The Weight Loss Resistance Test Results Are In!

I was a nervous wreck while I was driving to the doctor.  Can you believe I have been dieting and trying to lose weight for over 15 years? I have been faithfully tracking my food, exercise, and weight for a very long time and knew in my heart something wasn’t right with my body.  What would happen if the doctor didn’t agree? What if all of the tests for weight loss resistance came back saying everything was fine?  What would happen if he couldn’t help me reach my health and weight loss goals?

Weight Loss Wake Up Call!

I replayed my interview with Brianne over and over in my head and I swear I could have recited the blog Weight Loss Wake Up Call!  It was such a crazy coincidence that I am going to the same integrative health clinic she went to.  Even crazier that I just happenstanced on her Facebook post days before my appointment.  If the doctors at the clinic could help her balance her hormones and lose 5 dress sizes in a few months, they should be able to help me lose my last 50 pounds.  Right?

Lab Results!

As soon as the doctor sat down I knew I was in luck.  My lab results had notes, marks, and highlights all over them.   The doctor said he found a few things that could be tweaked and would greatly improve my body’s ability to lose weight.  Alleluia!

Iodine Levels

My iodine level was very low.  It is my understanding that iodine is needed in order for the thyroid to work properly and your body uses iodine to make thyroid hormones. It is also very important for your metabolism.  I read a blog about the Signs and Symptoms of Iodine Deficiency and can say I have eight of the ten symptoms of iodine deficiency!

***Quick word of caution, I have read several times that we should be careful not to supplement with iodine without a physician’s guidance.

Pregnenolone – what’s that?

I had never even heard or thought about a hormone called pregnenolone but based on my research I think it is the hormone of my dreams!   Many doctors believe that pregnenolone supplementation is a very effective weight-loss tool.  It keeps the brain healthy and metabolism high! Pregnenolone is believed to block the effects of cortisol which prevents stress and abdominal fat. I have blogged about my issues with my belly fat in  The Pursuit of Ketosis – Day 4  and my cortisol and adrenal fatigue issues in How I Gained Over 100 Pounds and My Best Advice To You and Untangling the Weight Gain & Loss Web – Adrenal Fatigue. Well, guess what?  I have an extremely low level of pregnenolone.

Thyroid Levels

When the doctor told me one of my thyroid levels was off, I wasn’t surprised.  I had already written about my crazy thyroid in How I Gained Over 100 Pounds and My Best Advice To You.  Since I cannot tolerate traditional medicines, I have been taking homeopathic thyroid medicine for a few years. I am in a much better place than I was, but I had a feeling it wasn’t where it needed to be.  As it turns out my T3 was low.  I read that a higher T3 level would increase my metabolic rate.

Thyroid Issues

Girls Need Testosterone Too!

I have to admit,  I thought testosterone was for boys.  When my doctor told me mine was low, I was very surprised.  When he told me healthy testosterone levels could improve my energy level, lean muscle mass, and weight loss efforts, I wanted to start taking it in mass quantities as soon as possible.  I came across a blog Testosterone for Women’s Weight Loss that left me even more optimistic about testosterone supplementation.

Someone Just Give Me More Vitamin D!

I have tested as being deficient in vitamin D on and off throughout the years.  Recently, I have been on a pretty high dose of D combined with K (for better absorption) and thought I was in a good place with it. The lab results showed I was still deficient in vitamin D! I have read in Web MD’s blog and Dr. Weil’s blog, and it seems like some extra vitamin D could really help my weight loss efforts.

The Prescribed Weight Loss Plan

The next few months of my weight loss journey should be exciting!  It’s hard to believe that I have been deficient in five different hormones and vitamins that could have been causing my weight loss resistance all this time.

If it feels like you are doing everything right and you are not getting results, please journal your food and exercise and use it as a tool to communicate with your doctor.

I look forward to reporting back to you with some amazing results!

 

Take Control Of Your Health

An Update On My Weight Loss Resistance Story

My weight loss resistance story was first published in October of 2018. I did exactly what the doctor ordered to combat my weight loss resistance and all but religiously took the suggested supplements and stuck to the Whole30 diet for two years.  And still, the scale barely moved and it always seemed like I was taking one step forward and a step or two backward! – ugh.  And as anyone who has tried to lose weight for years upon years knows, it was very frustrating and I felt absolutely defeated.

My Weight Loss Story Has A Happy Ending

Just when I had all but given up and thought that my weight loss resistance meant I would never lose weight, a friend introduced me to a diet and wellness program she had been doing for months.  By that point, I was skeptical of all diets and weight loss plans, so I told her I wasn’t interested at least five or six times.

Then, I hit rock bottom.  I was hit with several big health concerns that were all caused by excess weight and inflammation.   I was ready to go right back to the diet I had been doing and not getting good results with (don’t ask me why).  Then,  my husband hit me with the motivational quote, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” – Albert Einstein.  Then, he suggested I call my friend back.  Luckily, I did.

I started the program and within a few weeks, my inflammation was reduced so much that my wedding ring that had been all but cutting off my circulation a few weeks prior, fell off when I was washing my hands!  And, I dropped almost an entire shoe size! And the really amazing thing is my two health concerns that were caused by inflammation diminished!

Oh, and the weight started coming off at a rate well over a pound a week.  Best of all the scale wasn’t taking a step backward for what seemed like no reason! Wow, the above sentences have a lot of exclamation points but I couldn’t help myself!

So what happened to my weight loss resistance you might ask?  My best answer is I don’t know, but it’s not holding my weight loss efforts back now.

And when you love something you love to talk about it!  Message me anytime.  I would love to talk to you to see if I can help you get great results too!

 

I’ll be there for you!

Tanya 

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Is Weight Loss Resistance a Diagnosis? Could You Or Someone You Know Be Weight Loss Resistant?

Even though I had been dieting for years and it seemed as though my body was resistant to weight loss, it wasn’t until I had been tracking my food and exercise intake for several months that I knew something wasn’t right with my body.

Food Journal

For several years, this type A super freak perfectionist was constantly disappointed in myself because my weight loss efforts never seemed to deem the results that just about everyone around me was getting.

I remember getting ready for weekly group weigh in with my boot camp group when the women next to me who had about ten pounds to loose said, “Oh, I’m nervous to get on the scale because I had three glasses of wine last night.”  She lost 3 pounds.  I had over 60 pounds to lose, had eaten perfectly, journaled everything, exercised like Jillian Michaels and hadn’t taken a sip of alcohol in weeks.   With all that being said, I stepped on the scale to find I had gained a pound! It’s just the way my weight loss efforts seem to go for me.

I finally made an appointment with an integrative physician.  I walked into the appointment armed with food and exercise journals and weight charts.  As I told him my story, he nodded and said it seemed as though my body was showing weight loss resistance.  He ordered over 17 tests and suggested we meet again in a month to review them. He was the most thorough doctor I’ve ever met with and we covered so much information during my appointment, it was somewhat of a blur.

Exercise and Weight Chart

As I was driving home, the words weight loss resistant echoed through my thoughts.  Am I weight loss resistant?  Is there such a thing? Is weight loss resistance an official diagnosis?  Why am I just hearing of it now?  After all, I consider myself a diet expert and have been dieting for over 16 years.  And most importantly, if I find out I am officially weight loss resistant, is there a cure for it?

Weight Loss Resistant

Health and weight loss experts like Carrie Dennett, MPH RDN CD, JJVirgin, Sarah Gottfried MD, William Cole DC IFMCP, and the Insitute for Psychology of Eating all concur that weight loss resistance is a very real issue.

Do you or someone you love have a hard time losing weight?  Could weight loss resistance be the culprit?  I will be delving deeper into this topic over the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned.

Cheers!

Tanya

 

 

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Tips for Getting Back on the Weight Loss Track!

 

Getting Back On The Weight Loss Track

 

At some point just about all of us hopeful dieters fall off the weight loss track.  How or why doesn’t really seem to matter, getting back on track is what’s important.  Here are my best tips for getting back on the weight loss track stat.

 

 

Do it Fast, Do it Now, Just Do It!

It is so easy to get caught up into looking at the dates on your calendar and waiting to get back on the weight loss track until after you have eaten your way past every party, luncheon, birthday and wedding in the books.  Don’t fall into that trap – the sooner you get back on track the better!

 

Grab a Friend aka Accountability Partner

After 14+ years of dieting, I finally embraced this and wow, does it make a difference! When you plan to meet someone to work out, you show up even when you don’t feel like it.  Once you are there, you’ll want to keep up or outdo your partner.  With the right accountability partner, you’ll work out more often and have better workouts.

 

Track Everything

Just typing “track everything” is enough to make me and almost all dieters cringe.  There is something about the tedious task that makes me want to delete my tracking app on my phone. The crazy thing is – it works!  Every time I journal consistently for a few days, I see results.  If “it works” isn’t a good enough reason to start tracking, check out 5 Reason To Keep A Food Diary.

 

Join a Group

Joining a challenge group or an exercise group can spark your motivation.  Doing something new can be exciting and will keep things interesting.  Join a fitness challenge group, exercise group, or online support group.  You’ll have fun making new friends, learning new things, and getting more fit!

 

Exercise Even if Just For a Few Minutes

We all want to accomplish that perfect work out.  Unfortunately, our schedules and physical conditions don’t always allow for it.  Start small – an eight-minute workout is better than no workout and will get your momentum going in the right direction.

 

Drink More Water

Crazy to think something as simple as water can help you get back on track but it’s a powerful tool.  I find the more water I drink, the less hungry I am which is a huge benefit when trying to get back on the weight loss track.  There are many other benefits of drinking water and Healthline’s article lists a few of them in Drinking Water Helps with Weight Loss.

 

Reward Yourself but NOT with Food

So, I’m sure I’m not the only person who was rewarded for a good day at school with ice cream or a cookie.  Why is food so heavily overused a reward?  Shift your mindset from food as a reward to self-care.  My favorite self-care activities are Epson salt baths, massages, and meditation.  What are yours?

 

Revisit Your Why & Renew Your Motivation

Out of all eight of these tips, revisiting my why is the most compelling and motivating for me.  I believe everyone has a “why” that is very important to them.  That “why” has a lot of emotion attached to it and emotions are fantastic motivators, so take a few minutes to remember your why.   Why You Started (Weight Loss Motivation) talks about mine and may help you identify yours.

Cheers!

Tanya

 

 

Could Dieters Be Talking Themselves Out of Losing Weight?

Negative Comments Dieters Make That Talk Themselves Out of Losing Weight

As a weight loss and health coach, I talk to people who are trying to lose weight every day. And every day I hear negative comments that reflect their counterproductive beliefs about losing weight. It’s almost as though they are trying to talk themselves out of losing weight and getting healthy.

Here are the most common comments I hear, complete with Coach Tanya’s responses:

I know I’ll never be under a certain weight again

How do you know? The only thing you know for sure is you won’t get to that weight if you don’t try!

If this works…….

I hear this a lot, but the most iconic time was from a Client who had lost 9 pounds that week, had less pain than she had in years, and more energy than she can ever remember having.  Hello! This is working, so tell yourself -stat!

I’m not going to get my hopes up

What? If you don’t hope for the best, how can you expect to get the best? And guess what, this comment is from someone who already had success on the program I coach for and knows it works!

I can’t drink that much water

What if I told you I had a magic potion that could help you lose weight, flush fat, improve your mood, and keep your skin bright? Would you drink it? The magic potion is water.  Cheers!

I have a really slow metabolism

Everyone feels like they have a slow metabolism when they are struggling to lose weight. Once you find the diet or meal plan that works for you, things will get easier. Don’t give up!

I have PCOS

Yes, it can be hard to find a diet that works when you have PCOS. I know, I’ve been there.  Keep trying though. When you find it, you can feel great again. lose the unwanted weight,  and lose some or all of your symptoms.

I have weight loss resistance

That’s a tough diagnosis to swallow, but it’s not a life sentence.  I was diagnosed with weight loss resistance and put on several medications and hormones.  They didn’t help me lose a single ounce. The right diet helped me lose a lot of ounces.

I don’t have enough energy to exercise

I know you are not expecting this answer.  It’s ok.  Eighty percent of your results come from nutrition, not the gym. Focus on food and nutrition first.  If you are anything like my clients, once you lose some weight, you’ll have the energy to exercise.

But I’ve been so busy

Have you been so busy you haven’t been eating? You have to eat to survive so you might as well eat food that will help you feel and look your best.

Everything you told me sounds great and like it would work for me, but I have to think about it

What are you thinking about? If it sounds like a fit for you, just do it.  Thinking doesn’t burn calories or fat.

I’ve already tried so many diets and they haven’t worked

Did you ever consider they were not the right diet for you? Don’t say no to Mr. Diet Wonderful because you kissed one too many frogs.

It’s expensive to eat healthily

You are absolutely right. It is expensive to eat healthily, but have you ever considered how expensive it is to be overweight?

Forbes magazine published an article stating it costs an extra $8,365 a year for a woman to be obese! And Fortune went on to say that is only a partial look at the expenses associated with obesity and its without taking a look at the costs of health-related issues caused by obesity.  You can buy a lot of nutritious food for $8,365.

Tips For Turning Defeating Self-Talk Into Positive Self-Talk

It takes a lot of work to turn that negative self-talk around, but it’s so worth it! Kathryn Smerling, an NYC therapist, and I agree and she is quoted as saying, “We can’t shift our weight from the outside without realizing the correct inner resolve and intention.”  Her article 10 Ways to Shift Your Mindset for Better Weight Loss lists some great tips.  Katherine lists several great tips in her article and my favorites are:

1. Gravitate to positivity
2. Identify your “trouble thoughts”
3. Talk to yourself like you would a friend

Shifting our mindsets to a positive one that is essential for weight loss is easier said than done. The article 7 SuperEasy Mindset Tips For Weight Loss Motivation, lists 7 great tips:

1. Fill your mind with positive affirmations
2. Visualize yourself already at your ideal weight
3. Focus on the positives
4. Small changes really add up
5. Keep a weight loss success journal
6. Try EFT tapping for weight loss
7. Try Hypnosis Downloads

My Tip for Making Negative Self-Talk Become Positive

And I have a tip of my own. If you have the opportunity, you should try working with a good weight loss coach.  They will be there consistently to help you reframe your mindset so you can successfully focus on losing weight and keeping it off!

Cheers!
Tanya

Gut Health & Weight Loss – My Story

When my Husband told me the results for my gut health and food intolerance tests were in, I was as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve.  I couldn’t wait to sign in to the patient portal to see them.

Since I had been drinking bone broth, taking probiotics, and doing gut shots consistently for over a year,  I optimistically believed my test results would reflect my hard work.

The gut health report

The report showed, my gut bacteria was in great shape and balance which made me very happy because I had significant issues with it in the past.  I was confident the Whole30 diet, a great probiotic, and nightly gut shots plus a whole lot of bone broth must have really helped!

When I scrolled to the section about my overall gut health and food intolerances, my jaw dropped open and the tears started to stream down my cheeks.  It showed I was highly intolerant to well over 30 foods!

Gut Health

About seven years ago, when I was first tested for food intolerances, my Doctor told me that anyone with over fifteen intolerances most likely had a leaky gut.  And thirty is twice as much as 15 – ugh.

As a sidebar to my story, in case you are wondering if you or a loved one has been affected by poor gut health some of the symptoms are listed below.

Known symptoms of a leaky gut:

1. Chronic diarrhea, constipation, gas or bloating – potentially IBS, Crohn’s, or colitis
2. Nutritional deficiencies
3. Poor immune system
4. Headaches, brain fog, memory loss
5. Excessive fatigue
6. Skin rashes and problems such as acne, eczema, or rosacea
7. Cravings for sugar or carbs
8. Arthritis or joint pain
9. Depression, anxiety, ADD, ADHD
10. Autoimmune diseases
11. Gastric ulcers
12. Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth
13. Allergies
14. Respiratory infections
15. Acute inflammation conditions
16. Thyroid disorders
17. Obesity-related metabolic diseases (fatty liver, Type II diabetes, heart disease)
18. Autoimmune disease (lupus, multiple sclerosis, Type I diabetes, Hashimoto’s, and more)
19. Tendency toward weight gain or obesity

Plan to heal my gut

It quickly became obvious, I needed a plan to heal my gut quickly.  I spent days googling, skimming books, reading blogs, and watching videos and online classes. Throughout my research, I found multiple blogs that supported my hypothesis that my leaky gut was impairing my weight loss efforts.  Check out: Could a Leaky Gut be Making You Fat? and Is Leaky Gut Causing You To Gain Weight?

And finally, I committed to the following plan:

1. Eliminate foods shown as being intolerant to and continue eating a Whole30 diet (minus the foods that tested as intolerant).
2. Continue with the same probiotics as they seem to be doing a great job.
3. Start taking a prebiotic.  I’ve never given much credence to prebiotics but recently read they are like gut fertilizers. Prebiotics feed the friendly bacteria in the gut and allow them to grow and repopulate. They also prevent the overgrowth of bad bacteria and yeast. So, here goes!
4. Continue to take the same digestive enzymes since they seem to be working well.  I haven’t had any acid reflux issues at all since I started taking them!
5. Start taking JJVirgin’s Leaky Gut Support .  It seems as though the main ingredient is L-Glutamine which has been recommended throughout my research.  I also love JJVirgin and the quality of her products.
6. Start taking three shots of apple cider vinegar a day.
7. Continue doing a few gut shots a day since they seem to be part of the cocktail that has drastically improved my gut flora and balance.
8. Start taking collagen daily because it is known for healing and supporting gut health.

Progress in my gut health story

When I started my health and weight loss journey,  I was experiencing thirteen of the above symptoms.  Today I am blessed, grateful, and proud to say I experience none of them…..well, maybe a bit of #19 (tendency toward weight gain or obesity).  But, in n case you don’t know, as of the last time I weighed in, I am no longer obese :). The great news is, if I can heal my gut, you can heal yours too!

Experts say a leaky gut can be repaired

Potentially the most promising thing I read this afternoon is that gut health can be repaired in as little as 120 days!

Please if you know someone who might be suffering from gut health issues or would benefit from this blog, share it with them.  In this instance, sharing is truly caring :).

Importance of Gut Health

Cheers!

Tanya

 

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How to Manage Your Mind While Losing Weight

This guest post “How to Manage Your Mind While Losing Weight,” is written by Colleen Mitchell of Inspired Forward.   Weight- Loss-Confessions was fortunate to have Colleen guest blog for us about a year ago and her article “How I Lost 50 Pounds as a Type 1 Diabetic” was so informational and inspiring, we couldn’t wait to have her write for us again.  Please be sure to check out Colleen’s bio at the bottom and follow her!

 

How to Manage Your Mind While Losing Weight

Photo by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash

 

Your brain is the only thing keeping you from losing weight.

Now if you’re thinking “she crazy” right now, hear me out. The one and only “trick” that stands between you (and me) and our goal weights… is managing our how we think about it.

I wrote another guest post for Weight Loss Confessions almost exactly a year ago, and at one point I said this:

“Nobody can make a change in their life unless they really, truly want to.”

And boy, is that true! I believe it even more, now.

If you desperately want something, you’ll do anything to make it happen. Jen Sincero writes about buying a brand new Audi Q5 before she had the money to pay for it because she believed with 100% of her being that she was the kind of person who drove that car.

In You Are a Badass, she writes that as soon as she made the decision to buy that car, she slept like a baby. Even without the money. (She made the money shortly afterward. She had a very compelling reason to make that money!)

Who Cares About the Audi? I Want to Lose Weight!

It’s the same with weight loss.

Sometimes we reach the point where the pain of staying the same is worse than the pain of changing. That works, but not all the time.

Sometimes we think we want to change things but never do for various reasons, which just means we never really wanted to change them. These are sometimes called “red herring goals” because we make them for other people or because we think we “should” do them. (Spoiler alert: “Shoulds” never inspire sincere action.)

And sometimes… Sometimes we intellectually understand the concept of weight loss but allow ourselves to get stuck by using our past results as proof of future failure.

I’ve done that.

And I’ve done it in a weird way. I lost 50 pounds as a type 1 diabetic by eating low carb, and for the past year, I’ve used that as proof that I can’t do it again.

Weight Loss Happens in Your Brain

I’ve maintained between 170 and 175 pounds for at least a year.

Many times, it felt frustrating. A few times, I dropped down to the 168 range, but inevitably bounced back up. I use business trips and family gatherings as reasons to eat outside my window when intermittent fasting. I don’t beat myself up about it, but going off protocol is a decision I make and I reap those consequences.

Weight loss happens in the brain because every piece of food that passes our lips is a decision we make. It might be our primitive brain making the decision, but it’s all on us. Nothing and nobody can “make us eat that” without realizing we’re eating it.

This is a hard reality for some people. With the exception of a few medical conditions—not including diabetes—weight loss (and gain) happens in the brain based on how we think about our realities.

I want to take a moment here to preface that I did not come up with this. I learned everything I’m sharing with you from Brooke Castillo, the Master Coach Instructor at The Life Coach School and host of The Life Coach School Podcast.

The tool I want to share with you today is called The Model.

The Self Coaching Model

How To Manage Your Mind While Losing Weight – Model

The Model

The Model is also called the Self Coaching Model. It’s true for every result we create in our lives, including how much we weigh. You can analyze and solve literally ANY problem using the Model.

The Model is made up of 5 parts: 

1. a circumstance, 
2. a thought, 
3. a feeling, 
4. actions, and 
5. results.

Circumstances

A circumstance is factual and agreed-upon by everyone; a lawyer could prove it in a court of law.

“I’m fat” is a thought, not a circumstance. “I weigh 175 pounds” is a circumstance. The scale shows that number when I step on it.

Circumstances are neutral. By itself, it doesn’t mean anything.

Thoughts

Thoughts are what Brooke calls “sentences in the brain.” It’s a single sentence without any conjunctions like “and“, “but“, or “if.”

“I can’t lose the last 30 pounds” is a thought.

Thoughts are optional.

Feelings

Circumstances do not cause feelings. We have thoughts about circumstances, and those thoughts cause feelings.

Feelings are “vibrations in the body.” We can describe feelings in terms of position in the body, the sensation it causes, its texture, shape, size, temperature, if it’s moving or not—a lot goes into a feeling.

A feeling is a single word, like “disgusted” or “fearful” or “anxious” or “happy” or “joyful” or “determined.”

When I think the thought, “I can’t lose the last 30 pounds”, I feel discouraged.

Actions

We always take actions based on how we feel. When we have more positive feelings, the actions we take are a lot more positive! A lot can go into the action line of the Model. These are behaviors we do or don’t do. “Taking no action” is something you “don’t do” which means it goes here.

When I feel discouraged about my thought, I don’t track my food, I don’t stop eating when I’m full, I eat outside my eating window, I treat my protocol as optional, I tell myself that one time doesn’t matter, and I don’t do anything I did that lost me the first 50 pounds.

Results

Results are just that—the results of our actions. It’s important to recognize how our actions create our results. When I do or don’t do the things in the action line, what happens?

Results will always provide evidence for the thought, or be a reflection of or related to the thought.

My results from those actions are that I’ve been on a plateau for a year. I haven’t continued to lose weight like I want to, or like I had been.

All based on the thought.

Trippy, right?

When I think that I’ll never lose the last 30 the same way, I create that ahead of time!

Doing Models

It’s helpful to do Models every day to help manage how you think about anything, not just weight loss. You can do Models on scrap papers, in the fog on a mirror after a shower, on a cocktail napkin. The important thing is to do them whenever you have a problem.

C: I weigh 175 pounds.

T: I can’t lose the last 30.

F: Discouraged

A: I don’t track my food, I don’t stop eating when I’m full, I eat outside my eating window, I treat my protocol as optional, I tell myself that one time doesn’t matter, and I don’t do anything I did that lost me the first 50 pounds.

R: I haven’t lost the last 30 pounds.

When I spell it out like this, it becomes super easy to recognize where the real problem is…

My thoughts!

Well… Now What?

When you know what the problem is, it’s simple to fix. Changing the thought to one that will generate a feeling that actually helps you lose weight is simple, but not necessarily easy.

It can take a long time and constant work through identifying “ladder thoughts” that maybe don’t get you all the way there in one fell swoop, but get you closer.

C: I weigh 175 pounds.

T: I can lose the last 30 pounds! (This might be the desired thought.)

F: Committed

A: I track my food, I stop eating when I’m full, I never eat outside my intermittent fasting window, I’m fully committed to my protocol, I decide to say “no” when I need to say “no”, I keep experimenting with my process to find out what works and don’t beat myself up when I find something doesn’t work.

R: I lose the last 30 pounds.

What are you thinking that’s keeping you stuck where you are?

Try doing a Model on it to find out! You can start the model from any line, and work up or down to fill in the rest. Keep asking yourself questions like 

• “What am I thinking about this?” 
• “How do I feel when I think that thought?” 
• “What do I do when I feel like that?” 
• “What do my actions create in my life?”

Managing your mind takes practice, and it’s something you’ll have to do for the rest of your life. There will never come a moment where you’ve “made it” and can stop managing your mind anymore.

The best news ever is that once you master this skill with your weight, you can apply it to any area of your life and create things for yourself beyond reaching a healthy weight.

If you ever want to lose that weight or break the plateau then the best place to start is right inside your own head.

 

Author Bio

Colleen Mitchell is the recovering perfectionist, organizational nerd, and entrepreneur/virtual assistant behind Inspired Forward, a blog and service business to help anxious millennials cut through the mental obstacles of anxiety, self-doubt, and overwhelm so they can construct a well-organized life and become the best versions of themselves.

She’s an advocate for mental health and Type 1 Diabetes education, though not always in that order. She lives near Seattle, Washington, with her husband and cat, even though she’s more of a dog person.

Find her at Inspired Forward, on Medium, and on all social platforms as @inspiredforward

Colleen Mitchell – Author of How to Manage Your Mind While Losing Weight & Inspired Forward

Why Being Happy Will Help You Lose Weight

This guest post “Why Being Happy Will Help You Lose Weight” is written by Lauren L’Amour.   I was fortunate to be part of a powerful mastermind group Lauren led several years ago and am excited to welcome her as a guest blogger for Weight-Loss-Confessions.  Please be sure to check out Lauren’s bio below, so you can follow her!

Why Being Happy Will Help You Lose Weight

We’re well past the “New Year’s Resolution Phase,” and into the time when we really dig into our goals. Therefore, I wanted to share this client’s success story and what’s possible for you!

This 10-pound weight loss was a fun (but awesome) side benefit my client Lisa received after we worked together holistically for only three months.

However, because I work holistically as a coach, it’s not the first time I’ve heard this. That’s why I know you can achieve it too. For instance, another client Janet lost 10 lbs. and got a $10K raise in under 4 months.

Here are 3 Things to Consider

1. Even if the primary focus is, for example, a business goal, it’s important to be working with your whole life to ensure that all parts of your life are aligned with your goal and vice versa. I call this “Aligned Action.” Weight loss and good health are secondary benefits when working with this holistic approach to goal achieving.  In Lisa’s case, she achieved some amazing business goals, but the secondary benefit was weight loss. Note: Some clients make weight loss their primary goal. Working with this process of “Aligned Action” works just as well in creating other wonderful secondary benefits.
2. Focusing on alignment with what I call your “True Values” brings you into awareness of your Soul’s path. From this awareness, you are able to make conscious choices about moving into and staying in alignment with your Soul’s path. Eating healthy, exercise, stress management are a few things we do to help keep the body in tip-top shape, energized and able to keep the alignment intact.
3. When we are aware and taking “Aligned Action” with our “True Values” we are walking our Soul’s Path and we are, therefore, living our Life’s Purpose. When we are living our Life’s Purpose, life works and we are happy. And as the research shows when we are happy we are more likely to make choices that are serving us and we are therefore healthy! *

Following the Path

This path is simple and straightforward, but because we are human (and at times messy and complicated) this path is not always easy. Our subconscious and our brain will fight us tooth and nail every time we decide to make a change, even when it’s in our best interest to do so.

And much like the “Cha, cha, cha,” it can seem as if we are taking 1 step forward and 2 steps backward. But the good news is doesn’t have to be that way!

Below are 3 steps you can take to get on your Soul’s Path to happiness and 3 steps you can take to stay on it.

3 Steps You Can Take to Find Your Soul’s Path:

• Figure out who you are at your core: Answer the questions: What values are important to me? What situations, actions, people make me come alive? When am I most happy?
• Assess the major areas of your life. Mind, body, relationships, finances, work to see where you are in and out of alignment with your “True Values.”
• Pick one “Aligned Action” Step you can take for each area that is out of alignment with your “True Self.” Commit to taking it until you create a habit of alignment.

3 Steps You Can Take to Stay on Your Aligned Path:

• Write down your plan and visit that plan daily.
• Set up a weekly or daily accountability call with someone you trust.
• Record your “Wins” daily. No matter how small, this goes a long way toward rewiring your brain. Especially for success in every area of your life.

Lauren is the founder and creator of the Life Visionary life coaching and spiritual mentoring process.

She has coached countless women through thousands of hours in this process. She has also helped them to power-up, align with their Soul’s purpose and bring their Big Visions to life!

You can find her at www.LifeVisionary.com and follow her social links on Facebook, Twitter, Insta, and Linkedin.

 

Lauren L’Amour, MS – Author of Why Being Happy Will Help You Lose Weight

 

I Hurt Myself and Stayed on the Weight Loss Track!

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm” – Winston Churchill

I woke up and limped to the almighty scale.   I need help, not walking but I’ve hurt myself and I need to stay on the weight loss track.  I’m so afraid this leg pain is going to cost me my hard-earned weight loss motivation.

Why am I limping?  I’m limping because I’m a type-A, overachieving, super freak! Every time I start to work out consistently and see results, my type-A overachieving persona takes over and I do something completely over the top.  Before I know it, I  get hurt which completely sabotages my weight loss efforts!

Exercise Problems

Squats have been a problem for me since my 20’s.  No matter how much I concentrate on form or how many personal trainers or physical therapists I have work with me, I end up hurting my knees.  Over the past few months, I have been able to get away with twelve ballet squats per workout.  Yesterday, motivated by the small results I’m starting to see and my playlist, I decided to go for 60 squats with some weights on my shoulders.  What was I thinking?

History Repeats Itself

I started running a few years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed the runners high from my one-mile run/ walk, so I whimsically signed up for a 5K Thanksgiving Turkey Trot.  I did realize that normal people train for things like this, but why would I let that hold me back?  The route was completely cross country with a rocky trail and uneven ground. Hours later after the run, I bent over to take the Thanksgiving turkey out of the oven and couldn’t get back up! Let’s just say my husband was less than thrilled that I invited thirty of our closest family members over for dinner and spent the entire day on the couch grimacing in pain.

Time to Learn To Exercise in Moderation

I’ve had more fiascos like this than I can count.  Since my personality is so all or nothing, my typical response to a self-afflicted work out injury is, screw it since I’m off track I might as well eat and drink everything and anything I can get my hands on.  This super freak isn’t going down this time!

And Now It’s Time To Contend With The Scale

But back to today, I stepped on the scale this morning to find that it was stuck on the same weight as yesterday.  Ugh.  I knew this was coming! We all see all those motivational signs about abs being made in the kitchen and 80/20 or 70/30.  As for me and my body, I need to move in order for the scale to move.  I get the best results when I walk (not run) for a consistent hour every day.  And that is just not happening right now since I can’t stand for over 5 minutes without feeling shooting pains up my spine- ugh.

How I Hurt Myself and Stayed on the Weight Loss Track!

How I Hurt Myself and Stayed on the Weight Loss Track

I decided I had worked too hard to lose the weight this time and there was absolutely no way I was going to gain it back.  And I have to tell you, I’ve been down and out with back, neck, and arm pain for over a month and am rocking my weight loss goals!

Here are 3 of Simple Ways I stayed on the Weight Loss Track

1. Focussed on my diet and ate even healthier than usual which was somewhat easy since I was doing the Whole30 during a good portion of the time
2. Scheduled and enjoyed every second of self-care I could treat myself too.  For me, this meant a lot of Epsom salt baths, infrared sauna sessions, and a few craniosacral massages.
3. Reset my goals so that I was only accountable for things I could control.   And I even took going to the gym out of my calendar (for now).  Looking at it every day and feeling like a failure because I didn’t go was bad for my moral so I gave myself a break.

 

So, in the end, my back still hurts and I may not be able to lift my right arm but I am down 6 pounds.  And this time, I can officially say even though I hurt myself, I stayed on the weight loss track.  There’s always a bright side:)

How do you stay on track with exercise when you have an injury?  What exercise does your body respond best to?

How I Hurt Myself and Stayed on the Weight Loss Track!

Why I’m One of the 2% of Successful Dieters

 

Ever since I wrote the blog What do Successful Dieters Have in Common, I haven’t been able to get it off my mind.  Deepak Chopra’s words keep running through my head. I’ve been searching for the answer to the question I had to ask myself, why me?  Why have I been one of the 2% of successful dieters?  This is why I believe I’m one of the 2% of successful dieters.

“Only 2% of all dieters will lose at least 5 pounds and keep it off for five years” – Deepak Chopra

His words were impactful, intimidating, demotivating, and downright scary.

I  researched for What do Successful Dieters Have in Common and came up with and formed a list of common characteristics of successful dieters:

• Find exercise they enjoy
• Become addicted to their weight loss efforts
• Prepare food in advance
• Know the power of power walks
• Strength train and weight lift
• Have a positive attitude and believe they can lose the weight
• Share their goals and plans with others
• Involve others (work out buddies and fitness groups)
• Visualize success daily

 

And I gave you my answer and the best answer I could come up with at the time,

I just kept trying…

Successful Diet Secret

More Reasons I Was A Successful Dieter

Now that I’ve had more time to think about this, I know there was definitely more to my weight loss success.  There were a few things I did that allowed me to keep my place in the elite club of 2% of successful dieters.

Ditched the Diet Soda and Artificial Sweeteners As I wrote about in I AM an Addict, giving up diet soda and artificial sweeteners was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done!  It was well worth it though.  My sugar cravings got better!

Worked on My Health Throughout my journey, I worked on getting healthier.  The healthier I got the more energy I had for my weight loss efforts and the greater weight loss success I experienced.

Gave Myself Grace For years I held myself accountable to be the perfect dieter and exerciser.  As soon as I went off course, I would go into “bad girl” mode and eat like it was my J-O-B.  Now I give myself grace. When I slip, I forgive myself and get right back on track!

Aligned Myself with Holistic Dr’s, Coaches, and Personal Trainers I consulted with two holistic dieticians, two integrative physicians, and worked with three personal trainers.  Having the right people on your team can be very helpful!

Journaled and MyFitnessPal I journaled and recorded workouts, food, and my weight in my journal.  Consistently journaling was incredibly helpful and allowed me to look back and analyze what was working and not working for me.

Regularly Revisited My Why I blogged about my Why or should I say whys in Remember Why You Started.  I revisited them and intentionally thought about them at least a few times a week.  Allowing myself to feel the emotions that were tied to them was very powerful!

And I Prayed.

Why I’m One of the 2% of Successful Dieters

 

 

 

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Let’s Tackle the Weight Loss Villian!

“You must learn to let go. Release the stress. You were never in control anyway.” ― Steve Maraboli

I awoke and was quickly confronted by the almighty scale.  Before I stepped on, I made a quick weight loss confession.  I ate dinner after 7 pm last night. I know that’s a diet no, no but it wasn’t really my fault.  Last night was date night and we had to cart the kids around first, so we didn’t even get out of the house until after 7:00 pm.  I think the almighty scale should give me a pass on this one.  And give me credit for eating grilled chicken and avocado on lettuce for dinner and walking over an hour in 90-degree weather.

Fingers crossed…..My weight was down .6 from yesterday.  I’ll take it.  Thank you!

Inspired by my small weight loss from yesterday, I sit at my computer hoping I am ready to tackle the weight loss villain I told you about in “Why Haven’t I Lost Weight“.  Have you ever heard of Cortisol?  Has she been a problem for you?

A few definitions for cortisol

Merriam- Webster defines cortisol as a glucocorticoid C21 H30 O5 produced by the adrenal cortex upon stimulation by ACTH that mediates various metabolic processes (such as gluconeogenesis), has anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties, and whole levels in the blood may become elevated in response to physical or psychological stress.

In case that sounds like a foreign language to you, I’ll give you my not so medical or technical definition of cortisol.  Cortisol is a steroid hormone known as the stress hormone and is produced by the adrenal glands when we feel physically or mentally stressed or threatened.  It hinders weight loss because cortisol is associated with insulin resistance, carbohydrate cravings, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and fat deposits on the face, neck, and belly.

And an even simpler definition of cortisol would be to call the ultimate diet and weight loss buster, at least according to me and my weight loss journey.

A supplement that helped many of my cortisol issues

A little over a year ago I sought help from a brilliant holistic doctor,  Dr. Rudy Byron who recognized my issues with cortisol and suggested a supplement called AdreneVive.  AdreneVive is a combination of:

• Ashwagandha root extract
• Skullcap root extract,
• Eleuthero root extract,
• Rhodiola Rosea root extract,
• l theanine,
• Phosphatidylserine

AdreneVive pretty much changed my life.  I can now make it through a day without taking a nap, my energy is more even throughout the day, and I even lost a few pounds!

* Even though I had tremendous success with AdreneVive, you’ll want to be sure to consult with your physician before starting it.

Even with the AdreneVive, I can literally feel my cortisol surging throughout the day.  Do you ever feel your cortisol surge? I will set out to do something non-stressful like writing a blog or cleaning out my email inbox and within minutes my body and mind rev up and my inner super freak surfaces.  Within seconds, I start trying to complete the task better and faster.  My mind goes into overdrive and sometimes I forget to breathe!  I feel like I need some help with this.  I’m envisioning little drops that I can put in my water to help me tone it down a notch every time I start to rev up.  I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Byron and cannot wait to hear what he recommends.

Wondering if cortisol is affecting your weight loss efforts?  You may enjoy this read this article by Mind Body Green.

 

Cortisol