The Mental Weight Trap: How Much Time & Energy Are You Wasting?

Let's talk about something so many of us experience but rarely stop to notice: the amount of time, energy, and brainpower we're wasting when we're spinning in our minds about our health and weight.

If there's one thing everyone can relate to, it's how busy life already is and how much competes for our time, attention, and energy. Life is so full. We've got work, kids (whether little ones or grown adults), maybe aging parents, volunteer commitments, plus all the daily tasks that keep homes running. Bills, errands, cleaning. Life feels overwhelming at times.

Then on top of all that, we think: "And now I have to worry about my health and weight? Who has time for exercise? Meal prep? Cooking healthy meals? Making healthy choices sometimes feels impossible when you're already emotionally and physically drained."

I hear it all the time. But I want to share a perspective that might shift this for you.

All that thinking, worrying, obsessing, and ruminating about your weight, body, and food is actually costing you time and energy every single day.

The Tick Mark Exercise

Let me prove it to you with a simple exercise. Tomorrow (or whatever day you choose), carry around a piece of paper or use your phone. Every time you catch yourself thinking about your weight, food, your body, envying someone else who looks like they have it easier, wishing you looked like someone, or feeling guilt about food or weight, make a tick mark.

Here are some examples:

• "I shouldn't be hungry right now. I just ate two hours ago."

• "I ate the wrong thing."

• "I feel my belly roll over my pants. That's so uncomfortable."

• "I wonder what other people think about my weight."

• "I wonder if she thinks I'm fat."

• "I wish I looked like her."

• "Why can't I stop eating at night? I did it again."

• "I'll never be able to lose this weight."

• "How did my scale go up already?"

• "I shouldn't have eaten that dessert."

• "This is so hard. I'm so weak for letting this control me."

These are just examples, so please add your own. These are common thoughts when we're battling weight, food noise, and our bodies. Just a little tick mark on paper.

Why This Matters

The reason for this exercise is to show you how much time, energy, and mind space you're spending every single day on these thoughts.

Every one of those thoughts creates what I call disempowering emotions: shame, envy, regret, self-judgment, frustration, even hopelessness. These emotions don't give us energy or move us toward our goals. They drain energy.

When we operate from these feelings, we either take actions that oppose our goals (hitting the pantry for cookies or ice cream to feel better) or sit in inaction because we're exhausted from these thoughts and feelings.

That's what keeps us stuck.

When you add up those tick marks at the end of the day, you might be shocked at how much valuable energy is being spent on thinking, wishing, or worrying instead of taking action.

The Hidden Cost

All those things you're avoiding because you're too tired, busy, overwhelmed, or filled with guilt - things like exercising, prepping meals, taking care of yourself, anything that actually moves the needle toward health goals - you're avoiding them because of disempowering emotions.

Food obsession and body shaming is stealing hours of your life every day.

Think about this: How many evenings have you spent ruminating after overeating at dinner, snacking late at night, or overindulging in dessert? Feeling guilty, then thinking "What am I going to do tomorrow? I'll make sure I don't do it tomorrow," only to repeat the cycle?

How many hours are drained from this constant start over, fail, start over, fail loop? It's exhausting. No wonder we feel wiped out every day.

The Time You'll Gain Back

Right now you might be in this energy-sucking space thinking that committing to change will take time and energy. That's true. But what I want you to see is that it actually adds time back.

Look at all the time you're wasting from those tick marks, then think about all the time you could reclaim if you didn't waste mental space and energy on those thoughts and feelings.

You'd have freedom from mental noise. More space for family, friends, hobbies, home. Wouldn't you rather use your energy on things that truly matter?

When I was at my heaviest, if I'd done the tick mark exercise, my sheet would have had hundreds of ticks in a day. Every meal decision, every time I got dressed or changed, every thought about what to eat or how clothes fit, what my kids wanted for dinner, every time I resisted or overindulged in dessert. Endless.

Don't Wait for the "Perfect" Time

Maybe you're thinking, "The holidays are coming. When is the perfect time to commit?" Maybe you're thinking first of the year, after Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, all of December.

Here's what I want to share: change is always scary, always uncomfortable, and it always feels like you don't have time. That's why we push it off repeatedly.

But remember what's on the other side: more time, less distraction, less preoccupation with food and your body, a healthier outlook, and freedom.

Have you heard the saying "if you want something done, give it to a busy person"? Busy people manage time better and actually get more done. Being busy isn't the problem. It's a focus problem. When your focus is stuck in food chatter and body shame, that's energy and soul sucking.

Don't wait until after the holidays. Start now. The best time to start was years ago. The second best time is right now.

Real Breakthroughs

Recently I had a call with long-standing members of the Wellness Mastery Society at different stages in their health journeys. A few shared real breakthroughs. What I loved was that yes, they lost significant weight, but they mentioned it almost as an afterthought.

More importantly, they talked about freedom from drama, self-doubt, and low self-esteem. Freedom from what I call the mental weight. They all say the same thing: it's been a journey, but it's so worth it because this work gives back your most valuable resource - your time and energy.

5 Ways to Start Shifting Now

1. Start the Tick Mark Exercise

Take out paper or use your phone. Put a tick mark every time you have thoughts about your weight, clothing fit, food, anything related to your weight struggle. Do not judge yourself. Be okay with where you are. Acknowledge this is your default. No ruminating, no judgment, just acceptance and self-compassion. This is awareness, not an opportunity to beat yourself up.

You might say to yourself: "I'm so sorry that I've spent so much time letting this control our life, but I'm going to take better care of you from now on. It will take time and practice. Change doesn't happen overnight, but I love you and I'm working on it."

2. Make a List of What You Want to Focus On

Now that you see all that wasted time and energy, what do you want to use your valuable mind space for? What brings you joy? What's your purpose? What do you want to grow and learn? Maybe listen to audiobooks, learn a new language, allow creative ideas to flow, spend more time thinking about family, plan a vacation, make your bucket list. Giving your mind something else to focus on is super important.

3. Give Yourself Permission to Feel

Acknowledge that change is uncomfortable. Maybe there's fear that comes with change. These emotions are signals, not obstacles. Feeling them fully allows them to move through you instead of keeping you stuck. You don't have to act on them. They don't have to control your day. But feel them without judgment.

4. Do a Brain Dump

After tracking tick marks, you'll realize you have many unconscious thoughts running in the background. Write down all the energy-draining thoughts and chatter about food and weight. When we get it on paper, we see why these thoughts are so draining and their impact on our energy and mental space.

Carl Jung said, "Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." This brain dump helps make the unconscious conscious. One woman I spoke with said she could have gotten a PhD with all the brain power she wasted on her weight struggles.

5. Ask for Help

Learning to change thought patterns and rewire your brain is a skill requiring practice. Coaching, accountability, and guidance can help you make changes faster and more effectively than doing it alone. Yes, it takes work, an open mind, and time. But it's so worth it.

You can't read a label from inside the jar. Coaching helps you see what you can't see yourself. If you're brave enough to get help and be vulnerable, that's one of the best ways to see unconscious patterns and make them conscious.

Reclaim Your Life

The mental energy and time you're spending obsessing over your weight doesn't have to be wasted. You can reclaim it. When you do, you'll finally have room for what matters most.

The second best time to start is right now. Stop wasting your valuable energy and time. Start reclaiming your life.

Ready to break free from the mental weight trap? Listen to the full episode of Wellness Mastery with Jen Hoyer for more insights on reclaiming your time and energy from food obsession.

Listen to Episode 36: The Mental Weight Trap