Your Why For Weight Loss.

Your Why for Weight Loss.

Everyone has a reason they want to lose weight. Feeling attractive again. Fitting into old clothes. Keeping up with the kids. Being around for the grandkids. Getting off the medication. These are all valid reasons. But they're surface whys, and surface whys don't survive February.

The problem with surface whys.

Surface whys sound good. They're easy to say out loud. But they don't hold up when life gets hard. When the office brings donuts. When stress hits and the pantry starts calling at 9 PM. "I want to feel confident" crumbles against a bad day. "I want to be healthy" fades when you're exhausted and overwhelmed. That's not a willpower problem. That's a why problem.

The real why is uncomfortable.

The real why is usually something you don't want to say out loud. It's the photo where you didn't recognize yourself. The doctor's visit that scared you. Avoiding mirrors, cameras, intimacy. Being winded walking up stairs while your kids run ahead.

It's watching your child struggle with weight and feeling like you failed them. Getting sick and wondering if you did this to yourself. Not wanting to end up looking like a parent or relative (sorry, but this is real). Years of starting over every Monday and feeling like a failure by Friday.

Sometimes the real why isn't about weight at all. It's anxiety that won't quit. Depression that makes getting out of bed feel impossible. Using food to cope with emotions you don't know how to process. The shame spiral that starts after every slip-up.

The real why is whatever makes you so fed up that you finally decide to do something different. Not try harder. Not follow another trend. Actually different.

The influencer lie.

Scrolling through "what I eat in a day" videos won't get you there. That effortless girl or jacked guy with the perfect body eating high protein pancakes didn't wake up like that. There's years of effort behind that video. Sometimes an eating disorder. Sometimes a full-time job of working out. Sometimes genetics. Often all of the above.

What works for them doesn't work for you because their life isn't your life. Their body isn't your body. Their history isn't your history.

Motivation won't save you.

Here's what the wellness industry doesn't want you to know: motivation is a terrible long-term strategy. It's a finite resource. It runs out. And when it does, you're back to square one, blaming yourself for not trying hard enough.

With everything science now knows about blood sugar, hormones, and metabolism, relying on motivation and discipline is outdated advice. If blood sugar is crashing every afternoon, no amount of willpower stops the cravings. If cortisol is elevated from chronic stress, the body holds onto weight no matter how disciplined you are. If anxiety or depression is running the show, food becomes comfort, not fuel. If your hormones are out of whack, you might need medication support that goes along your diet.

Understanding how the body and mind actually work is the unlock. Not trying harder.

Finding your why takes time.

Coco Pierrel, founder of The Healthy Weight Loss Coach, spent two decades dieting before finding her real why. She started at fourteen — the tall girl who felt gigantic when the nurse weighed everyone in front of the whole class. She did the Special K diet, the raw, the soups, the powders, the vegan, the keto, the vegan keto (sadly that exists), the green juice cleanses, the apple cider vinegar shots. Tried every trend. Underfueled all day and raided the pantry by night. The cycle never ended.

Until a health crisis forced her to look deeper. That's when she realized lasting weight loss had nothing to do with restriction. It had everything to do with understanding how to fuel the mind and body in a way that actually works. She became a Certified Integrative Nutritionist and turned her why into a mission: helping others break free from diet culture for good.

You don't have to turn your why into a profession. But you can use it to finally break the cycle — find peace in your own body, stop passing this burden to your kids if you have them (they are watching you), and maybe inspire the people around you to take charge too. Health is contagious. So is freedom.

Some real whys sound like this.

Because I'm fed up with not feeling attractive in my own skin. Because I don't want my kids to inherit my struggles. Because I want to get off this medication. Because I'm tired of being the "before" photo. Because I want to starve cancer before it finds me. Because I want to be alive and present for the next chapter.

Because I'm going through a divorce and I want my body back. Because I want a revenge body and I'm not ashamed to say it. Because I'm tired of feeling invisible — like a leftover version of myself. Because I'm a mom and I matter too. Because I'm so goddamn bored of starting over every Monday. Because I refuse to feel like this at 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70. Because I deserve to feel good in my body.

Your why doesn't have to be poetic. It just has to be true.

Your why is in there. Now what?

Once you find your why, the next step isn't a complete overhaul. It's knowledge. Learning how your body works for you, not against you.

The Japanese call it ikigai. Your reason for getting out of bed. The thing that pulls you forward even when motivation disappears. In Okinawa, where people regularly live past 100, ikigai isn't some abstract concept. It's woven into daily life. It's why they keep moving, keep eating well, keep showing up for themselves. Your why is your ikigai. And once you find it, you stop relying on willpower and start building a life around what actually matters to you.

Low energy? Fix your food. Not a gym person? Take a walk or do a YouTube video at home. Not a veggie person? Find one vegetable you actually like and start there. Struggling with cravings? Add more protein to your meals. Have no idea where to start? Stick to some simple swaps. Struggling emotionally? Therapy, support, rest. All part of the equation.

You don't need to burn it all down and start fresh on Monday. You need to commit to one thing and protect it like your life depends on it. Because honestly, it kind of does.

Small changes stack. 15 minutes of walking beats zero. One home-cooked meal beats none. One week of consistency beats another month of "I'll start Monday."

Your why is already in there. Now go out of your way for it. You get one life. Make it one you actually want to live in.

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Coco Pierrel, The Healthy Weight Loss Coach, helps you unlearn dieting and relearn eating for a healthy weight loss through the Eat Shed Glow™ method. Ready for personalized support? Book your free 15-min consult today.