So, you want to lose weight? Fantastic! Maybe you’ve sworn off carbs (again), started drinking your coffee black (again), and promised yourself that this time you’re going to stick with it (again). But let’s be real—if dieting worked the way most people do it, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
The truth is, most quick-fix diets are like toxic exes: they promise the world, give you short-term excitement, and then leave you in a worse situation than when you started. And yet, instead of committing to real change, most people go back for more punishment. Why? Because real change—the kind that keeps weight off permanently—requires giving up those sneaky vices that keep pulling you back.
The Weight Loss Boomerang: Why Diets Fail
Ever heard of yo-yo dieting? It’s when you lose weight, get excited, celebrate by eating a family-sized pizza, and then—surprise!—gain back more than you lost. Studies show that restrictive dieting often leads to a cycle of deprivation and overindulgence, making long-term weight loss nearly impossible.
A 2017 review in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the body responds to dieting with a surge of hunger hormones, slowing metabolism and making weight regain almost inevitable—especially if you return to the same eating habits that caused weight gain in the first place.
Translation? You can’t outsmart biology with a crash diet. You have to change your entire approach to food.
The Cheese Trap: When “Just a Little” is a Lie
Let’s talk about one of the biggest culprits in the weight loss sabotage game: cheese. People love cheese. They claim it’s their “one true love,” their “ride or die.” (If only they spoke about their partners this way.)
But here’s the thing—cheese is basically solidified fat and salt. A single ounce of cheddar (which, let’s be honest, no one actually sticks to) packs about 120 calories and 9 grams of fat. That’s before you add it to a sandwich, melt it over pasta, or—if you’re truly dedicated—snack on cubes straight from the fridge.
Research published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that diets high in saturated fat, like those loaded with cheese, contribute significantly to weight gain and metabolic disease. Yet people act like giving up cheese is equivalent to renouncing their citizenship.
Here’s a radical idea: If something is actively working against your goals, maybe it’s time to stop clinging to it like a security blanket made of dairy.
Stop Slapping a Band-Aid on a Broken Diet
You can go keto. You can drink green smoothies until you turn into a human kale leaf. You can even cut out gluten (even if you’re not allergic, because, why not?). But if you’re still indulging in high-calorie comfort foods that sabotage your progress, you’re just putting a temporary band-aid on a long-term problem.
Instead of playing diet whack-a-mole, let’s get real about what actually works:
✅ Eating Whole, Plant-Based Foods – Fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains. These foods are naturally low in calories and high in nutrients. Bonus: they don’t trick your brain into thinking you need more of them (looking at you, ultra-processed foods).
✅ Breaking Up with Fat Traps – Cheese, fried foods, processed snacks—they’re engineered to keep you coming back for more. If you can’t stop eating them once you start, it’s not you, it’s them.
✅ Shifting Your Mindset – Instead of asking, “What can I eat to lose weight quickly?” ask, “What can I eat to be healthy for life?” Because when you focus on long-term health, the weight loss takes care of itself.
The Hard Truth (With a Side of Tough Love)
Here’s what no one wants to hear: you can’t keep eating the same things and expect different results. If your weight is creeping up, if your health is declining, if you keep going back to the same old habits—it’s time to let them go.
Yes, cheese tastes good. Yes, processed foods are convenient. But is a temporary hit of pleasure worth the long-term frustration of struggling with your weight?
If you’re serious about change, you don’t need another diet. You need a new way of eating—one that supports your goals, rather than works against them. Because the best “diet” isn’t a diet at all. It’s a lifestyle. One that actually works.
So, maybe it’s time to say goodbye to cheese. It’s not you. It’s definitely it.
References
Hall, K. D., Kahan, S. (2018). Maintenance of lost weight and long-term management of obesity. The Medical Clinics of North America, 102(1), 183–197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcna.2017.08.012
Ludwig, D. S., & Ebbeling, C. B. (2018). The carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity: Beyond “calories in, calories out.” JAMA Internal Medicine, 178(8), 1098–1103. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.2933
Mann, T., Tomiyama, A. J., Westling, E., Lew, A. M., Samuels, B., & Chatman, J. (2007). Medicare’s search for effective obesity treatments: Diets are not the answer. American Psychologist, 62(3), 220–233. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.62.3.220
Mozaffarian, D., Hao, T., Rimm, E. B., Willett, W. C., & Hu, F. B. (2011). Changes in diet and lifestyle and long-term weight gain in women and men. The New England Journal of Medicine, 364(25), 2392–2404. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1014296
Schulze, M. B., Manson, J. E., Ludwig, D. S., Colditz, G. A., Stampfer, M. J., Willett, W. C., & Hu, F. B. (2004). Sugar-sweetened beverages, weight gain, and incidence of type 2 diabetes in young and middle-aged women. JAMA, 292(8), 927–934. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.292.8.927