Today, we’re delving deep into the realm of personal transformation with the remarkable Jodie, a successful transformation coach and graduate of the Shift Weight Mastery Process.
In part two of our exploration with successful weight shifters, we’re focusing on a pivotal moment in Jodie’s life – her powerful decision to embark on a journey of physical transformation.
Like many of us, Jodie found herself grappling with the creeping weight gain until a moment of clarity sparked a profound realization: she had the power to change her circumstances.
Join us as we uncover the nuances of Jodie’s transformative journey. From shedding 30 pounds to sculpting her body through weightlifting and exercise, Jodie’s story is a testament to the incredible potential within each of us to rewrite our narratives and shape our destinies.
So, if you’re ready to embark on your own journey of transformation, I invite you to tune in and glean wisdom from Jodie’s remarkable story. Get ready to be inspired, motivated, and empowered to make the changes you desire.
Come on in!
NEW!!! LIVE Upcoming FREE Masterclass with Rita Black
BREAKING FREE: Mastering Your Mindset for Lasting Weight Release
***With a light weight release hypnosis session.***
You’ll learn how to override subconscious self-sabotage wiring, avoid common weight loss mistakes, make crucial mental shifts, and embrace a proven 4-Part SHIFT PROCESS for long-term success.
Let this spring mark the turning point in your weight loss journey—a moment of change and renewed dedication.
Due to demand, we have multiple time options to choose from!
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
Jodie Thalheimer: Who is she and when did her struggle with weight began.
Jodie’s turning point: when did she decide to make a change for herself.
Jodie’s take on calorie tracking and how her perception changed overtime.
Links Mentioned in this Episode
If you’ve ever had that “I know what to do… so why can’t I do it?” moment, you’re not alone—and it’s not because you’re broken. The truth is, most weight struggles don’t start on your plate; they start in your mind. That’s why so many smart, motivated people can lose weight for a few weeks… and then slide right back into the cycle.
In this episode, Rita Black—clinical hypnotherapist and creator of the Shift Weight Mastery process—shares what she believes are the five top keys behind keeping 40 pounds off for 27 years after two decades of yo-yo dieting, bingeing, and feeling like her brain was “screwed up” around food.
This isn’t a “just track your macros” post. It’s the inside-out shift that helps you stop starting over.
Because the goal isn’t just weight loss. The goal is weight mastery—living in a way you love, without being owned by food, the scale, or that voice that says, “Welp, I blew it.”
Why is long-term weight loss really a life transformation—not a diet?
Long-term weight mastery works when you treat it as a life transformation, not a short-term project.
Most of us were trained by diet culture and a lifetime of “Monday resets”—to believe weight loss is an external plan you follow perfectly until the magic happens. But Rita’s core point is simple: nothing changes long-term if nothing changes internally.
That’s why the cycle keeps looping:
- Start a plan (high hope)
- Try to be perfect (high pressure)
- Eat “off track” (shame)
- Quit or “start over Monday” (repeat)
And here’s the part people don’t want to hear (but need to): maintenance is its own chapter. It’s not “lose weight and ride into the sunset.”
If you’re starting to see that maintaining weight loss is a completely different skill set, listen to Episode 78- 5 Top Keys to Maintaining a 40lb Weight Loss for 27 years, where Rita breaks down why long-term weight mastery is a life transformation—not just a phase you “finish.”
It’s a vulnerable phase where many people regain because they never built the identity and skills to stay steady when life gets real.
Rita describes her own “chapters” over 27 years:
- Plateaus while losing
- Pregnancies
- Grief and depression after losing both parents
- Medication changes
- Perimenopause/menopause shifts
- Adjusting expectations with age (even noticing she shrank an inch and adjusted her weight range)
And the question she kept returning to wasn’t “How do I get back on a diet?” It was:
“Who am I as a weight master in this situation?”
That framing changes everything because it removes the lie that there’s one finish line. Instead, you’re building a relationship with yourself that adapts through every season.
Rita calls it a hero’s journey—the kind where obstacles aren’t proof you’re failing. They’re part of the transformation.
If that sounds exhausting, here’s the twist: what exhausts you is the struggle cycle, not the skill-building journey. The freedom comes when your brain stops treating food and weight like an emergency.
How do you “own your journey” without feeling overwhelmed?
Owning your journey means you keep your power by taking 100% responsibility—without using that responsibility as a weapon against yourself.
Rita uses a phrase that hits hard:
“Be the cause, not because.”
Because it is the victim script:
- “They brought donuts into the house.”
- “We went out for pizza.”
- “I hurt my foot.”
- “My schedule is crazy.”
- “My partner isn’t supportive.”
Those things may be true. But when they become your reason, you hand away your power. And without power, you can’t build consistency.
Being the cause sounds like:
- “My foot hurts, so I’m adjusting my plan—not quitting.”
- “There are donuts here, so I’m deciding what I want my environment to be.”
- “We’re going out, so I’m choosing how I’ll navigate it.”
This is where the work gets real—because it often requires discomfort:
- Conversations with people you’ve been avoiding
- Setting boundaries you’ve never practiced
- Saying “no” without explaining your entire life story
- Facing shame instead of hiding behind perfection
Rita also points out a sneaky version of shame: when people notice you’re losing weight and you feel exposed—because they’ve seen you lose and regain before. Her reframe is powerful:
Instead of shrinking, you can say something like:
“Thank you for noticing. I’m on a journey of getting healthier and showing up for myself.”
That’s not defensive. That’s leadership.
And leadership is the point. Weight mastery is built by the version of you who can stay in the driver’s seat—even when it’s not fun, not perfect, and not Instagram-worthy.
What does it mean to build skills instead of trying to be “good”?
The mindset that sustains weight loss is skill-building—because “being good” teaches your brain nothing.
This is one of the biggest reasons people regain: they don’t know what actually worked—they only remember that they were “good.”
But “good” is vague, moralized, and fragile. One messy night and your brain says, “See? You can’t do it.”
Skills are different. Skills are specific. Skills can be practiced. Skills turn setbacks into feedback.
Rita explains it like learning anything else:
- Cooking has skills (prepping, seasoning, timing)
- Sports have skills (strategy, strength, coordination)
- Careers require ongoing education
So why do we expect weight mastery to be the one area where you should magically “arrive” and never need to learn again?
When you treat this as skill-building, you stop getting bored and you stop getting dramatic.
Because the question changes from:
“Why can’t I be good?”
to:
“What skill do I need next?”
Rita describes three buckets of skills she teaches in her process:
1) Mind Skills (your inner communication)
This is where the real shift happens—because your inner world is either building you up or sabotaging you daily.
- Turning down the Inner Critic
- Defusing the Inner Rebel
- Strengthening the Inner Coach (the part of you that plans, guides, and doesn’t panic)
2) Weight Management Skills (the practical behaviors)
These are the actions you already “know,” but likely haven’t operationalized as skills:
- Eating patterns you can sustain
- Consistent movement you don’t hate
- Planning ahead without rigidity
3) Environmental Skills (your real-life setup)
Rita calls these subtle but critical, because environment changes often trigger regain:
- Support systems
- Home food cues
- Lifestyle shifts (moves, divorce, new baby, new job)
Here’s the pain point most people recognize instantly:
You can do great in a perfect week. But you can’t maintain in real life.
Skills are how you maintain in real life.
How do you keep your power over food (especially carbs and trigger foods)?
To maintain weight loss long term, you must respect food’s power—especially your personal trigger foods—so you keep yours.
Rita’s point here is nuanced and refreshing: this isn’t “carbs are evil.” This is: your brain has wiring. And certain foods (especially refined carbs for many people) can “prime” cravings and obsession.
She describes it using a comparison from smoking cessation:
- With nicotine, there’s a “monster” that gets fed, and when you stop feeding it, it goes dormant.
- With sugar/refined carbs, it’s more subtle and more individualized—but the same concept applies.
When certain foods are in play, many people experience:
- Thinking about food constantly
- Feeling hungry even after eating
- Wanting “more” even when physically full
- A dopamine-driven pull that feels bigger than willpower
Rita calls it the “carb zombie.”
And the key isn’t white-knuckling. The key is becoming “carb savvy”—learning what foods give you power vs. take your power.
What does “power over food” look like in real life?
It looks like being able to say no without drama:
- Not because you’re deprived
- Not because you’re punishing yourself
- But because you know the cost of that food, for your brain
Rita’s logic is blunt and relatable:
“If I eat that food, it will hijack my brain tomorrow.”
That’s not a restriction. That’s self-leadership.
A practical way to start (from the transcript)
Rita suggests a simple awareness practice:
When you eat a certain food, ask:
- How do I feel one hour later?
- Am I tweaked three hours later?
- Am I thinking about food more?
- Do I want more carbs tomorrow?
This turns your body into data—not drama. And it keeps you from outsourcing your brain to whatever diet is trending.
She also shares general guidelines that can help many people (while noting it’s individualized):
- Prioritizing enough protein (she mentions 50g+ per day as helpful)
- Many people benefit from reducing carbs (she references below ~150g for some, potentially lower depending on health/exercise)
But the deepest takeaway is this:
Your long-term plan must be a way of eating you love that allows you to live at your ideal weight.
Not a plan you “survive.” A plan you live.
How do you make your weight journey give you life instead of stealing it?
Your weight journey becomes sustainable when you understand it gives you life—because it builds confidence, freedom, and identity.
This is the “why” that keeps you going when the scale is boring, and the honeymoon phase ends.
Rita says something that flips the whole story:
“My weight journey doesn’t take away from my life. It gives me my life.”
If weight work feels like punishment, you’ll eventually rebel. If it feels like a rescue mission, you’ll keep returning to it.
Because what you’re really trying to lose isn’t pounds—it’s the mental prison:
- Constant food chatter
- Scale obsession
- Shame spirals
- Feeling powerless around cravings
- Beating yourself up after any risk or mistake
Rita makes a sharp point about fear that goes beyond weight:
We avoid risks in life not because of the risk…
But because we fear the inner voice that will attack us afterward.
When your Inner Coach becomes your default voice, you become “fearless” in more than food:
- You try again without shame
- You recover faster
- You stop hiding
- You build self-trust
And self-trust is what keeps weight off for decades—not motivation.
Rita’s message is clear:
You can have weight mastery.
And the door out of the struggle isn’t outside you. It’s inside you.
FAQ: Maintaining Weight Loss Long Term
1) Why do I keep losing weight and gaining it back?
Because most approaches change your food temporarily, not your mindset, identity, and skills—so nothing internal becomes stable.
2) What’s the biggest mindset shift for long-term weight loss?
Treat it as a transformation journey with chapters (including maintenance), not a short-term sprint where perfection is required.
3) How do I stop “starting over Monday”?
Replace the “be good” mindset with a “build skills” mindset. Skills create consistency; perfection creates shame.
4) What does “be the cause, not because” actually mean?
It means you stop using circumstances as your reason to quit, and instead ask: “What’s my next best move from here?”
5) Do I have to cut carbs to maintain weight loss?
Not necessarily. Rita’s framework is individualized: learn your trigger foods and the carb level that keeps you feeling stable and empowered.
6) What are “trigger foods”?
Foods that reliably lead to loss of control—where “a little” quickly becomes “the whole bag/carton,” and cravings intensify afterward.
7) How do I make weight loss feel less miserable?
Stop framing it as deprivation and start framing it as self-leadership. The goal is freedom—not punishment.
Conclusion: The 5 Keys in One Breath
If you want the kind of weight loss that lasts—not just weeks, but years—Rita’s five keys point to one theme:
Stop trying to manage food from the outside in. Learn to lead yourself from the inside out.
- It’s a transformation journey, not a quick fix.
- Own your path so you keep your power.
- Build skills instead of chasing “good.”
- Respect food’s power so you keep yours.
- Let the journey give you life—not steal it.
If you found this episode helpful, you might also enjoy these related Thin Thinking episodes: