Welcome back to Shut Up and Choose, the no-BS guide to actually changing your life without selling your soul to the diet industry, losing your mind, or swearing off pizza forever. I’m your host, Jonathan Ressler — and today we’re diving into something you already think you know: healthy eating habits.
But we’re going to talk about them in a way you probably haven’t heard before—because if you’ve ever started Monday with a green juice and ended Friday face-deep in a large pepperoni, wondering how the hell it all fell apart… you’re not broken. You’re just stuck in a system that’s designed to break you.
Let’s unpack that.
Monday Motivation, Friday Faceplant
So let me ask: how many times have you kicked off a week with the best of intentions? You cleaned out your fridge, meal prepped your life into neatly stacked plastic containers, downloaded three new apps, bought a new blender, maybe even posted on social media for some “accountability.”
Then life happened. You got busy. Tired. Bored. A co-worker brought in donuts. You forgot your lunch. You were “good” all week, so you “deserved” a cheat meal—and suddenly, it’s not just one meal. It’s a three-day free-for-all, followed by guilt, bloat, and another promise to “start over Monday.”
Sound familiar? Yeah. That’s because you’re living the cycle. And you’re not the only one.
This all-or-nothing, start-stop, binge-restrict rollercoaster isn’t a personal flaw. It’s a feature of the toxic-ass system we’ve all been conditioned to believe in. And if you’re nodding your head right now, know this: it’s not your lack of willpower. It’s the unrealistic expectations that keep setting you up to fail.
Diet Culture Is a Scam — There, I Said It
Here’s the hard truth: the diet industry needs you to fail.
Think about it. If they sold you something that actually worked for the long term—if you changed your habits, lost weight, and kept it off—you wouldn’t need them anymore. So they sell you restriction. They sell you extremes. They make you feel like success is only possible through complete lifestyle overhauls, 30-day challenges, or demonizing entire food groups.
You want to eat carbs? Sinner.
You want to enjoy dessert? Weak.
You want to not track every bite like a calorie accountant with OCD? Clearly, you’re not serious.
And when the plan becomes unsustainable—which it will—they make sure you think it’s your fault. “If only you were more committed.” “If only you had more discipline.” So you internalize that failure. You start believing that you’re the problem. And that shame drives you right back into their open arms with the next shiny new diet.
It’s a business model. Not a lifestyle. Not a solution. A goddamn sales funnel.
Perfection Is the Enemy of Progress
Let me tell you something I wish someone had told me when I was 300 pounds: You don’t have to be perfect to make progress.
Actually, trying to be perfect is the fastest way to never make any progress.
When I finally got off the hamster wheel of yo-yo dieting and started building healthy habits that stuck, I didn’t do it by cutting out every “bad” food. I didn’t start running marathons. I didn’t start weighing my broccoli.
I started by asking myself, “What’s one small choice I could make today that doesn’t feel like torture?”
That’s it.
One swap. One shift. One baby step in the right direction. Over and over.
Consistency Over Complexity
Let me hit you with this mantra: Consistency beats intensity. Every. Single. Time.
The people who are successful in changing their eating habits for good aren’t the ones doing Whole30 five times a year. They’re not the ones eating “clean” until they crash and burn.
They’re the ones who made small, sustainable changes—and kept showing up.
They made it boring. Predictable. Simple.
They didn’t aim for perfection. They aimed for better, more often.
If you’ve been trying to get every meal right, track every calorie, eliminate every craving, or punish yourself into submission with 90-minute workouts—pause. Take a breath. That’s not sustainable. That’s not even human.
The Flat Tire Analogy (a.k.a. STOP Slashing Your Other Three Tires)
Let me give you one of my favorite metaphors. If you got a flat tire, you wouldn’t say, “Well, damn. Guess I should slash the other three and light the car on fire.”
But that’s exactly how most people treat a slip-up with food. You eat one “bad” meal and decide the whole day—or the whole week—is ruined. So you spiral.
Sound dramatic? Sure. But we do it all the time.
What if, instead, you fixed the flat and kept driving?
That’s the bounce-back skill. That’s where real progress lives.
One bad meal doesn’t break your plan. One good meal doesn’t make you healthy. It’s what you do next that matters.
Make the Habit Too Small to Fail
Here’s the trick: make your habit so easy that it’s almost stupid not to do it.
Instead of saying, “I’m going to eat healthy every day,” say: “I’m going to add one veggie to my lunch.”
Instead of declaring, “No more sugar ever,” say: “I’m going to drink water before I grab a snack.”
Instead of cutting out entire food groups, say: “I’m going to make my breakfast a little more balanced.”
These micro-habits don’t feel like much in the moment—but they’re the foundation. And they compound. One little better decision leads to another. And when it’s easy to do, you’re more likely to keep doing it.
You’re not trying to change everything in one week. You’re trying to become someone who makes better choices without even thinking about it.
Set Up Your Environment to Win
Let’s talk sabotage. And no, I’m not talking about your coworker who brings in bagels every Friday. I’m talking about your kitchen.
If you keep your freezer stocked with ice cream and your counter loaded with cookies, you’re testing your willpower every single day. And here’s the deal: your willpower is limited. Don’t waste it.
Want to eat more protein? Make it the easiest thing to grab. Want to snack less? Stop buying your trigger foods “for the kids” (yeah, we all know they’re not eating that box of Cheez-Its).
Make the healthy choice the easy choice. Remove friction.
Put water bottles on your desk.
Pre-cut your veggies.
Keep high-protein snacks at eye level.
Hide the crap you tend to binge behind something annoying to move.
You don’t need to become a monk—you just need to set yourself up for fewer daily battles.
Boring Is the New Sexy
Nobody talks about this, but I will: sustainable health is kind of boring.
We’ve been sold this lie that every meal needs to be creative, exciting, and photogenic. That your workout has to be an adventure. That your life has to look like a montage from a fitness influencer’s Instagram.
Nah. Most of my meals are simple as hell. I eat the same breakfast almost every day. Same snacks. Rotate the same few dinners. Because it works. And more importantly, it keeps me from decision fatigue and “screw it” moments.
If you’re trying to overhaul your life with Pinterest-perfect meals and elaborate routines, you’re going to burn out. Make it so simple that it becomes autopilot.
That’s when the magic happens.
Flexibility Is Strength, Not Weakness
Here’s a radical idea: you don’t need to be on or off anything.
You don’t need a cheat day. You don’t need a restart. You don’t need to punish yourself when life happens.
You just need to ask: What’s the next best choice I can make?
Maybe your kid’s birthday meant cake. Cool. Did you enjoy it? Great. Move on.
Maybe your work lunch was fast food. Fine. What’s your next meal look like?
Flexibility isn’t “letting yourself off the hook.” It’s building a lifestyle where you can adapt without losing momentum. It’s what allows you to keep going for years, not just weeks.
The Real Secret? Just Keep Choosing
Listen, you don’t need a new diet. You don’t need to be perfect. You don’t need to punish yourself into progress.
You just need to shut up and choose—again and again.
Choose the water instead of the soda.
Choose the walk instead of the scroll.
Choose the protein instead of just carbs.
Choose the “okay” meal instead of the “perfect” one you’ll never make.
And when you don’t choose well? Cool. Choose better next time.
That’s how you build real, lasting change.
That’s how you eat healthy without it sucking.
That’s how you outsmart the inner gremlin that wants to keep you stuck in the same old cycle.