Is Perfectionism Sabotaging Your Weight Loss?

Is perfectionism sabotaging your weight loss or your relationship with food? It might be. Trying to get it "perfect" can actually make emotional eating much worse--not to mention the negative impact it has on self esteem.

Here are some "symptoms" of perfectionistic thinking:

Do you wake up in the morning thinking “today is a fresh start (with food)?”

Does your newest approach to eating inevitably fall apart because you’ve “blown it” and feel your efforts were ruined?

If you deviate from your plan for your eating, do you react by overeating even more?

Do you have expectations for “ideal eating” that are so unrealistic or rigid that you could never imagine sticking with them for a lifetime? Or—do you begin to feel deprived just thinking about how you “should” eat?

If you answer “yes” to these questions, chances are your inner perfectionist is having a field day sabotaging your relationship with food.

The truth is, nobody gets it “perfect” (whatever THAT is). An all-or-nothing approach will sink weight loss efforts fast. On top of that, not only are we destined to fail if we expect perfection, but our inner perfectionist usually contributes a double whammy by heaping on the guilt and self-blame when we DON’T get it perfect. For many of us, that alone can be a recipe for emotional eating.

Here's your coaching challenge:

Do you have an inner perfectionist and if so, how is she or he getting you into trouble or making life harder? What tools do you have to take back the reins and put the perfectionist--and food--in it's place?