You know all the right stuff that you should be eating…but you just can’t do it. Right?
This week’s blog will help. Because you’ll discover the ONE thing that made all the difference for me (and my nutrition coaching clients!).
I felt like the biggest fraud as a personal trainer.
I’d studied nutrition. I’d was obsessed with it. But I just couldn’t get myself to do what I needed to do to lose weight.
I was eating too much. Often that was healthy food in the week (lots of it) and not so healthy at the weekend.
Then I got pregnant. With twins! I put on 23kg during my pregnancy & a whole year later, on their 1st birthday, I was still 13kg up.
It wasn’t just me. Lots of my clients had the same problem, too. I could give people a lovely meal plan, work out their macros & give them all the information they needed.
And then it hit me. Knowing this stuff wasn’t the problem for me. And it wasn’t for my clients, either.
I remember that lightbulb moment vividly. I
I often talk about the psychology of change & sustainable habit change. And yes, these things are vital. But there was ONE thing that made all the difference for me.
That one thing was coaching.
Before I studied to become a coach and learned the techniques, I would NEVER have dreamed of getting a nutrition coach of my own. A big part of me felt I somehow didn’t deserve it or wasn’t worthy of making that investment in myself (I was SO hard on myself back then, by the way!). And I thought I already had all the knowledge I needed.
It wasn’t until halfway through my two years of study to be a qualified Precision Nutrition Coach that it even occurred to me to get my own coach, to help me navigate my own relationship with food!
BUT I wanted to feel good about myself again. I
And having someone there, to support me & hold me accountable, meant I could finally make the changes I needed. To start living the healthy, happy & abundant life I really wanted.
You see, nutrition coaching isn’t just about nutrition.
In fact, nutrition coaching is more about your mind – how you think & feel about food – than actual nutrition. Because this then changes how you behave (and what you put in your mouth!).
The right nutrition coach will empower you with the tools to make your own decisions. And deal with REAL LIFE – eating with your family; going on holiday; celebrations & Christmas; dealing with stress – without it all coming apart at the seams & spiralling back into all those old eating patterns, that just don’t serve you.
And that was (truly) one of the most significant & most empowering things for me. Being able to enjoy food at Christmas or go out for a nice dinner, without the guilt or the dread of what the scales would say in the morning (or how much I’d beat myself up the next day, when I felt like I’d failed. Again.).
I gained the ability to deal with these situations with a clear plan, a clear mind
The fact that I never have to say to my friends or husband “sorry, I can’t come out for dinner tonight, I’m on a diet” is MASSIVE.
I broke free from all the restrictions. I stopped banning myself from eating certain foods or making restrictive rules (the kinds of diets that always fail in the end!). Which ended the endless dieting cycle of restriction and binging, that I had been stuck in my whole life.
This is why having a coach so powerful for me:
- Changing Behaviours (for good)
My nutrition coach taught me to question my behaviours around food. To analyse them and to experiment with new ways of tackling food and food choices.
One of the things that really resonated with me was that ‘hunger is NOT an emergency’.
Hmmmmm…. why had I not
I learned that the panic I felt when I was hungry was actually a hangover from our cave man days. In reality, we can get food any time we like. We can order food, go to the fridge or pop to the corner shop. Hell, I can even order an entire weekly shop to be delivered to my door!
So why was I experiencing such panic?
This is something I explore with my clients now, as it’s SO powerful & has a big impact.
- The Power of Accountability
For lots of us (me included!), the missing piece of the puzzle is ACCOUNTABILITY.
Because if it’s just you – alone in your house or with the kids – it’s too easy to break your promises to yourself about eating well & getting fit. Right?
Research shows us time & time again, that when we have someone or something that we are accountable to, we’re drastically more successful at achieving our goals.
If we have to report what we’ve done (or haven’t done!), we are SO much more likely to do what we need to do. Even when we’re not feeling so motivated.
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Recognising and Celebrating the Wins!
A coach is SO much more than a cheerleader. But it is so valuable to have someone who genuinely cares about your successes. Someone who can point them out to you when you can’t see them yourself, because you’re used to being so self-critical.
It truly helps to build your self-esteem and helps you see that the changes you’re making WILL contribute to your overall success. It’s definitely not all about what the scales say.
- Asking the Right Questions
Sometimes, just asking the right question at the right time can lead to such clarity & amazing breakthroughs.
Like ‘What’s good about changing?’. ‘What’s good about not changing?’.
Questions like this are SO simple and so powerful. But they’re not questions that you usually go around asking yourself!
- Feeling Heard & Understood
I always felt that my coach heard me and really understood the struggles that I was going through.
There was never any judgment and always empathy and compassion.
Sure, there are times when a few home truths are needed! But the overall feeling of coaching for me was one of care and compassion.
For me now, as a coach, I genuinely care about my clients. Many of whom become good friends. I work with clients in the long-term so that connection is essential & I know my clients always feel supported without judgment.
- Customising the Plan – Just for Me
We’re all different. We all have different stories, that have led us to where we are today.
And having a coach helped me focus on my own nutrition story with a unique eye on me.
Everything that we worked on had a spin on it that was unique for me. Because otherwise, it just wouldn’t be effective.
It is SO crucial in the change process not to compare yourself to others. Nobody else is on your journey. And so making sure you deal with each
- Helping Me Feel Normal!
Life isn’t perfect and sometimes things don’t go to plan.
BUT the reality is that it is entirely normal! And sometimes, you need someone on your team who can remind you of that.
Someone who isn’t a family member, who gets frustrated with you or doesn’t want to hear the same story again. Someone who actually has a real interest in your success.
For me, coaching is less about me and all about you. It’s about making a real connection with my clients & empowering them with all the tools to make their own decisions.
It’s about celebrating the wins but – more importantly – being there when times are tough. Being there with empathy & support, and the building blocks to start moving in the right direction again.
A skilled coach can literally empower you to transform.
That’s why I love my job with a passion (which I feel so lucky to have!).
Honestly? If you’re looking for ‘biggest loser’ type support or to ‘lose 10kg in 6 weeks’, I’m not the coach for you.
But if you ARE looking to empower yourself to live in the real world & make long term sustainable change – that not only impacts
Click here to get in touch for a chat about how I can help.
My goal is to help you make the change you want so badly by building you up, rather than smashing you down.
Yes, I might ask some difficult questions. And yes, it might get emotional.
But I’m game If you are!
Here’s to your success
Fran x