Perfectionism is a personality trait. It happens when someone sets extremely high standards for themselves and others when it comes to tasks and other aspects of their life. This mindset can lead to success but may also make it challenging to find satisfaction in achievements if they aren’t considered to be in line with the individual's interpretation of ‘perfection’.¹

If you are a perfectionist, you may set yourself difficult or near-impossible weight loss goals.

For example, it’s unlikely that you’d be able to lose 5 kg in a week without putting your health at risk.

Unrealistic goals can also leave you in a cycle where you feel dissatisfied. If you constantly feel disappointed in yourself for not achieving your goals, you could negatively impact your mental health.²

You may find that you develop an “all or nothing” mentality. If you aren’t hitting your goals as quickly as you’d like to, then you might not commit to them at all. This might mean that you are not getting enough exercise, eating healthily enough or taking care of your wellbeing. Ultimately, you won’t be sticking to your weight loss programme.

Weight loss will always be a personal journey. Your reasons for losing weight will not be the same as someone else’s. It’s also important to recognise what you can realistically achieve while maintaining your work, school or social life.

Setting SMART goals can help you create practical, manageable targets. Your goals should fit into your schedule and not feel too lofty. When done safely, weight loss is a gradual process. There is no quick fix even if you pursue medical interventions like weight loss medications or surgery.

When creating your new goals take the time to reflect on things that have worked and those that haven’t.

Identify behaviours that might not have helped motivate you to lose weight in the past and learn from your experiences. Know that no journey is perfect, and you will experience ups and downs along the way – but it’s a normal human experience.⁴

It’s also important to remember that you can get help whenever you need it. Your friends and family as well as healthcare professionals like doctors, pharmacists and nutritionists can all help you define your weight loss programme so that it is suited to your lifestyle.

Although wanting to achieve perfection can hinder your weight loss journey, it’s not an entirely negative trait to be a perfectionist. Your standards for achieving the best can motivate you to excel in certain areas. But it’s important to know when this behaviour is harmful or worsening your quality of life.

If you want to stay in control of your perfectionist mindset, you can try:

Reframing negative thoughts. Take a step back, challenge any negative beliefs you have about yourself when they come to your mind, evaluate the evidence you have and try to find new ways to think about them.⁵

Talking to others. When you speak about your thoughts related to your weight loss journey, you can invite others to weigh in and share their perspective. Where you might think you haven’t made much progress, others may be able to describe objective differences in the way you look, your energy levels or your mindset.

Revisiting your “whys”. You may have started your weight loss journey to improve the symptoms of a health condition, to have more energy to spend with family, or to work on your confidence. Whatever your reason, your overarching goal will likely be too big to achieve in a day. For example, it takes time to improve your self-esteem. While you might feel more confident going to an exercise class alone after a few weeks, you may need to spend more time working towards expressing your feelings when you feel vulnerable. It’s all a journey that may require you to stop and evaluate your progress. You aren’t in competition with anyone else, so you can take your time as you work towards achieving everything you have set out for yourself.