4 Weight Loss Lessons You Need to Know

I was fortunate to attend Camp Reboot as a wellness coach a couple weeks ago at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. It was a week filled with inspiration, motivation, education and, most of all, connection. There were almost 200 participants and each one came with the intention of learning more about juicing from Joe Cross and his team of experts, as well as; how to transform their lives and lose weight.

As a coach I was truly humbled and extremely honored to be a part of this amazing group of Rebooters and to share My Story with them. And even more so, I learned a few important lessons about weight loss that go beyond what your diet books and doctors tell you:

1.) We Are All Perfectly Imperfect
There is no such thing as perfect! I used to think that if I didn’t “stick with my diet” then I was “being bad” or “cheating”. I used to think that in order to lose weight and be healthy I had to “always be on a diet” and had to be perfect all of the time; otherwise why bother? I used to go from restrictive eating to over indulgence; unable to find the right balance. What I learned this week was that this kind of perfectionist thinking only leaves me feeling like a failure when I have “not stuck with my diet”. In order to let go of the idea of being perfect, we need to let go of the diet mentality and embrace that we are not going to be perfect; and that is OK.

2.) We Are All Unique Individuals
If we are all different, then there is no way that there is one diet out there that is perfect. If we are all different then only we can know what is best for us. If we are all different then we can’t compare or judge our progress or success based on what other people are doing. We need to figure out what foods are right for us, what movement we enjoy and what plan works best for us.

3.) We All Need Connection
This is the most important message that I learned last week at Camp Reboot. As a recovering food addict I am always amazed at how my addiction has nothing to do with food (or at least very little). My desire for food and to eat is only a coping mechanism for another deeper desire. Being at Camp Reboot helped me to understand that my connection with others and my connection with myself is perhaps the single most important tool that I must use in order to achieve optimum health.

4.) We All Need Motivation
It is important to remember that when we are on a healing journey, no matter what our process, we will have struggles.  When we feel like giving up or losing hope, we must look back at our motivation for healing. Why do we want to get well? Who are we doing this for? In all stories of success I see a common element; each person has a big motivation and uses that as inspiration to keep them going. If you want to lose weight and change your lifestyle you must ask yourself; what is my motivation?