The Most Common Reasons People Quit Eating Healthy

Savannah Shapley
5 days ago
4 min read

Whether it’s losing fat for the summer, building lean mass, and living a more productive San Diego professional life, the simplest way to get to your goals is to eat healthy.

If only it were that simple, right?

There are numerous reasons for why people fall off the wagon after a week or two on a keto, vegetarian, or Paleo diet. Some reasons are unavoidable, like a change in health or dietary restrictions.

On the other hand, others are within your control. The sooner you become aware of them, the easier it gets to develop healthy eating consistency.

Here are the most common reasons for why people quote their healthy eating routines.

Unrealistic Meal Planning

This one is for the “New Year, New Me” crowd.

These San Diego folks are often gung-ho about making those dramatic lifestyle (and health) changes, kicking their resolutions off with drastic changes to their diet.

They plan meals, scout San Diego for the freshest ingredients, and maybe even invest in some cooking gear.

Unfortunately, while some do develop healthy eating consistency, the vast majority lose their rhythm for one reason: their meals were unsustainable.

Most people who get into healthy eating for the first time come into it with an all-or-nothing mindset that:

Eliminates entire food groups
Labels food as good or bad
Doesn’t account for life’s stresses and demands

As a result, willpower fades, or life finds a way to knock them off the wagon.

Cooking Can Become a Chore

This can be a good or bad thing.

On the one hand, there’s nothing wrong with spending a few extra hours or Sundays in the kitchen if you haven’t cooked for yourself in the last few years. In fact, think of that extra time you’re spending with a spatula schooling yourself on what healthy meals look like.

Of course, there’s a limit. When you find meal prep getting in the way of work, family, fitness, and life, it’s tougher to stay on track.

The time spent in the kitchen makes sticking to eating healthy inconvenient. Over time, one missed meal prep Sunday becomes two, and, before you know it, you’re back to frozen meals, take-out, or eating out.

Cooking Too Much

Besides cooking too often, dieters tend to overdo portions, and you might too.

If you’re meal prepping for the first time, you may be unaware of what appropriate serving sizes look like. Instead of preparing just the right amount of food for each meal, you may overshoot on some of the macros.

Two things can happen. It’s either you waste food, or you end up eating too much.

Either way, neither is ideal for your food budget. Most importantly, wasting money and not seeing results (especially if you want to lean out) will cause you to abandon your quest at eating healthier.

Lack of Convenience

Meal prepping in itself can take some of your valuable time, but remember what has to happen before you can actually prepare your meals.

First, there’s the shopping. In San Diego, there are over 250 groceries and markets, and even an extensive Yelp search can take time out of your day.

Let’s not forget the commute to the grocery or market of your choice. Unless you’re right next door to an Albertsons, Ralphs, or Costco, you’ll have to drive to and from the store.

Half an hour of driving (and, sometimes, looking for a parking spot) may not seem like a lot. However, that does add up. Wouldn’t you rather not have to go to the other side of San Diego to get your food?

Burnout and Food Boredom

This is the most common reason for why people can’t get into sustainable healthy eating.

For many, eating clean is all about chicken breasts, rice, and broccoli day-in and day-out. Maybe, every now and then, there’s the occasional slice of steak or even salmon.

We won’t sugarcoat it. No matter your health and fitness goal, you’ll have to give up some foods. This can be a tough pill to swallow for a lot of people.

Those who accept it stick with their healthy eating routines. Those who don’t end up with the vast majority who are onto the next fad diet.

Building a Sustainable Approach

There’s really no magic diet. The secret is in developing sustainable healthy eating habits.

Here’s a three-step process that will make time (and your meals) work for you.

1. Know What You Like

Yes, eating clean requires some sacrifice — but there’s no need to white knuckle your nutrition. Believe it or not, you can eat healthy and enjoy doing so at the same time. All you need to do is get a nutritional consultation and talk about the foods you like to eat.

By the end of the conversation, you’ll have a meal plan containing foods that are healthy and, most importantly, enjoyable.

2. Hire a Meal Prep Service

You can skip this step if cooking is no trouble for you.

However, if you’ve gone off-track in your nutrition multiple times, there’s a chance you’d benefit from a meal prep service in San Diego.

A San Diego meal prep takes out all the challenges of healthy eating. Don’t forget how delicious and well-portioned your meals will be, no matter your goal.

3. Think “Consistent,” Not “Perfect.”

Even if you have your meals prepped and delivered to your doorstep, you might indulge in something that we wouldn’t ordinarily consider healthy.

Guess what: that’s ok!

Healthy eating should fit your life. Once it starts to take over to the point where you’re obsessing over every calorie, then we have a problem.

If you’ve had a small slice of cake or a class of pinot at a friend’s wedding, don’t feel guilty. What’s important is you keep occasions like these to a minimum and get back to your diet immediately after.

Remember, perfectionism is the enemy of healthy eating consistency.