“Lose 10 pounds in 10 days!” Wow, that sounds amazing! Who wouldn’t want to try that? Practically everyone could restrict their calories for 10 days. But, the plain truth is that the very low calorie approach needed to achieve this type of rapid weight loss is difficult to maintain for very long and might be unhealthy. Also, the weight that you lose is mostly water along with a mix of your precious lean tissue (muscles) and some body fat. Then, after you suffer through the 10 days, you return to your previous way of eating only to quickly gain back the ten pounds and possibly more.
Quick fix approaches often have too many rules that just can’t be maintained for the long term given the often busy demands of everyday life. They usually eliminate too many foods and make it difficult to share meals with friends or family. Quick fixes, while very alluring, are not the answer for long lasting weight loss or for the best of health outcomes. If you are tired of the quick fix approach and want to take steps to develop your own personalized success system for reaching your goals, consider engaging the support of a trained professional–-a credentialed health coach.
I often recommend that clients make a three month commitment with their health coach. Why three months? Three months is close enough to get you into action, yet far enough away to allow you to reach a significant health goal, like losing ten pounds or lowering your LDL cholesterol by 10%. Once you have your three month goal in mind, you and your coach can make a plan for how you will achieve success. A key feature of your three month commitment is setting weekly goals. A weekly goal is an action step that will start moving you toward your ultimate goal. Your health coach can help you set weekly goals. It’s important to know that not every weekly goal is going to be right for you and your lifestyle. Think of weekly goals as experiments. Some of these experiments may not work, but that simply means the action wasn’t the best approach for you. You did not fail! Your coach will help you to find a better way of getting to your goal. In this way, you build healthy habits that soon become second nature – the type of habits that will stick with you for a lifetime.
If you are done with quick fixes and are looking to make long lasting changes that will bring you closer to your health goals, coaching may be the answer. But, don’t expect a list of dos and don’ts when you work with a coach. Instead roll up your sleeves and plan to get involved in the process. After all, you are the expert in what will and won’t work for you. Developing your own personal success system for health and wellness under the guidance of a credentialed health coach may be a solution long overdue.