Have you ever started something, not gotten results right away and then quit?

If you answered yes, you’re not alone.

The truth is that with any new endeavor, there is almost always a lag period where it feels like the effort you’re putting in isn’t equivalent to what you’re getting in return.

Meet the valley of disappointment.

This is why change is hard.

It isn’t because your new healthy habits aren’t paying off.

Its because many of us aren’t sticking with them long enough.

The efforts aren’t being wasted – they’re just being stored. It WILL pay off. If you just stick with it.

I was interviewed by a podcaster that discusses entrepreneurship and business.

When she asked me what I was most proud of in relation to my business. My answer was that I was proud to have stuck with it.

There were many, many times when the payback felt much less than the amount of energy going in.

The valley of disappointment applies in many different realms.

One of the key advantages of having a coach is to help you navigate the inevitable slumps.

Eating healthier and prioritizing yourself will always pay off.

Reach out if any of this resonates.

The biggest difference between winners and losers is that when successful people fall of the wagon, they bounce back quickly.

No matter how diligent you are with a new habit; life will always throw you a curve ball.

It’s not a question of if it’s going to happen, it’s a question of when.

An all or nothing attitude is a big pitfall when trying to maintain a new healthy weight.

Anyone can show up and do perfectly for short periods of time. That’s called a diet.

It’s your ability to stick with it (or some version of it) and bounce back quickly, that will get you sustainable change.

This is where you will have to take a hard look at your story about yourself.

Making new habits stick will require an identity shift.

Do you consider yourself a food junkie, someone that never succeeds at losing weight, an emotional eater…?

If you don’t change how you identify with yourself, it’s going to be really hard to get habits to stick.

Your habits are how you show up or embody your identity.

Do you want to become someone that easily manages their weight?

You will need to start showing up as that kind of person.

Every time you pack your lunch instead of going to the drive-thru.
Every time you choose a fruit instead of a sugary dessert.
Every time you prioritize and make time for meal prepping…

Every time you make a wise food choice, you’re casting a vote for the type of person you wish to become.

That’s where the rubber hits the road and the real magic happens.

Everyone has it in them to be a winner.

I was walking around in our pasture the other day and the wild apple trees are dropping their fruit, the blackberries are juicy and sweet.

Mother Nature has everything set up to create an eating frenzy.

For the critters that need to survive winter and live off of their reserves, this scenario is perfect.

Once that sweet fruit gets gobbled up, it drives up the amount of sugar in the blood.

High blood sugar triggers the release of insulin.

Insulin’s job is to shuttle sugar from the blood into the cells where it can be stored for energy later on.

High blood sugar = high insulin.

A side effect of high insulin is increased cravings.

Again, this is great for the deer, racoons and bunnies.

It means that their hunger and cravings will get ramped up so that they’ll feed and feed and build up essential reserves.

Aka, get fat.

Mother Nature is brilliant.

Now, change lanes.

Picture yourself standing in line at a convenience or grocery store. What are you seeing?

Likely, lots and lots of highly processed, sweet treats and transformed, starchy foods that have the same effect on your insulin levels and cravings.

If you feel like your body is betraying you because you just can’t lose the weight or because your cravings are running the show. I would like to propose a reframe:

Perhaps it’s because you’re building your plate to look like its fall time all year long?

Are you creating your own eating frenzy? It doesn’t have to be that way.

Kim

P.S. Share this with that person, that you care about, that just popped into your head 💜

The pandemic was an eye opener.

Looking back has really allowed me to see just how much of a hit I took, like so many small businesses.

I’m getting back up, but my business legs still feel wobbly and vulnerable. I’m guessing that a lot of that stems from fear.

Fear because my livelihood was jeopardized in what felt like an instant and because it brought up a big question:

Are my services considered a luxury?

Our culture, system, dialogue… whatever you want to call it, still doesn’t value or prioritize prevention and self-responsibility when it comes to health… YET!

What I mean by that is there is a disconnect between where our personal responsibility lies and what can just be chalked up to genetics, bad luck… stuff outside of our control. The solution always seem to be to take a pill.

If you’re still reading, you likely lean more towards taking personal responsibility for your health.

However, despite attracting very self-responsible clients, I’m still surprised at how many people DON’T believe that they have much control over their inflammation, weight, energy, digestion, sleep quality, how they deal with stress…

I don’t mean for this to be an accusation if you are struggling with any of the above health issues or take pills.

This is NOT about being self-righteous or dogmatic in the belief that everything is preventable or reversible. The picture is much more nuanced and complicated than that.

I’m saying that laying a solid foundation for optimal health starts with your nutrition. Your fuel.

Investing a little bit in yourself will pay off in a big way. Read what clients have to say here.

When I ask clients to reflect on what had the most impact, I almost always get the same answer:

”I thought I was eating pretty well…”

Health is wealth and your birthright.

It is not a luxury.

I get that looking into tweaking your diet can be scary AF. Everyone is at a different place, with different needs, time, skills, budget…

My job is to adjust to YOU, not the other way around.

To see if we’re a good fit, I offer a free 30 minute discovery call where we’ll discuss your needs and if it’s appropriate, come up with a game plan that works for you.

Email me or reach out via my website to book a no strings attached chat.

I look forward to connecting.

Diet mentality is pervasive and insidious.

Because of this, navigating the topic of weight loss is understandably fraught with all kinds of conflicting emotions and push-back.

Weight loss gets associated with dieting which is commonly associated with the toxic cycle of deprivation and then bingeing. This can then lead to low self confidence, b.s. stories about lack of will power, hateful self talk and negative body image.

Can I just say that there’s a big part of the story that’s missing in this conversation.

Processed foods.

These products are engineered to be hyper-palatable, addictive, toxic and they seriously mess with your hormones and internal signals.

Neglecting to acknowledge the damage that processed foods have on the system is causing the perfect storm or diet hell that so many people are finally pushing against.

You may have heard the term intuitive eating brandied about. Intuitive eating and tuning in is actually a big part of the work I do with clients.

But it never, ever happens before we’ve removed processed foods from the diet.

Someone eating a whole foods diet with a balanced metabolism can confidently tune in and listen to the signals that their body is giving them.

Attempting intuitive eating without first looking at the quality of the food going in to the body is going to result in serious weight gain, uncontrollable cravings and the inevitable vicious loop of hateful self-talk and body shaming.

Intuitive eating is NOT for someone that is still eating a processed food diet.

I never thought that I would call myself a weight loss coach. When I started off on this journey it was with the noble intention of preventing disease before it took root.

It turns out that prevention isn’t very sexy.

I can count on one hand the amount of people that have reached out with their eye on prevention over the last 8 years.

What people are looking for is a sustainable and healthy way to manage their weight and reduce their inflammation.

Weight loss brings people to the conversation.

Once the door has been opened and they begin to (truly) nourish their bodies; folks invariable notice how great they feel.

Basically we’re just sneaking prevention in through the back door… I’m cool with that.

The moral of this story is that a body that is nourished with whole foods without the messed up messages that come from chemicals, preservatives and sugar will be able to trust internal signals of hunger and satiety. But getting to that place of balance will require a little work.