Why 'Everything in Moderation' Is Terrible Advice

“Everything in moderation.” You’ve heard it a thousand times. Dietitians say it. Your friends say it. The internet says it. But what if that advice is actually the reason you’re stuck?

If you’re losing and gaining the same 10 to 20 lbs over and over again, moderation isn’t your starting point. It’s your destination. And there’s a big difference.

Why Moderation Sounds Great but Doesn’t Work

Here’s the thing. Moderation assumes your foundation is already solid. And for most women I work with, it’s not. Not yet.

If your hunger hormones are out of balance, if your blood sugar is crashing every afternoon, if you’re white-knuckling past cravings all day, how exactly are you supposed to “just have one”?

It’s not a willpower problem. Your biology is literally working against you.

The Science Behind Why You Can’t “Just Have One”

A landmark study published in Cell Metabolism found that when people ate ultra-processed foods versus whole foods (same calories, same macros), the ultra-processed food group ate about 500 more calories per day without even trying. They weren’t hungrier because they lacked discipline. The food itself changed their hunger signals.

And it gets worse. Research from George Washington University found that women who were actively trying to restrain their eating actually ate more when stress or cravings hit. Not less. More.

It’s called ironic process theory. The harder you try to restrict, the more likely you are to binge. So when someone tells you “just eat in moderation,” they’re ignoring what these foods are actually doing to your body.

Ultra-Processed Foods Are Designed to Override Your Fullness

Ultra-processed foods, the packaged snacks, the fast food, the frozen meals with ingredient lists longer than your grocery list, are literally engineered to override your body’s natural fullness signals.

They hit the perfect combination of sugar, fat, and salt that lights up the reward center in your brain. That’s not an accident. That’s food science designed to make you want more.

Research from the University of Michigan found that the most addictive foods (chips, cookies, ice cream, pizza) all share the same characteristics. Highly processed, rapidly absorbed, and designed to trigger a dopamine response.

So when you can’t stop at one cookie, that is not a character flaw. Your brain is responding exactly the way it was designed to respond to these foods.

What Happens When the Foundation Shifts

Here’s what I see with my clients all the time. That constant background noise around food. Should I have this now or later? I already ruined today, so I’ll start Monday. I ate one donut, so I might as well eat four.

That noise? It often goes quiet, and sometimes completely disappears, when the foundation shifts to real, whole, nourishing food.

I’ve had clients tell me they can’t believe the food noise is just gone. They’re full, satisfied, and not white-knuckling their way through the afternoon. That’s not because they suddenly developed more willpower. It’s because their hunger hormones started working properly again.

Leptin (tells you you’re full), ghrelin (tells you you’re hungry), and insulin (your storage hormone) all started getting the right signals from the right foods.

Your Taste Buds Actually Change

This part is personal. When I shifted my own nutrition to a whole food foundation, real food, enough animal protein, fiber, and healthy fats, something happened that I didn’t think was possible.

Ultra-processed food stopped tasting as good. The things I used to crave just didn’t hit the same. And real food started tasting incredible. My palate actually changed.

I hear the same thing from my clients over and over. Once your body gets the nourishment it actually needs, you stop craving the stuff that was keeping you stuck.

Your Body Is Talking to You

This matters especially if you’re a woman in your 30s. If your foundation isn’t solid, the symptoms start showing up:

Fatigue that doesn’t go away no matter how much you sleep
Acne that didn’t bother you in your 20s
Brain fog and afternoon crashes
Bloating after every meal
Irregular periods, missing periods, or brutal PMS

A healthy period should not get in the way of your life. If it does, your body is waving a red flag. These aren’t just annoyances. They’re signals that something needs attention.

And some women are asymptomatic. Everything seems fine on the surface, but the foundation is cracking underneath. That’s honestly harder because you don’t realize something is off until later when it’s more difficult to course correct.

Moderation Comes After the Foundation

There is nothing wrong with you if you feel like you can’t moderate ultra-processed foods. You’re not broken. Your body needs healing first.

Your hunger hormones need to recalibrate. Your blood sugar needs to stabilize. Your gut needs to recover. And when that foundation is rock solid, moderation becomes natural. Easy, even.

You can go to a party, have a slice of cake, enjoy it completely, and move on with your life. No guilt. No spiral. No starting over on Monday. No finishing half the cake.

Want to Break the Cycle for Good?

That’s exactly what I help women do. Not through restriction. The opposite, actually. My clients eat more. They eat food they genuinely love. Big, nourishing, satisfying meals with protein, fiber, and healthy fats.

They learn how to nourish themselves with the right amount of each macronutrient without counting calories forever. And here’s what gets me every time. The body they always wanted comes as a byproduct. Not from punishing themselves. From actually taking care of their health.

If you’re done doing this alone and you’re ready to actually break the cycle, that’s what my 12-Week Coaching Program is built for. Weekly one-on-one coaching, a daily program that takes less than 10 minutes, and real support to change your life from the inside out.

For more support, book your FREE call HERE.