When we hold a strategy session with a weight loss client, we let them know at the onset that they are likely to be working with their coach for 6 to 12 months.
The reason for this is that one of our core values is to facilitate change for the long haul – not the short term. This is why we do not give you a diet plan with your meals laid out for you; our goal is to empower you to walk into a bar downtown or a drug store in rural Kansas and feel confident you can make a choice in alignment with your goals.
Fat Loss with VIBRANCE is a spiral, circling journey of outward and inward work. We start with some foundational nutrition pieces to support the body and taking tangible action in moving in the right direction. Most clients will immediately notice an increase in energy and a decrease in cravings within 2 weeks and a shift in the scale in that first month.
Then we turn inward and reflect on the challenges which contribute to weight gain – what saboteurs are showing up in day-today life? After reflection we circle back outward and address those challenges – taking action to reduce the challenge or navigate it if it cannot be changed. This usually brings our weight loss client to the 90 day mark. Should s/he choose to continue, we are typically ready to circle back inward and start exploring the beliefs and emotions that have laid the foundation for the use of food as a coping tool. Clients that continue onward and reach this place of inner reflection experience radical transformation in how they approach themselves and their lives. They dig up the root to why they “don’t do what they know they should” and begin living in authenticity and integrity. They understand what their needs really have been that food hasn’t been able to meet, and working with their coach, are able to find new solutions for those needs that are not food based. These clients are the ones most likely to never need to see a nutritionist or do a weight loss program again. They are the ones who lose the weight and keep it off for good.
While shows like the Biggest Loser have started to demonstrate the importance for this inward work, what they fail to address is that this is not something that is resolved in a single season. This is lifelong work – the patterns which lead us to overeat or choose food for stress relief and comfort were laid down very early in life. As our stressors increase, our need to cope increases as well. As we circle in and out in this spiral of life we are met with new situations which call upon our skills and inform us where we are still needing support, deepening, lessons, and so on. We are also shown, in this circle, all the ways and means that we have conquered and overcome our previous habits – no longer needing to graze continuously at a potluck, no longer needing a ‘night cap’ every night after the kids are in bed, noticing how holidays with the in-laws no longer lead to stress, hopelessness, frustration, and weight gain.
This is why we advocate progress, not perfection.
This is why we celebrate even the smallest of victories.
This is why, depending on the client, it can take longer than 90 days to reach his or her goal.
We willingly turn away those who are looking for the quick fix. There is plenty of options out there and we are not the best fit for those people. However, if someone wants to use an upcoming reunion, trip, or anniversary as a jumpstart to finding a permanent solution, we are all ears, all hands, and all open hearts.
