Why I almost gave up weight loss coaching

This is going to be a super honest post because it’s weighing deep on my heart.

A woman comes to me asking for help with her weight loss.  She states she’s 100% dedicated to doing what it takes to change her life – eating better, moving more, following my plan, communicating and staying accountable.  She dives in eager to see the changes that will take place.  It goes well for a while but then the reality of the work and effort set in.  She slips one meal and misses a workout.  Then a week or a month has gone by, and she simply gives up.  Again.

It’s very infrequent that anyone I work with is trying to lose weight for the first time, but the above story is a VERY common scenario.  Sometimes the hero of that story doesn’t even start.  She convinces herself she doesn’t have time, can’t afford it, or even worse – that she’s not worth it.

You’ve heard me share the message before that it is only 5% of people who will actually do what it takes to get what they want in life – and that is SO TRUE with weight loss amongst many other things.

Hear me say this: I LOVE WHAT I DO.  There is no greater gratification to me than watching someone transform, hearing the excitement in their voice or text when they report their results, and seeing someone work toward real change.

As a coach, I care deeply for my clients and prospective clients.  I want to see everyone succeed.  And I am fortunate to say that my track record for coaching successful clients is better than most – I have truly witnessed and supported COUNTLESS transformations over the years.

But we all know things come in waves, and I had too many conversations that outline the story of my heroine above recently.  My heart started to break..  I was taking on and bearing the burden of their troubled journeys, wondering what more I could do, say, and share to convince them that they are capable if they just follow the plan.  I don’t quit on things in life, but I suddenly felt I couldn’t bear the weight anymore.

That was a fleeting thought that lasted a matter of hours, but for a bit, I considered giving up weight loss coaching.  It’s hard for a coach to want something for someone more than they do.  It’s hard to carry someone else’s pain, and for me, it’s impossible not to.  My responsibility in this world though is to empower women to transform their lives, and I will never, ever quit on that.

So here are my lessons for today:

1. Focus only on what you can control – and you can’t control other people no matter how much you want to.
2. Give other people your very best – if I am giving my all to someone who’s asked for my help, I know that I am giving my best of what’s in my control.
3. Don’t take other people’s behaviors and decisions personally – as humans, we tend to make things all about ourselves.  You can support and guide others on their journey, but you can’t take the journey for them.

I hope this resonates with you on some level, whether you’re a coach or on the receiving end of coaching.​  And if you’re thinking about giving your weight loss a go for the first or fiftieth time, I encourage you to be in the 5%.  Commit to doing what it takes now and forever to live and extraordinary life in which you get to live confidently, healthfully, & gracefully.  I’m here to support you when you’re ready. 🙂

P.S.  If you’re ready to pull the trigger and make the change right now, I encourage you to jump into my 21 Day transFORMation Challenge, which has my participants losing an average of 1/2 pound per day!  Click here for all the details, or just hit reply so we chat about it! 🙂  This program reminds me why I do what I do when I get messages like this from participants 4 days into the program!