Here’s what I want you to know. You can lose the weight – and keep it off.
It’s true.
100%
Believe me?
Probably not.
I get it.
But hear me out.
If you don’t think you can, you won’t.
Take a minute to consider your beliefs about your ability to lose weight and keep it off. What are your beliefs about food? About exercise? About who you are?
Many of my new clients often share a belief system that sounds something like…
I’ve never succeeded at keeping the weight off. I do great for a few weeks or months and then I inevitably cave in. All of that delicious food is just too tempting. Especially when I have a bad day or my kids are making me crazy or something throws me off track, like a holiday or party. I just don’t have enough willpower, time or energy. I’ve always had a weight problem. I’ve always loved delicious food. I’ve always had a shit metabolism. That’s just who I am.
Most of us do not like to prove ourselves wrong. It feels downright awful.
Proving ourselves RIGHT makes us feel smart and confident. Even if proving ourselves right is keeping us from achieving what we want in life.
Have you ever heard of a concept called confirmation bias?
Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one’s preexisting beliefs or hypotheses.
We search for evidence in the world that supports the beliefs we already have.
If our belief is, “that guy is a terrible human being,” we’ll search for evidence to support it + ignore anything to the contrary. We do this ALL THE TIME.
My job as a coach is to help my clients see how their current belief system might be holding them back. We’re often completely unaware of our own programming. We don’t know that it’s optional. That we can change it. That we can shift our identity.
In fact, losing weight and keeping it off REQUIRES that you shift your identity.
One of my heroes, Warren Buffett, sums this up beautifully. He says…
What human beings are best at doing is interpreting all new information so that their prior conclusions remain intact.
Let me share a personal story.
When I turned 40, I believed I would gain weight.
All women gain weight in their 40’s. Belly fat is inevitable. I’m screwed.
And you know what? I gained a few pounds.
Until I WOKE UP and recognized I was a prisoner of my belief system.
Lo and behold, you can actually LOSE weight in your 40’s.
Even a coach can get duped by a faulty belief system.
Changing our belief system is the exact opposite of what our brain would like to do. Our brain would like to continue to confirm and be right about what we already believe. It doesn’t care if your belief system isn’t serving you.
Think about it.
Are you willing to be wrong about yourself?
Good. Keep reading.
So how do you go about upgrading your current belief system?
Step One: Become aware of your belief system
Step Two: Begin forming a new belief system
Step Three: Search for the evidence to support the new belief system
You might be tempted to jump from your current belief system straight to sunshine and unicorns.
I hate my body to I love my body
It’s not authentic. It won’t work.
Instead, bridge the gap. Evolve your belief system.
Here’s an example of belief evolution over time.
- I can’t lose weight.
- I have a belief that I can’t lose weight. (awareness)
- I get to choose what I put in my mouth. I’m in control of what I decide to eat.
- There have been times I’ve been successful at losing weight and eating healthy.
- I enjoy lots of whole foods. Roasted veggies, salmon, eggs, berries, to name a few.
- I haven’t figured it out yet, and that’s okay. I’m working on it.
- I might be wrong about not being able to change my behavior.
- I’m open to the possibility that I can change my behavior.
- I’m going to figure this out.
- I can do this!
If you’re feeling stuck, it’s normal. You’ve been practicing the same beliefs for years and often decades (or a lifetime!). Try this. Consider the actions that will get you the result you want.
In other words, what do you need to do to get your destination? Coming up with a list of actions is often easier than creating new thoughts. Once you have a list of actions, turn them into believable thoughts.
Here’s an example.
Desired Actions:
- Snack less
- Eat fewer carbs
- Eat more veggies
- Walk every day
- Plan + prep meals (eat at home more often)
New Beliefs:
- I will not die if I don’t eat a snack while watching TV (even though my brain will try to convince me otherwise).
- I can drink tea if I’m having a craving.
- I’ve eaten fewer carbs in the past and it’s been okay.
- I no longer eat carbs with my breakfast and I’ve gotten used to it.
- I love roasted veggies!
- I enjoy walking when I can listen to podcasts.
- Planning and prepping ahead of time makes eating healthy so much easier during the week.
- Not eating out all the time saves me money and saving money is important to me.
We must build a new belief system in order to create a new future. Our autopilot programming won’t get us there.
XO ~Robyn
Interested in a one-on-one coaching relationship with me? It would be an honor to work with you if and when the time feels right.
To learn more about one-on-one Health Coaching click HERE.
To schedule a Discovery Session click HERE.