Week One – Ready, Set, Whoa! This is Different!

Alright, I've got my brand new pencil, my workbook, and my coach (how cool is that). I have resolved to give 12 Weeks to Weight Loss and Wellness a fair shake. Being used to diets, this program feels strange to me but I am willing and ready to start. I will cover a chapter each week and then have a phone session with Claudette.
I started going through Week 1 in the workbook. I was feeling pretty confident. I understand most of the principles. I know diets don't work and that I need to make healthy choices around food and exercise. I need to love myself. All good review so far... I'm going to be an “A” student. OK, hold on. What's this? The book starts to talk about core beliefs, perceptions and values. Weight is a function of what is going on in your internal dialog. It mentions that I will likely need to make changes to my core beliefs to maintain healthy weight loss. What???! I am not even sure what my core beliefs are, never mind if they need adjusting. Maybe I need to take a core sample, ha! (Sorry, my dad is a geologist. Only people who wear corduroy and hush puppies will get the joke.) Core values, hmm... this is different. I have talked about feelings and food. But what do core values have to to with achieving a healthy weight? Interesting.
I keep working my way through the workbook, I turn to page 14. This becomes my favorite page in this chapter. It talks about “What happens when we change our behavior”. I like change, it equals new, shiny, exciting, stimulating, a change of pace, opportunities and possibilities... I like new. However, too much new always leaves me a little down. They use the word melancholy in the workbook. Great word, one of those words that sounds exactly like what it means. I have never thought that it was OK to feel melancholy with positive change. I should be happy, excited about changes for the better. Any type of change, good, bad or in between, has a process of feelings attached to it. This is mind-blowing, a light bulb moment for me! All of a sudden I am not just focused on how the workbook will help me lose weight. This is about my life as a whole. Whoa, this is different! I finish up the chapter pretty excited and look forward to my one-on-one with Claudette.
I chose a time for the meeting that allowed me to have quiet without interruptions (not so easy around my house). I have gone to one-on-one sessions before but I have to admit phone coaching sounded a little weird to me. I like to sit face to face with the person I am talking to. I shouldn't have worried, it was amazing how fast I forgot that I was on the phone. Claudette asked me questions about my diet history and my life in general, then we discussed what I read in Week 1. She added so much to the content of the chapter! She tied it into my personal history, which really brought what I was reading home for me. We discussed my habit of yo-yo dieting and how undisciplined and out of control I felt. Why can't I stick with a diet? I've beaten myself up for this sooooo many times, always ending up feeling like a failure. She gave me this little gem... a diet is a short term behavior. Again, this explains so much. How can I possibly achieve long term success with a short term behavior. No wonder “diet” is a four letter word; it is obscene to do that to your mind and body over and over again. This gem gave me a new perspective, which is a very sweet treat (and no calories).
We move on to discus of my favorite page, the stages of change (yes, page 14). Claudette expanded the description of each stage. I learned that it is important to name and acknowledge all the feelings involved in change. Even if I like change the change it is normal for me to feel anxious or vulnerable. She helped me realize that I tend to get stuck in the second stage--“transition”, the urge to return to familiar patterns, which stems from of the awkwardness of trying new things. It is important to have good support in this phase and to celebrate achievements, no matter how small. Each small victory will help me move forward. An awareness of the stages of change is helping me in my current situation (adjusting to moving across the continent) and it will also help me as I move through this program.
In concluding our Week 1 session we talked about making small changes and building awareness. We also talked about breaking my day down into manageable sections. I have never divided my day into sections (morning, afternoon and evening), it has always been one long "to do " list. I will try this approach and see where I can make small changes. No return to my all or nothing habits, just small health conscious choices. Reduce sugar consumption... not eliminate it cold turkey (as I have tried in the past). Drink a bit more water. Pick less sedentary activities. And be more aware of how I am feeling. All small no-pressure choices.
It was a good first week. The program is making me think and apply new learning to my daily life. The coaching was great. I enjoyed my first session with Claudette, I like her insights and that I can laugh with her. It makes the whole thing seem less overwhelming.
A good start.