Why Health

Coaching

Works When

Jenny Craig

Doesn't

Lynn Smith
2/15/2008
Professional Health Coach
www.HealthCoachTeam.com

How is it some people can join a reputable program, such as Jenny
Craig, but still not achieve their goals? Jenny Craig, among
others, has an extensive support system, plenty of tools a person
needs to reach their goals, yet not everyone walks away a winner.
Why is that? Is it because not everyone has the same amount of
willpower? Is there some reason why these programs don't work for
everyone?

It seems like it would be pretty easy to stick to a program that
provides you with your meals. Just heat it up and eat. But what
kind of changes is this having on a member's lifestyle? Is this
person a mom who's making dinner for her family but then eating
something else? How is this affecting her social life? For any
change to become permanent it's going to have to fit in with her
life, or it won't last. A lot of weight loss programs have you
making multiple changes at a time. It's hard to build good habits
that way. You've probably heard it takes twenty-one days to build a
habit. If your typical day consists of grabbing a muffin and a
coffee on your way to work, having lunch at your desk or with your
coworkers, then coming home and whipping up dinner and settling on
the couch, eating three prepackaged meals a day means three major
changes. And if you're not currently very active, your weight loss
program is going to have you increase your daily activity. Now you
are up to four major changes in your daily routine - all at once!
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is bad. What I am
saying is with so many sudden, major changes, how long do you think
you'll be able to stick with them all? Changing our lifestyle is a
big deal and when it comes to unhealthy habits, they need to be
changed. But change only happens when we are consistent. Too many
big changes all at once make it too hard to be consistent.

If you're someone who has constantly had a weight battle, this is
probably not your first attempt. What you need is to break that
pattern of being unsuccessful in the past. You need some quick
affirmation. It's easy to get discouraged and revert back to a
'what's the use' attitude. Along with that, you need to develop an
attitude of being a winner, an attitude that will empower you. When
we feel empowered, we can achieve goals we never thought possible
before.

One thing coaching will do for you is build that winner's attitude
through the use of baby steps, very small, doable goals. You'll
immediately start feeling successful. And when you have a number of
baby steps going at once, it creates momentum, driving you toward
your bigger goals, which build confidence. A mistake most people
make is to make their goals too large, to make too many changes in
too short a time. That's when we meet up with failure. To be truly
successful, the best thing you can do is start with something small
and build consistency with that, then add something else and get
consistent with that. You see where I'm going here. All along the
way every baby step accomplished reinforces that you are
successful, you are in control - a winner! In working with a health
coach, you will systematically implement small, doable goals in
your daily life. They are chosen by you and designed to give you
momentum. They're also designed to turn you into a winner. If you
have tried these weight loss programs before and have not been
successful, it might be time to change your approach. Give health
coaching a try, you just might come out a winner.

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