Your Diet Is Not the Problem—These 8 Habits Are.
When it comes to transforming your body and improving your overall health, what you eat matters—of course. Appetite control, nutrition density, energy levels, performance… all of it ties back to food choices.
But here’s the truth:
Most people already know what they should be eating.
No one has ever said, “I really shouldn’t eat this…” while holding a bowl of spinach. Instead, that sentence usually shows up right before diving into salted caramel ice cream.
So if better results aren’t simply about more nutrition education, what is getting in the way?
According to more than 150,000 clients, the biggest obstacles aren’t meal plans, macros, or motivation.
They’re behavioral.
Specifically:
➡️ How do I stop overeating?
➡️ How do I stay consistent?
➡️ How do I make healthy eating realistic, convenient, and satisfying?
These are difficult challenges—but absolutely solvable.
Below, you’ll find the 8 most common nutrition struggles, along with proven, client-tested strategies that truly work. Don’t try to fix everything at once. Choose one area, focus on it for 2–3 weeks, and build momentum from there.
This is the same process that has transformed the lives of thousands of real clients.
Now it’s your turn.
Nutrition Challenge #1: “I can’t stop stress or emotional eating.”
Over 60% of clients list emotional eating as their #1 challenge.
More than 50% also struggle with intense cravings or snacking when not hungry.
If this is you, you’re far from alone—and it’s not because you “lack willpower.”
Most emotional eating follows a chain reaction triggered by…
A stressful event
A specific thought
A difficult feeling
A recurring situation
Maybe it happens every time your mom calls, every Sunday night before the workweek begins, or whenever a certain memory resurfaces.
In our coaching method, we call this “noticing and naming.”
When you can identify the trigger, you can interrupt the pattern.
Clients use our “Break the Chain” worksheet to map out:
Trigger
Emotion
Behavior
Alternative choices
Once the pattern is visible, it becomes changeable.
Nutrition Challenge #2: “I don’t plan meals.”
More than half of clients struggle with this.
But meal planning doesn’t have to mean hours of grocery shopping or prepping 21 meals every Sunday.
Think of it as a continuum:
Left side: Zero planning—you eat whatever’s available last-minute.
Right side: Full week meal prep—structured, organized, and time-consuming.
Most people just need to move slightly to the right.
A simple place to start:
👉 Aim for 1–2 palm-sized servings of protein at every meal.
Don't worry about variety or perfection—just practice consistency.
Even at restaurants, choose your protein first.
This one habit alone significantly improves meal quality with minimal extra effort.
Nutrition Challenge #3: “I eat too quickly.”
Nearly 60% of men say this is their biggest challenge—and they’re right to flag it.
Eating slowly is one of the most powerful tools for:
reducing total intake
improving satisfaction
enhancing digestion
increasing awareness
In coaching, this is always one of the first practices we introduce—and it works for everyone.
Start small:
Put your fork down between bites
Take one breath before each bite
Stretch your meal by just two minutes at first
Want a structured way to try it?
Our 30-Day Slow Eating Challenge is designed exactly for this.
Nutrition Challenge #4: “I have a serious sweet tooth.”
Nearly half of clients say this.
But it’s often not just sugar—it’s the irresistible combination of sugar + fat + salt, known as hyperpalatable foods.
Manufacturers engineer these foods to be addictive.
The biggest problem?
➡️ They’re everywhere, especially in your home.
Enter Berardi’s First Law:
If a food is in your house, you will eventually eat it.
And the corollary:
If a healthy food is in your house, you will eventually eat it.
We don’t tell clients to ban desserts.
Instead, we teach them to shape their environment.
Try this:
Next time you shop, skip the jumbo box of cookies and buy fresh fruit instead.
Observe what happens—it’s often surprisingly effective.
Nutrition Challenge #5: “I eat out a lot.”
Restaurant decisions can feel overwhelming. One moment you're trying to choose the “healthy option,” and the next… “Carbonara, please—and yes, extra breadsticks.”
Here’s the secret:
Plan how you want to show up before you arrive.
Ask yourself:
Is this a special occasion where indulgence is worth it?
Or do I want to stay aligned with my goals today?
No judgment either way—just awareness.
If choosing the healthy path, try:
Look at the menu ahead of time
Choose a protein-forward, veggie-rich dish
Avoid fried/breaded foods
Ask for dressing on the side
Eat slowly
Stop at 80% full
Every time you follow through, notice how it feels.
Reinforcing positive outcomes builds long-term habits.
Nutrition Challenge #6: “My portions are just too big.”
Between “clean your plate” culture, oversized restaurant meals, and hyperpalatable foods, overeating feels normal—and smaller portions feel strange.
You can retrain this.
Start by:
👉 Eating slowly
👉 Stopping at 80% full (even if your plate isn’t empty)
Don’t obsess over exact percentages.
The goal is simply to build awareness of fullness signals—your accuracy improves naturally with practice.
For portion guidelines without calorie counting, use your hands:
Palm = protein
Fist = veggies
Cupped hand = carbs
Thumb = fats
It’s simple, flexible, and consistently effective.
Nutrition Challenge #7: “I don’t have time to prepare meals.”
A very real—and very common—struggle.
Most people aren’t lacking ability.
They’re lacking time, energy, or desire after long days of responsibilities.
But you don’t need a massive overhaul.
Start with the smallest possible step:
If you cook zero meals per week, try making one.
If you make three, try four.
That’s it.
Consistent small improvements create big, lasting change.
Over time, ask yourself:
“Can I add one more?”
Progress > perfection.
Nutrition Challenge #8: “I drink too much.”
Over 30% of clients say alcohol gets in the way of their goals.
“Too much” varies:
Several glasses nightly
Weekend binge drinking
Using alcohol to relax or cope
Even moderate overconsumption affects:
Sleep
Hunger and cravings
Judgement
Energy levels
Fat loss
Instead of drastic changes, try one small shift:
One fewer drink
Stretch one drink over a longer time
Alternate alcohol with water
Ease into it, pay attention, and notice how you feel.
Awareness leads to better choices—not force.
Build a Better You—One Challenge at a Time
With 100,000+ client cases, one truth stands out:
👉 You don’t need a perfect meal plan.
You need simple, consistent habits.
Pick one challenge.
Practice it for 2–3 weeks.
Celebrate small wins.
Then choose another.
Transformation isn’t about changing everything.
It’s about changing something, steadily, until it adds up to everything.
Your next chapter starts now.
