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Pull Ups / Chin Ups

Hi Heather! How did you progress to be able to do pull ups? How many days a week to train them etc. please. I have been working on them since January with thick bands for assistance. SO hard! I have been maintaining over a 100 pound loss for almost a year and I’m 45. Trying to get strong. You inspire me!

I'd love to learn a little more about you!

It is absolutely mind-blowing that out of the millions of messages we receive about dieting, weight loss/gain, appearance, meal planning, etc., you are the only coach who has cracked the code. Like you sometimes say, "it is simple but not easy." Who knew? Oh, that's right, Heather does and now I do, too! What is the most surprising thing you have learned about yourself in your journey up until now? What is your most challenging habit? What is your favorite thing about coaching? Who or what inspires you? Is it or has it ever been tiring to answer the same questions over and over for all of us throughout your coaching career? What are you working toward next? Where do you get your sports bras? Thank you for your willingness to be open and authentic and for sharing your knowledge and experience with the world. You and Half Size Me are on my gratitude list every day because you are helping me change my life! Forever looking forward to the next episode, Allysen

Impulse, delayed gratification, postpone; oh, my!

Hello! One of the skills that I am learning is how to manage snacks and treats on a daily basis. Almost all of my daily treats are ice cream (yum!) but it can also be a little more cheese on my taco bowl, Starbucks, my favorite snack bar, etc. Regardless of what it is, it fits neatly into my meal plan for the day and I enjoy my treat (almost) guilt-free. I almost always recognize when I have a thought to eat a food impulsively or emotionally and I am coaching my lower brain in what feels like a fair, gentle, and sustainable way. I know you’ve mentioned sticking to my treat as much as possible to build trust in myself and telling my lower brain something to the effect of, “oh, sweet, angry, little toddler, I know you want this treat but it’s not on our plan for the day. But hey, look, we’ll put it right in MFP to enjoy tomorrow!” Sometimes I will have it, sometimes I won’t but this always feels like a victory. However, it seems that there are days (weeks!) when I am unexpectedly willing to eat more calories so I’m more likely to add treats during the day. I usually justify this decision, like, “okay, sweetheart, if you still want the thing after an entire bottle of water and/or X amount of time, you can totally have it.” She usually wins out on that one but I feel immediately like I failed, especially because I’m scrambling to balance my averages for the rest of the week so I can eat in a way that feels less stressful for the weekend! Is this an appropriate behavior/response? Am I giving into my LB’s demands too soon? Thank you for your time and insight, Allysen

Hating my looks

Dear Heather, I started your wonderful programm just recentley. I am learning, it's gonna take time. This phase untill I will really lose some weight, and feel better in my clothes seems so far away. I struggle so hard to like what I see in pics and the miror, but it's so hard and frustrating. Any help? Thanks so much for your terrific work. All the love from Israel!

Mental Health

I never thought I’d be dealing with this, but it has been a very tough year emotionally and physically, and I’m just hitting menopause. I started having severe anxiety very suddenly for the first time in my life and lost a good deal of weight because I couidnt eat. I actually hit my goal weight after 3 years of healthy monitiring, though it wasn’t the way I wanted to. I’ve just started on medication that has the side effects of weight gain. I’m actually ok with gaining a few pounds back because I didn’t lose it in a sustainable way. Do you have any tips for managing my mindset to gain weight back in a healthy way after illness?