Why You Keep “Starting Over” (And What to Do Instead)

Something that I see come up over and over again working as a dietitian/nutrition coach is clients feeling like they’re doing “all the right things,” but they’re not seeing results. Or they start strong, fall off, and then feel like they have to start over again the next week.

Most of the time, this has nothing to do with lack of knowledge. It really comes down to habits and mindset.

The Phase Where Most People Quit

One of my favorite self-improvement books is Atomic Habits by James Clear. In the book, there’s something he labels the “valley of disappointment,” which is basically that phase where you’re showing up, you’re trying to be consistent, you’re doing the things… but you’re not seeing much change yet.

This is where most people quit, because it feels like it’s not working. But in reality, your results are just delayed. I tell clients all the time that progress isn’t linear. Unfortunately it is often like a zig zag lin...