Hitting a Wall
Over the past year, along with growing my business, I also set a personal goal to get back to my pre-baby weight. I decided I was ready to finally get off this lose, gain, lose, gain rollercoaster for good. I started coaching myself through the life coaching weight loss program beginning last March, and it was shockingly easy to lose weight. Until it wasn’t.
My goal was to lose 29 pounds. A few months ago, I reached the 23-pound mark and leveled off. I hit an imaginary brick wall and told myself the last 6 pounds were too hard. Despite making major belief shifts to get this far, all progress stopped. I talked myself out of the last 6 pounds, chalking it up as too much commitment while I’m focusing on my business.
A Life Changing Question
This January, an opportunity to work with a weight coach presented itself, and in a moment of bravery, I jumped at the chance. I recommitted to losing the last 6 pounds. In our very first session together, my coach asked me a life changing question:
What is everything you can do to open yourself up to the possibility of losing the last 6 pounds?
I was to sit down with a pen and paper and answer this question every day for a week. As a former corporate health coach, it was easy to rattle off a bunch of action items. Stop drinking wine at night. Stop snacking after dinner. Stop munching on my daughter’s chips or stealing my son’s French fries.
I already knew all the things I could be doing. So why wasn’t I doing them? I knew the answer was my thoughts, but I just couldn’t uncover which thoughts were holding me back.
Over the course of the week, I sat down and rewrote the same answers over and over. Until day 5. That morning I went to answer the same question and something clicked. I realized the question wasn’t really about the actions I could take to lose the last 6 pounds. It was about opening myself up to the idea that it is possible for me to do it.
When I plateaued after making steady progress for months, I decided losing the last 6 pounds wouldn’t happen for me. I didn’t even consciously decide this. This limiting belief snuck its way into my thoughts and stopped me from making progress without me even realizing it. I lost the belief of possibility and I stopped trying.
Open Yourself Up to the Possibility
The day I realized this, everything changed. I stopped focusing on what I should and should not be eating, and instead focused on opening myself up to possibility. I let go of the identity I had created for myself that I would never be at my ideal weight. I let go of the story that I would be stuck with these last 6 pounds forever. This slight shift was exactly what I needed. I still have work ahead of me, but once again I have the motivation to move forward.
I’m curious: where in your life are you creating your own barriers? Where can you open yourself up to the possibility that change is possible for you? As long as you believe it’s impossible, it will be. Forget about the “how” for now. If you feel like you’ve plateaued in your progress toward a goal, try sitting down every day and asking yourself, “how can I open myself to the possibility of _______?” You just might get the shift you need to get you back on track.
