Mindset Weight Loss Transformation: How I Found Sustainable Success

My Weight Loss Journey: The Moment That Still Haunts Me

“How does it look?”

I groaned. It didn’t fit… like at all. How did I grab the wrong size?

My heart sank when I checked the tag… 3X.

There was NO way I was opening the door to the fitting room. No one else needed to see this humiliation. There were no larger sizes in this store – or most stores for that matter. Soon, I would be forced to shop online exclusively because no stores would carry clothes large enough for me.

“Uh, the color didn’t look as good as I thought it would, and the sleeves are weird. Let’s go back to the shoe store!” Lie and deflect, my preferred way to redirect attention away from me.

Breaking Free from the Weight of Shame

That was many years ago, but the double-whammy of embarrassment and self-loathing still pinch a bit.

It doesn’t matter that I am no longer that girl. It doesn’t matter that I’ve lost weight. It doesn’t matter that I figured out my obesity was NOT my fault.

It was NOT my moral failing. It was NOT because I lacked self-control. It was NOT because I cheated too often. It was NOT because I didn’t know how to lose weight. It was NOT because I was a failure or not worthy or too much or just not strong enough.

Life After Bariatric Surgery: Why the Tool Wasn’t Enough

But oddly, it wasn’t bariatric surgery that fixed it. In fact, the surgery guarantees nothing, since stomachs stretch out and the tool can lose its effectiveness.

Two years after my surgery, life hit hard. By the time I was beginning to find my equilibrium, life hit harder a second time. I coped with messy life the best way I knew how—with the food that had comforted me for so long.

As I felt helpless watching the scale creep upwards, I panicked and reached out for help. It took time. Life had to calm down some and return to a more balanced state. I had to face some hard truths—about myself, what I did in my own head, and how I was coping on the outside.

Mindset Transformation for Weight Loss: The Missing Piece

I discovered that I didn’t have to listen to the vicious voice in my head that constantly belittled me. I found my value and voice. I changed my inner dialogue. This emotional and cognitive response altered how I thought and behaved. I changed how I coped and responded to stress. Soon, my attitude and waistline changed.

It wasn’t some severe diet or intense exercise program. It was healthier choices, moderate exercise, and plenty of new messages for my brain and soul. It seemed like the weight dropped far more easily than when I was eating far less and working out far more. This sustainable lifestyle change made such a difference.

It felt easier on the whole because I was not battling myself at every turn. Instead of trying to change all my behaviors by changing my habits, I changed my motivation, mindset, passion, and purpose. Since I wasn’t battling my own inner demons, I had space to examine how I was choosing to eat. It was a personal breakthrough with how I could manage my weight successfully long-term.

Sustainable Weight Management: How I Changed My Relationship With Food

Now, I eat like a pretty normal person. I wear average-sized clothes. My numbers are ones that my doctor and I agree are good for me. That’s what matters. My health transformation is one that provides me with freedom from emotional eating and the binge-restrict cycle that trapped me for so long. The longer I practice this psychologically balanced approach to weight management, the easier it becomes to make healthier choices.

Healthy Living Balance: What Success Looks Like Today

I think my experience is one that many others can follow. I think that correcting our mindset is just as important, if not more so, than adjusting our food and exercise. Lasting weight loss transformation is dependent on our mental and emotional connection to food, our bodies, and how we choose to cope.

That’s why I built Powerful-You. I love that now I can share with others how much easier it can be with a realistic way to prepare meals, include valuable exercise, and train your brain to support your progress. Long-term weight management success includes small shifts that compound to make huge differences over time. Making those changes can be a daunting process, so it is helpful to have support, encouragement, and accountability. Part of the program includes the valuable weight loss community.

It is why I crafted Powerful-You Club, a weight loss community to provide the support and accountability that many of us need for the duration. The community is available 24/7 and we meet virtually weekly to share our struggles, triumphs, hints, and secrets to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Weight loss transformation is a journey, not a sprint. But it is a journey worth taking.

Join me on the journey because together we will transform our lives.