Ever started a new diet on Monday, only to face-plant into leftover cake by Wednesday and declare the whole week a write-off? Same. 🙋‍♀️

In this episode of She Ain’t Heavy, I’m diving deep into why consistently average beats all-or-nothing perfection every. single. time—especially for women over 35 juggling kids, careers, hormones, and high standards.

We’ll explore:

✨ Why perfectionism fuels emotional eating and burnout

🧠 The real difference between positive and negative perfectionism

🧃 How to use the 80/20 rule for sustainable fat loss

✋ The hand-portion method to ditch the food scale without ditching your goals

🍷 How to balance wine weekends and still stay on track

📉 The exact mindset shifts that helped me break free from my own cycle of all or nothing thinking and rebound weight gain

And yes… I even share how my love for Ed Sheeran and a long-haul flight to Ireland taught me a thing or two about persistence. 😂

This episode is for you if you’ve ever:

• • Let one slip-up ruin an entire week
  • Felt stuck between restriction and overeating
  • Thought “if I can’t do it perfectly, I won’t do it at all”
  • Struggled to take action because the conditions weren’t “just right”

HAND PORTION METHOD CHEAT SHEET AVAILABLE AT http://traceyerasmusfitness.com/opt-in-hand-portion-method-cheat-sheet

Show Notes: References

1. 1. Smith, K. E., & Mason, T. B. (2021). Nutrition knowledge moderates the association between perfectionism and shape/weight concerns. PubMed
   2. Brytek-Matera, A., et al. (2023). Perfectionism, Orthorexia Nervosa, and Body Composition in Young Football Players. Nutrients, 15(3), 523. Link
   3. Damiano, S. R., et al. (2017). Perfectionism and eating pathology in adolescents: The role of emotion regulation. PubMed
   4. Vohs, K. D., et al. (1999). Perfectionism, body dissatisfaction, and self-esteem: A prospective study of bulimic symptoms. PubMed
   5. Akcoltekin, A. (2019). The mediating role of self-esteem in the relationship between perfectionism and eating disorder symptoms. BriefLands
   6. Kemmler, W., et al. (2016). Exercise frequency and bone mineral density development in exercising postmenopausal osteopenic women. Bone, 89, 1–6. PubMed
   7. Porterfield, A. (2024). How to Stop Being an All-or-Nothing Thinker. Online Marketing Made Easy, Ep. 562. Listen