Consistency Over Perfection: Why Showing Up Matters Most in Weight Loss
The other day, I was talking with a friend who had missed our scheduled workout due to a last minute work obligation.
They told me that since they missed the workout, they decided to just double down, ordering in a Domino’s pizza, bread sticks, and cinnamon twists— enough food to feed a family for one person.
We laughed it off, but it got me thinking about how perfectionism can really sabotage progress.
When you have great intentions that you aren’t able to follow through with, do you find a way to show up for yourself, or go the opposite direction and self sabotage?
The truth is, the commitment it takes to change your health or lose weight is not insignificant.
We are sometimes forced to make sacrifices in time and energy that feel really difficult. Most times, eating junk food on the couch is much more appealing than finding a way to squeeze in a quick, if imperfect, workout.
Life will never be perfect, and there will always be scenarios that make it harder to make good choices. However, each and every time you show up in these moments, even imperfectly, you bring yourself closer to your goals.
Today we want to talk about the perfection trap, how it can sabotage your progress, and some easy ways you can take small, consistent actions that lead to long-term results in weight loss and in health.
The Perfection Trap
Perfectionism is a mental trap that can easily derail your progress. I recently read a book, “The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control,” which gave me a better understanding of my own perfectionistic tendencies.
In this book, you take a personality test to discover which “type” of perfectionist you are. Unsurprising to me, and anyone else around me, I am a Procrastinator Perfectionist.
What this means is that I put so much time into preparing myself to do things absolutely perfectly, that often I never get around to doing the thing itself, or by the time I do, I’m already burnt out.
We see this a lot in weight loss, with people wanting to design the “perfect” routine, and when they can’t achieve it, they default to bad habits.
Take my friend for example. Since they didn’t get to do the workout they had planned for all day, they ordered pizza instead.
What could they have done instead?
Well, maybe they could have gone for a walk or done a short workout at home.
Maybe they could have made a healthy dinner and scheduled a workout for later in the week.
Perfectionism leads to what we call “all-or-nothing thinking,” where if you can’t do it perfectly, you might as well not even bother. This psychology is damaging towards your overall progress.
Perfection, as a concept, is simply unrealistic, and by putting too much emphasis on getting it right, you can actually discourage real progress.
Why Consistency Wins
So now that you understand how perfection and all-or-nothing thinking is holding you back from achieving your goals, what do you do instead?
Here’s what the science says: the best way to build a habit is through repetition.
Every single time you show up, you are further solidifying that habit as part of your lifestyle. And, every time you show up, it gets a little bit easier.
However, if you are starting from zero, it can be really hard to introduce sweeping lifestyle changes. That’s why you start small— pick one area you can improve in, and just start showing up.
This might mean attending a longer workout class 2-3 times per week, or it might mean showing up for 15 minutes everyday.
When these habits become ingrained, you can build on them. Maybe you add an extra day to your workout schedule, or maybe you add another 5-10 minutes onto your daily routine.
Over time, you will experience something called the compound effect.
Think about it like an investment.
When you put $100 into a high-yield savings account, you might earn a few dollars in interest over the course of a year. However, as the account grows, so do your earnings.
Eventually, you have enough in the bank to take yourself on a really nice vacation.
The same goes for your health. Small efforts that you make every day add up over weeks and months and even years, and before you know it you are smashing your goals.
“Doing It Badly” Still Counts
The other day, I had a really bad workout.
I was feeling sore and couldn’t lift as heavy as I normally do. I was getting fatigue and cramping on the treadmill and had to take a break to walk and catch my breath. To top it all off, I was in a pretty bad mood.
I was tempted to brush it off as a bad workout, and even told my coach that it was just a bad day. But then he said something that helped me reframe it.
He said, “The most important day to workout is the day you don’t want to show up.”
So how can we reframe this “bad” workout, and see the positives?
Most importantly, I proved to myself that I am capable of doing something hard, which is a boost to my confidence.
Additionally, I woke up the next day sore, proving that while I didn’t get any PR’s, I still did the work.
Finally, I stuck to my routine, even though it was hard. This helps me cement this habit, making it easier to show up next time.
The way we speak to ourselves holds a lot of power.
It’s important to try to reframe these subtle messages we tell ourselves. For example, instead of saying it was a bad workout, it’s much more productive to say, “it was imperfect, but still worthwhile.”
So, how does this look in your own life?
Sometimes it’s whipping up an easy meal with frozen veggies instead of fresh.
Sometimes it’s roughly logging your meals instead of skipping calorie tracking all together.
Sometimes it’s going for a short walk because you missed your favorite workout class.
The point is, the most important thing you can do is just continue to show up. Even if you aren’t able to do it “perfectly,” showing up anyway has both physical and emotional benefits that help you progress.
The Mental Shift
Arguably the biggest change you experience when pursuing a healthy lifestyle has nothing to do with your body, and everything to do with your mind.
Knowing this can help you avoid some of the pain that comes with a shifting mindset.
Perfectionism can become enmeshed in the way we see ourselves, and it takes intentional effort to move towards a progress mindset.
What is a progress mindset? This simply means that everything, even the setbacks, is part of the process of moving towards your goals and a better version of you.
It’s not all hardship though!
It’s so important that you are celebrating your wins, no matter how big or small they may seem!
Sure, you can celebrate a new PR, but how about celebrating making it to a workout you were really dreading? Or logging all of your meals for a full week. Or using up all of your produce before it goes bad.
Celebrate in small ways, just by bragging to a friend or dancing to a song that makes you happy. Celebrate in bigger ways by treating yourself to your favorite coffee shop or even a new workout set that makes you feel beautiful.
With celebrating your wins, also remember to exercise compassion when things don’t go perfectly. Don’t beat yourself up, just shrug it off and take it as a lesson, and thank yourself for even trying.
Just by showing up, you are already doing the work.
Tools to Help You Stay Consistent
We won’t sit here and pretend that building consistent habits isn’t hard, or doesn’t take work. Like we said, you have to be intentional with your time and energy when it comes to making big lifestyle changes.
Luckily, there are tons of tools and resources that make it easier to stay consistent.
For example, I really dread working out, so I found a friend who has a similar schedule to me, and we attend all of the same workout classes. Knowing that she is relying on me makes it easier to show up.
Meal prepping is a great dieting technique that can make it easier to stick to a healthy diet and avoid that last minute takeout dinner.
Habit tracking is a behavioral technique that helps to reinforce those small wins and gives you a sense of accomplishment every time you check off your goal.
Food tracking apps can help you to stay accountable with your calorie intake and can give you that same sense of accomplishment when you do it consistently.
Finally, professional help through telehealth or health coaches can help you stay accountable and give you guidance through the rough patches and plateaus.
Start Showing Up
The hardest part of your health journey is just showing up.
It can be easy to fall victim to the trap of perfectionism, but this all-or-nothing way of thinking is the fastest track to giving up and quitting.
Instead, shift your mindset from perfectionism to a progress mindset. Doing something, even imperfectly, is always better than doing nothing at all.
Start by setting small, attainable goals for yourself and focus on just showing up consistently, until that habit is ingrained in your mind and routine.
You can always build onto these small habits over time, but don’t forget to celebrate your wins!
