Breaking Free from Diet Culture & All-or-Nothing Thinking
I used to be the queen of starting over.
If I ate something “bad” early in the day, I’d convince myself the whole day was ruined and use it as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted.
If I skipped a workout, I’d decide to take the rest of the week off and “start fresh on Monday.”
If I went out to eat and had something off-plan, I figured I’d already messed up, so I might as well get dessert too.
Sound familiar?
For years, I thought I just needed more willpower to finally stick to a diet. But here’s what I didn’t realize: It wasn’t my lack of self-control keeping me stuck—it was my all-or-nothing mindset.
Diet culture had convinced me that weight loss had to be miserable, restrictive, and full of suffering. That if I wasn’t doing everything perfectly, I was failing. And that’s exactly why I kept finding myself in the same cycle of starting over again and again.
If you’ve ever felt like one “off” meal ruins your whole day, or like your only options are being on a diet or being a human vacuum cleaner for junk food, this post is for you.
The “Perfectionist’s Curse” & Why It Keeps You Stuck
Let me ask you a question.
Imagine you’re carrying a carton of eggs into the house. Just as you step inside, you trip, and one egg falls and cracks on the floor.
What do you do next?
A) Clean up the mess and put the rest of the eggs away.
B) Smash the rest of the carton on the ground because “the day is ruined.”
If you chose B, I have some follow-up questions for you.
But seriously, that’s exactly what we do with weight loss.
You eat one cookie… so you binge for the rest of the day.
You miss one workout… so you skip the whole week.
You go off-plan at dinner… so you say, “I’ll start over Monday.”
We tell ourselves that if we’re not doing things perfectly, we might as well not do them at all. Which is like saying, “Well, I burned my toast, so I guess I’ll set my entire kitchen on fire.”
Not exactly logical, right?
But the truth is, this mindset isn’t our fault.
How Diet Culture Trained Us to Think Like This
Diet culture has been lying to us for decades. It teaches us that:
- Some foods are “bad” (so we feel guilty every time we eat them).
- Weight loss requires suffering (so we assume it has to be miserable).
- If we’re not perfect, we’ve failed (so we quit every time we slip up).
Ever notice how diets always have strict rules? No carbs. No sugar. No eating after 7 p.m. No joy.
These rules are designed to make you feel like you have to follow them perfectly or not at all. And when you inevitably slip up (because you’re a human, not a robot), you feel like a failure.
But here’s what diet culture doesn’t want you to know:
There is no wagon. There is no “starting over.” There’s just real life.
You don’t throw out your whole skincare routine because you forgot to wash your face one night.
You don’t quit your job because you showed up late one time.
So why do we treat weight loss like it’s all or nothing?
It’s not about being perfect—it’s about being consistent.
Weight Loss is Like a Bank Account
Let’s think about weight loss differently for a second.
Imagine your health like a bank account:
- Every healthy meal is like depositing $5.
- Every workout is like adding $10.
- One “off” meal is like withdrawing $2.
Now, would you make a tiny withdrawal and then go, “Welp, might as well drain the whole account and set my debit card on fire!”?
Of course not.
But that’s what most people do with weight loss.
One indulgent meal doesn’t erase all the deposits you’ve made. One missed workout doesn’t undo all your progress. The key isn’t never withdrawing—it’s making sure you keep making deposits.
Success isn’t built on what you do once in a while. It’s built on what you do most of the time.
How to Break Free from All-or-Nothing Thinking
So how do you actually stop this cycle? Here are three mindset shifts that changed everything for me.
1. Stop Thinking You’re Either “On” or “Off” Track
Instead of seeing yourself as on or off a diet, start seeing yourself as always moving forward, even when you adjust.
You’re not “on track” or “off track.” You’re just living life and making the best choices you can in each moment.
Missed a workout? Okay, maybe you take a 10-minute walk instead.
Ate more than planned? No big deal—just return to normal at your next meal.
Went a little wild at brunch? Cool, enjoy it, and don’t spiral into a week-long binge.
Weight loss isn’t a pass/fail test. Small adjustments keep you moving forward.
2. Learn from Slip-Ups Instead of “Starting Over”
When something doesn’t go as planned, instead of thinking, “I messed up, I failed,” ask yourself:
- “What led to this, and what can I do differently next time?”
Did you overeat because you skipped lunch and showed up starving?
Did you miss your workout because you scheduled it too late in the day?
Did you turn to food for comfort because you were stressed?
Every “failure” is actually feedback. The more you learn from it, the better you get.
3. Treat Weight Loss Like Learning to Ride a Bike
Think about how kids learn to ride a bike.
When they fall off, do they throw the bike away and declare, “I’m just not meant for this”?
No. They get up, adjust, and try again.
Weight loss is the same.
You don’t fail—you learn. Every choice is a chance to practice. The more you show up, the better you get.
Final Thoughts: You’re Not Starting Over—You’re Just Moving Forward
Breaking free from all-or-nothing thinking is the key to lasting weight loss.
- You don’t have to be perfect to make progress.
- One setback doesn’t erase all your hard work.
- Consistency will always beat perfection.
So the next time you feel like you’ve “messed up,” I want you to ask yourself:
💭 “If I dropped one egg, would I throw the rest away?”
Or would you clean up the mess and keep moving forward?
Because that’s what success really looks like.
