Hope has a Refresh Button

I met with a nutrition and wellness coach today. May I preface this by saying I've met a number of nutrition specialists since adolescence? All of my past experience with dietitians and FDA food pyramid advocates came with me to her Yourishment office this afternoon.

I was armed with preconceived notions, my current knowledge of nutrition and anatomy & physiology, and the memories of every other attempt at weight loss via nutrition coaching I have made. I had to ignore defeatist statements playing a loop inside my head. I had to hope, once again, that THIS time everything will go according to plan. THIS time I will follow through. I had to ignore every reminder of those times I failed to keep trying. I had to hope that I will act differently this time or I wouldn't have been able to knock on her door.

So, here is what I did: I wrestled with indecision. Okay, but then I called and talked to her just to get a feel for her personality. I could immediately tell that she was professional and that she could easily smile. That relaxed me. I went ahead and made the appointment to meet her, then I let myself look forward to our meeting and what she'd have to offer.

I'm so glad I did.

It's too early to make assumptions, so I'm not going to suggest I know what's going to happen. What I can say is that I felt welcomed by Ivana from the moment we met at her door. I was comfortable with her initial questions and I feel that our consultation revealed that she is invested in her work as a nutrition and wellness coach. Even better, she is not afraid to be honest and say what she thinks. Even more better, she is able to listen whether or not she is in agreement.

She didn't warn me about the dangers of my weight - she actually trusts me to understand why I sought her expertise. She didn't hand me a standard FDA food pyramid. She just talked to me about what she does and listened to what my needs are. We went over some health stuff and some family history stuff and I shared a personal goal of dropping to a smaller clothing size...and that was it for today.

I'm possibly going to join a group of other C'ville women who will also work with her over the next three months. I say possibly because it depends on whether the ladies and I can make it to the same group meeting but, regardless of that, I'm on board because I chanced to hope just one more time.