Mayo Clinic Diet produces better results when dieters add personal coaching to their efforts to get healthier

Mar 3 2010

The highly effective Mayo Clinic Diet, published in 2009, produces even better results when dieters add personal or group coaching to their efforts to get healthier. Mary Coussons-Read, PhD, Founding Principal and Coach for Powerful Mind Coaching, says her clients report that coaching helps them stay on track, stay motivated, and stick to their plans to reach a healthier weight. "Most people come to a diet like the Mayo Clinic Diet after trying many other ways to lose weight and keep it off. They're looking for a way to make 'this time' different and for many coaching is the ticket. Adding the support of a coach who's been there can make a huge difference in the level of success people have with this diet," says Coussons-Read, who coaches individuals and groups over the phone around the principles in the Mayo Clinic Diet.

Accountability to Self Is Key in Diet Success

Coussons-Read reports that her clients report that weekly check-ins with a coach or with a coach and a group of other dieters helps them be accountable for their behavior and to follow through on the goals they've set for themselves. "When you're dieting and you're doing it totally on your own, it's easier to say 'Oh, these cookies won't count' or 'I've had a bad day and I deserve to eat this entire pizza.' When you know you have to check in with your coach or your group later in the week, it makes it easier to say no," Coussons-Read says. She goes on to say that it's not the "saying no" that's important in long-term diet success - it's developing new habits and thinking about dieting differently. "As dieters, we tend to focus on thoughts that we're depriving ourselves, which has a negative connotation. In diet coaching, we work on concentrating not on what we are not doing, such as not eating ice cream every night, but on what we are doing, which is developing a whole bunch of healthier habits like exercising, eating more fruits and veggies, and eating less sugar. The emphasis is on the good things you're adding to your life, not the things you're doing less of."  

Finding a Diet Coach

Selection of the right coach and coaching approach is critical in getting the benefits dieters seek. "There are lots of coaches out there, but for many people, finding a diet coach who is traveling the same path to lasting health and weight management that they are is a good fit. Coaching works best when your coach can relate to what you're dealing with," says Coussons-Read. Powerful Mind Coaching, LLC, offers both individual and group coaching for lasting success on the Mayo Clinic Diet.