How the all-or-nothing diet mentality is making you gain weight
Ever eat too much one day and think “I blew it”?
Maybe you had pizza last night.
Or ate dessert.
Or went out to dinner and overdid it..
You ate more than normal and you *feel* fat.
That feeling translates in your head as:
“I messed up”.
“I blew it”.
“I might as well finish the whole bag of chips today, so there’s none left for me to eat tomorrow”
“I definitely gained weight”.
“I will start over next week”.
Sound familiar?
Too often people have one one “bad” meal or one “bad” day and turn it into an entire weekend of overeating and starting over again come Monday.
The reality is that one bad meal will do nothing to you progress.
If you eat great one day, do you assume you have reached your weight loss goals?
NO!
So why do people think that one bad day will derail all of your goals?
It takes 3,500 calories ABOVE your maintenance level to gain one pound of fat.
If you weigh yourself the next day and you are up it is likely because you still have content in your stomach or you are retaining water from eating saltier food than normal (which is every restaurant meal)
It is not because you gained actual fat overnight!
Having a “bad” day is a part of life.
We are not meant to be perfect.
It is not realistic or sustainable and when we try it leads to guilt and the all-or-nothing mentality.
I dont believe in “good” and “bad” foods.
There are only better choices.
When you label food as good and bad, you are labeling yourself as good or bad when you eat it.
That leads to a mindset of restriction and telling yourself you can’t have something, which often lead to wanting it even more.
It leads to binging and further feelings of guilt and failure.
The all-or-nothing mindset often results in overeating and an unhealthy relationship with food.
So what do you do?
You live life!
You stop referring to foods as good and bad and just make better choices.
You eat healthy most of the time so the other 80% won’t make a difference.
You stop and pause before you eat. (do you really want this? are you actually hungry?)
You savor your food when you eat and don’t mindlessly binge on food you aren’t even enjoying.
You don’t let the off track meal turn into a snowball of off track meals.
This is where the problem is.
Allowing one “bad” meal or one “bad” day to justify more bad meals.
One dinner out is not the problem. I promise.
The problem is when you allow that dinner, to justify all of the other off track meals afterwards that is the problem.
If you have a “bad” meal or “bad” day, just get back on track.
Don’t waste time beating yourself up.
Instead, use that energy to get back on track!
Start the day with a healthy breakfast, such as an egg white omelet with whole grain toast, or a yogurt with fruit and granola.
Drink lots of water (at least 0.5 ounces per pound of body weight)
Get out your food journal and write down what you’re eating for a few days to keep yourself on track and mindful of what you are putting in your mouth.
The key is to change your mindset from all-or-nothing to one of realistic imperfection.
We all overeat sometimes.
We all use food to celebrate special occasions.
We all eat out at restaurants.
It is not failure.
It is not grounds for starting over.
It is life!
Pick up and get back on track.
That’s it!
If you struggle with your food mindset or need help losing weight and keeping it off, I can help.
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