She Took a Leap of Faith and Stopped Dieting… Here’s What Happened

Today I am sharing the transformational story of a client of mine, Charlotte, who took a leap of faith and ditched dieting nine months ago. I am so honored to share where she is after her six month Total Transformation Program (plus a few more months) with me. I’m so thankful she’s allowed me to share her story publicly with all of you – this takes courage. I’m sharing Charlotte’s story with hopes that you will feel encouraged and be able to see the possibilities available for you, too.

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“I never could have known when I finally took the leap and signed on with you what an incredible journey I was in for. After being a mostly silent reader of your blog for years, enrolling in one-on-one coaching was something I always knew I wanted to do…but struggled with committing to.

Once I finally did, of course, my only regret was not doing it SOONER!

This has been such an incredible period of growth for me — both personally and professionally.

On the professional level, I went from building my own highly successful and satisfying company, to accepting a crazy exciting position across the country! Looking back, it’s amazing that I was concerned about affording the monthly health coaching payments at first, when what followed was my busiest and most lucrative time as a small business owner. It really goes to show what you said about investing in your self more than paying for itself, and I am so grateful I made the decision to make my health my highest priority as a busy working woman. I never dreamed that the dividends of health coaching would extend beyond the personal and into the professional realm in such a big way!

My personal growth has been even more amazing. As you know, these nine months were full of so many ups and downs for me. You helped me through the loss of first my father-in-law, and then my beloved dad. Without your guidance, I know I would have spiraled into a dark place of completely neglecting self-care while I grieved. This is what happened to me seven years ago when my mom, my best friend, died. I lived on ice cream and ramen noodles for months and it only deepened my sadness unspeakably. But you showed me how to be gentle and loving with myself while I faced my emotions and truly FELT them, rather than seeking comfort in food. I will forever be grateful that I had your voice in my life, gently reminding me to be good to myself during such a difficult time.

Everywhere I look in my life today, I see evidence of how just far I came through our coaching.

I went from weighing myself every single day and being absolutely crushed if the scale wavered even a fraction of an ounce in the “wrong” direction, to only stepping on it sporadically every month or two. I know you recommend not weighing at all, and I’m still working toward that, but I feel really good about the fact I can go so long without even thinking about the scale now, and that it holds no power over me when I do weigh in. I know I have a history of using this as a means of denial and ignoring my body, which is the opposite of what I want! Instead, through my coaching with you, I learned to let the number on the scale be just that: a number. It no longer defines me and it has zero control over my self worth and happiness. If it’s gone up a little bit, I take it with a shrug and look back over how I’ve treated myself lately. Sometimes I know it’s from something as meaningless as having soy sauce the night before, and other times I know it’s because I haven’t been listening to my body. Either way, I take it as a little piece of information that I can use as a tool to treat myself the very best I possibly can.

That said, I did hop on the scale last week and realized I’ve lost ten pounds since working with you. Those ten pounds mean more to me than all of the many, many pounds I gained and lost and gained and lost through every yo-yo diet. Those are ten pounds that I lost effortlessly, patiently, by simply being good to my own body. I don’t have to fear that those pounds will creep back on now that our coaching is over, the way I would have immediately regained them after a diet.

I was trying to think of the best way to summarize how my relationship with food has changed, and I realized coffee is actually a great example. I used to think the ONLY way I enjoyed coffee was with a ton of half and half in it, or better yet those chemically flavored creamers you can get. I would take my biggest mug, fill it with coffee (leaving as much space as I dared), add tons of cream (to the point the coffee was just lukewarm), and then CHUG the whole thing down. My husband would even watch me do this and gently say, “Hey, you don’t have to drink it so fast!”

Back then, I would constantly go on some new diet where I wasn’t allowed coffee any way but black, and I would hate it. Then I would fall off the wagon and way overdo the cream in my coffee again until my next diet. I actually thought at the time I just liked to drink my coffee fast because that’s how I was, but now I realize that the reason I did this was because I was constantly taking cream away from myself, and I was probably scared that I’d start a new diet mid-sip!

But over the course of the last nine months, without even realizing it, that all changed. I gave myself full permission to enjoy real, organic cream in my coffee, as much as I wanted. And I think for the first few months I did that. But a little while ago, my husband pointed out one day, “Hey! You don’t chug your coffee anymore!” And I realized he was right — now I choose the smallest mug because it stays hotter that way, put just enough milk or cream in it that it turns a pretty color but is still piping hot, and savor it.

I also went from using chemical-filled creamers, to organic half and half, to whole milk, to 2% milk or soy milk. Not because I was trying to cut the calories or wean myself off the fat, but because I slowly realized the taste of full cream in coffee is too rich for me most times, and milk is actually a lot lighter and more enjoyable for me now. No amount of dieting could have ever brought me to a point where I genuinely savor and enjoy coffee the way I do now, and though it seems like a little thing, it really means so much.

The truth is your one-on-one program is really “health coaching” in the fullest sense — in the whole life, big picture way that no other program I know of is. I not only totally revolutionized my approach to food, but my approach to my work, my productivity, my finances, my relationships, my home, my happiness, my mornings, my body, and my life. And it all happened in such a steady, sustainable way that I hardly noticed the changes, until a friend points out “Hey, you never body bash yourself anymore!” or asks “HOW are you so glowy? Did you cut out dairy?” and I realize the answer is 100% through my work with you.

I was so worried about our coaching coming to an end…like the magic spell that has allowed me to work through all of this might suddenly wear off. Or like I might just go right back to where I was. Instead, it has been a perfect transition. Like a gentle landing after a long flight, where you barely notice the wheels touch the ground.”

– Charlotte

Interested in the program Charlotte did to achieve these results? Check out my services and scroll to “Six-month Total Transformation Program.”

If you appreciate Charlotte sharing her story with all of us, do a sweet thing and let her know below in the comments <3. 

P.S. You can see more testimonials/stories here if this one resonated with you.