How to stop the 'one cookie' syndrome

How often do you find yourself thinking that:

* One chocolate will ruin your day
* One skipped gym class will ruin your week

One anything doesn't ruin anything.... I mean, let's look at it this way.

Let's assume a single biscuit or cookie has between 80 - 120 calories. It takes 3,500 calories to gain half a kilo. That's about 30 - 40 cookies, give or take a few. So big deal if you eat one. It's only when you catastrophize the one that you find yourself eating the whole packet and hiding the wrapper. It's not the cookie (the slip) that's the problem - it's the catastrophizing that makes it turn into dip or a dive. It's when you write the whole day off.


Let's assume you've skipped a gym class, you're unlikely to see any dramatic loss of fitness just because you didn't go once. I mean you don't wake up 15 minutes late for work and think: "oh well now I'll just have to spend the whole day or week in bed."

The mistake isn't eating the chocolate or missing the gym class - it's being hung up on being perfect.... that's what really starts the rot.