The Curse Of Perfectionism

All right lets take roll call. All of you who are perfectionists please take one step forward. Just as I thought -- there are quite a few of you out there.

Well, rest assured, you are definitely not alone. In my work with The Inner Diet program over the years, I have gathered research on over 42,000 overweight people. This research revolves around perfectionism and several other emotional issues relating to overeating and weight control.

By the way, thats a substantial sample size. The theory in statistics: The larger your sample size, the more confident you can be of your findings. Perfectionism is one of the issues Ive tracked and tested for over the years.

My findings reveal that 51 percent of all overweight individuals have a serious problem with perfectionism regarding weight control. So, as you can see, this is a major issue for a great many of you.

A perfectionist is someone who brings an unrealistic attitude to weight management. They have an “all or nothing” mindset when it comes to managing their eating and health.

Perfectionists expect the impossible of themselves... to be perfect. The typical weight loss pattern for a perfectionist is (and you will all identify with this Im sure) once you vary from your program -- even slightly -- you abandon the whole program.

For example, let’s say you have followed your program perfectly for a couple of weeks when, in a moment of weakness, you eat a piece of cake. Now because you are a perfectionist you don’t just chalk this up as a minor slip and get back on the program. Noooooo! Being a perfectionist you equate a minor slip with total failure -- and now you consider yourself a failure!

And since you have failed, you figure why not eat the rest of the cake? And, of course, what’s cake without ice cream? See how this pattern develops?

This is how perfectionistic thinking sabotages your best effort at weight control. Since no one is perfect, this “all or nothing” mentality dooms you to failure before you even begin.

When you equate a “minor slip” with total failure you have no chance of succeeding. Perfectionism in weight control is a built-in guarantee of failure.

The antidote for perfectionism begins with awareness.

Step one: Becoming aware that this is an issue for you. You now need to learn how to incorporate some reality and flexibility into your program.

In the The 95 Percent Rule, I will give you an example on how to do this. It makes perfect sense... now doesnt it? Dr. John Sklare, director of the eDiets Emotional Support Center, shares his expertise on "emotional eating" with the eDiets community. Dr. Sklare is also the author of the eDiets Audio Companion Program -- the powerful and innovative new offline support program for your online eDiets program. With the current emphasis on Mind/Body medicine and natural healing, Dr. Sklare stands firmly on the leading edge!

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