Robyn Spurr

Personal Health and Weight Loss Coaching For Women

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Top Non-Diet Weight Loss Strategies – The Self Compassion “Diet”

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See if this resonates with you…

Go on a diet – feel a crappy feeling – overeat to numb/distract/escape feeling – beat self up for overeating and for feeling “bad” – feel worse – give up on diet (screw it!) – eat mindlessly – gain weight – beat self up for gaining weight – go on another restrictive/punishing diet…

You guys, I see this ALL THE TIME.

The more we beat ourselves up, the more we want to check out and give up so we can escape the beatings + self-criticism. Then, one day we start right back up where we left off – with another restrictive + self-punishing diet.

The way to reach your goals is through self-compassion and forgiveness (not, I repeat NOT self-criticism).

Try these instead…

  • Listen to your body
  • Eat when you’re hungry + stop when you’re satisfied
  • Stop telling yourself you’re supposed to feel happy all the time
  • Honor ALL of your emotions
  • Celebrate the small wins
  • When you mess up, forgive and move on.

If there is one I’ve learned via my own weight loss journey and by coaching other women, it’s that beating ourselves up never leads to a positive result. Healthy is a place you get to with love.

​Here’s an excerpt from a recent Scientific American article (Why Diets Don’t Work and What Does).

“In a 2014 study, women with eating disorders, including some who binged or who were overweight, received compassion-focused therapy—an approach aimed at reducing feelings of shame and improving self-esteem. Over the 12-week treatment, women who exhibited greater improvements in self-compassion and reductions in body shame were also more likely to develop better eating habits.​”

Now you might be wondering, where do I start? How do I begin to practice self-compassion?

One of the simplest ways is to start tracking daily evidence for success. Write down one thing you do well each day. One way you took care of YOU. One action that is moving you closer to your goals for yourself. Nothing is too small.

Even if you screwed up 357 other things, write down that one small victory.

Train your mind to look for the good.

Another pathway to self-compassion is knowing that you’re not alone.

Look, we’re all kind of messed up and stumbling through this thing called life. If someone tells you they have it all figured out, they’re lying! Liar liar pants on fire!

A client of mine sent me this TED Talk last week (Glennon Doyle Melton: Lessons From the Mental Hospital).

It blew my mind. Raw + powerful + brilliant! I am currently soaking up everysinglething Glennon has written. You might say I’m obsessed. Guilty as charged.

After you watch the TED Talk, check out her blog.

Then go and get her book. Read it once, then read it again – then give it to a good friend. Seriously, it’s THAT good…

“Here’s my hunch: nobody’s secure, and nobody feels like she completely belongs. Those insecurities are just job hazards of being human. But some people dance anyway, and those people have more fun.” ​~ Glennon Doyle Melton, Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed

​Dance on Chickadees!

XO ~Robyn

PS: I’ve got openings for private Weight Loss Coaching coming up in EARLY September. Just around the corner. If you’re ready to lose the weight for good + create a more delicious life + practice self-compassion, then let’s chat Chickadee! 

 Click here to schedule a Discovery Session or email me directly at robyn@chickadeeweightloss.com.

 I’d love to work with you. Let’s make it happen.

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Top Non-Diet Weight Loss Strategies – Simple + Fun Food Journaling

simple + creative food journals

Guess what? You don’t have to keep a detailed journal full of calories counts and a 1/2 cup of this and 7 grams of that to get results. YOU get to choose the way you journal. And keeping a food journal can be simple or a creative outlet or dare I say – fun.

I see you rolling your eyes. Yes, you. Stay with me.

Research has consistently shown that self-monitoring is one of the most important components of successful weight loss and weight maintenance programs.

It helps to find a way of tracking that makes sense for + appeals to you. You don’t have to count every calorie or gram of protein (unless you really want to).

Pressed for time? You can opt for something super simple. Just write down the time + what you ate. That’s it. Remember the key to success is awareness.

Or – you can embrace your inner artist or photographer or writer.

If you’re into taking pictures of pretty food (like me), check out twogrand. I’ve been using it since February of this year and I’m completely smitten.

Other ideas…

Create a Facebook page to document your food journey.

Instagram.

Creating a Pinterest board for your journals.

Start a blog.

Make your journal pretty + colorful. Use colored pencils. Sketch a bit.

Write about your favorite meal of the day each night.

The possibilities are endless.

Find a way that appeals to you and make journaling part of your daily routine – just like brushing your teeth.

XO ~Robyn

PS: Looking for a fun + creative non-food nurturer to turn to instead of food? Click here.

PSS: You say you want it, but how hard are you trying? Need a kick in the pants? Click here.

Robyn Spurr is a Once Obese Chick, Certified Weight Loss Coach, Personal Trainer and founder of Chickadee Weight Loss. 

She helps women learn to manage their emotions without food and reach their healthy, natural weight without all the diet craziness.

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Top Non-Diet Weight Loss Strategies – Make it Pretty

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We all know we can banish carbs, obsessively count calories or spend hours on the treadmill and lose weight – but that’s absolutely, positively, unequivocally NO FUN.

It also happens to be a shortsighted approach to weight loss.

Do you really want to count every bleeping calorie or say goodbye bread for the rest of your life?

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing my favorite non-diet weight loss strategies for long-term success. Because that’s the goal, right? Lose the weight and keep it off – for GOOD.

Strategy #1 – Make Your Food Look Pretty​

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I’ve got a confession to make. Up until a few short months ago, I ate most of my meals straight out of big glass bowls, take away boxes from Whole Foods or Tupperware containers.

And now – well the pics above are all meals + snacks I’ve eaten in the past few days.

My dishwasher was happy about my old approach, but the most fascinating thing happened when I started using plates and bowls and making my meals look nice – I lost a few pounds.

Food that looks pretty is more satisfying.

That’s why presentation is such a big deal at restaurants. The experience of eating is more pleasurable when your food is presented in an attractive way. How you serve a meal or snack can affect how quickly, how much and how often you eat.

Now you don’t have to master the art of culinary presentation, but a few simple steps can go a long way.

1. Put your food on a plate or in a bowl. Don’t eat out of containers, boxes or Tupperware.

2. Make it pretty + colorful. Add some fruit, sliced tomato or a lemon wedge.

Color matters because your eyes start “eating” before the food even reaches your lips. If your plate is looking a little bland, sprinkle some seasoning or garnish over the top.

Pretty food is more satisfying – no doubt about it. So go and create some of your own picture worthy plates. You’ll have more fun eating and you might even lose a few pounds.

Follow what I’m eating on twogrand (username chickarobyn).

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XO ~Robyn

Robyn Spurr is a Once Obese Chick, Certified Weight Loss Coach, Personal Trainer and founder of Chickadee Weight Loss. 

She helps women learn to manage their emotions without food and reach their healthy, natural weight without all the diet craziness.

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What’s Your Motivation Type?

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Why do some people achieve their goals while others give up?

Understanding your type of motivation is critical to achieving your goals. Which is why Weight Watchers never worked for me. It all makes perfect sense now.

This super informative Lifehack post explains the 6 different types of motivation. And to be perfectly honest, I had no idea they existed until a few days ago. Yay Internet.

But now that I do, I plan to approach my goals in a completely different way.

Here’s a quick rundown of the six different motivation types (and how they might relate to weight loss):

1. Rewards/Incentive: You’re driven by the knowledge that you’ll receive an award or money or recognition for achieving your goal.

“I want to lose weight so I can win the Biggest Loser pool at work.”

“I want to lose weight so people will notice + compliment my body.”

2. Fear: Punishment or negative consequences motivate you.

“I want to lose weight because I don’t want to get diabetes or die of a heart attack.”

“I want to lose weight so it’s not so hard to walk up the stairs.”

3. Achievement: Similar to rewards/incentives, this form of motivation is driven by a desire to achieve + improve skills + prove your competency.

“I want to lose weight so I can prove that I can!”

“I want to lose weight so I can run a marathon.”

4. Growth: You’re motivated by self-improvement + a desire to increase knowledge + grow as an individual.

“I want to lose weight because I want to be continually bettering myself.”

5. Power: You’re motivated by a desire to affect others.

“I want to lose weight so I can be a role model for other people.”

6. Social: You’re motivated by a desire to belong + feel accepted.

“I want to lose weight in order to be accepted by society (or my fit friends).”

I’m 100% hands down motivated by growth. In fact, my weight loss journey began after reading a book about creating a more fulfilling life. I saw my weight loss journey as a path to improving myself – inside and out.

To sum it up…

  1. Know your type
  2. Design a plan accordingly
  3. Anything is possible!

XO ~Robyn