Cathy W.

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As many of you know, I have a herniated disc in my neck.  I've struggled with it and the constant pain for quite a few months.  Today, I had an outpatient hospital procedure for a steroid injection procedure with i.v. sedation. 

I am so hopeful that it works. I'd hoped that I'd wake up and poof - no more pain, good as new.  Unrealistic, huh?  Hopefully with a few days, it will be exactly that. 

I look forward to being back to my normal, active self.

Your healthy, good thoughts have been appreciated.

Cathy, Certified Life Coach
Weight Loss Surgery Coach

This is one of those "off" days.  I don't know why but it is.  In my pre-op days and attempts to lose weight, I joined a Jazzercise class.  I felt awkward because the class would be moving to the left and I would move to the right.  That's how today feels.

I took special care today - I sat outside on the porch swing enjoying my flowers and watching birds at the bird feeder; I called a dear friend and talked with her; and, I made myself an extra healthy lunch to feel taken care of.

The great thing now is that I know it will pass.  I don't have to numb myself with Krispy Kremes!!!

I finally did it.  I've become a Fitday fan.  I've resisted (okay, kicked and screamed) logging my food.  Too much of a reminder of my Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig days. 

I saw an article in the Journal of Preventive Medicine stating people that keep a food journal can lose twice as much weight.  While I'm at maintenance, I want to continue that maintenance. If food logging will do that, I'm in.

I'd used the on-line version of Fitday for a few years.  It was easy to "forget" so this weekend, I purchased the downloadable version.  I love it.  I have it minimized on my computer.  I see that little reminder of my food/activity log all day long.  It has been a fabulous addition to my lifestyle habits.

I wanted to share with you that I'm now among the believers in food journaling.  I would have NEVER thought I'd enjoy it as much as I do.  It is great to see all the graphs and pie charts of my food intake and activity.

Cathy, Certified Life Coach
Weight Loss Surgery Coach
www.LoseWeightFindLife.com

 

I've had clients and OH members ask me why I became a bariatric life coach.  I actually love that question because it allows me to share my joy and passion for coaching, why I believe in it, and what it can do for weight loss surgery patients.

As I've been in bariatrics for almost seven years and a post-op myself, I've seen the transition and the ups/downs that occur after losing weight.  A coach can be a partner in this process plus shine a light on the path to a more rewarding and fulfilling life lived to the fullest.  

The issue that drove me to obtain my formal accreditation and continuing coaching education was weight regain that is common.  There are many weight loss surgery post-ops that struggle with weight regain.  It is all too common and so scary.  We've had our surgery, lost a significant amount of weight, and then.....life and hunger hits and we find ourselves returning to old habits thus regain weight.  

When a wls patient regains weight, we feel like we've failed at yet another attempt.  No!  We've not developed strategies to deal with emotions, emotional eating, and incorporated healthy ways to cope. 

Just as weight loss surgery is not the quick fix, neither is coaching.  It is a process but one that is worth it to live our very best life.  We are worth it!  

In creating my website, I gave considerable thought to the name.  I love the name because it describes coaching.  We lose weight and find our lives again thus the name - www.LoseWeightFindLife. 

Those are only some of the reasons why I love and believe in coaching, and am proud to be a certified life coach and a weight loss surgery coach.

Cathy, Certified Life Coach

Life coaching has always been my passion.  As a weight loss surgery post-op myself, coaching has become even more meaningful and fulfilling.  Whether in my careers ranging from management positions, to working in a prestigious bariatric clinic and with OH, I love coaching people.  Now at this point in my life, I was encouraged to take that dream further. 

Last year, I registered in a coach training program that is the equivalent of Harvard in the coaching world.  I am so happy and proud to share that I've completed all of their training courses and requirements, and am now a Certified Life Coach.  I've completed my additional training in Bariatrics as well.  Being a life coach with weight loss surgery patients is the best. 

I am so proud and honored to be:
Cathy Wilson, CLC (Certified Life Coach)
Weight Loss Surgery Coach

I am certified as a a life coach specializing in weight loss surgery. I participate in weekly bariatric coaching labs, bariatric coaching groups, addictions and am a certified Back On Track Facilitator Coach. I also teach the unique Basic Bariatric Coaching Workshop that has been designed for OH support group leaders and staff members of bariatric professionals. 

I love working with members and leaders in weight loss coaching. I get to work with clients to reach their weight loss goals, maintain their weight loss, reach goals, and live their best life.

I would never have believed that I would be featured in an article in OH Magazine. I write articles for OH Magazine which in of itself is amazing. To have an article in OH Magazine and on forums throughout OH is one of the top WOW Moments ever!

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/wls_grads/cmsID,11846/mode,content/a,cms/

I would never have believed that I would be featured in an article in OH Magazine.  I write articles for OH Magazine which in of itself is amazing.  To have an article in OH Magazine and on forums throughout OH is one of the top WOW Moments ever!

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/wls_grads/cmsID,11846/mode,content/a,cms/

My Story from 2001 to NOW!

My name is Cathy Wilson and I had RNY Lap surgery in 2001. I've lost 147 pounds. In addition, I also lost my diabetes, GERD, sleep apnea and arthritic conditions of my joints and spine. I went from a size 26, 3x to a size 4.

I have a new development in my life that I am so excited about that has added so much to me. I am a weight loss surgery life coach and am almost finished obtaining certification. The training program is so comprehensive and intensive that my coffee table is piled with all of the text books from the course. I think there is wood underneath somewhere but who cares. I'd rather have the coaching textbooks close to me. I read them all the time. I've been a coach for a number of years but the certification process allows it to be developed on a deeper level. It is definitely my "thing."

I'm also training to be a Back On Track Facilitator and provide back on track coaching as well. I'm involved in bariatric lab coaching too.

When I read the techniques and strategies, it is so fulfilling. Coaching in weight loss surgery is my passion and what I've been meant to do. The more I read, it pulls at my heart and deep inside myself. It gets better and better with each page I read. I love working with clients and developing their own path to weight loss surgery success with coaching.

I started a blog website for my weight loss life coaching. I'm excited and it is unbelieveable for me to share my dream. Through working with members and leaders, and weight loss coaching, I get to live my purpose every day! It is the best!

My blog website is: www.LoseWeightFindLife.com

The OH Support Group Leader Program is great. I'm in charge of the Program and get to work with the most amazing leaders, and OH staff. It is rewarding to be part of a Program with a Leader Team of such caring professionals and the team of OH Staff members that are more than my colleagues.

What I've gained is beyond what I ever thought I would have in my life. I am very honored to be part of ObesityHelp due to the commitment and dedication of the organization to its members and the bariatric community. I love my job! I get to assist members in many ways, and provide support to members and support group leaders of ObesityHelp. One of the most rewarding parts of my roles with ObesityHelp is being involved with members and getting to know them very well. I enjoy getting to see members change from their surgery process and have a full life again. The connections and friendships I have with members is very fulfilling. Please feel free to e-mail or call me through ObesityHelp.

Also, I am the support group leader of three local support groups, assist in the coordination of a monthly pre-op seminar and staff a post-operative panel for the seminar. I assisted in holding a local Make Your Life Over Seminar for members in my support groups and any bariatric pre or post-op. It was so much fun and a great success. We are looking forward to doing it again twice a year.

I've also been employed with one of the most gifted bariatric surgeon and his very comprehensive bariatric program that is nationally well respected. I was involved with his practice, surgeons and obtained a solid foundation as a post-op that I will always be grateful for.

I was also featured in a marketing program for the bariatric program of the hospital where I had my surgery. I got to do television commercials, was photographed for brochures and newspaper advertisements. It was a WOW Moment of a lifetime. I was very honored to be in this role to represent the excellence of this hospital in such an exciting way.

I had a close friend that had surgery in 1999. I was supportive to her but the surgery was not for me. It seemed too drastic and I knew I could lose weight on my own because I'd done it a hundreds of time in my life. I attended a conference and heard Carnie Wilson speak. At the conference, I also saw a graphic of what an enlarged liver of a morbidly obese looked like. After the conference, I was slightly interested in weight loss surgery. As I watched my friend lose weight and get healthier, my interest grew. I was tired of living my life through what I ate, what I didn't eat, what I weighed, my size, and the day my next diet would begin. When she maintained that weight successfully, and a friend died of sleep apnea from his morbid obesity, I knew I wanted to pursue it for myself.

I used ObesityHelp to research the surgery, and surgeons along with their programs. I attended four different patient information seminars for various surgeons. I wanted to be certain of my choice as I knew this was my last chance at my life and health.

Today, I would do the surgery every single year if I had to in order to enjoy the life I have today. My surgery has allowed me to stop living a life centered around food but to make new, healthy lifestyle changes that have given me a rewarding and fulfilling life for not only myself but my family as well. I never knew life could be this great and it only gets better and better.

Since having my surgery, I've become a licensed private pilot, walked the 3 Day/60 Mile Breast Cancer Walk, walked in competitive races, travel to New York on the set of Good Morning America to watch my bariatric surgeon boss be interviewed by Charlie Gibson, made close healthy friendships, love being a wife and mom like never before surgery, did television commercials and a professional photo shoot, model in a fashion show, and had countless WOW Moments of my own and share in WOW Moments of other bariatric post-ops.

My favorite shirt that I love to wear sums up how I feel: "Life Is Good"!!!

I started a blog website for my weight loss life coaching.  I'm excited and it is unbelieveable for me to share my dream.  Through working with members and leaders, and weight loss coaching, I get to live my purpose every day!  It is the best!  

My blog website is:  www.LoseWeightFindLife.com