Monthly Archives: March 2012

Prep Week Step 3: Good Behavior

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Do you know WHY MOST NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS FAIL?

It’s a combination of a bunch of things, but first and foremost, resolutions are usually Outcome Goals.

  • I’m going to lose 20 lbs this year.
  • I’m going to train for a marathon.
  • I’m going to be less stressed out.

An Outcome Goal is one that is tied to a particular result. And they usually fail. Without other super important components.

In contrast, a Behavioral Goal is one that involves a particular activity done on a regular basis in order to achieve a certain result. In other words, establishing Outcome Goals without Behavioral Goals is like having a destination in mind without any idea of the path you’re going to take to get there. Usually, you’ll just wander around for a while and give up. Probably by February.

I know my Outcome Goal – fitting into my Dress. So it’s time to establish my Behavioral Goals.

What do I think I would need to do on a regular basis (Behavioral Goals) in order to achieve my desired outcome (My Vision) – getting into the dress. Well here’s my best guess based on what I learned from Step 2 (Appreciative Inquiry), what I know, and what I suspect (Yup, take a guess – go with your gut).

1. Keep up with my normal exercise regime. (Remember I learned that exercising MORE doesn’t really do it for me, so here I’m going to have to just maintain).
2. Eat light meals multiple times a day. (I’m going to get way more specific about this later).
3. Meditate for 25 mins, take a yoga class, or strike a Restorative Yoga pose for 10-15 mins every day EVERY DAY. (You can’t digest and eliminate effectively if you’re stressed out).
4. Put a heated sandbag on my stomach every night as I go to bed. This helps to calm my digestive system, relax before bed, sleep well, and essentially aid my body in elimination and detoxification.
5. Drink a lot of water every day to flush my system clean. I’ve done this in the past with the help of my nutritionist and it helped immensely with how I felt tummy-wise. I was on a water schedule and totaled about 80 ounces daily. It’s not easy but I have tricks I’ll share later.

That’s a good start. I’ll learn more as I go.

We’ll talk about how to implement these lifestyle changes incrementally because there’s no way that I can do ALL of these to their fullest extent from day 1 to day 28. So I’m going to add this to My Plan under the 1 Month Goal section. Two more days til I actually stop prep week and begin action month. I have to admit, I’m nervous.

Prep Week Step 2: Appreciative Inquiry

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Tapping into my successful past is an important part of creating a successful future.

It’s really tempting to fall prey to expensive marketing that promotes the latest fad diet, exercise equipment, or wellness craze because well, frankly, they sell that crap really well and make you believe you TOO can really do it if you just buy it! Let me tell you, the easiest way to lower your chances of success is by following someone else’s plan. You need your own. And that comes straight out of tapping into what’s worked for you before, what you’ve enjoyed, and what you’re good at.

So tell me a story about your best experience with weight loss.

Here are some of mine.

1. GW. Wow the food really stunk at college. I dropped about 15 over probably 2 years. I just ate less. Eating less means weighing less. Who knew.
2. Surfing in Costa Rica. Recently, I dropped about 6 lbs (just about the time I was trying on and ordering the Bridesmaid Dress!) I had a bit of a stomach bug after returning from vacation in November. That lasted a couple weeks. I ate really lightly during that time. And I also experienced a significant drop in appetite likely due to a change in a prescription medication I was taking.
3. Nutrition Counseling. No I wasn’t put on a crazy diet, but in my mid twenties I worked with a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and although I didn’t lose any weight during this period, I had a significant shift in my persistent upset tummy syndrome because I found out, I’m wheat-sensitive. Means eating wheat makes me feel kinda crappy and I don’t digest it very well.

OK there’s 3 best experiences. Next step is…

Tell me what WORKED WELL about these. Tell me what YOU LEARNED about yourself.

1. Eating less makes me weigh less. Seems kind of OBVIOUS. But I also know for myself, in periods of time where I exercised very hard, worked with a trainer, and made fitness a serious priority, I didn’t really change size. I became stronger, fitter, healthier, more energized, etc but my weight never changed.
2. Avoiding wheat makes me feel A LOT better. I’ve cut it out of my diet almost 90%. I also learned with my work with the nutritionist that I do really well on hearty whole grains like brown rice and quinoa. And apples and bananas are my best friends.

So I’m going to add these tidbits under the My Progress section of My Plan. Lessons learned are important to collect along the way. And I’m hoping there will be a lot more of them to come.

Preparation Week Step 1: Making Three Wishes

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If you don’t look where you’re going, you’ll just go where you’re looking.

First thing I do with anyone who comes to me for coaching, is the Three Wishes Exercise. Here it is…

If a magic genie were to show up on your doorstep tonight and grant you three wishes that would come true tomorrow, what would they be?

And we’re not talking about World Peace. Thank You. We’re talking about YOU.

So I’m going to ask myself the same thing. Now I have lots and lots of wishes, and I’d never limit myself or anyone to just three, but it’s a good place to start. Since my focus for this project is about losing a little weight to fit into my dress, I’m going to stick to that area.

Wish #1. I wish I fit into the dress.
Wish #2. I wish I didn’t crave sweets.
Wish #3. I wish my stomach didn’t hurt anymore.

Next step is to take my three wishes and convert them into My Vision. Take the wishes and rewrite them as positive, palpable, present tense statements about who I want to be. This can be tricky sometimes as it’s difficult for people to imagine and write out things they don’t currently have. Fortunately I have practice in this area helping others so here it goes…

My Vision

I fit beautifully and comfortably into my size 4 Bridesmaid Dress.
I eat healthy, nutritious foods throughout the day that keep me feeling energized.
I feel relaxed and calm in my belly before, after, and in between meals.

Why is creating a vision important?

It’s critical really. If you don’t have any idea of where you want to go, you’ll wander about willy-nilly and likely get nowhere. You need something to focus on, somewhere to look towards and someway to get there (that’s coming up later).

Say It Aloud and Make It Real

The last piece is making your vision come alive, by saying it aloud to yourself on a regular basis. Daily if you can. Twice daily for me. Morning and Night. Why?

  • Sometimes our vision feels fake and weird, unbelievable and unattainable. By repeating it aloud, the present-tense statements, to yourself, you’re creating a more believable reality. Promise. Just try it. After a few days it will roll off your tongue like it’s already happening.
  • The power of suggestion. Repeating your vision aloud daily is like putting an imaginary angel on your shoulder who, consciously or subconsciously,  motivates and influences your every decision. Want to get fro-yo after dinner? Nah, I’m good, thanks.

Now I’ll add My Vision to My Plan and write it out on a note card to keep by my bedside so I can say it aloud mornings and nights. Wish me luck!

5 Weeks Until the Wedding

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Let me get straight to the point of why I’m here, and why I want you to listen. I’m trying to drop one dress size in 4 weeks when I have to fit into a Bridesmaid Dress. And I’ve got all the tools to do it. Why? It’s what I do for a living - help people make lifestyle changes. I’m a Wellness Coach, it’s what we do.

So why do I want you to listen? Two reasons.

1. I need your help. Having support when making lifestyle changes is the number one most important component in successfully reaching your goals. So I hope you’ll be here for me when I need you!

2. I want you to see how to do it too. As I chronicle my journey and strive to meet my goal in 4 weeks, I want you to learn how to do it for yourself, perhaps even follow along. It’s not about following the formula for my own personal success, but learning about the process which is super effective in making and sustaining behavioral changes in your life (ie. eating less, moving more) to lose weight.

I’m going to show you step-by-step how to drop a dress size in a month. You’ll see the tricks and strategies, and my struggles and successes. I’m determined to make this work.

So the big Wedding day is Saturday April 28th. That means starting April 1st, I’ve got exactly 4 weeks to fit into The Dress. First things first! I’ve got one week to set up and prepare.

Check out The Background Story which explains it all. And I’ll keep updating The Plan as I go along.