I’m just going to jump right in today. Here are the 7 things my most successful Online Coaching clients do to lose weight. F
ONLINE COACHING CLIENTS PRACTICE UNIFORM EATING
I ask most of my clients to define what a healthy day of eating looks like to them. I do this for 2 reasons.
- I want them to choose foods that they enjoy eating rather than me telling them what to eat and them not enjoying it.
- It gets them to be active in the process rather than passive. Active people make shit happen for themselves. Passive people constantly look to others to make things happen for them.
After they’ve defined what a healthy day of eating looks like I ask how confident they are on a scale of 1 to 10 that they can eat like this every day this week. It’s almost always a 10 because they’ve chosen foods they like to eat.
Here’s an example breakfast from Matt (Hi Matt!) In his first week of doing this he was down 10 pounds (240 lbs – 230 lbs).
- 3 eggs
- 1 slice of cheese
- 3-4 strawberries
- 1/2 avocado
- Unsweetened tea
- 1 slice of toast
It’s not Paleo. It’s not Vegan. It’s not Keto. It’s all Matt. It’s a meal that Matt has defined as healthy for himself. And it’s a meal he’s confident he can eat every day this week.
This works because it creates some consistency each day. Roughly the same amount of calories are coming in each day and if Matt isn’t making progress it’s easy to adjust his portions.
Take action: What does a healthy day of eating look like to you?
ONLINE COACHING CLIENTS CREATE A HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT
You’re probably going to want to punch me for saying this for the gazillionth time on this site but if food is available it will eventually get eaten.
Something that I ask all my clients to do is a kitchen makeover or redesign. I also ask them to do this wherever else they spend a lot of time. Work for example.
If you don’t have access to crummy food then it makes eating crummy food harder to do.
Take action: Use the kitchen makeover to create a healthier environment at home.
ONLINE COACHING CLIENTS DON’T ASK FOR TIME THEY TAKE IT
I know you’re busy. I’m not going to argue with you. Everyone is busy. But my best clients don’t try to find time to exercise and prepare healthy meals. Instead, they create it by accepting the tradeoffs that come with fitting into those pair of jeans. Or losing enough belly fat so that they’re not embarrassed giving that presentation at work.
You can’t do ALL THE THINGS and be ALL THE THINGS to everyone if your health is to become a priority. You might not be able to take on the same workload. You may have to ask your spouse to help out a little more with the kids. You may have to say NO every once in a while.
Being too busy is a choice.
Take action: Identify some time sucks in your schedule. What can you defer, delegate, or delete? And yes… you can.
ONLINE COACHING CLIENTS FOCUS ON 1 THING INSTEAD OF ALL THE THINGS
The first month I worked with Ami he only made one small change to his diet. He stopped drinking a rum and coke (or two) every night and switched to 1 glass of red wine.
That 1 small change combined with at least 10 minutes of exercise every day and Ami was 15 pounds lighter at the end of the month.
Ami didn’t burn himself out trying to follow a super strict and depriving nutrition plan. He didn’t crush his body 6 days a week for 90 minutes in the gym. He made a small change and practiced it consistently. After the month we added a new habit and progress kept coming.
Take action: What is 1 small change you can make today that you feel will make a big difference?
ONLINE COACHING CLIENTS DO THINGS ON THEIR OWN. SET A SCHEDULE AND STICK TO IT.
I only meet with Mike in-person one time per week and he’s lost 60 pounds. Heck, I don’t meet with Joseph at all and he’s lost over 20 pounds in a few weeks as part of my online coaching program.
Every month I update Mike’s training program. He sees me every Monday and works out on his own 3 to 5 days per week depending on his goals. He workouts out at the same time, same place, and on the same days every week. Mike has made these appointments with himself that never get broken.
If something does come up Mike chooses to adjust his schedule to make sure that he can get in some sort of workout. Sometimes it’s his regular one. Sometimes it’s a bodyweight one. Other times it’s some interval training. Mike makes shit happen on his own.
Take action: What days, times, and locations can you workout this week. Even if it’s only 10-minutes.
ONLINE COACHING CLIENTS COMMUNICATE, ASK QUESTIONS, AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK
Payal sometimes drives me crazy. She asks a lot of fucking questions… but deep down I love it because this shows me it’s a priority for her. She also answers my questions when I reach out to her.
Both of us are never left in the dark and this makes progress effortless. We know what’s working and what’s not working at all times.
If you’re working with a coach are you getting your questions answered? Are you even asking them? Are you responsive to your coach when they reach out to you willing to help?
ONLINE COACHING CLIENTS UNDERSTAND THE GRIND
We tend to think that change works nice and linearly when in reality it’s like the Tasmanian Devil and darts all over the place. But, if you’re doing the basic things consistently and persistently enough over an extended period of time you will get to where you want to be.
Training and eating good foods 90% of the time can get boring. It can get tiresome. It can get frustrating. This is the grind. Those that can get through the grind are the ones that instead of losing weight every 3 months only to put it back on. Consistently keep it off year after year.
They do it whether they are making progress or not.
I’ve said it before in emails but I definitely do not enjoy training the way that I use to. But I still do it because I understand the value of it. I also make it a point to explore other ways to move my body that feel good, are fun, and help me reach my goals.
Take action: What does the “grind” look like to you? What is 1 way you can get through the grind?
Justin