Denice Murray Health Coaching

There are plenty of reasons why a person can hit a plateau in their health journey. As much as we would like to believe the road to weight loss, or improving our eating habits and overall health, is a Point A-to-Point B straight-line scenario, that is simply not the case. In many cases, though NOT all, once we start making healthy changes to our diet and movement, the weight will start coming off. But then something happens. The number on the scale isn’t going down anymore. Your clothes still fit fine, but you haven’t gone down a size (or another size) in a while. You’ve stalled out. The shortest, though not ENTIRELY correct, answer is your calories in-to-calories out ratio has balanced itself out. You are no longer burning stored fat to meet your body’s energy demands. The deeper question is what is happening in your life that you have reached this impasse? There are usually 3 underlying reasons why this can happen. You’re not doing ENOUGH to lose weight . It’s time to t...

As part of a group health coaching discussion, the topic of realistic expectations was brought up. Mainly, how does one KNOW what a realistic expectation is when it comes to weight loss, nutrition, or just improving your health in general? And as with almost everything pertaining to the health and wellness spectrum, the answer continues to be – It Varies. Goals, behaviors, actions, and outcomes are going to vary depending on a MULTITUDE of factors. Again, there is no easy answer for this question, although some of the answers in the group included: Set a goal to lose 10% of your body weight. Aim for 10,000 steps per day. Try to eat a minimum of 5 fruits and vegetables each day. Practice gratitude and meditation to reduce stress. Get at least 8 hours of sleep each night. Cut out ultra-processed foods from your diet. Drink a minimum of 64 oz. of water each day. And the truth is, ALL of these answers are “correct”. These are realistic expectations if you are trying to improve you...