The Tribune

Health coach Ethan Quant, of Elite Wellness Solutions, has succeeded in his weight loss journey and now wants to share his methods with the Bahamas in an effort to foster a culture of wellness and conquer the obesity epidemic.

I can still recall stepping on the scale during my 110-pound weight loss journey and feeling copious amounts of dread and anxiety.

Looking back at it, it’s astonishing to think that seeing three digits would dictate how I felt about myself, how I felt about the process of losing weight, and my overall mood for the rest of the day.

This is how it typically occurred: If the scale displayed what I expected, I felt good. If the numbers were not as good as I expected, I became annoyed. If they were worse than I expected, I became frustrated.

The reality was that when I stepped on the scale and saw my numbers increase despite my “best” efforts, I felt like a failure and thought to myself, what’s the point? Oftentimes in such a situation my past self would give up on my planned regimen, dive head first into a greasy conch snack and load up on junk food.

Fortunately, I realised that something needed to be done about this unhealthy routine. In an attempt to gain control of my emotional state after stepping on the scale I came up with the following system.

Firstly, I told myself that my weight was just numbers. I decided that no matter what numbers appeared, they would not define me. I told myself that these numbers were simply useful information to continue on my journey and make adjustments when needed.

Secondly, I remained objective. Once I got the numbers, I did a review of my previous day. Yes, I weighed myself every day; sometimes two to three times a day. If the numbers were worse than I expected, I looked at the things that I did or should have done that may have contributed to the results that I had. I would ask myself questions like: Did I do everything I was supposed to do? or How I was supposed to do it? Often, if I was truly honest with myself, I knew exactly what I did or didn’t do. I would then make the necessary adjustments and continue from there.

If the numbers were what I expected, I would pat myself on the back, do my happy dance and tell myself, “Keep up the good work! We are making progress, but we aren’t there yet. Stay focused and keep your eyes on the prize!”

Finally, I would plan the day ahead in vivid detail and imagine doing all of the things I was supposed to do in order to see results. This meant planning my day down to the hour and imagining what obstacles I could possibly face and what I could do to overcome them.

When I took this approach to my weigh-ins, the negative effects on my emotional state were greatly reduced. Remember, that the race to total wellness is a marathon; not a sprint. So you have to be patient.

If you need help navigating this or any part of your health, wellness and fitness journey feel free to reach out to me directly! #letsgetit

• If you need help navigating any part of your health, wellness and fitness process, you can contact Ethan Quant at ethan@elite-wellnesssolutions.com or on Instagram at @ethanquant.