Call in the Coach

If you’re not making it to your weight-loss goal, team with a coach who can help you win at losing.

As temperatures start to rise, many people begin to think about summer vacation, basking on the beach and, inevitably, wearing bathing suits. That’s usually when the panic sets in. After months of crash diets, fad diets, or starving themselves, they still can’t seem to get rid of those unwanted pounds.

Most people know how to lose weight. The difficult part is keeping it off. For many, fad diets offer only temporary relief from expanding waistlines and “thunder thighs.” They try this diet and that one, only to realize that those extra 20 or 30 pounds that have been clinging to their bodies for so long, they should be paying rent.

If you’re having trouble losing weight or suffer from the yo-yo syndrome—putting on weight as quickly as you take it off—consider working with a weight-loss coach. While they can vary drastically in terms of knowledge, experience, and work style, good coaches adjust to your personality, motivate you to develop healthy habits, and are worth their weight in gold.

What many people don’t realize is that being successful at losing weight is less about dropping a dress size and more about changing old habits, says Todd Whitthorne, president and chief operating officer at Cooper Concepts, Inc., a Dallas company that specializes in preventive medicine and offers telephonic health coaching nationwide.

It’s also common for people to equate their weight with their personal health, even though they can be unrelated. To make matters worse, he says, dieters typically tend to focus on their caloric intake and ignore the other end of the equation—how many calories they burn each day. An effective coach will lend balance and perspective to both sides and develop a program that will allow you to make small, attainable changes that can be sustained over long periods of time.

“Everyone can benefit from a coach who will help them through the challenges of change,” says Whitthorne. “That’s the Holy Grail when it comes to weight loss. Most people know what they need to do. They just don’t know how to get there.”

Who’s the Best Coach for you?
Since the profession isn’t regulated or licensed, virtually anyone can print business cards displaying the title of weight-loss coach. Still, there are ways to tell the difference between those who can help and those who may cause harm. Consider the following questions:

• What are their qualifications? Effective coaches are usually registered dietitians or those formally trained in nutrition, exercise, and behavior modification. Check out their backgrounds, formal training, and college degrees.

• What are their approaches to weight loss? Are they pushing extreme diets, such as those that cause dieters to avoid certain food groups? “If anyone tells you to completely eliminate or severely restrict eating any of the six things your body needs—fat, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water—you need to run as fast as possible,” says Whitthorne. “You don’t ever want to eliminate any category.”

• How flexible are they? The coaching process is personal, adds Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN, a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. She suggests finding someone who understands your lifestyle instead of someone who uses a one-size-fits-all approach. Stay away from coaches who simply hand out a diet they found in a magazine without listening to your own food preferences. The coaching process, she says, must cater to your needs, not the coach’s agenda.

• Are their weight-loss plans realistic for your lifestyle? Not everyone has the time to exercise two hours a day. Ask about the coach’s expectations and how they relate to what you want to accomplish. Always remember you’re the one in charge.

• How much do they charge? The fees charged by weight-loss coaches are influenced by many factors, ranging from geography and the number of sessions to their level of experience. If you find someone you can relate to but the fee is too high for your budget, call your insurance company to see if it will cover the cost. Still, keep in mind that a high fee doesn’t always indicate a better coach. “You do want someone you can click with,” says Taub-Dix. “It’s so important that you ask the right questions and have the right mix. Chemistry is very important.”

• Are they pushing other services or products? Often, companies will hire coaches who, as part of their job, must sell gym memberships, food, dietary supplements, or other products. “You really want to have the relationship based purely on coaching and support,” says Leonard J. Ram, MD, a practicing gastroenterologist and nutritionist and president of TrimTalk, a national provider of weight-loss coaching, based in Stuart, Florida.

Ram says good coaches are those who let you set the tone and accommodate your preferences, whether you work fast or slowly, are ready to make changes, or want to be pushed or gently coaxed.

Ideal coaches work on two levels, says Ram. They create and maintain your weight-loss and exercise records, hold you accountable for making decisions that lead to your successes or failures, and motivate you to achieve established goals. But just as important, they also help you discover what’s causing you to overeat at certain times or lose your motivation to exercise.

“A lot of times, there are underlying reasons that may not be readily apparent that a good, highly qualified weight-loss coach can explore with the client,” says Ram, adding that good coaches will also enhance your success, even if you stray from their recommended diets or exercise programs. “We find that the missing component in a lot of these other options is the coaching and support.”

Added Value
Everyone is capable of losing weight with the right meal and fitness plan. But the key to keeping it off is altering your perceptions about dieting, exercising, and nutrition—all essential components of a healthy lifestyle.

While losing weight is at the top of each client’s wish list, the coaching experience actually offers many other benefits. That’s what makes it such a powerful tool.

As clients go through the process with their coaches, Ram says, many experience similar outcomes. They gain more insight into their behaviors and perceptions, generally become happier people, reduce their stress levels, and even improve their relationships.

Some also discover they have more energy or resilience to cope with life’s challenges, adds Taub-Dix. When it comes to your health, she says, better balance often extends to your attitude and can change the way you feel about yourself and how you look at life.

But you have to do your part. Participate fully in the coaching process. Show up for appointments. Stick to the plan you and your coach created. By doing your best, you maximize the experience.

“It’s a real package deal where you’re definitely going to feel better,” Taub-Dix says. “There’s no doubt that when you have that combination of a good diet, good exercise, and, hopefully, someone to help you, you can’t go wrong.”

Carol Patton is a freelance journalist based in Las Vegas. Her stories have appeared in national and consumer magazines.