Chrissie Webber works as a writer, business coach and motivation/ leadership trainer and is Managing Director of Life-Shapers Ltd, an online weight-loss motivation company. With over 20 years experience in the field of business and people development she has an expertise in the area of motivation for permanent weight loss.
Following a lifetime of weight issues - at her heaviest, over 21 stone and a massive size 30 – she has personal experience of diets and their devastating effect on size and psyche. With a background in nursing, psychology and business coaching, coupled with a lifetime of dieting, she developed and successfully used a series of models and tools that enhance weight loss motivation. Now over 5 dress sizes smaller and having sustained her weight loss for several years, Chrissie continues her passionate drive to change the mindsets of people away from a ‘Scarcity’ dieting mindset – where food is demonised as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ – to an ‘Abundance’ mindset where mind, body and spirit work hand in hand with food and nature.
A friend of mine recently asked me if I would be her ‘Buddy’ to help remotivate her healthy eating. Like so many of us she had reached a target weight which was a great achievement – 50lbs in 50 weeks. Then it all went to pot and she was struggling to get back on track.
I too have been struggling, for a long time, to stick at regular exercise. Like many people I had an on and off relationship with exercise - more off than on if truth be told! There were always excuses I could come up with as to why I could not find the time to walk or do my yoga exercises. Sound familiar?
So we set out the ground rules…
1. No criticism of each other, just support and encouragement;
2. To focus and communicate the positive things;
3. To be completely honest with each other;
4. To celebrate success, no matter how small, at every opportunity by sharing it;
5. To email or text each other every day with a short journal of what we had achieved, how we felt and what we had eaten;
6. To include in the journal information about when healthy eating and exercise habits had slipped;
7. To offer supportive words, thoughts and encouragement to each other when things had gone off track;
8. To meet up a couple of times a week (wherever possible) and go for an hours walk;
9. To make sure we were always enjoying ourselves;
10. To have fun! The transformation for both of us has been amazing. I have never felt so motivated and determined to exercise regularly 4-5 times a week. On the days that I am not due to meet my ‘Buddy’ it is like a personal challenge to do my hour of exercise. Not even this rain has put me off, as I now have an indoor exercise routine. It is also wonderful for both of us to hear how our respective words of support and encouragement have helped to get and keep us both on track. That led me to thinking about developing a Life Shapers ‘Buddy Up’ Programme. So with the launch of my new web site, next month, you too will be able to find a ‘Buddy’ through the online forum. This is so exciting as it adds a new dimension to the support we will be offering. So ask a friend to be your ‘Buddy’ set out the rules of how it will work for you and start to get the support and motivation you deserve or try out the Life shapers Forum next month and find a new friend to ‘Buddy Up’ with.
There is also no need for you to be living in the same location or country as your ‘Buddy’ either. I have just linked up with a second ‘Buddy’ and she is in
