Review: You've Got This! by Dale Barr

When it comes to the fundamentals of weight loss, most of us are actually quite savvy. For the most part, we know what to do (and what not to do) in terms of exercise and healthy eating. So why is it that so many of us still struggle, year after year, to win the weight-loss battle? Why have we fallen off the Weight Loss Wagon so many times our rumps bear permanent bruises? What are we missing and what can we do about it? To paraphrase something the author's mother taught her as a child: "If you understand the Mind, you'll understand everything." The Mind is where it's at. It's what controls our emotions, our thoughts, our behaviors, our decisions...everything. It's also what keeps us on or off the Weight Loss Wagon. Although weight loss certainly depends on healthy eating and exercise, it's the Mind that controls our decisions to do those things...to make the right choices in the first place. It's the precursor to all the other stuff. In YOU'VE GOT THIS!, Dale Barr, a certified health and wellness coach, shares inspiration and motivation to help you shift your mindset and make lifestyle changes that "stick" during the first 30 days of your weight-loss journey. Arranged as daily doses of guidance, YOU'VE GOT THIS! addresses the most common pitfalls encountered by anyone trying to lose weight and offers tools to manage the associated emotions so that you can stay the course. By teaching you how to get your head in the game (and keep it there), Dale will show you that the impossible can become possible once you put your Mind to it. Think of this book as a bedside companion and your personal coach. Each page is ready and waiting to offer you words of encouragement and reassurance. Now it's up to you to crack open the cover, put the words into action, and get ready for the transformation to begin!

I feel like this book is like a best friend...who tells you like it is while you are trying to get myself back on track with health and fitness.  I adored the bolded quotes.  For example:  "AS FAR AS YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS JOURNEY IS CONCERNED,  YOU'RE NOT A VICTIM...AND NO AMOUNT OF PITY PARTYING AND NO ARGUMENT YOU MAKE WILL EVER CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE (p. 41)."  There is so much wonderful tidbits in this book.  There are mood indicators and mindset tools.  This is practical information and that more about the mental side of healthy living, which to me is harder to tackle. This is a must have book for anyone starting on a healthy journey.  Nothing is new, but how it is oranized makes is such a great book! 4 stars

Dale Barr is a 20-year veteran of leading process and behavioral change initiatives in corporate America and is a survivor of the multisensory overload and consequent wellness burnout experienced by many business professionals. Dale’s passion for health and wellness began at a very young age, reinforced by her involvement in competitive gymnastics and a mother who used holistic health strategies long before doing so was trendy. After competing in and winning her first National Physique Committee (NPC) figure competition at the age of 40, and then contending with some of her own health challenges shortly after, Dale was inspired to use her passion to help others master the wellness mindset and reach their wellness goals. Upon earning certifications in health and wellness coaching, wellness and nutrition consulting, personal training, and herbalism, she founded Wellness Rehab, LLC – an online wellness coaching service that helps clients make sustainable lifestyle changes and find more balanced states of well-being.

In her first book, YOU’VE GOT THIS!, Dale Barr addresses the missing link in most people’s weight-loss programs: the mindset element. The book was written for those of you who have a diet and exercise plan in hand, ready to get started, but who want to learn how to tap into the power of the Mind so you can stick with your weight-loss plans and make lasting lifestyles changes. 

But what if you can’t afford to hire a nutritionist and a personal trainer to design your meal plans and workout routines? And what if you find the information on the Internet far too overwhelming to design your own plans? 

Fear not! This book was written for you! 

YOU’VE GOT THIS! The Prequel provides the basic information you will need to build your very own healthy eating and exercise program. Once your program is built, you can use it in conjunction with the Mindset Tools found in YOU’VE GOT THIS! and claim victory in the Battle of the Bulge once and for all! 

YOU’VE GOT THIS! The Prequel is a short, quick hitter broken down into two parts. Part I is educational, not prescriptive, in nature. It offers seven ideas for improving your current eating habits and things to consider when building your healthy eating plan. Some of the information may be familiar. Some of it may be brand new for you. Part I doesn’t reflect top-secret information or the results of breaking research that no one has yet reported. What it does provide are the seven most important factors the author considers when building a fat-loss program. It is supplemented with guidance on how to calculate your approximate caloric needs and then use sample food lists and a sample meal plan outline to begin building your own meal plan. 

In Part II, you will meet three fictitious coaching clients and learn about the exercise programs recommended for them. From their stories, you can glean information to build your very own exercise routine. 

By the time you finish reading YOU’VE GOT THIS! The Prequel, you’ll have the food and exercise components of your weight-loss program covered and your arsenal will be two-thirds ready to wage an all-out war on the excess pounds you want to lose. All you’ll have left to do is grab a copy of YOU’VE GOT THIS! to use in conjunction with your meal and exercise plans and then head off to battle!