Interview 23: "Stop looking for the Quick Fix"
/I first fell in love with Christina with her Instagram handle! I mean “Every Diet Done” yeah, I can relate! Can you??
Christina is a mom of 2, lives in Maine and has literally done every diet! I loved talking to Christina because if felt like talking to myself in the mirror. I too have a laundry list of diets I’ve done and all of them “didn’t work.” I also loved talking with Christina because we’ve both found direction, encouragement and programs and nutrition routines that WORK through Beachbody! I had no idea she was a coach like me when I asked her to be a part of this but it ALL made sense the more we chatted!
Christina used to call her friend and ask her everything to do with her diet. She would constantly try something, not get the results she wanted, try something else, get discourage, and this pattern went on and on. “I was always looking for a quick fix” she shared. “I was willing to do anything to drop some weight.” After her son was born she shared that she was starving herself to lose weight. It took her a while to learn what her body responded to for weight loss. I think it takes us all a long time to figure that out. It is a huge struggle for women to remove the pressure and just listen. It’s crazy how many diets and “things” you can try to lose weight. For Christina, every time another diet didn’t work she’d contact her friend again. Her friend kept saying, “All I can tell you is what is working for me and it took me a long time to figure it out.”
During the time Christina was “figuring it out” there was a lot of comparison happening in her world. “When I would meet someone really fit I would come right out and ask them what they were eating, how much and how often” she shared laughing about how it sounds now that she’s no longer in that head space. She used to be devastated by what they said and so frustrated that she couldn’t get there herself. For Christina, it was always a need to lose weight and look better and not about feeling better. Her life started to change when she made that transition. She realized that every single day was going to be a struggle and that progress is not linear. “You’re not fat then thin; not healthy and then healthy” she stated. It’s not an immediate change the second you decide you finally want to be healthy!
Around this time she called her friend again and by now her friend had started with Beachbody. She told her to just trust and he did. She joined and started this new program the way she always had. And she didn’t get the results she wanted. “I remember contacting Beachbody because I wasn’t seeing results and was following the program really well” she said. She was a coach at this point and she was getting super frustrated that the people she was mentoring in the business were seeing these crazy results and she wasn’t seeing it. She felt like she had to go back to her crash diets because those worked albeit temporarily. But her friend asked her if she had noticed any other victories...anything else that she was improving on? And she realized she was getting stronger and had more stamina. She also realized this was the most consistent she had ever been. So she stuck with it. She realized that your body doesn’t lose it where you want and when you want. But as long as you’re consistent and follow the program to the "T" you will be successful.
I related to Christina so much. I’m sure many of you can relate to her story as well. I so wanted a quick fix when it came to body transformation. And I was endlessly frustrated with others getting amazing results and not me. BUT what I realized as well is that those who got amazing results went all in...not just one toe. When I am not seeing the results I want it’s because I’m not all in! This is true in diet, in business and in life. Do you relate? Every single time you are struggling you simply have to ask yourself where you are holding back and truly be honest with yourself if you are all in. When you have unwavering commitment to yourself and your results there is no doubt in my mind that you will get there. But when you entertain the voice in your head that says “Well, I’ve failed in the past here, so whey should this time be different” you will fail. And you will justify your actions and justify your results.
When Christina joined Beachbody she discovered the world of REAL food! She finally stopped restricting her calories and ditched the diet food. Coaching gave her the courage and the foundation to fall back in love with food. She started appreciating her body and feeling lucky for the body that she has. Now she is having open conversations of where she was before becoming a coach and how body image can play such a huge role in our lives. She has now surrounded herself with like minded individuals and is sharing her past struggles. The handle “everydietdone” speaks volumes about the societal pressure and expectations we have to continually overcome. I am proud to be in the same coaching network as Christina. Because we are showing there is a different way of life! You don’t have to consistently be in the rat race of “dieting” to achieve your goals. There is a better way, there is a healthier way, and you deserve to feel good.
I asked Christina to share with you her top tips. Here is what she shared:
1) Women should be lifting each other up as opposed to tearing each other down. Don’t take each other for granted.
2) Eat to live not live to eat. You are surrounded by a lot of FOOD. Food is so commercialized and tantalizing. It’s not healthy and we’re always surrounded by that messaging.
3) 5 rules to eating healthy:
- Don’t eat anything that would survive an nuclear war.
- Don't eat anything that you cannot pronounce all of the ingredients.
- Don't eat anything that comes in a box or bag with more than 5 ingredients. (or 8 if you know what they are)
- Always avoid High Fructose
- Never eat anything with artificial flavorings or colorings
Way to set the pace and example for all of us to leave the diets behind and focus our gaze on the beautiful journey ahead!
xo
Becky
Thank you for taking the time to engage in my 23rd interview of inspiring women! Please feel free to share your comments, feelings and send this to a friend you think would benefit from reading this! If you want me to interview someone you find incredibly inspiring, I would be truly honored to meet them! This is a journey that has no parameters or rules! Let’s have fun with it and continue to spread the message of empowerment, love and kindness - to ourselves and others!
You can follow Christina on Instagram at: @everydietdone
xo
Becky