Do You Want A Coach Who’s Been In Your Shoes?

My Own Experience in Losing 100 Lbs and Keeping It Off

My name is Megan Gaul. I’m a health coach & facilitator from Staten Island, New York. In my previous career as an educator, I leaned on my warmth, compassion, honesty, and ingenuity to help my students find the strength within themselves to improve, learn, and grow. These are the very same qualities that my health-coaching clients are supported with, so they can get unstuck and improve their lives.

Here’s how things looked for me, before I began my weight-loss journey:

In my twenties, I was an overweight and intensely anxious person, feeling like it was just the luck of the draw that I was heavy and unhappy.  My weight made me uncomfortable and I had no confidence or drive to go out and see friends and family. I mustered up the minimum level of energy for work, but this exhausted me to the point where doing anything outside of working hours felt impossible. Cooking, or keeping a pantry stocked with food, felt completely out of my power.

I felt driven to eat big portions of restaurant food and fast food  in the middle of the work day when my stress levels were highest. And since I didn’t have energy or a stocked pantry at home (and wasn’t confident in my cooking skills), my evening usually consisted of a take-out meal and multiple servings of desserts and snacks. But without fail, as soon as I finished eating anything, I’d feel a heavy sense of guilt. 

I thought that as an adult, I should be “doing better,” and eating how a “normal person” should eat. All I wanted was to feel better about food, and stop all the guilty cycles, but I didn’t want to give up my favorite foods. They were the only things in life I felt were truly and immediately comforting. This held me back from making changes for years.

Here’s what began to shift things for me:

In a moment of frustration and tiredness, I emailed a professional for help with my eating habits. I knew I was stuck in a cycle that was negative and unhelpful, and I wanted something to be different. I didn’t necessarily feel capable of weight loss. But I felt that I needed a 2nd set of eyes on my situation. Maybe a therapist, counselor, or coach could help me see where I could start making things just a little better.

Here’s what changed:

The question was simple. “Do you think you can drink 1 glass of water per day”?

I blinked. I had been caught up in thoughts about the future, and how hard everything looked ahead of me. Work was a mess, my eating was a mess, my weight was a mess, my social confidence was in the gutter.

But when I was asked that question, I put those future-thoughts aside for a moment. I thought about it. I pictured myself in my normal day. I thought “Well, I guess I could fill up a cup in the morning. And if I forget, I can always grab a bottle of water from the drive-thru or wherever I’m getting my lunch today.” 

And I just said “Well yeah, of course I can drink 1 glass of water per day.” In my head, I still thought “It’s not going to do anything to fix my life. But I’m not so far gone that I can’t drink a glass of water.”

Learning how to drink 1 glass of water daily (without fail) was the first evidence I had that I could actually decide on a change, try it, and be successful. I had 1 piece of evidence that my habits and actions were changeable. I had 1 piece of evidence that I could commit to an action, and trust myself to do it. 

This was the first step along my journey!

Here’s how this snowballed:

The next question was just as simple. “Do you think you are capable of writing down your meals and snacks every day?”

At that time, I didn’t see how transformative this habit would become in my life. This is the single most important daily action in my routine. It takes me roughly 10 minutes each day to fill out my food journal. But it makes each and every decision a mindful one, it gives me valuable data on how to lose and maintain my weight. And most importantly, it allowed me to become totally Food-Neutral (which means I can keep ALL my favorite foods in my life). 

I now have more than 5 years of data in my food journal, and it’s something that is so easy and so impactful that I intend to keep this daily habit indefinitely.

Here’s where I am now:

Since 2018, by taking gradual steps, one after the other, I have lost more than 100 lbs and maintained this loss. 

My secret to keeping it off? I have a short list of daily and weekly actions that I know will support my life at this weight. I keep this list short, I make the actions as easy as possible, and I make them a non-negotiable part of my life (like brushing my teeth). Daily and weekly habits are the secret-sauce!

Now that I have reached a happier weight, I feel so excited to say “yes” to the opportunities and activities that present themselves. Instead of avoiding parties, bars, and meeting new people, I now find myself prioritizing fun and relationships in my life. Getting dressed or going shopping is no longer a fear-inducing prospect. Instead of focusing on myself, my appearance, or how I come across to colleagues and bosses, I focus on the project at hand, and I bring my strengths, skills, and creativity to the table to accomplish the goals we’ve set. 

I’ve been on both sides of this spectrum. As a result of taking this health journey, and because of all the skills I’ve learned, the world has gone from exhausting and scary, to wide-open, free, and full of possibility.

I’ve also totally transformed my relationship with food and anxiety. The two have become detached in my daily life. I have SO many more tools in my toolbox for addressing life’s inevitable stressors. Comfort food isn’t my only fall-back anymore, and this has been an incredibly empowering shift.

Using the same mindset and skills I learned in slow and sustainable habit change, I have also transformed my career. Building self-trust and learning how to make small but impactful habit changes have allowed me to create a completely new life, not just with my health, but in every other arena.

You have your own journey, and it may look very different to mine. But in my work, I have found that there are commonalities in ALL our paths. And having a 2nd set of eyes on your unique stumbling blocks? This can be the falling snowflake that starts an avalanche of positive change in your life.

I hope you explore my site, reach out to me, continue to read & learn, and find something that starts your avalanche. Welcome!