KB99 - The Real Reason Diets Feel Impossible to Stick To

Nutrition
The real reason diets feel impossible to stick to

Today, I want to talk about something we all love to hate.

The “forbidden foods.”

You know the ones!

The doughnuts, the pizza, the chocolate bar.

The harder you try to avoid thinking about them, the more your brain turns them into an obsession-worthy prize.

Psychologists even have a fancy term for this little brain glitch…

Ironic Process Theory.

“The more you tell yourself to avoid something, the harder it is to avoid.”

It’s the mental equivalent of putting a ‘Wet Paint’ sign on a wall and touching it just to be sure.

But this isn’t just about chocolate…

This is about a bigger problem..

The Diet Cycle (a.k.a. The Vicious Hamster Wheel of Doom)

Here’s how it works.

You decide to banish chocolate (or chips, or ice cream, pick your poison).

You feel proud, even smug. “Look at me, being all healthy and disciplined!”

And then, one day, the craving sneaks up on you.

You resist.

You fight.

You distract yourself.

But eventually, you break!

You eat one square of chocolate…and then the whole bar…and maybe its extended family, too.

Now you feel guilty. You hate yourself a little.

So, you double down.

You swear, “No, for real this time. I’m done. Starting Monday, I’m perfect!”

And so the cycle repeats:

Restrict → Crave → Binge → Guilt → Restrict.

Around and around you go, feeling worse every time.

Sound familiar?

That’s because this is what most people think dieting should look like.

And it’s precisely why most diets don’t work!

The Truth? A Little Chocolate Won’t Kill You!

Here’s the part no one talks about…

You don’t need to ban your favourite foods to make progress!

In fact, trying to cut them out completely is what keeps screwing you over.

Why?

Because when you allow yourself a little of what you love, without guilt, without shame, it loses its power over you.

That chocolate bar stops being some seductive temptress and instead becomes…just a chocolate bar.

3 Things that ACTUALLY work…

• Ditch the all-or-nothing mindset. A square of chocolate isn’t “cheating.” It’s just chocolate. It’s not a moral decision. You didn’t “fail” your diet; you just had a snack!
  

• Plan your indulgences. Schedule your treats like you would a meeting or a date. Doing this intentionally makes it much easier to enjoy them guilt-free instead of spiralling into a binge.
  

• Follow the 80/20 rule. Eat nutrient-dense, whole foods 80% of the time. The other 20% should be reserved for the things that make life worth living, cookies, wine, haribo tangfastics, whatever.

The secret here isn’t perfection…

It’s consistency.

The reality is it’s not the chocolate bar that ruins your progress.

It’s the guilt-fuelled binge that follows.

A slice of cake doesn’t undo all your hard work.

But a Saturday afternoon spent devouring an entire sleeve of Oreos and then drowning in shame?

That might set you back a bit.

By permitting yourself to enjoy the foods you love in moderation, you stop the cycle before it starts.

You stop obsessing.

You stop bingeing.

And you start feeling like maybe… this whole “healthy eating” thing doesn’t have to suck so much.

TL:DR

Stop banning the foods you love.

Have the chocolate.

Eat the cake.

Just do it in a way that feels intentional, not impulsive.

Balance always beats restriction.

Consistency beats perfection.

And moderation beats guilt every single time!