Calling all perfectionists out there?
Come on, you know who you are….
I know you know, because I’m one of you (but in recovery!).
You see the world in black or white.
We call this all or nothing thinking in the world of Psychology.
You’re either on a diet or your bingeing.
You’re either a success or a failure.
You’re either exercising hard or well or doing nothing.
You are either fat or your skinny.
You’ve had either a good eating day or a bad eating day.
There are many advantages to being a perfectionist. You’re achievement oriented, you set goals and god damn it once you set your mind to something it – you WILL achieve it.
Perfectionists are great dieters when they get started – because once you have your plan and you are committed, nothing will stop you. You will follow that diet to a T. You’ll do whatever it takes.
However, it can just take 1 tiny little indiscretion.
It’s a piece of birthday cake at the morning tea at work.
It’s the chips and dip at your girlfriends house on a Friday night.
It’s a change in your routine (new job, new relationship or the ending of something – a relationship, your personal trainer has moved on etc)
Then it’s over.
You’ve unravelled.
You start eating.
A LOT.
You’ve spiralled out of control.
You feel like crap about yourself and this makes you eat even more.
You are desperate to get back in control.
But you can’t. It’s hard.
Is this a familiar story?
The issue here is that whilst you have this all or nothing thinking – you will have only have 2 gears to work with – in control or out of control with your eating.
It’s an internal battlefield.
It’s emotionally exhausting.
And it’s very stressful.
You go back and forth, trying desperately to get back in control.
This is the secret that I share with all of the women I work with. I know you wish you just could just have more will power, discipline and control. You believe this is what’s lacking. If you had more control you could stick to the diet, lose weight and life will be great.
Am I right?
The secret is this: The more you try to be in control (think dieting) you are setting yourself up for a binge and to be out of control with your eating.
Control is NOT your friend.
What I see so often with the women I work with is this:
When you are too much in control (as in a disproportionate need to control; trying to control everything in your life!!) it’s unsustainable. It’s unbalanced. You think that you can control everything – but the one thing you can’t control is food and your weight. It’s too much pressure and it’s got to come out somewhere. It’s coming out in your weight, and eating is your release.
What’s missing here in this equation is trust.
I work with perfectionists who do not trust themselves.
Perfectionism lives in your head. Trust lives in your body.
What if you gave up some of your control (including the dieting mentality) and you trusted yourself to make the best decision for you around food?
The thing about control is that we hold onto it so tightly because we are worried that if we let go even a little bit, then we will become out of control with everything including our eating, and that’s what we are so desperately trying to avoid.
But there’s another way.
There’s an alternative to all or nothing thinking.
It’s a continuum.
Wouldn’t life be so much easier and enjoyable if you were able to work with more than 2 gears?
The game changer to getting on top of your emotional eating is seeing life (and food) on a continuum. A balanced approach is what works.
What if you could tune in and connect with what you really needed & what you really desired?
What if you honoured yourself, your feelings and your needs?
What if you never had to worry about food again?
This is what real freedom looks like & that’s where we are heading.
If you are ready to take the first step, you might be interested in my FREE 5 Day Food Freedom Course starting January 22nd. Join here >> https://georgiebeames.com/challenge