Common Diet Error: “Black-and-White Thinking”

Black and white thinking is probably the most common mistake among people who struggle with their weight. This mindset creates an all-or-nothing cycle that pushes one toward failure as soon as one single thing goes wrong. They step on the scale after a particularly difficult week of sticking to their plan, but discover they didn’t lose an ounce, “That’s it, I just can’t lose any weight.” But they can.

Black and white thinking is the mindset of habitual dieters because they constantly see themselves as being either on a diet, restricting themselves from foods they love; or off the diet, eating “forbidden foods” they enjoy. 

When we think in black and white, we get angry and tell ourselves we screwed up royally (again). We are deflated and beat ourselves up. We see losing weight as an impossible task and may even abandon our plan completely at that moment. We end up wallowing away the rest of the day with our head in the refrigerator and worrying what we are going to see when we find the nerve to step on the scale.

People who live in black-and-white thinking fail to consider that there are choices between all or nothing. They have a difficult time getting back on track when deviation happens. They view their day as ruined instead of accepting that one decision was just one mistake and it’s time to forget about it and move forward. When repeated over time, this kind of thinking creates a consistent barrier to success.

So what can we do to help bring a bit of “grey” thinking into your health and fitness mindset? Find out by reading out FREE STOP NEGATIVE THOUGHTS E-BOOK

Want to take it another step further?

Discover your own belief and behaviour patterns with our 4 Week Food & Fitness Connection Course.

Successful weight loss starts with thoughts, feelings, actions and behaviours—not calories and workouts! In fact, it’s the foundation of lasting weight loss. Surprised? Find out just how life changing this course can be! Sign up today and save!!!!

Jill Bunny

Jill Bunny

As CEO of CBT Meets Fitness, Jill Bunny provides the vision and leadership to further our mission: to improve mental health & fitness worldwide through excellence in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. She manages internal operations and oversees the creation of new programs. She also manages the expansion of existing programs to increase access to CBT training and certification programs for health & fitness professionals in North America. She holds a degree in Kinesiology, from the University of New Brunswick, along with Functional Medicine certification from IFMHC, and CBT qualifications from the University of Laurier, Penn State & Beck’s Institute in the US.

Leave a Comment

Recent Posts

CBT Meets Fitness is the bridge between psychotherapy + fitness.

We are comprised of educated professionals specializing in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for things like depression, anxiety, and numerous other psychological concerns pertaining to weight loss, athletics, as well as dieting & exercise. Our experts use clinically-proven methods, which make us the premier online CBT fitness treatment centre in North America. At CBT Meets Fitness, we are proud to serve women & athletes across the globe with evidence based skills to help with the missing mental piece of health & fitness transformations and athletic success.

Follow Us

[FREE Download] A Guide to Stop Negative Thoughts