Beating the “All-or-nothing”  Mindset

"I need to cut out sweets/alcohol/carbs completely."

"I’m giving up this weekend, I’ll start again Monday."

"I had a donut for breakfast and it ruined my whole day."

Any of these statements sound familiar?

The all-or-nothing mindset can be easy to get caught up in and can very easily destroy our motivation and confidence.

We convince ourselves that the only way to be successful is to do as much as possible as perfectly as possible. But inevitably we aren’t able to sustain it, or burn out and end up feeling defeated.

Sometimes the hardest part of changing your lifestyle isn’t changing eating habits or exercising more - it could be battling the negative voices in your head. Changing your mindset and attitude from a negative outlook to a positive one is an important part of weight loss success - and will be key to keeping the weight off for the long term.

Here's something to try: what if each CHOICE is a separate entity, rather than each DAY? Eating one not-so-ideal meal stands apart from future meals and missing one workout doesn’t change the plans for the next one, etc.

When it comes to getting back on track after falling off for a while, it’s best not to dive in all at once. Set smaller realistic goals for yourself, not only to keep you motivated, but to prevent burn out! Instead of going to the gym everyday after not going for a year, set a simpler goal you know can achieve 100%. Even if it’s a walk for 10 minutes a day. Set a goal that is realistic for you so you can easily crush it and keep moving forward! Small progress is still progress! 💪

Same can be done with food. Instead of completely cutting all the “bad” food out, think about one positive habit you can do that day. Then try it for 3 days, or 5 days, or a week! Keep setting small goals until you have that habit down for good!

And remember, ALL foods can fit into a healthy lifestyle. It’s a matter of finding the balance between what you love and what nourishes you 🍕🥦🥗🍗

Slip-ups can be like a fork in the road. Although we’re not able to change the slip-up that happened, we are able to choose the direction in which we go. On one hand, we can approach the situation with an all-or-nothing mentality (we already “failed” so there’s nothing we can do to fix it).

On the other hand, we can view slip-ups for what they are – a single situation that, by itself, does not have  to derail us from making progress. We can take the slip-up as an opportunity to learn what triggers that type of behavior so we can address it and avoid similar situations in the future. This approach allows you to continue in the direction of progress toward your goal.
Be kind to yourself and remember that these habits will take time --but it also means that they will last a long time too. Making small habit changes over a long period of time greatly increases the likelihood of those habits sticking for good. You’re in this for the long haul! So what is one health goal you would like to see yourself achieve? What are some smaller steps you can take to help you get there?

Coach Jay