82. Why You Can't Stick to a Diet: The Real Problem Isn't Willpower

Sometimes women are trying to lose weight while protecting every condition that created the weight gain.

You probably already know how to lose weight.

So why is it so difficult to consistently do what you already know?

In this episode, I challenge the idea that you need more discipline, stricter rules or better self-control.

Because sometimes we are trying to lose weight while protecting every condition that created the weight gain in the first place.

The stress.
The exhaustion.
The lack of sleep.
The impossible schedule.
The emotional eating.
The environment that makes every healthy decision harder than it needs to be.

And then we expect our body to be the only thing that changes.

I also share the story of a client who thought she had a problem with eating too many nuts in the evening. What we discovered was that she didn't actually have a nuts problem.

She had a boredom problem disguised as a food problem.

Because food often has a job beyond feeding us.

It can comfort us, reward us, entertain us, help us switch off or simply make something we don't want to do more tolerable.

And when we simply remove the food without understanding the job it was doing, we are often removing the solution without addressing the problem.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why diets can work — until real life gets in the way
• Why most weight-loss plans are designed for an imaginary woman with an imaginary perfect life
• Why relying on willpower over and over again makes weight loss unnecessarily difficult
• How your body, environment, emotional needs and identity influence the way you eat
• How to recognise what food may actually be doing for you
• Why sustainable weight loss sometimes requires changing what is happening around your plate, not just what's on it

And I'll give you two questions to experiment with this week:

What am I asking this food to do for me right now?

and

What would make taking care of myself easier to sustain here?

Because the goal isn't to become a woman who can control herself forever.

The goal is to become a woman whose life makes taking care of herself increasingly normal.

Ready for support?

If you're thinking:

“I know what I should be doing. I just can't seem to make myself do it consistently.”

This is exactly the work we're doing inside Body on Your Side.

Body on Your Side is my 12-week programme for women who want to lose weight without another round of rigid rules, restriction and trying harder.

We'll look at your actual life and identify what's really getting in the way — whether that's food, sleep, stress, planning, movement, your environment or what food has quietly been doing for you emotionally.

Then we'll work on the changes that will make the biggest difference, with support while you actually practise them.

Body on Your Side starts September 1st.

I'm deliberately keeping this first group very small — a maximum of five women.

→ Find out more and join Body on Your Side here:

https://gosianagy.mykajabi.com/bodyonyourside 

And until next time, instead of asking:

“How do I control myself better?”

try asking:

“Where am I unsupported?”