Robyn Spurr

Personal Health and Weight Loss Coaching For Women

Weight Loss Coaching

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How to Stop a Craving

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When my clients ask me what to do when they have a craving I always tell them the same thing. Journal.

If we eat, we miss out on understanding why we want to distract ourselves with food.

That moment of stopping and deciding to write instead of eat requires an override of our deeply rooted patterns of behavior.

Given a choice, we will almost always choose our conditioned habits over what we know is best for us.

We tell ourselves that a few seconds of ice cream filled deliciousness is better than a delicious life.

  • But I want it
  • I deserve it
  • It’s so good
  • I had a bad day
  • It’s my favorite flavor
  • My husband is having some
  • Just a scoop
  • I can’t resist it

I still sit down with a notebook when I experience a craving. Each entry starts with the same sentence…

Why do I want to eat right now?

If you do this, you will finally begin to understand why you turn to food when you’re not hungry. 

You will no longer be able to pretend that your reason for wanting to check out with food is valid.

This process requires vulnerability and consciousness. It can be scary to face the truth about our overeating – to stop numbing our feelings with ice cream.

But the result of this work is worth it. You are worth it.

Robyn Spurr is a Certified Health Coach, Weight Loss Coach, Personal Trainer and founder of Chickadee Weight Loss. She helps women reach their healthy, natural weight and stay there without all the diet craziness.

If you’re interested in learning more about Weight Loss Coaching, sign up for a one hour Discovery Session. Click here for details.

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Why Fat Happiness is the Key to Losing Weight

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There’s a tagline after my signature on every email I send. It says…

You can’t hate yourself healthy. Healthy is a place you get to with love.

So many of us want to lose the weight so we can escape the pain of being in an overweight body. But here’s the truth – it’s what I had to really “get” before I was able to lose the weight for good.

Ready?

You won’t accept your body – no matter how much weight you lose, until you learn how to accept your body right now.

Did that kind of blow your mind? Yeah, me too. Let me explain.

When we think we’ll be happier when we’re thinner, we block ourselves from enjoying life fully right now. We lock ourselves in a prison and the only way out is to become physically smaller.

Can you see how painful that situation is and why it might not be the best way to inspire weight loss?

Try this. Recall a time when you stumbled upon an old photo of yourself and thought – whoa, I looked soooo good back then. But did you think you looked good in that moment? Or were you wishing you were thinner?

You don’t need to be smaller in order to be happier. Now that doesn’t mean you give up on losing weight. But losing weight in order to escape pain doesn’t work. Your problems will follow you – you can’t melt them away on the treadmill.

My mentor, Brooke Castillo summed it up perfectly on her most recent podcast:

“If we can’t learn to appreciate this moment, we won’t appreciate the future moments either.”

Let that really sink in.

Your capacity for joy is the same today as it will be a year from now – or 10 years from now – or 50 pounds less than now.

Happiness doesn’t magically materialize because a number finally appears on the scale. Happiness shows up when we make a decision to accept ourselves and make the most of our lives. Happiness shows up when we stop waiting for that future “better” moment to arrive.

  • When I can retire
  • When I can rock a pair of skinny jeans
  • When this project is over
  • When the kids move out
  • When I find the perfect man

Losing weight from a place of acceptance and joy is SO MUCH EASIER. You don’t have to wait until you have that elusive thigh gap or the perfect job or a house on the beach to feel good.

You can still want all of those things – go out there and rock your goals – but stop telling yourself that you’ll be happier when you have them.

If your happiness is dependent on a big goal, you are cheating yourself out of feeling those emotions during the journey towards reaching your goal.

And once you really understand that – once you start living instead of wishing and grasping and waiting – you’ll finally be able to release the extra weight. Losing weight will no longer feel like a never ending battle.

You’re not hungry for more cookies – but you’re probably hungry for more love, more peace, more inspiration, more contentment. And you can have all of those things – right now – no matter what you weigh.

Robyn Spurr is a Certified Health Coach, Weight Loss Coach, Personal Trainer and founder of Chickadee Weight Loss. She helps women reach their healthy, natural weight and stay there without all the diet craziness.

For more information on Weight Loss Coaching, click here.

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How to Stop Giving Yourself Permission to Overeat

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My clients and I spend a great deal of time examining sabotaging thoughts.

Food does not magically launch itself into our bellies. We make a conscious decision to eat (or not eat).

When we choose to eat for reasons other than physical hunger, there is always a sabotaging thought. We say, “this is okay to eat because _________________”.

Fill in the blank.

We often remain blissfully unaware of our sabotaging thoughts.

“OMG, the whole pint of Ben & Jerry’s is gone. How did THAT happen?”

Because you gave yourself permission to eat it darling.

Once my clients identify their most common Sabotaging Thoughts, we work together to create a New Response. The New Response has to be convincing enough to make you think twice about finishing off that bag of chips.

There are hundreds of examples – maybe thousands, but here are few favorites (complete with New Responses). Notice if any ring true for you.

  • Sabotage: I’ve already blown it for today so I’ll keep eating and get back on track tomorrow. 
  • Response: If I were driving on the highway and missed my exit, would I say, “I’ve really blown it now,” and drive 5 more hours in the wrong direction? Nope! I’d get off at the next exit and immediately turn around. Same with eating.
  • Sabotage: It’s okay to eat this because it’s just a little bit.
  • Response: It’s not about the calories, it’s about the habit. Every time I give in, I make it more likely I’ll give in the next time. Whether the food has 5 calories or 500 calories, it still reinforces the habit of giving in.
  • Sabotage: I don’t have time. 
  • Response: I have the same amount of time everyone else has. We ALL are busy. If it really matters to me, I’ll make time for it.
  • Sabotage: It’s the weekend. 
  • Response: My body doesn’t care what day of the week it is. Calories are still calories – even if it’s Saturday.
  • Sabotage: If I don’t finish it I’m wasting food. 
  • Response: I can waste it in the trash or on my body as extra fat – my choice.
  • Sabotage: I deserve it. 
  • Response: What I really deserve is good health and self respect.
  • Sabotage: Granny will be so sad if I don’t eat her pie.
  • Response: Is that really true? Will she really be sad or question my love over a slice of apple pie? (And if you REALLY believe Granny’s heart will break, tell granny you’re so full that you couldn’t possibly enjoy it right now. Ask her for a piece to go – and then throw it away or give it to a friend. She’ll never know.)

Take an honest look at the sabotaging thoughts that you use to justify overeating and refute them with a convincing New Response. Keep challenging each sabotaging thought until you find a response that really resonates with you.

Robyn Spurr is a Certified Health Coach, Weight Loss Coach, Personal Trainer and founder of Chickadee Weight Loss. She helps women reach their healthy, natural weight and stay there without all the diet craziness.

For more information on Weight Loss Coaching, click here.

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The Truth About Why We’re Fat

 

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Anytime you eat when you’re not physically hungry is because of a feeling.

  • Inadequacy
  • Loneliness
  • Fear
  • Disappointment
  • Anger
  • Defeat

A feeling created by a thought.

  • I’m not good enough.
  • No one cares.
  • I’m never going to pay off this debt.
  • This isn’t what I wanted.
  • She hurt me.
  • Screw it!

You’re not overweight because you like food too much or because you just can’t stop once you’ve started or because ice cream makes you feel better. Those are the lies you tell yourself. Your story.

We like to blame our weight on our food “problems” – but the reason you overeat has nothing to do with food.

The reason we get fat isn’t because we don’t have enough willpower or because junk food is cheap and delicious.

We don’t get fat because we haven’t found the right diet or because our metabolism is too slow.

The reason you overeat is because you’re asking food to do something other than satisfy your hunger.

Comfort you.

Help you numb out.

Distract you from the negative thoughts swirling around in your head.

It’s so much easier to create drama around food and our weight than deal with the actual problems of our lives. It’s easier to blame our weight for our unhappiness and dissatisfaction.

But guess what? Losing the weight isn’t going to fix your relationship, pay the bills or land you that dream job. Losing the weight isn’t going to make you feel loved or worthy.

Only you can do that.

Losing the weight for good requires an inside-out approach. It requires that you address the root cause of your chronic overeating and perpetual yo-yo dieting. It requires that you get clear about what’s really causing the pain, instead of using the cookies to anesthetize yourself.

Getting clear about why you eat is an intense experience. It’s not easy. It requires commitment and work. But the rewards are extraordinary.

A life of connection, truth and authenticity.

The knowledge that you are always in control.

Arriving at your healthy, natural weight and staying there – with ease.

Or you can buy the next fad diet book and keep on believing your story about why you’re fat.

If you’re ready to get to the root of your overeating and lose the weight for good then let’s chat Chickadee. Because it’s time to end the suffering. Your amazing life is waiting for you.

Robyn Spurr is a Certified Health Coach, Weight Loss Coach, Personal Trainer and founder of Chickadee Weight Loss. She helps women reach their healthy, natural weight and stay there without all the diet craziness.

For more information, click here.