Fat Loss and Lifestyle Change are Emotional

Last night my family and I watched one of our favorite shows, Biggest Loser. My kids get a kick out of watching other trainers do their stuff and say, "OH, Mommy does that with her clients too! Or, I know how to do that. Or, we have one of those things in the studio." It's so fun for them to see people losing weight on TV when they see the process happen everyday in our studio.

But, last night's show was very intriguing to them. The contestants had some emotional breakthroughs and there was crying and anger. My kids wondered why people cry when they're losing weight or why they get upset. Or, the best questions of all, why do people quit if they know it's the healthy thing for them to do?

To me the process on the show is very normal. I see it everyday in the faces of my clients. Sometimes they have tears, sometimes there is anger. Sometimes total apathy. Sometimes hot frustration. I push, a client pushes back. I push harder, some kind of emotion breaks thru. The journey has its ups and down, but every sojourner agrees it's worth the self discovery and life change.

Here are some reasons why the process is emotional and why so many people need a coach to help them get thru it.

1. Losing fat is a bio-chemical rollercoaster. Since fat can act as it's own organ, there are hormones, toxins, and chemical responses that occur when the body has to use it and eliminate the by-products. It's a very stressful process in the body. The "loser" may feel many different things going on physically and emotionally. Humans are emotional beings and many of those emotions have a chemical origin as well as a mental one. Feelings like sadness, frustration, anger, apathy, depression, and the one I hear most "I don't know what I feel, I just feel like crying." are common in the process.

2. The tree has to get knocked over to expose the roots. Lifestyle change combined with exercise and new foods can be like a bulldozer knocking over your comfort zone. Obesity doesn't happen overnight unless there is a clear medical issue. Obesity is often a side effect of something deeper going on. What is the root of the issue? It may have nothing to do with eating or exercising. In my 16 years as a "loser" encourager, I've seen a broad spectrum of emotional and life issues surface. Most of the time, it surfaces unexpectedly and abruptly with surprising reactions.

3. Most people don't like to be pushed beyond their pre-determined willingness zone. Here's where my job becomes a fun challenge. If I say, "Do 100 pushups!" and a clients says, "Are you crazy, I can't do that!" then I know we have a willingness zone issue. How do you know what you can or cannot do until you try? Maybe you can't do 100 pushups, but it's worth the try to find out. I have a client who is a beautiful, young, smart, motivated overweight teen who gives me 110% effort if I ask it. If I don't demand that of her, she only gives me about 50% of what I know she can accomplish. I tell her every single session, "You are stronger than you know! You are smarter than you think! You can do this if you really try." Guess what? She succeeds every time even though she always thinks she won't be able to. She needs me to coach her thru this weight loss, because she needs to be reminded of herself, her strength, her potential, the goal, the finish line, and the prize at the end.

For some people, "sweat" and "safe" don't mix well. I'm talking about emotional and mental safety. They typically believe: If it doesn't feel "safe", it's too much to do. It's not for me. I say, "Fiddlesticks! Bologne! Excuses!" If you keep that mentality up, you'll never get the fat off.

If I never get the privilege to to tell you this in person, hear me now. YOU CAN DO THIS! YOU CAN GET TO THE HEALTHY PLACE YOU DESERVE! IT HAS TIMES OF DISCOMFORT. IT HAS TIMES OF FRUSTRATION. IT'S NOT FAST AND YOU CAN ONLY CONTROL CERTAIN PARTS OF HOW IT HAPPENS. BUT, IT'S EASIER THAN YOUR FEAR ALLOWS YOU TO BELIEVE AND IT'S REWARD IS GREATER THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE! CHOOSE THE MAXIMUM POTENTIAL YOU, MY FRIEND. CHOOSE THE YOU THAT SCREAMS VITALITY AND VIBRANCE.