I shopped with my “clothes with Cristy” VIP client one day this week to ensure she found clothes she looked AND felt great in.

While she was trying on the clothes I picked out for her, I decided to grab a couple items that were on sale for 70% off.

I took them to the register to pay, and the checker – a man my age or older – said, “Can I get your email address?”

“No, I’m okay,” I replied.

“We don’t spam you. We don’t send anything marketing to you.”

“No, I’m good.”

“No, we really don’t,” he continued. “It’s just so we can email you the receipt from your purchase.”

“No, that’s all right, I’ll just take the regular receipt.”

“But you’ll have a paper receipt, and you’ll have to hold onto a paper receipt.”

I stared at him, wondering if he was serious…

Because this guy, like me, grew up when the internet wasn’t a thing yet.

Paper receipts were your ONLY option, and he knew it as well as I did.

So why was he talking to me like I’d never made a purchase that included a paper receipt?

“Oh, I’m very well aware of the process,” I replied. “I’m forty-nine years old, and I’ve shopped a lot in my life. I know how paper receipts work, and I would like one. I do not want to give you my email.”

“But this way is much easier,” he persisted.

“No, it’s not. I want the paper receipt.”

He finally relented and handed me a paper receipt. (Sheesh!)

The way he talked to me, like I wasn’t well aware of how paper receipts work, reminded me of the way people who’ve been around the block with their weight loss are well aware of why they’re still fat.

It’s true, some people aren’t really sure why they can’t lose weight.

Or they THINK they know, but they don’t.

But there are also PLENTY of people who know exactly why.

They eat too much in general.

They eat too much of the foods that cause weight gain.

Their hormones are completely out of whack.

They’re drowning in the stress swamp.

Whatever it is, they know what’s doing it. They’re not idiots.

Yet they can’t seem to get it together.

And one of the top reasons why is this:

They keep thinking that because they know what to do, they “should” be able to do it “all on their own.”

Well, if that’s you, I’ve got news for you:

Going it alone doesn’t work.

If it did work, people who isolate and disconnect wouldn’t gain their weight back after “being so successful.”

Your old ways are too strong. They won’t be forever, but they are for now, because they’ve been repeated for decades. Their neural pathways in your brain run DEEP.

And a few weeks (or months) of eating differently doesn’t make the new pathways deep enough to offset the old ones.

To be clear, it’s a great START and it works.

But without community and support, it’s not enough by itself. Not for the long-term.

So instead of running around and around that same “I should be able to do it all on my own” mountain, here’s what you do instead:

– flush pride and ego down the toilet

– push the “rock of shame” off your back

– get into (or back into) connection with the Code Red community

Bottom line: If you’re struggling, you need MORE connection, not less.

I speak from experience when I tell you that disconnection and isolation all but guarantee weight regain.

So get connected.

STAY connected.

The part of you that wants to hide is trying to protect you from rejection and discomfort.

And in so doing, it’s keeping you sick, fat, and trapped in your secret shame.

Step back into the light