Feeling Healthy

Dear Charlotte,

I have always considered myself to be a “healthy” person—I ate right, exercised, etc. But in the last two years my weight has ballooned and I am tired all the time. I have no energy to exercise, or even cook. I find that I am binging on junk food or stopping at fast food restaurants all the time.

I am depressed and I know I have fallen into a bad cycle. How do I get out?

Marleen G.
Tennessee

Dear Marleen,

There may be a medical reason for your weight gain and fatigue. Twenty-seven million Americans suffer from a thyroid condition, and left undiagnosed, it can be very serious. My advice to you is to get yourself to doctor first to see if this could be the situation in your case. A thyroid condition can be easily detected with a blood test, and easily treated with medication.

If the thyroid is not to blame for the weight-gain (and even if it is) then we will next look at the causes of your bad eating habits. How do you feel after you get fast food? Physically, are you satisfied by these meals? Emotionally, do you have guilt when you don’t eat “healthy?” If I have the pleasure of working with you, I may ask that you keep a food diary, (not to track calories, I don’t believe in that) but rather to make you aware of how food makes you “feel.”

You are right that you are in a “bad cycle.” It is one that so many of us have fallen in to, however, it is one that can broken. And when this happens, you will be healthier—inside and out!

Give me a call at 800.496.7710.

Charlotte Smith
Eating Consultant and Life Coach

Become The Real You will instruct you on how to listen to your own body. How to eat whatever you want to achieve and maintain your perfect body weight! No more diets, no drugs, no counting calories. It’s simple...and it works!

Become The Real You is a process is for anyone who:
--Is tired of yo-yo dieting
--Wants to return to their natural shape
--Wants to come to peace with food and their body
--Wants to lose weight permanently
--Wants freedom from food obsession

Contact Charlotte today to learn more at 800.496.7710.

New Year's Resolution: Weight Loss

Dear Charlotte,

Happy New Year! I have made a New Year’s resolution to get control of my weight. It has slowly crept up over the last 10 years – marriage, babies, stress… And now I look at the pictures from the holidays and I don’t even recognize the woman with my family!

How can I get started and what kind of success do you think I will have?

Susan K.
Tampa, FL

Dear Susan,

Happy New Year. You are among 22% of women who make New Year’s Resolutions who have decided to lose weight, in fact 5 of the top 6 resolutions was health related (source).

My program takes a look at the cause of your weight gain, and then we focus of making that a healthy part of your life. I do not look at your specific eating habits or what you eat, rather we look at how food substitutes for something else in your life, or why you eat emotionally. You are a busy woman with a family, so we will look at how well you take care of yourself and go from there.

I don’t believe that diets work, or even that we should be obsessed with reaching a particular number on a scale. I tell you this because I do not use these things to measure success. I measure success with how well you feel, how happy and fulfilled you are, and how you have healthy relationships in your life. It has been my experience as a professional weight loss coach that when these things are brought up in importance, you will naturally take off extra weight and have a healthier body.

To get started, you just need to contact me. I always offer a complimentary evaluation. Go to the contact page of my site: http://www.secretsofslimpeople.com/ or call 704.340.7700.

Best Wishes for 2009.

Charlotte Smith
Eating Consultant and Life Coach

Become The Real You will instruct you on how to listen to your own body. How to eat whatever you want to achieve and maintain your perfect body weight! No more diets, no drugs, no counting calories. It’s simple...and it works!

Become The Real You is a process is for anyone who:
--Is tired of yo-yo dieting
--Wants to return to their natural shape
--Wants to come to peace with food and their body
--Wants to lose weight permanently
--Wants freedom from food obsession

Contact Charlotte today to learn more at 800.496.7710.

Not Losing Weight--HELP!

Dear Charlotte,

I have been suffering from weight problems all my life. I go on these huge diets, but don’t seem to lose weight… or if I do lose weight, it comes right back on. I have been trying to research this (I have read just about every diet book out there!) and have been reading recently that by restricting my food intake I am really slowing my metabolism—making it harder to lose weight. Is this true? Am I really going about this the wrong way?

Cheryl S.

Dear Cheryl ,

Hi – first off… diets don’t work. And starvation diets especially don’t work! If you deny your body the calories it needs to function, your metabolism will slow. Your body will start slowing down do that it conserves what it does have. The trick is to keep your energy level consistent with a steady intake of calories. This will keep you moving and potentially burning those calories. Eat smaller meals when you are hungry, and eat what you are hungry for. If you listen to your body, it will tell you what no book can. Your body knows the kinds of foods it needs and how much to eat.

Life-long weight problems are always symptomatic of a larger issue and I think this is something worth investigating--I really want to help you.

Please give me a call at 800.496.7710—or email me at charlotte@secretsofslimpeople.com, and we can figure out what the root cause is, as well as develop a plan that will give you success you are seeking.

Charlotte Smith
Eating Consultant and Life Coach

Become The Real You will instruct you on how to listen to your own body. How to eat whatever you want to achieve and maintain your perfect body weight! No more diets, no drugs, no counting calories. It’s simple...and it works!

Upcoming Wedding--Need to Lose Weight!

Dear Charlotte,

I'm getting married soon and I need to lose weight quickly! I have been exercising for weeks and can't even lose 1 pound. What am I doing wrong?

Michelle C.

Dear Michelle,

I highly recommend losing weight slowly and correctly. If you go on a “crash” diet, you will just yo-yo back—maybe even before the ceremony. This is a stressful time, and you need to be at your best, and that means eating properly and getting plenty of rest. In terms of your diet, try and eat several small and nutritious meals throughout the day. These small meals will keep you going and stop you from snacking—and you will feel better too. It is also important to keep a food journal. Track what you eat and how you feel. Remember to eat only when you are hungry and don’t over-eat. When you are full—stop.

You may find by just doing this you will start to shed pounds, but I guarantee you, that if you follow these simple steps you will begin to feel better about yourself and your body.

Congratulations on the upcoming wedding and feel free to give me a call at 800.496.7710—or email me at charlotte@secretsofslimpeople.com.

Charlotte Smith
Eating Consultant and Life Coach

Become The Real You will instruct you on how to listen to your own body. How to eat whatever you want to achieve and maintain your perfect body weight! No more diets, no drugs, no counting calories. It’s simple...and it works!

What is My Ideal Weight?

Dear Charlotte,

I am a 33 year old woman who is about 5’5” tall. How much should I weigh for my height?

Maggie M.

Dear Maggie,

There is no ideal or specific weight that you should be for your height. There are standards and measurements, but these do not take into account you—and all that that means.

What really matters is how you feel at the weight you are. Focus on fueling your body with food that makes you feel healthy and contented. Think about whether you are hungry before you eat, and how you feel after you eat. Don’t worry about the scale—the number will be right when you are ready to have a healthy relationship with food.

Charlotte Smith
Eating Consultant and Life Coach

Become The Real You will instruct you on how to listen to your own body. How to eat whatever you want to achieve and maintain your perfect body weight! No more diets, no drugs, no counting calories. It’s simple...and it works!

Addicted to Food

Dear Charlotte,

I have been addicted to food all my life. Food became my comforter, and has been a long time. Now, because of the weight I can hardly walk, and my muscles and joints ache. Yet even though I am in pain and can hardly breathe and I am more addicted to food than ever. I can no longer work and the doctor’s I have see just tell me I need to eat less and exercise—which I know, and yet this is the hardest thing to do. Is there any help for me?

Janice, South Carolina

Dear Janice,

You are clearly suffering from emotional eating—which is such a deeply engrained habit that it can be hard to break—but it can be done. The first step is to work through the reasons you use food to comfort you. You will have to be willing to open yourself up, but the rewards are remarkable, Please give me a call so that we can get started together as soon as possible.

My number is 800.496.7710 or email charlotte@secretsofslimpeople.com, and we can discuss your situation and take the next steps.

You may visit my website at http://www.secretsofslimpeople.com.

Charlotte Smith
Eating Consultant and Life Coach

Become The Real You will instruct you on how to listen to your own body. How to eat whatever you want to achieve and maintain your perfect body weight! No more diets, no drugs, no counting calories. It’s simple...and it works!

Become The Real You is a process is for anyone who:
--Is tired of yo-yo dieting
--Wants to return to their natural shape
--Wants to come to peace with food and their body
--Wants to lose weight permanently
--Wants freedom from food obsession
Contact Charlotte today to learn more at 800.496.7710.

Weight Loss: Hitting a Plateau

Dear Charlotte,

I started walking 2 miles a day and limiting my calorie intake to about 1500 a day. After a month, I had lost about 8 pounds and I felt great. Then during the next two weeks I upped my walking to 4-5 miles a day and same calorie intake. But nothing has changed. I weigh the same and all my measurements are the same. What is the problem? What am I missing?

Amanda S.

Dear Amanda,

Congratulations on your recent weight loss. My initial feeling is that perhaps the calorie intake is too low for you though. Your body may need more calories – and energy to run optimally and by restricting yourself, even with the extra exercise, you may be suffering from a lowered metabolism.

This is just a guess, based on the little you have told me, but it is something to consider. I would ask: “are you hungry?” and “how does your body feel?” Addition more, healthy meals may not only fuel your additional exercise, but aid your metabolism and help you lose that weight.

I would welcome the opportunity to speak with you if you are interested in discussing a coaching relationship. I have many clients like you that have come to an block in their weight loss goals and this happens for a variety of reasons that you may not even be aware of.

Please call me at 800.496.7710 or email charlotte@secretsofslimpeople.com, and we can discuss your situation and take the next steps.

You may visit my website at http://www.secretsofslimpeople.com.

Charlotte Smith
Eating Consultant and Life Coach

Become The Real You will instruct you on how to listen to your own body. How to eat whatever you want to achieve and maintain your perfect body weight! No more diets, no drugs, no counting calories. It’s simple...and it works!