Weight Loss Expert Issues Media Challenge

Nationally-known weight loss coach Pat Barone has issued a challenge to all media: instead of glorifying quick fixes and size 0s, dare to address the challenge of permanent weight loss. The expert, known as "America's Weight Loss Catalyst", specializes in permanent weight loss and says most January headlines and stories are unrealistic and unhelpful in the public's quest to change a vital component of their health. January is the time when most Americans adopt radical "resolutions" to change some aspect of their lives.

Madison, WI (PRWEB) January 2, 2008 -- Nationally-known weight loss coach Pat Barone has issued a challenge to all media: instead of glorifying quick fixes and size 0s, dare to address the challenge of permanent weight loss.

Unfortunately, the message the public often receives from the media is that fat is a condition which can be quickly reversed with a simple diet.

"January is the time when America turns its collective mindset towards weight loss," Barone said from her office in Madison, Wisconsin. "Unfortunately, the message the public often receives from the media is that fat is a condition which can be quickly reversed with a simple diet."

"Industry experts have known for years that diets simply don't work long term. Perpetuating the lie of the diet is irresponsible at best, and at its worst, is actually harmful to the public," she adds.

Barone, who lost over 70 pounds over 7 years ago, gauges permanent weight loss by the medical definition: weight which is lost and does not return for over 5 years. She is now a certified life coach specializing in weight loss with an international clientele and her own system called the "Catalyst Weight Loss System" (http://www.patbarone.com/WeightLossExpert.htm).

Rather than rely on restrictive diets and food fads, Barone's system achieves long-term weight loss by effecting change in four complimentary components: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

"The physical - what you eat and how you move - is only one quarter of the solution. How a person thinks is a fundamental component of whether changed weight will become permanent. For example, no diet in the world will work for someone who has been conditioned to think negatively about herself or who doesn't believe he deserves to be thin."

Life coaching proved the key for Barone, who is also a certified personal trainer and certified weight management consultant. "When I added the component of life coaching to my work with clients, their success rates soared. Because coaching works between the ears, it gets to core issues that diet and exercise alone cannot reach."

Taking a holistic approach to weight loss, creating healthier habits, and examining the reasons behind weight gain has led to permanent weight loss for 65% of Barone's coaching clients. Compare that to the 1-3% success rate of traditional diets (http://www.patbarone.com/Catalystweightloss.htm).

Barone's Challenge:

Americans crave quick fixes and magic potions. Avoid highlighting fad diets that focus on deprivation (and often actually lead to long-term weight gain) and instead focus on permanent weight loss in 2008. Resist the temptation to run headlines and teases that promise unrealistic results brought by potentially harmful practices. Instead, offer your readers, listeners, and viewers the potential for healthy, long-term change.

"The media has the power to create trends," Barone said. "Concentrating on permanent weight loss and lifestyle alteration would honestly educate the public and help illuminate the path to meaningful change."

Pat Barone, CPCC, PCC, is a trainer and professional life coach who works with individuals and corporations seeking healthier, more productive lives. Through her company, Catalyst Coaching® LLC, she coaches an international clientele as well as conducting seminars and training on the various aspects of permanent weight loss. She is the author of the "Win the Food Fight!"(TM) CD series (http://www.patbarone.com/WintheFoodFight.htm) and a memoir to be published in 2008. She is credentialed through the International Coach Federation, the highest credential available to coaches.

Contact: Pat Barone, Catalyst Coaching® LLC
Phone: 608-772-5904
For more information, visit www.patbarone.com.

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