The Missing Piece
The purpose of this article is to show that the way we approach losing weight today is deeply flawed. I have created an exciting new platform and process that can break people out of the cycle of yo-yo dieting and deliver a truly safe environment for people to go places inside themselves that can permanently shift habits, affect behaviors and beliefs to make finding their perfect weight seem realistic, possible and permanent. On a larger scale my goal is to move a generation who can’t lose weight to pave a way to live a life that is empowered, conscious and liberating.
I have been in the fitness industry for over 18 years, I’ve seen it all; the high drop-out rates of people before they have reached their goals and the very low success rate of people actually achieving their goals which currently stands at around 10%. People spend thousands of dollars a year on books, pills, personal trainers, supplements to yield little or no results, they are left baffled, confused, angry and frustrated.
A nine-year study showed the probability of a person attaining normal weight was 1 in 210 for men and 1 in 124 for women, increasing to 1 in 1290 for men and 1 in 677 for women with who were over 50kgs overweight. This has been a huge problem in the industry, but I also see very little chance of this statistic changing if we don’t fundamentally change the way things are done. I was so frustrated and unhappy I couldn’t help my clients get what they want, clearly, something was missing. So, I pulled away every layer and looked for the answers why. Now, I’m here to tell you what I found.
In weight gain between 10 - 40 kg’s you think the problem is willpower, or lack of motivation, or need to exercise more, count calories and macros. Maybe something is wrong with your body, you have a sweet tooth, or ‘it’s just the way I am’. Really, it’s not any of these otherwise everyone would be at their perfect weight.
In my experience working with hundreds of clients if you want to permanently lose weight you need to become aware of what triggers you or urges you to eat. When you can move from completely unaware to find out the real cause or origin of the problem, something really profound happens, your life changes.
The industry overlooks the emotional component of weight loss, it is the main reason why people’s efforts are quickly sabotaged. When we think weight loss, we think meals plans, diets, and exercise, but we rarely think or understand what triggers you or gives you the urge to eat.
Treating the cause not the symptoms for weight loss takes a real specialist skill. For example, when an overweight client enters the gym the Personal Trainer sees a calorie surplus (more calories inthan he or she is burning) and a lack of exercise, this is certainly true but this is the only filter the trainer puts on the problem and sees the needs of the client to be, for permanently weight loss, this is all wrong. Sure, exercise makes you feel good, but it’s not the real go to for losing weight. I have seen this scenario repeated endlessly for years, I continually ask myself why aren’t people getting the right results after all the exercise they do. I’m a numbers person too, and this was how I saw it, you exercise 2 to 3 times a week I would say that’s 800-900 calories burnt, but, when you lose control and have doughnut and a café Mocha from Starbucks, results gone in under 10 mins, and you’re back to square one.
When you can acknowledge the feeling and emotions when you want to snack, are you numbing, masking or soothing what is going on inside you. Once you know why, things will instantly change from that moment on. You have the answers inside you, you just have to ask the right questions. In my experience habits like this are combination of really understanding your past, identifying your craving and triggers and becoming aware and acknowledge your true feelings.
Thousands of calories a week can be saved. If you knew what a trip to the fridge really means, what are you feeling in that moment and what you really wanted, you should be able to break that habit. This is where the real results are. I have seen the power of finding your own answers, it is fast and profound. Once you know them you can build the skills and tools to handle that moment and make better choices. Break that never-ending cycle of blocking, masking and suppressing.
CURRENT STATE OF THE FITNESS & FATLOSS INDUSTRY
My clients over the years have been looking for the answers to these questions, I gave my educated guess but it was only to use willpower, discipline, get in a habit. Something significant was missing.
Why can’t I stick to my exercise program?
Why is my life controlled and revolves around food?
Why do I initially lose weight then it returns?
Why do I always give into temptation?
If you ever wondered why you love the way you do, just look at the way your parents loved you, or each other. How did you Mum or Dad manage their emotions and feelings. The same with food, if you ever wondered why you eat the way you do, just look at the way your parents ate, particularly your Mum. Overeating is more common in women, men’s coping mechanism are often but not always smoking and alcohol. The patterns we set down, we learned and created as a child are key influencers to how you act and think now, especially sub-consciously. You have to look carefully and see how your past suppresses your emotions and influences our daily life.
You may be thinking how can my past affect the way I eat in the present day? I will tell you now, it is both so DRAMATIC but at the same time, very subtle. To understand why we overeat, it’s valuable to identify what emotions lead us to mindlessly snack, overindulge, or binge. Are these feelings familiar? Do they bring up any memories or remind us of ways we felt in our past? Eating patterns can usually be tracked across life, so children who learn to use food as a tool to deal with emotional distress early on are much more likely to follow a similar pattern of eating later in adult life. Around three quarters of children who are overweight will continue to be obese as adults, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
As children we’re often given treats, to console us when we’re upset, and to reward us for good behavior. Most celebrations, like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Valentine’s Day are food-focused, and birthdays are spent sharing cake. Even the mere smell of certain foods, like cookies in grandma’s oven, can create powerful emotional connections that last a lifetime. If we’re aware of it or not, we are conditioned to use food not only for nourishment, but also for comfort.
The goal is to take emotion out of eating and see food as nourishment, not as a reward or coping mechanism. I ask all my clients who have started this journey, the most critical part of the puzzle is to know why and once you understand you can start to build can new habits that fit your lifestyle to build trust back in your body. Then, piece by piece, one issue at a time is managed and you feel empowered to know what to do.
Most people have never been taught to process these emotions. The crucial and defining moments for my clients are when they’re open about their challenges and how it feels to be heard and understood and not judged in any way. There is an instant sense of relief and peace, and even a tear. In western and Asian cultures feelings and emotions are never talked about or faced head-on and most families sweep them under the carpet and taught to keep it suppressed and to appear that everything is ok. This is key to unlock your potential and for true weight loss. Experts estimate that 75% of us overeat not because we are hungry, but rather in response to feelings. And when our eating is spurred on by emotions, we tend to consume mostly junk food. Food is the band aid and the quickest and easiest way to numb, mask, block or soothe what’s really going on inside us.
Food is a powerful and effective way to find temporary relief from many of life’s challenges. There needs to be a sign on your fridge door saying, ‘What are you really feeling and what do you really want?’
UNDERSTANDING YOUR PAST - BECOME AWARE AND ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING
The WHY you eat is the missing piece of the puzzle. It is completely individual to you from soothing yourself with food when you feel unimportant, unlovable or just not capable. I can’t tell you what your why is, you have to search to find it. You can’t change what you don’t understand.
Identifying eating triggers is the first step. Now, you have to break the emotional eating habit and adopt healthier habit to keep you from using food to soothe yourself. Struggles with eating and weight gain go deeper and usually starts early when our relationship with food is first established. Many of us eat for reasons other than to nourish our bodies or even to enjoy one of life’s pleasures. It is necessary for us to understand ourselves on a deeper emotional level and to uncover why we eat the way we eat. If we challenge these behaviors alone through diet and exercise, the emotions we were using to cover up won’t just go away.
Certain situations tend to trigger eating, you were doing fine until... you went to a family reunion, you experienced stress from work or being a mother, you worry about something, you’re tired, you’re lonely, you went on vacation, your mother kept pushing food onto you, you’re bored. Some stressors come from within, like the stress you put on yourself to be perfect or the anxiety you feel when you want to ask for a raise or confront a problem you’re having with a friend or family member. Other stresses come from outside of yourself, such as the demands of your job, medical issues, family obligations, and social pressure from friends.
The list goes on and on. Eating is a pleasurable distraction. You need to be able to identify your own personal triggers that push you to overeat so you can break the cycle and eat in response to hunger not feelings. You may also feel guilt or shame after eating this way, leading to a cycle of excess eating again.
The Lifestyle Transformation Program (LTP) is the platform to break down the true cause and origins of overeating and conditioning and attachment to food that you have unconsciously learned. The LTP gives you the platform and opportunity to tackle the real problem of not being at your perfect weight and enable you to customized skills and strategies tailored to your exact needs and busy lifestyle.
Become AWARE why you can’t say no and also why you give into temptation
With self-reflection, awareness and understanding you start to IMPLEMENT an individualized approach to feel empowered and remove temptation. MASTER your new behaviours and habits with support, accountability and find out the best way of implementing it.
The Lifestyle Transformation Program is the shortest, most effective and customized process system for busy people seeking to reduce their weight by up to 40 kg’s and maintain it forever. We break things down so it doesn’t feel overwhelming beginning with the process of starting to trust and love your body. This self-discovery and learning experience will equip you with the awareness, skills & strategies necessary to finally find and maintain your perfect weight.
The benefits:
• You develop a deeper understanding about critical things in your life that are holding you back
• You create a customized step by step a plan to reach your goals faster
• You learn to overcome obstacles in your way by developing new patterns of behaviour
• You learn to let go of the self-destructive behaviors and replace them with healthy and sustainable habits.
BREAKING THE CYCLE – FINDING YOUR WHY – KNOWING YOUR TRIGGERS
THE SOLUTION
The Life Transformation Program is based on a tried and tested 3 Step System (Aware, Implement, Master) designed from working with 100s of client. This 24-week journey to find your perfect weight by identifying you’re undesirable eating behaviors and habits and dissolving them permanently. You will also will learn how to organize your meal timings, address snacking and eliminate cravings, and understanding and implement portion control. You will gain the skill of making good choices about what to eat and the tools and strategies to support your new way of eating.
The way we approach losing weight today is deeply flawed. The LTP is 10x superior to losing 10 to 40kgs to generalised meal plan and exercise because you will break down the true cause and origin of overeating and conditioning to food that you have unconsciously learned.
The LTP gives you the platform and opportunity to tackle the real problem of not being at your perfect weight and enable you to customized skills and strategies to release your perfect potential. Get in touch now to sign up and change your life forever.
