Meet the Weight Loss Expert: Michael Shoeman

Sure, Nutrisystem Weight Loss Coach Michael Shoeman wants to help you lose weight. But that’s not all he’s here for. This weight loss expert wants to help change your whole life for the better. Read on for his upbeat Q&A, then be sure to tune in to our Facebook Live Event on June 30th at 7 p.m., when Michael will be chatting about how to set realistic goals, celebrate successes and more!

1. Have you or anyone in your family ever struggled with your weight? If so, how has that experience shaped your approach to coaching?
I’ve been mindful of my diet and activity my entire life but once I hit my thirties (and now that I’m in my forties), I realized that the things I did back in my twenties were not working anymore. This really hit home when I discovered I had put on an extra 30 pounds! I had to reexamine what I was doing and change my thinking. I did drop those extra 30 pounds with Nutrisystem’s help and exercise.

This has shaped my approach to coaching because it’s helped me to see that there is no “cookie-cutter” method to weight loss–there are many factors that should be considered in order to find your own personal workable solutions like age, activity level, a willingness to try new things, as well as your beliefs and attitude.

2. What is one thing you wished every customer knew?
Weight loss results are intended be permanent. Also I’d like our customers to remember that nobody ever truly succeeds completely alone. Nobody has ALL of the answers, but if you are actively seeking support you can discover the answers that will work for you. If you are struggling with losing weight, usually it’s indicative of a gap in one of two areas: Motivation or knowledge. Nutrisystem has a Weight Loss Coaching team to help you master both. Have faith in your own wisdom, consider new information, take into account the information which worked for others… and then make it work for you!

3. How do you survive holidays/birthdays/celebrations healthy-style?
Holidays, birthdays and celebrations are rare occasions, not everyday life! Your weight loss success depends on how faithful and consistent you are with your plan and if, for the most part, you stay on track, you can enjoy these rare occasions off.

I guess you could say that I “survive” the holidays and such occasions thinking of these days as rewards for maintaining consistency with healthy life choices. You can be very successful having a monthly record of 30-1 instead of always being 31-0!

4. What would you say to someone who is convinced they’ll never lose that weight or get healthier?
First of all, yes, you can because you’re intelligent, caring, accountable, [insert your own honest observation about your positive qualities here]. But it doesn’t matter if a guy on the phone in Pennsylvania tells you that unless you can begin to believe it on your own!

Before anything can happen, you first have to convince yourself you can lose the weight and get healthier. The magic is in you! There is no magic food or magic program (though Nutrisystem can give you a great advantage!). As a coach, I like to support customers by helping them build a strong case for why they can do this. Where thoughts flow, actions and results follow.

5. How do you turn around a bad day?
I have personal methods of changing my focus, which help improve the day. These little strategies generally involve journaling and counting my blessings. I like to think of a day more as a story… a personal creation I am authoring, rather than just being a character reacting to a string of “bad” or “negative” events. I enjoy journaling because it allows me to take a step back. I can reflect on what has happened during the “bad” day and take responsibility for what might be described as a downward spiral. I find this empowering and it gives me the space to make different choices. Normally this will turn a bad day around for me.

6. Why did you choose to be a Weight Loss Coach?
It was a natural fit based on my background and interest in coaching, fitness and creating motivational life strategies. I’ve always had a passion for fitness, and an interest in the role diet plays in being able to feel and perform. As a coach, I also see how attitude makes all of the difference. My work as a coach has allowed me to combine this background in coaching, fitness and nutrition to make my work fun. I’ve become a coach because most of the time it’s enjoyable for me!

7. What’s the one best tip you give someone when coaching?
Why only 1? Here are my top 3:

1. Win for today. Success is an all-time thing, not what you will experience only when you lose 50 pounds some weeks or months from now. Focus on the choices presented to you at this moment.
2. Open a line of communication with the coaching team. If after a week something seems off, we’ll help you steer the ship back on course. Don’t wait three or four months before letting us know something is not working.
3. Learn to see your weight as more than just a number or measurement. Commit to finding what would be truly enjoyable about reaching your goal weight. How would the quality of your life improve? What opportunities would open up for you by achieving this goal? If you can find the answers to these questions, answers which light you up inside, then you’ve stumbled upon more than enough leverage for achieving lifelong results.

8. Can you tell us about a time when you helped someone through your job and it impacted your life?
There are those moments that happen, where the person I’m speaking with realizes this is more than just a job for me. I truly enjoy helping others change their own lives through encouraging a sense of self-empowerment. Losing weight is like a symptom of the decision to change your life. Every now and then, the person I’m speaking with realizes what my true motivation is and that’s when my life is impacted just as much as the person I’m coaching.

It’s through these kinds of conversations that a life is changed. I’m able to sleep that night knowing this conversation made a difference. Those are moments of mutual respect and always leave an impact.

9. What is the most popular question you get?
“Can I have alcohol on the program?” No, seriously. I answer this one probably more than any other question! It’s as if the very act of going on a diet makes people assume they’re going to need a drink!

10. What’s your favorite Nutrisystem entrée?
Red Velvet Whoopee Pie.

11. How do you fit exercise into your day?
I make the time either by rising early or staying up late if needed. For me it’s not a question of “How?” because fitness has been a daily habit for me and has been for over 20 years. It’s more a question of “Why?” I fit exercise into my day. When I don’t get the endorphin “hit” of a good workout, I crave it until I’m able to satisfy the need. Most people would say that’s a fortunate addiction to have. However, it’s not a habit that happened by accident. I think this was made possible by finding a way to really enjoy exercise. If you find exercise that you really like, you will MAKE time and want to do it. And I think that is something you can train yourself to do!

12. What’s a great day at work look like for you?
Answering these questions and presenting a live online chat!

13. When you cheat, what do you choose?
I love cheeseburgers! And pizza and cookies and..

14. What are your favorite SmartCarbs?
Oranges, raspberries and tortilla chips. (Not all at the same time!).

15. Share your favorite quote with us?
“Circumstances do not define you. They reveal you.”

Here’s a bonus poem from Bruce Lee:
“The doubters said, “Man can not fly,
The doers said, “Maybe, but we’ll try,
And finally soared
In the morning glow
While non-believes
Watched from below.”