Perfectionist thinking is rooted in diet culture. It can be challenging for new intuitive eaters to let go of the hard “all-or-nothing” mindset and strict food rules that have been deeply ingrained into their lives for years. Some of our clients who have started their journey to find food freedom find themselves feeling unsuccessful or report having a bad day of intuitive eating.
There is no pass or fail with intuitive eating. There is no good or bad. You can’t be unsuccessful at this. In intuitive eating, we are trusting our bodies to eat what feels good when we want it and we have permission to eat all foods.
Perfectionist thinking can get in the way of the intuitive eating process if we consider some of the intuitive eating principles to be “all-or-nothing”. Nobody is perfect. If we are trying to be perfectionists all the time, we are going to fail because we can’t be 100% perfect all the time.
Tip #1: Compassion over judgment.
Sometimes you may eat past fullness. Sometimes you may not honor your hunger… and that’s okay. It happens all the time. The ten principles of intuitive eating exist to help shape your overall relationship with food and your body. If you start incorporating perfectionism into this process, then judgment, shame, and guilt are going to follow.
Give yourself compassion and grace as you start your journey or wherever you are on your journey. If there is a day that you don’t follow all of the principles perfectly, don’t beat yourself up for it. It is what it is. Allow yourself to move on with compassion.
Tip #2: Progress over Perfection.
Intuitive eating is not “all-or-nothing”. Every situation you come across can be used as a learning lesson. Try to view each experience as an observer and think about what you could have done differently and what you will do if this situation arises in the future. Take a step back, assess the situation, and ask yourself what was going on in that moment. Come from a place of curiosity, not of criticism. Remember that there is no marker of success with intuitive eating. No one is to say if you are doing this wrong or doing this right. You are getting in touch with your body and learning to trust it a little more each day.
If we can leave behind the judgment, guilt, and shame that comes along with trying to be too perfect, we can be compassionate with ourselves and learn from past experiences to progress on our journey toward finding food freedom.
