Ditch the All-or-Nothing Mindset

It’s that time of year again.

Thanksgiving is over.

We’ve got 3 weeks until Christmas.

It’s easy to just push your goals off until January.

But as we discussed in the Holidays article, what it’s all about is getting right back at it in between events.

If you’re having trouble doing that, we need to get out of the All or Nothing mindset.

After working with 150+ clients, this is one of the top reasons people hold themselves back.

You don’t need to be perfect during these times, but learning to just limit the damage can set you up to take full advantage of January after the busyness wears off.

Here are 9 ways to ditch the All or Nothing mindset and lose fat for life:

1. Expect (and embrace) failure.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

I encourage everyone to keep a backup to the backup plan for every scenario, so no matter how crazy things get you know what you can do.

“I’m going to hit the gym in the morning, make a protein shake, and then have chicken and vegetables for dinner.”

Cool, but what happens if you don’t?

Can we build in multiple contingency plans to make sure you aren’t slapped in the face when things don’t go to plan.

By expecting plans to change, you won’t get down on yourself when you can’t do what you wanted to.

2. Keep perspective.

You don't need to be perfect, you need to be consistent.

My favorite way to do this is the “Gap and the Gain”.

A concept from Dan Sullivan in which we measure progress backwards.

The idea is that we will ALWAYS be far from where we want to be (because any time we achieve anything we want something more).

If we measure what we’ve done instead of what we want to do, our mindset is transformed from failure to growth.

If you fell short of a habit goal (steps, food, workouts)...

Don't fixate on falling short, and reflect where you were last year - ESPECIALLY during challenging times like holidays.

This applies to all things in life, check out his book “The Gap and The Gain” for more.

3. Find (and remind yourself of) your Why.

Identify your deep-rooted "Why" for making this change.

If this is superficial, it won’t take you far.

Is it to be healthy for your spouse?

Is it to build confidence in yourself?

Is it to be a role model for your kids?

This will keep you much more committed than stupid numbers on a scale.

4. Focus on weekly averages.

Think of your food, movement, exercise and habits on a weekly basis instead of a daily Pass/Fail.

I don’t need to tell you that some days are better than others.

Time, stress, energy all comes in waves.

Take advantage of the days you feel good and show up when you don’t.

The key to “showing up” is that you do what you can. Some days that isn’t much, but push yourself to do a little bit more than you normally would and it will compound over time.

This keeps you from binging on an extra thousand calories when you have a day that went slightly over.

5. Track the bad days.

One day isn't derailing you as much as you think...

BUT letting it get you down and turning it into a week absolutely can.

Roughly track your bad days to SEE the damage - even if it's an estimate.

I always tell clients to roughly track their food when out to eat, not because it’ll be super accurate and perfect - but it just keeps things in mind so you’re SOMEWHAT mindful of your choices.

What gets measured gets managed.

6. Eat tasty foods.

If you can't have something, you'll want it even more.

Include your favorite foods in moderation to keep you on track long-term.

If a snickers bar keeps you sane eating whole foods the rest of the day - it's healthy AF.

High calorie, processed foods won’t keep you as full and lack vital micro-nutrition, but they’re not a big deal to include in an otherwise whole food diet.

Pay attention to how you feel, your energy, your hunger, etc on days you eat a bit more whole foods vs processed, this will unlock self correction to keep you on track.

7. Use the rule of 2s.

Like I said, some days are good, some days are bad.

Some days you just don’t have it.

It's ok to miss a workout or mess up a day of eating...

Just don’t miss 2 days in a row.

Develop a short memory and take the next best action from RIGHT NOW.

Forget about it and move on.

8. Change your self-talk.

We're way too hard on ourselves.

Imagine you're talking to a close friend.

Would you talk to them the same way you're talking to yourself?

It's ok to mess up - reflect on what went wrong and plan better for next time.

9. Share your journey.

If you keep your journey to yourself...

Loved ones won't be supportive or hold you accountable.

They may even peer pressure you into poor choices because they don't know.

Make your journey public.

If they truly want what’s best for you - they’ll support you!

Intrinsic motivation of your WHY paired with external accountability from friends, family, and even a coach is a damn good combination.

Remember, you don’t need to be perfect or BETTER on days you’re on track.

You just need to be 1% better on the days you’re off track.

1% better each week, month, and year compounds massively over time.

That’s all for this week,

Brooks