To all my perfection seeking friends out there, this one’s for you. Perfectionism, as we all know intellectually, is a saboteur. Nevertheless, we really do want things to be just right. No flies in the ointment. Smooth sailing. Of course we do.
But when it comes to weight loss, perfectionist thinking is a real trouble-maker if allowed to fester unchecked. All or nothing thinking can be the ruin of a perfectly good weight loss plan.
Yes, it’s important to plan in advance what you will eat on any given day. Yes, it’s important to have your own back and stick to your plan. And yes, managing your mind throughout the process is the secret to lasting success.
But it’s also realistic to expect that when life happens your best laid plans can take a hit. You disregard your eating plan, for an hour, a day, a month or even longer. Your brain runs negative banner headlines 24/7. Your weight loss whys begin to seem light-weight, superficial and even frivolous.
There’s no shame in that. That’s life happening, not a death knell for your weight loss plan.
The weight loss process has many ups and downs because we’re humans!
Let’s just accept that the weight loss process and the number on the scale are going to play with your mental and emotional states on the regular..
Weight loss has many inherent challenges that bring up all sorts of negative, self critical internal commentary. At times our brains behave like possessed toddlers running with scissors.
We’re feeling entirely out of control and like our weight loss resolve is dissolving before our eyes.
Yet, we also know it’s up to us to set things right. But where to begin when things go haywire?
Recognize that your weight loss journey, all of life, evens out into a 50/50 paradigm of positive/negative thoughts and experiences.
There’s no avoiding the negative and there’s no such thing as happy all the time.
Let’s take time to appreciate that it’s the contrasts of the positives and the negatives that make life full and rich. We need both. The perfect and the imperfect are mirror twins, sitting side by side in an eternal twosome.
The contrasts of the positive and negative allow us to fully appreciate our human experience.
It’s the contrasts that allow us to drop into gratitude for the good, the up-lifting, the comforting, the awe-inspiring. And it’s the knowing that this too shall pass when life is difficult that helps us allow those more negative feelings to take up residence without resistance.
There is a time for every season.
Perfectionism is an attempt to stave off negative emotions.
If you want to fast track your weight loss success, ditch perfectionism in favor of live and learn.
Accept that life is 50/50, that the good, the bad and the ugly are all part of the journey.
Allow the full range of emotions to surface so you can truly appreciate that the contrasts in our emotional weather add immense depth and meaning to our lives.
Accepting and allowing gives you the opportunity to get comfortable with all the emotions that will travel with you as lose and maintain weight loss. There is no escaping this reality.
Sustainable weight loss is possible once you become accustomed to and willing to feel the full range of emotions that life serves up.
Learn to recognize the emotions that ignite your urges.
If you’ve had a history of your emotional state bringing up the urge to overeat, to binge, to purge, to over restrict, over exercise, or throw in the towel don’t be caught off guard. There are effective skills and tools you can learn to help you recognize the patterns and manage those urges.
I teach those skills and tools so you have options.
No more wondering if willpower or white-knuckling is the only way through.
For sustainable weight loss, you need two plans: an eating plan and an urge plan.
And strategies to guide you back to your intentional plan when things go sideways.
But above all else, please extend the warmth of self-compassion when you make choices and decisions that do not serve you. Offering the grace of compassion is always the first step to take as you return to your plans. No ugly beat downs. They undermine your confidence to return to your plans.
Just remember, the goal is not perfect adherence to your plan, but to have a plan in the first place. To have a home base. A center to return to.
The goal is to learn from one decision to the next.
There is no such thing as falling off the wagon.
Whatever choices you make present excellent learning opportunities. As my coach likes to say, there is no such thing as failure. There’s only learning or succeeding.
Always ask yourself what there is to learn from your choices and decisions. Congratulate yourself on your successes. This paves the path toward sustainable weight loss.
I’m here to help you create sustainable weight loss and urge plans.
Or tweak your existing ones.
Let me know you’re curious about making 2021 your year for sustainable weight loss.
Planning, not perfection, is the key.
You can schedule your FREE Strategy Call with me right here. Can’t wait to meet you!
If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share.
