"All or Nothing"is not your friend

I often talk with clients who have an "all or nothing" mindset around food.

If you tell me not to eat something, I won't. I'll have none, zero. But if everything is acceptable in moderation, I'll enjoy a treat, then beat myself up for having it, and go on to eat as much "bad" food as I can for the rest of the day because I've already ruined it, so why even try?

Or, another very common one is the phrase "I'll start Monday" - that might mean eating healthier, cutting sugar, following a "diet" but it almost always means it gives me the excuse this week to eat whatever I want.

Sound familiar?

Diet culture tells us that if we aren't perfect, we'll gain weight, inflame our body and ruin our efforts for good health.

The good news is, that's not true!.

Those who are most successful for the long term with a healthy lifestyle, healthy weight, and disease prevention are not eating 100% perfectly. They've managed to find a balance.

It's important to tune out that voice that says "bad!" or "off limits" as it often makes us want to rebel and that is when we tend to go way overboard.

When you said "forget it" and ate whatever you wanted (meaning over indulging)- did it feel good? Chances are you felt stuffed, bloated, and exhausted.

What if "eating whatever I want" was actually foods that taste good and are good for you... a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner with a few chips at lunch because crunch sounds good and a cookie with dinner on the days you crave something sweet?

If we focus on filling up with as much "real" food as possible (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lentils and beans, nuts, seeds, meat, seafood) 80-90% of the time, we can absolutely enjoy the dessert when it is offered or the drink with friends or the french fries with your kids.

Here's a secret: sometimes the stress over falling off the wagon does more harm to our body than the food itself. A little relaxation around food goes a long way !

What do you want that balance to look like in your day/week?