After more than 6 months in this program, all of the participants were re-assessed to see what impact the program had on their lives.  The results are encouraging.

In the beginning of the program, “Jesse” met with Paul Ratte, ND (naturopathic doctor at Woodwinds Natural Care Center) for an evaluation; he provided some recommendations for dietary changes.  Beyond that initial meeting, it was up to “Jesse” whether the suggestions would be put into practice and to see if coaching influenced whether expert suggestions were followed.

Lifestyle Changes Put Into Practice:

• Decreased calorie consumption in the evening and no longer has second helpings;
• Cooking more and not eating out as much;
• Greatly increased intake of fruits and vegetables (from 0 fruits and 1-2 servings of vegetables per day to 3-4 servings of fruits and 1-2 servings of vegetables);
• Stopped taking cod liver oil the last third of the program but started again after seeing the final lab results;
• Not consistently following the rhythmic eating but has decreased the amount of protein eaten in the evening;
• Started exercising but not consistently.

Physical Assessment

• Blood Pressure:  “Jesse’s” blood pressure consistently decreased during the program with the 6-month measurement being well within the normal acceptable range.
• Waist/Hip:  “Jesse’s” waist measurement decreased 4.5 inches, and the hip measurement decreased 2.25 inch.  The waist/hip ratio decreased 0.05 since the initial measurement but has not changed since the mid-program assessment.
• Weight:  “Jesse’s” lost 5.65 pounds.
• Body Fat:  “Jesse’s” body fat decreased 2.1% overall but increased 2.2% in the last 3 months of the program.

What the Physical Assessment means:

The improvement in blood pressure is good.  “Jesse’s” waist and hip measurements steadily decreased throughout the program.  With these decreases, the waist/hip ratio improved in the first 3 months and then stagnated.  The waist/hip ratio is still slightly above the recommended level but is moving in the right direction.  Although “Jesse’s” body fat decreased overall, it increased during the last 3 months of the program.  This indicates the importance of exercise – particularly exercise focused on resistance training.  Regardless, the initial changes were good and he/she was able to mostly maintain them – even while “falling off the wagon” a bit.

With minimal exercise and better food choices, “Jesse” was able to lose some weight and significant inches.  If he/she continues and increases his/her exercise routine, we would expect to see further weight loss and a decrease in inches and body fat.  However, if “Jesse” is serious about wanting to lose more weight, inches, and body fat, he/she needs to be more aggressive like in the first months of the program.  Exercise is critical – especially given “Jesse’s” family history.

From a coaching perspective, these results are not surprising.  Although “Jesse” came into this program wanting to focus on weight loss, “Jesse’s” own negative thinking and other concerns got in the way; this is why past attempts failed once the structure was removed.  This program wasn’t about telling people what to do; it was helping them figure it out for themselves.  “Jesse” knows what is needed for eating and has the knowledge and knows about exercise; knowledge wasn’t the issue - he/she just needed to find the motivation and commitment inside.  Without starting with “Jesse’s” thinking and working with him/her to get clear about what is most important, any improvements may have been short-lived.  The key is that “Jesse” did move forward and made progress that will hopefully continue.  In fact, “Jesse” reported wishing that he/she was further along in terms of weight loss and blood work but recognizes that his/her thinking needed to change and that he/she is moving forward.  The hope is that “Jesse” now sees the importance of committing to his/her health and will take ownership during the upcoming months that will result in greater clinical improvements.

Clinical Assessment

• Fasting Glucose:  “Jesse’s” glucose decreased 1 point; although still within the normal range, it is close to a prediabetic level.
• Fasting Total Cholesterol:  “Jesse’s” total cholesterol decreased by 5.
• HDL/LDL:  “Jesse’s” HDL decreased by 3 with the LDL decreasing by 2.
• Total Cholesterol/HDL Ratio:  the ratio increased by 0.2.
• Triglycerides:  “Jesse’s” triglyceride measurement did not change.
• Cardiac CRP:  this value decreased by 0.9.

What the Clinical Assessment means:

Even though the glucose and triglyceride levels are okay and within the normal range, the greatest concern is with “Jesse’s” prediabetes status due to a significant family history.  Combined with an elevated waist/hip ratio, “Jesse” is still at increased risk. 

While the total cholesterol decreased, it is still above the ideal values.  Because the HDL decreased, thus increasing the total cholesterol-to-HDL ratio, “Jesse’s” cholesterol is actually considered to be worse; however, this ratio is still within the normal limits.  The fact that “Jesse” stopped taking the cod liver oil may not have caused the HDL to decrease.  Although still out of the normal range, the CRP decreased significantly, which indicates having less inflammation even though “Jesse” was not taking the cod liver oil.  Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption may play a role in this.

In general, “Jesse” is moving in the right direction to improve his/her overall health.  “Jesse” needs to continue to make good food choices and increase cardiovascular exercise to further the weight loss, decrease body fat, and improve cholesterol values.  As “Jesse” continues to be more diligent with his/her diet, the sugar cravings he/she had at the start of the program should also continue to improve. 

Life Balance Wheel

The Life Balance Wheel provides a picture of how satisfied individuals are with eight areas of their life; each one is essential to being a whole and complete balanced person. When people are not living a balanced life, the wheel is lopsided; as they become more balanced, the wheel actually starts to resemble a circle.  “Jesse” filled out this tool at the beginning of the program, at the end of February, and again at the end of May.  Jesse is on the right track.

What the Life Balance Wheel means:

“Jesse” struggled with finding more balance during this program.  At the mid-program evaluation, the areas he/she had been focusing on increased; unfortunately, other areas were being neglected and decreased.  However, by the end of the program, “Jesse” still showed improvement in overall balance with many areas improving and having less discrepancy between each area.  Balance is an ongoing, dynamic process that requires being very intentional about one’s choices. In reflecting on all three wheels, “Jesse” stated that he/she is definitely more balanced and aware of his/her choices and is paying more attention to all areas of his/her life – even if they’re not where “Jesse” wants them to be just yet. 

It is also significant to report that “Jesse” realized that he/she is not beating himself/herself up like in the past.  In fact, at the initial coaching intake session, “Jesse” indicated he/she would know the coaching was successful by being kinder and gentler to himself/herself, having it be more natural to make healthy decisions, and exercising consistently.  “Jesse” reported feeling like he/she achieved everything except the exercise but is moving forward in the right direction.

Intrinsic Capacity

The Hartman Value Profile (HVP) is a tool developed by the leading researcher in axiological psychology, Dr. Leon Pomeroy.  This tool examines how people value themselves and the world and shows whether people function more from their intrinsic domain (i.e. the core of their being and what is most important to them) or from extrinsic or systemic domains.  When people make choices using the intrinsic, there tends to be less conflict because choices are made from what is most important as opposed to shoulds.

“Jesse” completed the HVP at the beginning of the program and at the end of 6 months of coaching; the results showed a significant increase in his/her intrinsic capacity.  When intrinsic capacity increases, new choices begin to make more sense than old ones did.  According to Dr. Pomeroy, based on these results we can expect to demonstrate that Intrinsic Coaching™ strengthensone's interpersonal and intrapersonal intrinsic dimensions of valuation and thinking (valuation is the building block of thinking).