Diet Talk: Losing the All or Nothing Mindset!

by Nicole on March 7, 2012

Morning! Today is supposed to get up to 60 degrees! Can you even believe it? I’m giddy with excitement over here.

I wish I was going for a run today, but maybe tomorrow. I’m still taking it easy with my side. It’s MUCH better, but I’m still not full fledged running. I did some intervals yesterday which felt pretty good, but they were SLOW. I mostly walked and threw in 3-5 minutes of running here and there.

My stomach has been a bit off the past week or two. I’ve been eating semi-bland foods, like whole wheat or spelt bread and lots of soups. It’s kind of boring but it’s all about comfort food. I’m trying to get veggies in, in the middle of the day, so it’s not awful. Hopefully I feel better soon though.

With all of these belly issues going on, it’s so easy to feel like I should just throw in the towel on healthy eating. But really healthy eating isn’t an ALL or NOTHING situation. Just because I’m not eating how I usually eat, doesn’t mean I should be going all out on bread, pasta, chocolate and french fries.

So often we feel like our diets HAVE to be ALL or NOTHING. We feel like we should be eating salads & grilled chicken and if we’re not eating like that we should be eating hamburgers, grilled cheese, pizza, french fries and Girl Scout Cookies.

It DOESN’T have to be like that. We need to find BALANCE. And that’s what I really try to do with the majority of my clients. Find a balance, eat well and don’t deprive yourself because that’s what leads to binging on the not so nutritious foods. I promise if you find a balance, you’ll start to crave those veggies, fruits and whole grains!

How do you find balance in your diet? What’s your favorite tip to share with others?

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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }

Tara Burner March 7, 2012 at 9:02 am

just tweeted this..great info for people :)
for me balance is totally unbalanced…I just go with the flow since my life changes in milliseconds…
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Tina @ Best Body Fitness March 7, 2012 at 9:50 am

Great great great great post!!

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Dr. Mike Tremba March 7, 2012 at 10:05 am

Great post!
Just like you said, it’s so easy to disrespect our bodies through gorging (all the while having some date in the future to treat it respectfully), or completely deprive ourselves as some sort of ‘penance’ for the times we didn’t eat well.
Thanks for bringing to light this subject, and best wishes for you feeling better, Nicole :)
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Jess March 7, 2012 at 10:17 am

EXCELLENT advice. I am SO with you on this one. I used to have a really hard time battling the all or nothing mentality – and would throw it all out the window if I slipped up one day, just figuring well I screwed that meal up, might as well forget it for today, tomorrow, etc. But it worked against me. I gained weight because I wasn’t eating balanced all the time, I was on a foodie rollercoaster rather than feeding my body healthfully and consistently day in and day out. Now that I eat the same amt (roughly) everyday and fill my plate with nourishing foods, I feel stronger, more energized and fitter. AND I don’t feel deprived because I eat what I want, plan for the indulgence and don’t ever feel like I’m “cheating” that way. Healthy living and eating is a lifestyle, not something with fits or starts.
PS I hope you feel better!
PPS sorry for the novel length blog comment!!
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Bonnie March 7, 2012 at 10:36 am

I absolutely love this post, Nicole! It’s so easy to live with that all-or-nothing mentality when in actuality it’s pretty detrimental because life isn’t always one way or the other – it’s dynamic! Changing! Flowing! My main thing is to not get discouraged if I “fall off the wagon” but remind myself of truth: I’m active, healthy, moving, trying to make good choices, and I have to start over right then, not the next day or next week. One choice at a time. Thanks for this great reminder – pinning this puppy for sure! :)
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Heather Blackmon @ Better With Veggies March 7, 2012 at 10:46 am

Small changes, is my favorite tip. Not trying to change everything at once makes things much more manageable. And not beating yourself up if you slip up!

So sorry your tummy is not cooperating, hope it settles back down!
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Parita @ myinnershakti March 7, 2012 at 11:10 am

Love your tips and mentality! I used to be an all or nothing person when it came to healthy eating and even working out. Finding balance is hard but one thing I do (kind of like what you said) is focus on adding healthy things into my meals/workout routines versus focusing on what I’m going to remove. This, in and of itself, has made a HUGE difference.
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Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) March 7, 2012 at 11:14 am

Great post Nicole! I’m sorry your not feeling so hot. Hopefully you will get back to your old self soon!
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Lindsay @ In Sweetness and In Health March 7, 2012 at 9:52 pm

This is awesome Nicole!! I hope your stomach feels better asap!
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Pure2raw twins March 7, 2012 at 10:07 pm

love this post! great works of wisdom dear friend!!! and we all need this reminder from time to time that life and food is about balance and finding what works!

and we hope you feel better soon!!!!
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Lindsay March 8, 2012 at 8:50 am

small changes over time! i like that. its about the swap. and we don’t have to deprive. I agree!
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Maren March 8, 2012 at 9:49 am

I always tell people to “start SMALL!!” because it’s so hard to stick to something when you cut every bad habit out at once! It’s pretty much impossible!
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janetha March 8, 2012 at 1:52 pm

I abandoned the all or nothing mindset long ago. I saw something on Pinterest that was so true.. it was along the lines of “If you drop your cell phone, you don’t grab a bat and bash it to bits.. so if you slip up on your diet, don’t eat everything in sight.” It was worded way better than that, but you get the idea.
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