Coaching Myself First

In 2020, I am not going to be just another Nutrition Coach.

In 2020, I will be a great, a Master, Bariatric Nutrition Coach.

And my first client is me.

When I completed the Precision Nutrition Level 1 Nutrition Coach programme, it was for no other reason than my own knowledge and to be able to selfishly apply it to my own goals and life. (You know there’s a but coming here don’t you?).

I’m often asked about how I do things – how do you meal plan, how do you meal prep, how do you size your plates, how do you stay consistent?

And the honest truth? I’m not always this way.

But I am MOST of the time and that’s what matters.
My success in a healthy life post weight loss surgery doesn’t come from following meal plans and having completely accurate macros and working out 7 days a week.
It comes from those freak out moments when I ask myself what the fuck I am doing.
It comes from those times when I stop myself halfway through a mindless moment.
It comes from those times that I think I should start making some notes about my thoughts and actions … even though I used to think of all that fairy airy reflection stuff as useless!
Basically, all the stuff I used to poo poo as stupid have been some of the greatest tools I have had to work with over the last 4 years. Simple, basic habits which when repeated, get easier and easier.

Last year I travelled around with Robyn from Your Lifebox and talked with her at three of her Back to Basics Workshops. She gave me the nuts to talk a bit more about my why’s. Not just how I did stuff – but why.

And then I rediscovered that sharing these helped other people.
If Instagram has taught me anything (other than duck face ISN’T a good pose), it’s that being open and honest makes the best diary to read back on and it helps others realise that they have a partner in struggle. But Instagram is also a one to many connection – talking with someone, hanging out with someone – that one to one connection is so much more valuable.

What I also found is that the same role model behaviour we used to apply to our boat and shop lives as Dive Instructors is exactly what works with a healthy lifestyle – and in my case especially after gastric/bariatric surgery because, wow I just worked this out, it’s exactly like learning to breathe underwater!

And after doing PN Level 1 and then signing on to use the Pro Coach platform, I realised that nutrition coaching isn’t about meal plans and macros, it’s about consistent habits and a positive approach to a happy life.

Then the final decision was put in front of me – or should I say challenge. My friend Andrea, read some of my coaching content and threw it back at me … Feel the Fear.

So, after all this waffling, what I am trying to say is that I am my number one Bariatric Nutrition Coaching client. Because I am a Coach.

My ‘Coaching’ Day goes like this …

I do my Coaching for Women lesson (and I’m about a month ahead of my first client). I write my diary for the day, including practicing my habit and ensuring my schedule is in line with my goals. I answer all the same questions that my clients do, I upload my photos and my measurements.
Then I do my PN Coaching lesson.
I’m currently upgrading my certification to the next version and then later in the year I will upgrade to the next level. Because with everything, constant learning and progress are important.
Then I check my Pro Coach platform. I get to see who is doing their lessons and habits and who isn’t. When you update, I get a note. Remember what I said before about the one to one connection – I love it, it absolutely makes my day.
Then I check my Coaching Facebook group and messages. I love seeing what people are up to but the best parts are the messages. Yesterday I got one where my client is finally ‘regular’ – on the daily! And I know how fucking awesome that feels.

Long story short, the road from coaching to Coach is taking time.
And I am okay with that.

If I tell you that I can’t take anything on right now or I am not ready to, its not you, it’s me. In order to be better, I need to be more self-aware. In order to be better, I have to be walking the walk.

I am running a mini-project in January focused on the WLS Success Habits that I feel very in control of. So if you got this far, you can find out more about that here >>> 12 Days of You.