Robyn Spurr

Personal Health and Weight Loss Coaching For Women

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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.

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The Surprising Reason I Recommend a Food Plan

Most people blame lack of willpower for their unhealthy choices.

I disagree. Sort of.

When you make a decision, or resist a donut – you’re expending some of the mental currency you have available that day. Each small decision diminishes your daily energy stores.

Check this out…

Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg wear essentially the same thing to work every day. President Obama dresses in a blue or gray suit and Zuckerberg wears a gray T-shirt.

Why? They know they have a day full of decisions ahead of them and a limited amount of mental energy. They put decision making on autopilot where they can.

James Clear explains this phenomenon in his article, How Willpower Works: How to Avoid Bad Decisions…

“As it turns out, your willpower is like a muscle. And similar to the muscles in your body, willpower can get fatigued when you use it over and over again. Every time you make a decision, it’s like doing another rep in the gym. And similar to how your muscles get tired at the end of a workout, the strength of your willpower fades as you make more decisions.

Researchers often refer to this as decision fatigue.”

My primary goal for clients is undoubtedly permanent weight loss, but there’s another objective as well – less thinking + obsessing about food.

I’ve started asking clients to estimate how much time they spend each day thinking about food. The numbers are staggering.

  • I probably shouldn’t eat this.
  • Is this healthy.
  • Maybe just one cookie – okay two.
  • I can burn these extra calories off at the gym.
  • What should I have for lunch?

A simple food plan eradicates much of this mental chatter.

Bands create a set list before a show. Agendas are written for meetings. Homes are built using a blueprint.

So why not approach eating in the same way?

Food plans decrease the number of decisions you need to make – which in turn, reduces stress. And who doesn’t want to reduce stress?

Set aside a few minutes each evening to plan what you’ll eat the following day with as much detail as possible.

Here’s a sample…

Breakfast:Scrambled Eggs + Avocado + Slice Sprouted Grain Bread
Lunch:Thai Coconut Salad from Mod Market
Dinner:Leftover Chicken Soup
Snack: Plain Greek Yogurt with Blueberries + 2 Squares Dark Chocolate

Not only does a food plan reduce stress, it makes it harder to justify eating off plan unless you have a valid reason. Double win!

Skeptical? Try it for one week – and see what happens.

XO ~Robyn

Make 2017 the year you drop the weight struggle for good. I’ve got a couple of openings for new coaching clients starting in January. My program has been revamped + remixed for the new year – and I’ve never been more excited to share it.

For details about the my new program – The Liberation Lab, click HERE.

To schedule a complimentary Discovery Session, click HERE.

This work is about so much more than weight loss. It’s a way out of your day in + day out fixation with food and way toward a bigger + bolder + more fulfilling life.

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What Anxiety Can Teach Us

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“You’re the most positive person I know.”

These words were spoken to me not once, but three times in the past few weeks.

I wasn’t always a positive person. I was immersed in a world of worry and negativity for most of my life.

My acceptance into the “gifted” Kindergarten class crippled me with fear. I didn’t think I would be able to keep up with the other kids. Yes, Kindergarten. Ask my Mom. Some major self-esteem issues at 5.

I refused to go to school for a week in 4th grade because I failed my first test. A history exam.

My sister Lynda’s math homework sent me into a state of panic. I was sure I’d never be able to master the same concepts when I was her age (she’s 9 years older me).

I drove my Dad crazy in the car – asking if we had enough gas and if he knew EXACTLY where he was going. On one trip up to the Catskills in New York, my family pretended the map flew out the window and laughed while I had a meltdown.

Clearly, they didn’t recognize the severity of my anxiety. I was just a quirky and “nervous” kid.

I worried. I cried. I complained. I agonized. I denied. I stuffed it down. I ate. I drank. I was obese.

And I was miserable.

I tried desperately to check out and disassociate from the noise in my brain.

After a bout of debilitating panic attacks, I finally saw a therapist. He prescribed meds. I was filled with horror and shame because I couldn’t handle it myself. I was always the “strong” one and I had failed.

I developed a rare side effect from the drugs – lymphocytic colitis. I chose to stop the meds, dive into CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) and deal with the withdrawal symptoms. Brain zaps anyone?

I discovered a new form of treatment. To fully embrace all that I am. To manage my emotions with my mind not food. To dance with the anxiety when it shows up. To acknowledge it, talk to it, feel it and learn from it.

Running and hiding and using food to numb our emotions doesn’t help. It only makes things worse. When we push against a negative feeling, it pushes right back – with a vengeance.

So, yes – I am a positive person. But it’s only because I decided to accept all of me, not just the pretty parts. It’s because I recognize that worrying is a waste of my precious energy. It’s because I know that I’m not alone – that so many other people suffer from anxiety. And it’s because I was willing to say shut up to my ego (now everyone will KNOW you’re crazy) and get help.

This “disorder” that so many of us are ashamed of. In times where death from starvation was always a threat, where animal attacks could happen at any moment and where strangers could kill you or your young, anxiety was one of the principal survival tools.

As I told one of my clients a few days ago – we would have kicked ass on the Savannah!

You’re not broken. You’re not damaged. You’re not a failure. And there is hope. XO

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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Who is Showing Up and Why it Matters

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A few weeks ago, I sat down in my office, grabbed my yellow legal pad and dialed in to a conference call on self-acceptance. I propped my foot up on a chair and began to think about my recent foot surgery. Here’s a peek inside my head that day…

  • Can’t believe I had to have surgery AGAIN.
  • My foot hurts.
  • Recovery is going to take forever.
  • This sucks!

Pretty ugly.

The conference call started and distracted me from my thoughts, but they were still there, dancing around in the back of my mind.

At the end of the call, I looked down and noticed that I had jotted about half a page of notes. I hung up and thought – geez, didn’t really get much out of that call. In fact, I posted this comment on one of my coaching forums:

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When I visited the coaching forum the next day, I saw a bunch of rave reviews for the call and thought to myself – hmm.

I decided to listen to call again and had a completely different experience. Five pages of notes later, I emerged enthusiastic and enlightened, having learned so much. I couldn’t wait to share it all with my clients.

What changed?

Someone else showed up for that second call. Someone who was excited and curious and open. The way we “show up” in the world can have a profound impact on our experiences – and not just a single conference call, but the course of our lives.

I didn’t judge myself for showing up to the first call in a sour mood. I simply took note and stored the info in my life lessons file. To be honest, I’m glad it happened. Ever since that call, I’ve been so much more in tune with my feelings and how they influence my outcomes.

You can apply this concept to weight loss as well. I’ve worked with clients who approach weight loss with feelings of dread and doubt and others who arrive with feelings of curiosity and hope. I don’t think I need to tell you which clients have better results.

Sometimes we’re going to have bad days and our best self isn’t going to show up. That’s okay and totally normal. I can’t think of anyone who is in a good mood all of the time.

But, instead of blaming the conference call speaker, our spouse, or the person who cut us off on the way to work for our less than fabulous experiences, stop and think about who showed up in the first place.

If judgement was there when you met your new boss – you probably didn’t like her.

If anger got out of bed yesterday – I bet you had a crummy day.

If impatient drove you to work this morning – the commute was likely awful.

You are the creator of your life.

You can make it a great life – or not.

It’s your choice.