownies are still freakin’ fantastic and belong in my new life too.)

So here’s what I know: The question never was: “What diet ACTUALLY works?” 

The question should have been: Am I ready to explore the REAL reasons why I can’t seem to lose the weight?

Next week I’ll share what I learned and have you thinking about what your reasons might be too.