Most of the ladies I’ve had the pleasure of working with are ambitious women who are accomplished professionals, mothers, and businesswomen.

Their hard work, drive, and Type-A personalities make them extremely capable of getting the results they want professionally.

These women also tend to be self-proclaimed perfectionists.

They either do a task all the way or not at all.

There is no in-between.

They accept nothing less from themselves than the best.

Which unfortunately, when it comes to eating healthy, can be the difference between eating healthy effortlessly and yo-yo dieting for life.

Most of the time, these women have no idea why they’re failing to eat healthy.

They have no trouble following through with actions in the workplace.

So, what gives?

Why do they have so much trouble eating the “right” way?

It’s because of their inability to accept less than perfection that leaves them picking up healthy eating habits and putting them back down.

Which is caused by black and white thinking.

Let me explain.

What is Black and White Thinking?

This method of thinking, otherwise known as dichotomous thinking, is when you strictly distinguish things as “good” or “bad”.

Which, in turn, leads to black and white behaviors when it comes to food.

You’ll either eat perfectly or “fall off track”.

You’ll consider losing a pound a win, but consider gaining a pound a failure.

You’ll have one bite of unhealthy food, and consider it a loss. So you eat more since you failed anyways.

You restrict yourself at a restaurant or eat everything on the menu.

Basically, you are only given two options when it comes to food: pass or fail.

Sound familiar?

If so, have some compassion for yourself.

This method of thinking is stimulated by the diet culture we were raised in.

We’re led to believe we either follow strict rules perfectly or aren’t worthy of having healthy eating habits.

Following strict food rules is obviously not sustainable or maintainable. 

Which will lead you to hitting rock bottom and punishing yourself with unhealthy foods.

Eventually, you’ll be chasing the next diet you can get your hands on.

Thus, continuing the cycle over and over again.

This is the main reason why black and white thinking is so dangerous.

It keeps us chasing the result of eating healthy.

And leaving us exactly in the same place year after year.

Find the Gray Area

If you’re a woman who struggles with black and white thinking, acknowledge this.

Recognize the patterns and brainstorm how it negatively affects your relationship with food.

Then, make the effort to figure out your “gray area”.

Meaning, let go of the desire to eat perfectly, all of the time.

Give yourself permission to not restrict any foods from your diet.

While also setting the intention that everytime you eat something, it will be an empowered decision.

Give yourself the freedom to eat whatever you want, as long as you like your reason.

Check in with your thought-patterns and make sure they align with your eating choices.

While there’s more excitement and drama to being on the black or white sides of the spectrum, you’ll find that the gray area is where the magic lives.

This is where true trust in your food choices and your body lies.

Which is how you create healthy eating patterns that don’t feel so difficult.

Finding this middle ground is everything.