Is Diet Self-Sabotage Tripping You Up? Here’s How to Change That

Is diet self-sabotage destroying your diet? Once you recognize it, you can stop it and finally meet your goals.

She barely made eye contact with me when she told me how she messed up her diet – again. She fell for the all-or-nothing mind trap. After swearing off all sweets until she lost 10 pounds, she succumbed to office peer pressure, helped along by the mouth-watering scent of freshly baked gooey brownies.

“Just one small one,” she said. Uh oh, then there was a second one. Later in the day, feeling angry and guilty, she walked back to the break room for a couple more slim slices through the ragged brownie edges.

“Well, I blew my diet!” And that was the beginning of a lot of unhealthful eating. A Wendy’s Frosty on the way home. Some of her kids’ leftover Halloween candy before dinner. And on it went.

I’ve heard this story from thousands of clients over the years. Heck, I’ve lived this story dozens, if not hundreds, of times myself. I blew it. So I’ll just keep on eating garbage and start fresh another day.

If only that worked, right?

Soft, sticky brownies and peer pressure are two obstacles to healthy eating. Some others: TV commercials, large restaurant portions, and the not-so-smart stuff we say to ourselves.

Read on to learn about the mind traps holding you back.

These 5 Common Mind Traps Cause Diet Self-Sabotage

Like other bad habits, you can break these faulty thoughts. It takes time, self-awareness, and a bunch of energy. But you really can stop (most of the time) the autopilot in your head, and the diet self-sabotage that stalls your progress.

Diet Mind Trap #1: All-or-nothing thinking

“Since I didn’t stick to my plan at lunch, I might as well pick up a Wendy’s Frosty. I can start fresh tomorrow.”

This is as logical as buying designer boots you can’t afford because you spent too much money on cute jeans. After all, you can start fresh with your finances another time. Isn’t it much smarter to forgive your indiscretion and move on?

Check out how to stop emotional eating.

Diet Mind Trap #2: Justification

“I deserve this junk food (or I deserve several cocktails) because I’ve been working so hard (or have been dealing with so much stress).”

In reality, how much effort you put into your work and what you eat and drink are unrelated.

Diet Mind Trap #3: Catastrophizing

“I ate cake at the office party. I’ll never be good at my diet.”

Even though every bad thing sticks to the brain like a price sticker on your new coffee mug, not every negative thing is a disaster. Tell your mind that slipping up on your diet plan doesn’t make you a failure at healthy eating any more than causing a minor fender bender means you’re a menace on the road.

Ask yourself these 3 questions to put your situation into perspective.

• Will it matter in 3 months?
• Will it matter in 3 weeks?
• Will it matter in 3 days?

Chances are pretty good that nothing you eat will matter for long if you drop the guilt and self-loathing and simply allow yourself to get back on track. These things typically matter only when we allow them to become bigger than they truly are, which is demoralizing and holds us back. Look at my HOP method below to stop this type of thinking and diet self-sabotage.

Here are 5 things to do immediately after overeating.

Diet Mind Trap #4: Ignoring the positive and exaggerating the negative

“I can’t believe I ate three fried appetizers at the party.”

This is similar to seeing the glass half empty. Many clients have walked into my office feeling like they needed to confess their diet and exercise sins. While they tell me the “bad” things they’ve done since our last session, I also hear their positive ones. For example, the person who ate fried appetizers passed up cocktails and dessert. I’d much rather hear her start her update with these fantastic things, so she feels empowered by the new skills she’s developing.

Diet Mind Trap #5: Focus on unfairness

“It’s so unfair that my workout partner does the same workouts I do, but looks so much fitter.”

It might seem unfair that some people respond more readily to exercise (or diet changes) or seem not to struggle with their weight. In reality, fairness has nothing to do with it. Believe me, I know about this one. I’m one of those people who has a less-than-typical response to weight training. 😩

How to stop self-sabotaging your diet

Here’s my 3-step process to help break the destructive, unempowering negative self-talk habit. Don’t be turned off by its simplicity. That’s why it works so well. Also, take a look at stopping negative thoughts.

HOP to Stop Negative Self-Talk

1. H: Hear your words in your head. This might be the hardest part because we are habitual in our thoughts and reactions. You may already be on a downward spiral once you hear your negative self-talk, so start from whatever point you first recognize negativity. As you work on this, you will be able to catch yourself earlier in the process.
2. O: Observe the situation objectively, as if you were observing a friend. Most likely, you’ll see that the words are too harsh for the situation. Draw on your compassion and think about what you would say to your friend.
3. P: Plan what to do next time. This is the step that will keep you from evening out the ragged brownie edges.

If you’re tired of not meeting your goals, learn more about motivation, willpower, and strategies for success.

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