Guilt, fear, worry, self-doubt, anger, frustration, blame.

How do you deal with these negative catabolic emotions, which are at the heart of your rebound weight-gain cycle?

Just like the old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” I’m going to share my APPLE principle, which can be used anywhere you want change in your life. The result will be improved mental and emotional wellness, which are key facets of optimal physical wellness. 

The APPLE principle is a 5 step transformational process. It includes Awareness, Possibility, Pattern, Learn, and Engage.

Awareness—What is really going on?

Are you even aware that you are experiencing a negative emotion? Often you just feel bad. This should be like an alarm bell waking you up so you can look at what is really going on.

Ask yourself, “What is the root emotion of this struggle?”

Often it’s fear. Somehow your love, security or self-esteem (or all three) are being threatened.

The fear—real or imagined—creates the undesired outcome which just enhances the fear and the spiral gets worse.

Take a step back from the situation and look at what the emotion you are feeling actually is and what feels threatened.

Possibility—What is a realistic outcome?

When you are focused on the problem, you literally cannot see the solutions. Shift your focus by asking yourself, “What’s the best possible outcome that you can expect?”

For instance, if you are feeling self-criticism about your pants not fitting, a realistic outcome is that you could buy some well-fitting attractive clothes right now, which will actually boost how you feel about yourself. That shift to positive anabolic energy will help you release the weight.

So the possibility in this situation is that you can stop beating yourself up and and treat yourself to a new outfit that makes you feel attractive. Then move to the next step.

Pattern—What are the thoughts, beliefs, or behaviors that you need to shift?

Look for and identify the bigger pattern going on in your life.

Maybe you are turning to food as a distraction because you don’t want to face the real problem? Maybe there is some self-bullying going on when you really feel judged by others? Maybe there is a need to be perfect?
 
Look for and identify how that pattern is impacting your ability to move forward and achieve your goals.

Learn—What are new thoughts, beliefs, or behaviors that support Who you want to be?

How true is what you are thinking? (This is when it’s helpful to consult a certified professional coach to see if you have any energy blocks that are keeping you from seeing the truth of a situation.)

For instance, it’s helpful to recognize that you Gremlin—that inner critic that we all have that tells us we’re not good enough—is behind many of your fears and they simply are not true.

Regardless of what you currently believe, you are worthy, smart, attractive, valuable, and important. You are disciplined and strong enough. Your body is working for you in so many ways. That is the TRUTH.

The reason these negative thoughts feel so bad is because they simply are NOT true.

And they are getting in your way of success.

For instance, if you want to start an exercise program, but you constantly tell yourself you hate to exercise, you dread it all day, you think about how much you hate it while you are doing it—how long are you going to maintain your exercise program?

Answer: Not long!

What could you think instead that would help inspire you to actually take the necessary action?

Maybe thoughts like:

• I can do anything for 10 minutes.
• I really do want to release the weight so I can live the life of my dreams.
• I did love this activity when I was a kid.
• It does feel good to move my body.
• It is nice to change my routine a bit and have some me time.

Now moving your body for 10 minutes doesn’t feel so horrible. It’s actually something you might want to do! 

What other thoughts, beliefs, or behaviors could you choose that would help you meet your goals?

Engage—What are the actions that will bring new results?

Now that you understand the situation, core emotions, what’s at stake, what’s possible, and the new thoughts, beliefs, and actions you can take, come up with a plan to implement and move forward.

For instance, a month into your new workout program, you may get sick. Instead of using that as an excuse to stop working out altogether, you recognize that you can resume the program as soon as you are well.

You know it will take about 10 days to recover, so you schedule time in your calendar so you will begin again on that date.

Then follow through!

TIP! Break down the action steps into small, doable pieces. Then give yourself credit for hitting those marks to help build forward momentum.

What’s holding you back from having the body you want? How can you apply the APPLE principle? How does that help you create healthy and sustainable change?

Together we can do it!