[samerz816]

Disclaimer: I wasn't sure where to stick this thread, but I thought this forum would be an excellent place to survey the field! Please note this post is NOT intended as solicitation or to market my services, I am simply looking for input and advise from what I believe to be my target audience!

Hi All,

As a quick backstory, I have struggled with my weight for the entirety of my adult life (I will be 32 in August and started my first weight loss attempt at the age of 13/14). During that time, I have tried everything - and I mean EVERYTHING - countless mainstream diet and workout programs, calorie counting, cleanses, intermittent fasting ... you name it, I've tried it! Over the last 6 months to a year, I've gotten to a place where I FINALLY feel in control of my journey, and without going into too much detail, the moral of the story is I believe I could bring a different mentality to mainstream weight loss ideologies, and truthfully believe could help others with their own struggles.

My weight (or rather my desire to lose it) has been a paramount driving force in my life ever since I can remember: I've spent countless hours researching healthy recipes, coming up with meal plans, creating workout regimens. I've joked on numerous occasions that I should write a weight loss book, because so many out there are written by those who've never even been overweight - and as someone who has struggled with their weight, I know first hand how infuriating it is to pick up any sort of weight loss / healthy living materials written by someone who has absolutely no idea what it's like to be on the other side! The more I've joked about it, the more the idea made sense to me, and recently I've been considering taking my personal experiences and the knowledge I've collected over the years to create a health coaching service (specifying in weight loss, but can be utilized by anyone looking to create healthier habits). In addition to personalized meal planning and traditional coaching services, my practice would include a lot of additional therapeutic tools and resources - because, as we all know, weight loss has so much to do with your mental health, not just your physical health! I really think I could help someone out there, and the idea of being able to help others finally conquer the battle I've spent so much of my life fighting I think would bring so much satisfaction and fulfillment to my life (something I've been lacking quite a bit these days).

Which brings me to why I'm here ... my concern is this: my journey is not yet over. I do not look like a typical weight loss coach, as I am still carrying about 25-30 pounds of excess weight (down from about 80). I worry this may deter potential clients, even though I know I have the knowledge, emotional connection, and therapeutic nature that I believe could really benefit this type of work. I know it will take a while for my brand to build momentum and therefore I will have some time to lose my remaining weight, however ... recently a friend of mine asked me to create a personalized meal plan for her; I actually cancelled my plans for the evening because I was so consumed working on her plan! Once I was finished and gave it to her, and saw her reaction, and saw the look in her eyes that said, "Omg, I think I can actually stick to this! I think this could FINALLY be what works for me!" ... I knew this was something I wanted to pursue ... so I don't want to wait any longer!

My question is this: would you feel comfortable working with a health coach who is still working on their own personal journey? Keep in mind my services would be a lot more affordable than other established brands from those who fit the poster image for health coaching, and I would also offer additional 1-on-1 counseling to make sure my clients are comfortable with what I am bringing to the table. In addition to that question, I am also looking for input and ideas on unique and creative elements I could add to my services. If you were to work with a health coach, what elements would you personally find helpful? What would you NOT find helpful? Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you all in advance for your time and input!

[flower123]

May I ask what formal training and education you have that is applicable to being a health trainer and 1 on 1 counselor?

[ange82much]

If you lose (for example) 5lb a month, you'll be in your target zone by August/September. Why not use the time until then to measure/photograph/plot your own progress - this would then be a great advertisement for your product, and you could use your own data as an example of what people can expect, and what the timeline v physical changes look like? In other words I think it's a great advantage that you're coming from 'the other side' and you should use that to the max to help with your credentials. Maybe during that time you could also find some other people (friends and rellies?) to practice on and monitor free of charge - then by Aug/September you'll be looking perfect, you will have had some experience with the whole coaching process, and you will also have other 'case studies' information that you can share to promote your product commercially?