Online Personal Coaching: How to Find a Weight Loss Coach
If weight loss has been a challenge and you haven't found the right approach for you, a personal coach could be the key to achieving your health and fitness goals. Successful weight loss isn’t just about willpower — it’s about knowing the right steps to take for lasting results. An online weight loss coach can analyze your lifestyle and develop a strategic, personalized plan to help you shed pounds and maintain your progress long-term.
Unfortunately, the world of online personal coaching is vastly unregulated. Whereas doctors have to pass board exams and lawyers have to pass bar exams, there are no qualifying exams for someone to consider themselves a weight loss coach.
That means that Joe-Schmo down the street can buy a Groupon for an online weight loss course and call themselves a weight loss coach upon completing it. Yikes!
Let’s walk through some things to consider before hiring a weight loss coach.
Key Takeaways
đź’ˇChoose a coach with proper education, certifications, and relevant experience to support your specific goals.
đź’ˇOpt for a coach who tailors their program to your unique needs, avoiding generic, one-size-fits-all plans.
đź’ˇEnsure the program uses scientifically proven methods, avoiding fads or quick fixes that may lack credibility.
đź’ˇAlign with a coach whose style, personality, and values resonate with your preferences for effective collaboration.
đź’ˇConsider choosing Strong with Sarah, where expert, certified coaches meet every standard to help you achieve sustainable, long-term weight loss success.
Who Are Online Weight Loss Coaches, and What Do They Do?
Weight loss coaches are professionals who guide and support clients in achieving their desired weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle that will ensure long-lasting results. Coaching can be done either online or in person, but many people favor virtual coaching for its convenience and flexibility.
Online weight loss coaches use their expertise and experience to improve nutrition, fitness, and even behavioral habits that suit their clients’ lifestyles, goals, and preferences.
How Does Weight Coaching Work at Strong with Sarah?
How does weight loss coaching work at Strong with Sarah? When working with us, you'll have personalized support from one of our dedicated coaches. You'll connect either 1:1 or in a group setting through phone or Zoom sessions multiple times a month, complemented by up to private 1:1 text messages each week for ongoing motivation.
Need to share updates, challenges, or wins in between sessions? You can simply text your coach anytime — we're here to support you every step of the way.
In addition to constant support, we help with accountability. Each coach also acts as an accountability coach, and one of our goals while holding you accountable to your goals is to teach you how to hold yourself accountable. This ensures the changes you acquire with us will stay with you even after your plan is over. Best of all, no matter which weight loss plan you choose, accountability will be a part of it.
How to Find a Weight Loss Coach: 4 Key Factors
Researching the online weight loss coach is paramount to finding the right coach who will help you achieve your ideal number on the scale. But do you know exactly how to find a weight loss coach?
Below, we will share what questions you can ask the coach you choose to understand whether the person has the necessary knowledge, skills, and qualifications to help you achieve your weight goals and keep it long-term.
Education, Qualifications, and Experience
When it comes to making a decision about who to hire for online personal coaching, be sure that the coach that you choose is:
🎓Educated
🎓Has the proper certifications
🎓Has relevant experience to help you reach your goals
Like I mentioned earlier, anyone can call themselves an online coach. Here are some questions you can ask to ensure the coach you choose is properly educated:
âť“Does the coach have a college degree in their zone of expertise?
âť“Do they have current certifications from certified agencies in their zone of expertise?
âť“Do your own research - are these institutions trusted by others?
âť“Does the coach participate in any continuing education seminars or courses? If so, how often?
In addition to learning about a coach's education, it’s important to learn about the coach's experience in terms of helping clients achieve their goals.
Some of the best coaches have advanced degrees from highly respected institutions, but if they can’t connect with clients and help trailblaze through roadblocks to achieve their goals, they probably aren’t the best choice for you.
Here are some questions you can ask a potential coach to learn more about their experience:
âť“Does the coach have experience helping clients whose lives may be similar to yours get results?
âť“How long have they been coaching?
âť“Does the coach have testimonials from previous clients to share?
Personalized Approach
Does the coach tailor their program to your specific preferences, needs, and life? Or does the coach offer a one-size-fits-all approach?
The best health coaches for weight loss will create a customized program based on your body, your goals, and your life. Generic, one-size-fits-all programs don’t tend to work long-term for most people.
Here are some questions you can ask a potential coach to learn more about whether their program is more customized or more generic:
âť“How does your program take my own personal needs and goals into account?
❓Do you make adjustments to my own program depending on the results that I’m achieving?
âť“Can you share a bit about the experiences that you have working with clients with different backgrounds?
Program Details and Methods
You know yourself best, and chances are that you know what you need in order to be successful in losing weight. If you’re someone who hates logging calories, then a program that requires you to log all of your food in a tracking app might not be the best fit for you.
In a similar way, if you’re someone who hates using apps and text messaging, then an accountability coach online may not be the right fit for you. Be honest with yourself about what you feel you need to be best successful on your weight loss journey.
Another consideration to keep in mind is the methodology that the coaching program utilizes. Be sure to choose a coach who relies on scientifically proven strategies, instead of one who promotes fad diets, crazy supplements, or quick-fix gimmicks.
🔎Don’t be afraid to get curious – you deserve to understand the methodologies and research behind all online personal coaching practices.
Online Coaching Styles and Personalities
One last thing to consider before hiring a health coach who specializes in weight loss is the coach’s unique style and personality.
âť“Are your own personal values in alignment with what they offer and how the coach lives their life?
âť“Does the coach practice what they preach?
âť“Do you enjoy talking to the online weight loss coach, and do your personalities seem to mesh together?
âť“Do you like the energy the coach gives off, and does the thought of working closely with this coach and opening up about potential challenges excite you?
One piece of advice to keep in mind – whichever personal weight loss coach you choose to work with, I guarantee that they can’t read your mind. Commit to being honest with your coach and sharing feedback with them that might help you be more successful.
For example, if you are a person who needs some tough love to be successful, share that with your coach! Or, on the flip side, if you’re someone who is very self-critical and you tend to quickly beat yourself up, share this with your coach so that they can provide a bit more love and compassion on your journey.
As I’ve already mentioned numerous times, YOU know yourself better than anyone else. Be honest with your coach about the type of authentic support that you need to be best successful.
Wrapping Up
When you put all of these factors together, the best online weight loss coaching program is the one that’s going to help you reach your goals and learn how to sustain those goals, long-term.
With Strong with Sarah, you can opt for a fully remote plan and work with a dedicated weight loss and accountability coach. Together, we'll create a personalized strategy to guide your food and lifestyle choices, keeping you on track every step of the way. Our focus isn’t on quick fixes, but on helping you achieve a body you feel confident in while maintaining sustainable results for the long term.
