A Personalized Approach to Weight Loss and Emotional Wellness

Ready to take control of your weight loss journey on your terms? Embrace a personalized approach to nutrition and lifestyle. Discover how to make informed choices, track progress, and celebrate every success. It's time to make this journey all about you!

Hello everyone!

As a Certified Functional Nutrition and Lifestyle Counselor, I am truly fulfilled when I get to help people thrive in the best version of themselves on their wellness journey. Whether it’s strategies to stay balanced with food or losing extra weight. Together we're going to create a customized plan tailored to meet your needs with the specifics of your lifestyle and your personal goals. Let's get this done, together, one tiny step at a time!.

When it comes to wellness, No one-size-fits-all approach applies to wellness. While everyone has their formula for success in the long run, no person goes about their health journey in the same way as anybody else. The number of things that would make all the difference for you might not affect anybody else. That's what Losing on Your Terms is all about: empowering you to piece together sustainable change within your life.

This is the reason a customized approach to health and prevention becomes so important because something that might be effective for one person may not work for another.

Losing on your terms welcomes you for who you are, meets you where you’re at and leverages the uniqueness to create a plan that works with, rather than against you.

Every health issue has a cause. The silver lining is that every cause reveals an opportunity for empowerment. Let's dive into three things that play a key role in overall health:

1. Genetic Makeup:

Your genes will not seal your fate. They may predispose you to some diseases, just as lifestyle choices can do the same. Diet, physical activities, even your mindset affect how your genes express themselves. Small and intentional lifestyle modifications can significantly improve your health.

2. Digestion:

Your digestive health is closely intertwined with your microbiome, hormones, and other chemicals that manage digestion. While some factors are hardwired in by biology, many can be influenced positively with conscious attention to diet and lifestyle. Simple changes-eating more fiber, for example, or drinking more water, or managing stress-can dramatically alter your digestive health and your overall well-being.

3. Inflammation:

Chronic inflammation is a silent killer in many health issues. Fortunately, there are ways to control and manage it. A person can reduce inflammation simply by making informed choices such as eating anti-inflammatory foods, staying active, and managing stress. It helps if a person tracks his or her diet and lifestyle patterns and identifies potential triggers to make healthier choices.

Understanding these three core factors: genetics, digestion, and inflammation allows you to have more control over your health.

I’d love to know what has brought you here. Maybe it’s something you saw in your lab results that’s been causing concern, or perhaps you’ve been trying to improve your diet and lifestyle but none of it is working. Please send me a message or schedule your complimentary discovery call.

Now that we’ve explored the three roots of health—genetics, digestion, and inflammation—and how they affect your well-being, let’s revisit the most important part: you can lose weight on your terms. Your journey revolves around your uniqueness, and together, we can build a plan that fits your body, your lifestyle, and your goals.

How do you address your hunger? Is it hunger or emotions that have triggered a coping mechanism (eating)? If you know what’s happening and if you have habits that you want to change, then you can prepare to act before things get out of control. It's really about knowing how you want to feel, staying ahead of the game and giving yourself the love and kindness to feel your best.

How are you feeling? Are you feeling positive, negative, hopeful, or pessimistic at this moment? Stress, lack of sleep, poor digestion, and weaker immune function all come into play on the emotional level. Paying attention to your emotions is equally important as focusing on the lab results or physical symptoms.

There is a direct connection between your gut and your brain, one influences the other. The vagus nerve connects your gut to your brain. Your emotions affect your gut, and your gut health affects your emotions. As a matter of fact, your gut is also known as your second brain. Your gut health is critical to your overall health.

The beauty is that you can tune in to your emotions and change your state of feeling. Tuning in to what you need and making small adjustments will lead to significant improvements; and you don't have to do it alone. Having someone like me to support you offers guidance to navigate choices and celebrate every single win along the way.

Why do I focus so much on emotions? Emotional eating is my specialty. The more we understand our emotions and coping mechanisms, the better we can care for ourselves.

The key to a successful wellness journey is discovering the right foods that truly work for your body. This isn’t about following what a book says or sticking to FDA recommendations—it’s about eating what makes you feel good, energized, and whole. I love celebrating small victories with my clients, especially when they find foods that nourish and give them lasting energy!

All foods are allowed. You will learn how you feel as you experiment, then you’ll make choices based on how you want to feel.

The magic lies in balancing your macros—proteins, healthy fats, and carbohydrates. And no, not all carbs are created equal! Some, like slow-digesting complex carbs, give you sustained energy, while simpler carbs burn faster.

What’s great about this approach is the flexibility. Meal planning for macros is simple and easy to adapt to your lifestyle. Some days, your biggest meal might be dinner, and other days, it could be breakfast or lunch—whatever works for you! If you prefer more structure or restrictions, we can create a plan that meets those needs too. Again, the idea is to feel like you have plenty of choices and you never feel deprived.

Ultimately, it’s about finding what works best for your body and making sure you feel good every step of the way.

Where do you envision yourself on your wellness journey? It’s essential to take a moment to think about all your goals. However, the key is to avoid rushing into things. For example, I’m currently working with a client who is successfully losing about two pounds a week—that’s around eight pounds a month!

Your personal goals may look different, but aiming for a safe and sustainable weight loss of four to eight pounds a month is a solid benchmark. The most important thing is that you feel healthy and confident about your choices—that's where the real transformation happens!

Setting a realistic timeline is important. Rapid weight loss can often lead to regaining the weight, which can be discouraging and disheartening. Instead, let’s focus on creating and celebrating positive habits along the way. Each small victory contributes to your momentum, making it easier to stay motivated and committed to your journey. Remember, it’s about progress, not perfection!

Taking the time to write down what you’re grateful for can be incredibly beneficial. Reflecting on your gratitude—beyond just focusing on body weight or food—can significantly enhance your overall quality of life, allowing you to savor each moment more fully.

Think about the wins you’ve had lately, whether they’re connected to food, weight loss, work achievements, or personal relationships. Remember, our emotions play a huge role in our health and well-being. So, celebrate those wins and express your thanks!

Journaling can also be a great tool for processing your struggles. When you write down those daunting thoughts, they transform into simple words, making it much easier to address issues rather than letting them swirl endlessly in your mind.

You don’t need to write pages—just jot down a few notes about what you’re grateful for, daily victories, or areas where you want to improve. Initially, it might feel intimidating to come up with ten things to be thankful for each day, but I promise, over time, it becomes easier to spot those little blessings in your life.

This practice can lead to a powerful shift in your emotional balance, fostering improvement and positivity. So, grab a journal and start reflecting—your journey toward gratitude can truly change the way you see the world!

As a Certified Advanced Clearing Practitioner, one of the most profound aspects of my work is helping clients replace feelings that no longer serve them with empowering ones. This emotional cleansing can be a game-changer on your journey to health and wellness. During our initial discovery call, we can jump right into a clearing session, tapping into your subconscious—almost like a form of hypnosis—where your mind can start to learn how to function differently.

Many of our problems lie deep within the subconscious mind. Often, we operate on autopilot, carrying mental and emotional burdens that can hinder our long-term success. If certain emotions keep resurfacing, it’s a sign that the root issues remain unaddressed. This emphasis on the subconscious sets my approach apart in the field of nutrition and lifestyle counseling.

You can achieve your goals on your own terms. What works for you may not necessarily work for someone else, and that's where I step in to guide you. My aim is to help you discover what truly resonates with you, ensuring you see through the process and maintain the results you desire.

It’s incredibly rewarding to assist anyone seeking to improve their health, whether that means losing weight or simply feeling better in their own skin. Thank you for taking the time to read about this powerful aspect of wellness! Together, we can unlock your potential for a healthier, happier life.

Ready to Transform Your Wellness Journey?
Schedule your Free Healthy Rhythm Strategy Call

During the call, I’ll personally help you:

• Uncover what’s keeping you stuck in your relationship with food.
• Gain strategies to build confidence and trust around your food choices without tracking or restrictions.
• Create a personalized action plan tailored to your goals and lifestyle.

Let’s work together to find your rhythm and build a healthier, happier you.

Shoshanna Richek, CFNC