Recently, when I was trying to describe what Half Size Me is all about, one of our HSM Community members* said that I’d just given them “The Half Size Me Manifesto”.
So, that’s what this is: a manifesto.
And I’m sharing it because I feel it’s important for you to understand what Half Size Me is all about.
So, what is Half Size Me?
Well, one thing to understand is that it is not about me…
- giving you a pre-prescribed program that you will fix all your problems.
- telling you what to eat or what to do for exercise.
- telling you which plan is best.
The truth is I view all of these issues as the “outer crust” of weight loss. But it’s also where many of us get stuck and bunched up.
You might say you’re confused.
Or you say you’re overwhelmed.
Maybe you even say you don’t know what to do. Therefore, you do nothing.
However, what really matters is that you redefine your relationship with yourself and your relationship with food. You begin putting in healthy boundaries. You learn how to prioritize your time, and you find what foods you like and enjoy. The foods you are willing to eat within a certain energy balance based on your goals.
I have never attached Half Size Me to any diet plan. I often get requests from people who would like me to advertise for them. It doesn’t matter if it is Noom, Weight Watchers, or supplement companies — I refuse to attach Half Size Me to any of them. Why? Because if I do it could start to make you question your decisions.
You might start asking yourself, ‘Is the program I’m on the correct one? Because Heather says…’ or ‘Heather recommends that diet so maybe I need to stop what I’ve been doing…’
Remember: It’s not important what I or anyone else says. It is only important what you say. What you think. And what you do.
The reason that none of the weight loss attempts you’ve tried in the past have been truly successful (success meaning that you 1) lost the weight and 2) kept it off) is because you weren’t willing to go deeper into this whole process.
You did not want to really reevaluate how you speak to yourself, how you care for yourself, or how you start to prioritize the things you need. You did not see your own value. Or you weren’t willing to let go of toxic and unhealthy relationships. Perhaps, you didn’t treat yourself with respect when it comes to food.
This journey is so much deeper than counting calories or points or what app you use to track your food.
That’s why I teach you lessons so you can learn about yourself.
The Half Size Me Program consists of four Freedom Modules. I use these as tools to teach you, but they are not a formulaic plan for you to follow.
Every community challenge, teaching toolkit, and coaching cast I’ve created is not about me giving you an answer. I’m a teacher at heart; I know that giving you answers is not a way to give you life-long skills.
If I give you the answer, I make you dependent on me.
However, if I teach you a lesson or a concept that will help you start to formulate your own answers and learn about yourself, well, now we’re on to something.
When you better understand yourself it will help you create a new way that will be uniquely your own.
In our current culture, it is so easy to “be busy”. But if everything else in your life is keeping you busy (i.e. distracted), then you are not learning about yourself.
So, what works for you as a unique individual? Only you can find the answer to that.
Now, I will be the first to tell you that if your goal is weight loss, then, yes, you must be in a calorie deficit, but how you go about achieving that calorie deficit can be as unique as your thumbprint. It could mean you alter when you eat, how you eat, or what you eat.
But how you go about it is really about your relationship with yourself. And that has to be forged during this journey.
I often see people wanting to put all of their focus into something outside of themselves. In a way, it keeps us content and detached. But what if you were forced to take a look at yourself? A real look?
That is transformational. As long as you know yourself and what works for you, then you can start to say no to the things that will distract you in your journey.
You can also start testing new approaches to weight loss. However, it’s important to realize that “testing” something does not mean it will become a permanent solution. You will need to modify any plan, program, or approach to fit you and your lifestyle.
I am a huge fan of this Bruce Lee quote:
“Take what is useful, discard what is not, make it uniquely your own.”
That’s what I want for you. And THAT is what Half Size Me is all about.
I want you to go through the content we offer in our program modules. I want you to learn about yourself and take what is useful. But be willing to discard what is not. You need to make all of this uniquely your own.
If you ask me what leads to long-term weight loss and maintenance, I would say it is a willingness to take a look at yourself honestly (without judgment), accept your current reality, and build a program or a plan that fits your lifestyle.
Not a plan or program that works for someone else, but one that works for you.
I view Half Size Me and all of the resources I make available to you as tools. Tools for you to build a program of one.
A program for you.
And the HSM community is here to support you.
All of us are working on building our own plan but we can learn from, encourage, and offer support to one another while experiencing our own journeys.
We are more alike than different. All of us are struggling with many of the same mental burdens and obstacles. We are in this together, offering support to one another along the way.
That’s why I say it is “a program of one supported by many”.