5 Mindset Shifts That Make Weight Loss Finally Stick

Listen Now:

(If player is taking a while to load, just refresh the page.)

Stay on track with eating habits and weight loss – Subscribe to the Show!

Next Steps: Take Control of Your Eating Habits

Imagine the freedom and peace of overcoming emotional eating, overeating, and mindless eating… so you can achieve lasting weight loss.

Ready to break free for good?

Together, we’ll create a personalized pathway that works for you. Bringing clarity, relief, and encouragement. Click the button to start.

More Episodes for Lasting Weight Loss:

• 🎙️ Build a Lifelong Relationship with Healthy Weight Loss: 5 Key Actions for Success
• 🎙️ From Summer Fling to Lifelong Love: Mindset Shift to Make Weight Loss Easier

Enjoying the Show?

Help others discover the podcast by leaving a quick rating or review! It makes a huge difference.

• Rate/review on Apple (iTunes) HERE
• Rate on Spotify HERE

Know someone who’d benefit?
📩 Send them this episode link!

Read the Episode Transcript:

5 Mindset Shifts That Make Weight Loss Finally Stick

If losing weight was just about eating less and moving more…
Google would’ve solved it by now.
But here you are, smart, capable, driven…and still wrestling with the same patterns:
The overeating after a stressful day…
The all-or-nothing cycles…
The ‘Why can’t I just stick with it?’ moments that leave you feeling like the problem must be you.
But it’s not you. It’s the mindset you’ve formed due to several factors. The mindset that tells you to be stricter instead of smarter.
In today’s episode, I’m walking you through the mindset shifts that actually lead to lasting weight loss… the kind that feels peaceful, not punishing.
So if you’re tired of white-knuckling your way through Mondays and spiraling by Friday…
You’re in the right place. And this one’s for you.

Welcome to the Eating Habits for Life podcast. I’m your host, Kate Johnston, Eating Habits and Weight Loss Coach.

Changing your eating habits and losing weight for life is not just about the food or the plan. It is about what drives your decisions, and that always starts with your thoughts.

Most people try to muscle their way through change using willpower, without realizing that their thinking is quietly creating the emotions that drive self-sabotage.

When we shift our thoughts, even slightly, we begin to change how we feel. And when we change how we feel, we take better action. This is not magic. It is mindset.

This is one of the most powerful tools I use with my clients. And today, I am walking you through five of the most impactful mindset shifts I help them make. The ones that turn short-term wins into true, lasting transformation.

And listen, these aren’t just Pinterest quotes or “you got this” fluff. These are real, intentional thought upgrades that change your emotional state, which is what actually changes your behavior.

And just a heads-up… Thought Shift 4 and Thought Shift 5 are especially powerful. Honestly, they can be life-changing. #4 was for me. So I hope you stay with me through the end.

Let’s dive in.

Mindset Shift #1: “The scale isn’t moving…”

You have been eating more mindfully. You are pausing before snacks, saying no to treats you don’t truly want, and even making it to that workout class after work.

You feel like you are finally doing the right things. But then you step on the scale and nothing has changed. Immediately, the thought comes in: “Why am I even trying?”

You feel frustrated and discouraged. You lose motivation and start slipping back into old habits because it feels like the effort is not worth it.

But what if you thought this instead: “My body is changing in ways that the scale cannot show. Consistency always leads to results, even if I cannot see them yet.”

Now you feel patient and hopeful. You remind yourself of other wins… fewer cravings, more energy, feeling proud of your new habits and who you’ve become in the process.

And you keep going. Because real transformation takes time, and you are in it for the long term.

Mindset Shift #2: “I already ,messed up today…”

It’s Thursday night. Work was insane, you skipped lunch, and dinner turned into a drive-thru detour and two glasses of wine.

You tell yourself “well, I blew it,” like one imperfect moment erased all the good you’ve done.

You feel defeated. You spiral further that night and eat a pint of ice cream, and go to bed frustrated with yourself.

Then maybe even punish yourself the next day by telling yourself you can’t have anything besides a salad.

Instead, imagine thinking this: “One moment does not define the entire day. I can make a supportive choice right now.”

Now you feel empowered. You take a deep breath, acknowledge the moment without judgment, and later if you’re hungry, you choose some fruit and nuts.

Not because you are trying to fix the “mess-up,” but because you want to care for your body. That one decision helps rebuild trust in yourself.

Mindset Shift #3: “I just need to be more disciplined…”

This one feels noble, right? Like if you could just summon that magical energy called “discipline,” everything would fall into place. But what it actually creates is pressure, self-criticism, and a perfectionistic standard no human can meet.

So you start strong… then crash hard.

But here’s the shift: “I don’t need more discipline. I need more strategy and support.”

This thought opens the door to curiosity, creativity, and believe it or not, actual results. Because now you’re asking, “What would make this easier on me?” instead of “What’s wrong with me for struggling?” And now, onto my 2 favorite mindset shifts for weight loss that finally sticks….

Mindset Shift #4: “I deserve a treat….”

Your day has been relentless. You have been pulled in every direction, decision-fatigued, and running on fumes. By the time you get home, the last thing you want to do is think about what is healthy. You go straight for the ice cream or wine and say to yourself, “I earned this.”

But a few minutes in, it does not even feel like a treat. You are not tasting it. You are numbing.

You feel entitled at first, but underneath that is exhaustion and emotional fatigue. You overeat or overdrink, not for enjoyment, but to escape the overwhelm. And afterward, you feel more disconnected than before.

Now imagine this instead: “I deserve real comfort and care, not just a sugar crash.”

You feel respected… by yourself. You pause and ask what you actually need. Maybe it’s 5 minutes of silence in nature, a 10-minute walk, lying down with your eyes closed, or even stepping outside for a deep breath.

You give yourself what you truly need. This is where the shift from self-soothing to self-care happens.

This one can truly change your relationship with food. It did for me. I stopped looking forward to food as a reward after a tough day seeing back-to-back patients and working late in the OR when I was a Physician Assistant.

Mindset Shift #5: “There’s something wrong with my body…”

You’re doing everything “right.” Eating more mindfully. Moving more. Being consistent. But your body isn’t changing the way you expected it to… or at the speed you hoped.

The frustration starts to rise. You catch your reflection and think, “What is wrong with me? Why doesn’t my body respond like everyone else’s?”

You feel defeated. Like your body is broken. Like you’re fighting against something that just doesn’t work the way it should. And that thought leads you to question the point of it all. You pull back. You stop trusting the process… and your body.

Maybe even giving up completely, which means your body now has no chance of changing the way you’d like it to change.

So try this instead: “There’s nothing wrong with my body. My body is doing its best to support me, and I can support it with patience and consistency.”

Suddenly, there’s compassion. You feel more connected to your body, instead of resentful. You stop punishing it and start caring for it, even in the in-between. You make decisions from a place of partnership instead of pressure.

And over time, that creates the safety your body needs to feel safe changing… not just physically, but emotionally too.

This thought shift helps you trade blame for trust. And that’s when things really start to change.

Final Thoughts on the Mindset Shifts That Make Weight Loss Finally Stick

These 5 mindset shifts for weight loss that finally sticks might seem small on the surface, but they are incredibly powerful. When you start thinking differently, you begin to feel differently.

And when you feel differently, you show up in ways that support your goals… even when life is busy or stressful.

This is exactly what we work on inside coaching. Not just the actions, but the thoughts and emotions too. Because that makes it a heck of a lot easier to stay consistent with the actions and have your new habits become just part of who you are.

So if you’re tired of spinning your wheels and want to start making changes that actually stick, I would love to help you do that.

You can get my help just with a free consultation – Book your free consultation here. We’ll talk about what’s not working, where you want to go, and how to get there… in a way that fits your life and your values.

You do not need to be stricter. You just need to be smarter… and a whole lot kinder, with your mindset.

You are capable. You are not broken. And you do not have to do this alone.

Until next time, be kind to yourself. You’re doing better than you think.