I’ve been a Health and Wellness Coach for over 18 years, and a Mindful Eating Coach for over 5. Like many, my passion to pursue coaching was rooted in personal lifestyle change and weight loss. I aspire to helping others discover the same. After all, losing nearly 20 kilos gave me freedom, or did it? Recently stepping on my bathroom scale really made me wonder….
Shifting my lifestyle through nutrition and exercise completely transformed my life. It steered me in the direction of a new career, boosted my confidence, made me feel free and allowed me to walk my talk. For nearly 2 decades, I have eaten and moved my body instinctively, maintained my weight and felt great. Free in my mind and body. Thanks to the structure of the 6 decision points of the AmIHungry Mindful Eating Cycle – Why? When? What? How? How much? and Where? – I have guided my clients to tap into their expert within to discover the same – freedom to eat and move intuitively for pleasure and health.
I do not weight myself often, maybe once a month. I believe, that the number on the scale is only one measure toward personal success and is not, in and of itself, an achievement. It’s only really beneficial if it improves your health and truly makes you feel good.
Last week I stepped on the scale, expecting to see the “ever-so-familiar-since-20-years” 62ish light up. Instead, I saw 57. My heart skipped a beat. I felt lightheaded and was literally euphoric! My overjoyed brain scurried… how did I manage to lose weight without trying? Ever so exciting! Grinning! Ignoring reality. I stepped off and on again. I saw 56, then 59, then 52, then 61, then 66…. What’s up? My scale was obviously malfunctioning. Seriously? Suddenly, disappointment and disenchantment set-in as I understood that I had not actually “achieved” anything, but just need a new scale.
OMG. What’s with this? I was shocked at my psyche. I have been non-weight focused for over 20 years… or have I? I questioned myself trying to figure this out and realized that whether we like it or not, even the most seasoned of us are weight focused! Despite our most mindful efforts, our culture’s emphasis on the thin ideal and weight stigma keep us stuck on weight and we need some deep work to get – and stay – unstuck!
Here’s what I learned:
- We are continuously re-discovering who we really are and what matters.
- Throughout life we can always change our attitudes and behaviors.
- Weight matters to us all, so the key to freedom is choosing what role it plays in your life and why.
- Once you’ve decided the place weight will play in your life, you need multiple means of measuring your why. If weight matters to you because of health, measure your health outcomes, not your weight.
I have not bought a new scale yet and am still pondering if I will. What matters to me is that feeling of freedom and well-being I get when I work-out, get a compliment from my kids or dress up. I’m not quite sure a scale can weigh that kind of freedom. Are you?