Are you tired of hearing “Eat less and move more” when talking about how to lose weight? Yes, those actions do matter, but they are only a small portion of what it takes for permanent weight loss and better health, especially when you’ve been attempting this change over and over with no luck. If you’re someone who is tired of starting over and you’re TIRED of being unhappy with your body or health, then read on , my new little friend, and see the 6 mental changes I made to lose my first 70 pounds.

Decide that your life matters

This is the big one. I mean, like, the BIG one. You can’t just sit there and nod and say “yeah yeah of course I matter, I’m a mom/wife/sister/employee and what would they do without me”. Nuh-uh. This isn’t about who you are to everyone else. This is about you, Sis. YOU. And how you matter, just how you are. Just where you are. Do others depend on you? Of course they do. But you are so much more than that. You, alone, are a whole damn human. A whole being. A soul with a shell wandering around this planet for a very short amount of time, trying to make sense of it all. Everyone says “the world doesn’t revolve around you”, but I disagree. It actually does. You deserve that. The happiness, freedom, and ability to live exactly how you want (within legal and moral limits, of course).

Once I decided that my life mattered, and I was more than just a mom/partner/taxi driver/appointment-maker/cook/nurse/maid/etc., it really clicked for me that I was wasting what little precious life I had left doing everything for everyone else, and nothing for myself, which leads into…

Start Prioritizing “Me time”

Do you have hobbies? What are they? Do you actually make time for them? For self-care? For ANYTHING that makes YOU happy? Or do you spend your days worrying about and taking care of everyone else but yourself? The most cliche saying ever (I swear) is that “you can’t pour from an empty cup”. But, you know, it’s overused for a reason: IT’S TRUE. If you’re unhappy, overwhelmed, constantly exhausted, or not taking care of yourself, that will start to bleed into everything else in your life. You HAVE TO start taking time for yourself. Start with 15 minutes a day. Sneak away and read a few pages of the book you’ve been working on for months. Go sit outside with a coffee and close your eyes and just listen to life buzzing around you. Take a shower when everyone else is sleeping so that you can do a FULL shower without someone banging on the door. These things MATTER. Build up to 30 minutes a day, and watch the change that happens in your mood and outlook on life.

“True self care is not salt baths and chocolate cake; it is making the choice to build a life that you don’t regularly need to escape from.” -Brianna Wiest

Quit putting everyone else’s happiness before your own

Who are you, anyways? Are you are woman who enjoys silent mornings with tea, watering your plants and petting your animal? Are you an overworked, under-appreciated woman who is dying for a change, a new start, a fresh beginning? When was the last time you ACTIVELY chose your happiness over someone else’s?

You deserve that 15 minutes of silence, staring into the clear night sky. “Babe, I’ll be inside in a minute.”
You deserve that last chewy brownie. “Sorry kids, this one is Mom’s.”
You deserve to put the kids in the car with their dad and take an hour to journal/watch TV/listen to a podcast/clean the house/whatever the hell you want. “Have fun at the park, guys! See you soon!”
BFF begging you to watch her kids so she can go out on a hot new date, but you’d planned to stay in and binge-watch a new Netflix series? “Sorry, girl, I can’t tonight.”

If you want to go eat at the Mexican restaurant, say so. If you want the floral-scented bathroom air freshener, buy that one. If you want to re-listen to your favorite song that played in the car (even if the whole family is in there), play it again. These don’t have to be big changes; they can be silly little things, but every single decision that you consciously make that is specifically FOR YOU, makes a difference. You have permission to put yourself first sometimes.

pick up new (healthy) hobbies

Ok, so now you’ve decided that you’re going to take time for yourself, so what should you do? Do NOT get paralyzed in this step, knowing that you only have a finite amount of free time, and then panic wondering what you should do with your new-found freedom, and end up wasting it all. (Hmm, can you tell I’m speaking from experience?)

If you’re used to surrounding yourself with people who have unhealthy hobbies, such as drinking heavily, constantly spending money (especially emotionally), recreational drugs, or any other activities that maybe don’t make you feel your best, it’s time to make a change. There are SO MANY THINGS you can do for your mental health that are fun, simple, and sometimes free. Here are a few options:

Buy a plant or two, or take up gardening if you’re really ambitious
Puzzles
Practice yoga
Photography
Go on walks
Look up new recipes and learn how to cook or bake
Build floral arrangements
Read
Start a blog or YouTube channel
Scrapbook
Learn a new language (Duolingo is a great free resource)
Learn to sew, crochet, cross-stitch, or knit
Watch a class on how to draw and start using different mediums
Teach yourself to play an instrument (the piano is on my to-do list!)
Diamond art
Legos
Spirituality studies
Jewelry making
Paint-by-number
Candle making

As you can see, the list is exhaustive. These are just a few examples of the many options you can do to fill your time with what will make you happy and spark creativity and growth, and opposed to getting wasted or doom-scrolling on your phone.

Do research into “health”, not “weight loss”

This one may seem a little different than what you’re used to hearing, but it’s for good reason. “Weight loss” can be achieved by many different avenues, but not all of them are healthy or sustainable. You don’t want to put in a ton of work and suffering, only for your results to not stick. What a waste of time and energy! What if, instead of searching for a quick way to drop pounds, you actually turned your whole health journey around? Instead of just focusing on “skinny”, you focused on “fit”, “strong”, “likely to prevent diseases”, “emotionally regulated”, and “mentally balanced”?

There is a way, mi amiga. I am building a course to give you ALLLLL of the knowledge I have gained not only through school and study (I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology), but also my own personal life experience (where I’ve lost 70 pounds using the EXACT techniques I will teach you). It will release in September 2024, and I would love to have you join me in creating the best version of yourself, for GOOD. No more back and forth, no more starting over, because we will get to the ROOT of the problem. Click here to be notified of when the course drops!

forgive yourself for “bad days” and move forward

You’re going to mess up; you might as well just accept it now. We ALL mess up. I still have days where I miss my walk, or I give in to food cravings and eat too much, or I don’t talk very nicely to myself and end up finding that my house is a mess and I’ve yelled at everybody because I’m in a bad headspace. You know why? Because I’m human. So are you. When you get to the point that these days are few and far between, you have succeeded! When you have more good days than bad days, you are winning! This is a constant effort, every single day, to wake up and choose yourself. You can do it, I already know you can. Now, the big task is to convince yourself to believe in you like I do! Give it your best shot every single day, because you deserve that. And if you have a bad day, don’t sweat it, bestie. You get to wake up tomorrow and try again, and I know you’re going to kill it.

-Samantha Jo ❤

6 MENTAL HEALTH CHANGES I MADE TO LOSE 70 POUNDS