Dieting: Confessions of a serial dieter

Dieting isn’t for everyone. In fact, most often a diet isn’t the solution for individuals seeking sustainable, transformative lifestyle results. Stella Loven is a healthy mother of two and wife with an entrepreneurial career and a desire to elevate her health through working with our nutrition and health consultant, Maura McCartney. Continue reading Stella’s honest recap of her first session with Maura and stayed tuned to see if Stella is able to kick her serial dieting habits!

Balans Nutritional & Lifestyle coaching
by Stella Loven

I never saw myself as somebody in need of nutritional (or lifestyle – bah!) coaching.
I’m a good cook; I take great pride in being a food and wine loving European who can pick out the perfect cheese for any occasion. I know the difference between farm raised and wild caught salmon, I try to get as much organic groceries as possible and I never, ever drink soda.

I signed up for the nutritional & lifestyle program at Balans Organic Spa after taking part in the 7-day clean eating program to explore if dietary changes could help me with specific areas of improvement such as better sleep and stabile energy levels through out the day. Shedding a few stubborn pregnancy pounds (my youngest is 5) would be a welcome side effect.

We are only 15 minutes in our first session when a different picture of me emerges. As I answer my coach Maura’s questions and our discussion deepens, I realize I have been on some kind of diet since pretty much since I was 16 years old. I’m 38 now (that’s 22 years my phone tells me).
Hanging on to the promise of an improved version of myself if I’d only could stick to this low-carb, slow-carb, lacto-vegan, detox, 10 small meals per day, counting calories, varies diet pills, dieting and so on. The list of diets I’ve tried is LONG.
Like Annie’s singing “Tomorrow” on Broadway I’ve been hanging onto the promise of different diets and regimes. Like a comfort blanket that will magically fix everything.
The moment, when it dawns on me, I feel sad for myself and everything I’ve put me through during the past 22 years. (also, I’m Swedish so my mind easily gets dark and full of angst)

Maura and I start talking about why dieting doesn’t work, what true satisfaction means and the fact that what one eats is only a part of the lifestyle design. Impressed by my coach’s holistic approach and relieved that I never have to go on a diet again, I leave our first session with a new sense of hope. It turns out I desperately needed a coach.

With Maura’s help I’ll take small, carefully selected and guided steps, changing one thing at a time. Here we go – looking forward to the coming month!!!!!!