I know how to diet, but I can’t seem to stick to it.

Put another way, I know what to do, but I can’t seem to do it.

Here is what’s going on.

I hear this ALL the time. I even said this to myself back in the day. I added, “what the hell is wrong with me?”

When I first joined WW in the early 2000s, I ate big batches of veggie soup. I lost my post-pregnancy weight quickly.

When I tried WW a few years later (after I had my second child), I thought I’d try what worked the first time. So I made veggie soup again. Yet this time, it would stay in the fridge for a week. I’d toss it out. I made batches of soup week after week, with the best of intentions. But I could never bring myself to eat more than a cup or so.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to follow the diet again. I knew what to do, but I couldn’t seem to do it.

Sadly, I spent so much time beating myself up. And you may be doing this too. Here is what’s really going on.

While dieting, our body is in a state of deprivation.

But, bodies are NOT designed to be deprived, they are designed to survive (and thrive).

Which is why, if your body isn’t getting enough calories, it will do everything it can to ensure it will. This is often why folks cycle on diets with periods of restriction followed by overeating.

Our mind and body are closely linked.

If we experienced deprivation in the past (aka a diet), our body tells our mind to anticipate danger. The danger is the deprivation.

For me, veggie soup = deprivation. Which is why I couldn’t eat that food no matter how hard I tried. I was anticipating deprivation.

My mind and body were working together to ensure my survival.

See how genius our mind and body are?

If you’re noticing the same pattern, please know:

Your body and mind are working perfectly. You’re not doing anything wrong. Diet culture convinces dieters they need more discipline. No amount of discipline can override this mechanism.