Do you find yourself continually self-sabotaging your diet? There’s a reason people self-sabotage, and once you realize that you’re doing it (and why), it’s much easier to change your behaviour. Eating healthier takes planning, mindfulness, and discipline, but if it’s important to you, we want to help you reach your healthy eating goals. Here’s how to stop self-sabotaging your diet in 7 steps.
What Is Self-Sabotage Behaviour?
Self-sabotage behaviour is when you do things (or don’t do things) that block your success or prevent you from accomplishing your goals. It can be a conscious or unconscious behaviour that often stems from feelings of anxiety, anger, or worthlessness.
When it comes to your diet, you’re likely working towards a specific weight loss or health goal. Perhaps you’ve tried to reach this goal in the past and for some reason it didn’t pan out, or you don’t really have a clear motivation for your diet.
Feelings of stress, confusion, or anxiety when trying to reach your goal can lead you to feel frustrated and discouraged with yourself. These feelings trap you and keep you from doing what you need to do to succeed.
7 Reasons You Self-Sabotage Your Diet
- Overly ambitious goals- setting unrealistic goals or expecting instant results can lead to frustration and discouragement. When progress doesn’t match expectations, it can trigger self-sabotaging behaviours like binge eating or giving up altogether.
- Lack of motivation- if you lack a clear motivation or purpose for your diet, it becomes easier to give in to temptation. Without a strong “why” behind your goals, it’s challenging to stay committed and make long-term changes.
- Emotional eating- many people turn to food as a way to cope with stress, sadness, boredom, or other emotions. In this case, it’s common for people to use food to soothe themselves rather than addressing the underlying emotions or finding healthier coping mechanisms.
- Low self-esteem- negative self-talk and low self-esteem can get in the way of your efforts to maintain a healthy diet. If you don’t believe in your ability to make positive changes or if you doubt your worthiness of achieving your goals, self-sabotaging behaviours can kick in.
- Temptations- surrounding yourself with unhealthy foods, frequenting places where you’re likely to make poor food choices, or being influenced by others’ eating habits can make it difficult to stick to your diet. External factors can trigger self-sabotage, especially if your willpower is already low.
- Lack of planning- failing to plan and prepare meals in advance can increase the likelihood of making impulsive, unhealthy food choices. When nutritious options aren’t readily available, it becomes easier to opt for convenience or fast food, derailing your diet.
- Negative mindset- deeply engrained beliefs about food, body image, or self-worth can contribute to self-sabotage. If you believe you don’t deserve to be healthy or that you’ll never be able to reach your goals, you may unconsciously engage in behaviours that sabotage your progress.
How to Stop Self-Sabotaging Your Diet
1. Create a Plan
Planning is one of the best things you can do for success. Create healthy grocery lists and prepare most of your meals at home using whole or minimally processed foods. Making a meal plan each week is the key to fast, easy meal preparation, and will help you not order takeout or make processed freezer foods.
2. Eating Out Game Plan
Plan when you’re going to go out and treat yourself, but don’t let your diet keep you from living your life. If your friends want to go out for lunch or dinner, choose healthy menu items like fish, chicken, or salad. Look for dishes made with whole grains like quinoa or brown rice, and ask for sauce and dressings on the side.
3. Find Foods That Fill You Up and Make You Feel Good
One of the easiest ways to eat healthy? Find whole, healthy foods you love that fill you up and make you feel satisfied and energized. Eat lots of protein, including eggs, fish, chicken, lentils, and tofu, as well as fruits and vegetables. Switch from refined to whole grains and avoid fast and processed foods. Eliminate sugary drinks and stick to water, tea or coffee (with little to no sugar) and watch out for added sugars and sodium in your foods. Once you start eating healthier you’ll see how different you feel and will want to continue feeling great.
4. Keep Junk Foods Out of the House
If you keep junk foods like chips, cookies, and crackers in the house, it’s way too easy to reach for them when you’re having a moment of weakness. Feelings of shame and worthlessness tend to creep up when we’re bored or overthinking, which most often happens at home. Removing the temptations will help you stick to your goals.
5. Be Gentle with Yourself
Everyone slips once in a while, and it’s important not to fully give up just because you got off track a little bit. One screw up doesn’t justify a binge, and it doesn’t mean you’re a failure. If you fall off track, you can get right back on. Be gentle with yourself and know that the goal is to live a healthier lifestyle overall, not to restrict yourself so much that you don’t enjoy life.
6. Get Accountability
Trying to make dietary and lifestyle changes without support or accountability can make it harder to reach your goal. Having a support system or working with a coach or accountability partner can provide encouragement and help you stay motivated. Find a friend who also wants to make dietary changes or a workout partner you can stay active with!
7. Change Your Mindset Around Food
Diet has such a negative connotation to it, when really it’s a healthy eating plan. You don’t have to deprive yourself of everything you enjoy- a balanced diet is key to health and happiness. The more negatively you talk and think about certain foods, the more guilt, shame, and regret you’ll create, and the sabotage cycle will continue.
Creating new, healthier habits can be a challenge, especially if you’re prone to self-sabotaging behaviour. We hope these tips help you stay on track and reach your goals.
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