How To Avoid The Salad Trap And Other Diet Crimes

We break down the three biggest mistakes people make when they try to eat healthy and explain why most diets fail even when effort is high. We show how to eat big, keep food enjoyable, and build habits that last without chasing perfection. 
• why healthy eating is about satiety and sustainability, not starvation 
• the salad trap and how underfueling drives cravings and snacking 
• using high-volume foods and better food selection to feel full in a caloric deficit 
• adding protein to every meal and increasing volume with fruits and vegetables 
• why “healthy food is boring” comes from old fitness culture 
• practical ways to make healthy meals taste good with seasoning and herbs 
• respecting the emotional side of food like comfort, nostalgia, and routine 
• why trying to be perfect overnight backfires and fuels all-or-nothing thinking 
• small habit changes that compound like fewer liquid calories, cooking at home, walking after dinner 
• building an identity around healthy choices instead of constant dieting 

And before we get started, I want to remind everybody to follow us on TikTok and Instagram at Time Under TensionPT, where you can find delicious recipes that make eating healthy seem like cheating on your diet. 
If you're interested in learning more how to eat big, stay full, lose the weight, and keep it off forever, we've attached a link to a free resource to help you get started on your fat loss journey. 
Or of course, feel free to click the link to book a call to discuss if our coaching systems might be the right fit for you. 
Be sure to follow us on social media at Time of AttentionPT, and we'll see you next week. 

We’re a father-son coaching team behind Time Under Tension PT, and this podcast is built for men 30+ who used to be in great shape but now struggle with low energy, weight gain, and inconsistent habits due to work and life demands.

Resources:

Book a call // Book a call for more info about our 1-on-1 fat loss coaching.

4-Step Fat Loss Starter Guide // A simple starter guide.

Transcript

Welcome And The Big Promise

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey everyone, you're listening to Tut Radio. I'm your host, Brian, here alongside my co-host and business partner Vincent, and we are a father-son fitness and nutrition coaching team. And if you have dieted in the past and hated it so much that you just gave up, then you're in the right place. We teach our listeners how to eat big, stay full, lose weight, and keep it off. Welcome to the show.

Three Common Healthy Eating Mistakes

SPEAKER_01 0:21

Alright, so today we're talking about the three biggest mistakes that people make when they start trying to eat healthy. Because honestly, it's rarely a lack of effort. It's not because you're not tracking hard enough. Most failures happen because they misunderstand what eating healthy is really supposed to look like. So today we're gonna break down why healthy eating does not mean eating less, why it does not mean eating boring food, and why healthy eating does not mean becoming perfect overnight. So we'll break down each one of these and provide common examples and hopefully some helpful tips that'll make eating healthy a much more enjoyable experience and help you stick to your diet if you're wanting to shed some unwanted pounds. And before we get started, I want to remind everybody to follow us on TikTok and Instagram at Time Under TensionPT, where you can find delicious recipes that make eating healthy seem like cheating on your

Mistake One: Eating Healthy Means Less

SPEAKER_01 1:09

diet. So number one is that eating healthy means eating less. And this is a large under misunderstanding that a lot of people have. And so that people think that eating healthy automatically means tinier portions, constant hunger, you know, eating only salads and cutting everything that you like out of your diet. And typically what ends up happening is that that mindset and that mentality when it comes to approaching your diet is typically what makes it backfire in the first place. So, Dad, why do you think that people automatically associate healthy with smaller portions?

SPEAKER_00 1:40

That's easy. Because most people's introduction to dieting is always restriction. They think if I want to lose weight, I gotta eat as little as possible. But healthy eating is really about food quality, nutrient density, satiety, you know, as we know, and most of all sustainability, not starvation. So let me give you an example of just one thing that what we call the salad trap. You know, somebody would eat like a tiny salad with grilled chicken for lunch. Two hours later they're starving, energy crashes, and now they're snacking uncontrollably. That wasn't healthy, that was simply underfueling. And and that is super common.

SPEAKER_01 2:16

Yeah, and another common thing that people do is a lot of people will cut out the things that they like. Think, you know, your chips, soda, fast food, but they don't replace those calories with actual food that's going to fill them up and keep them satiated until the next meal. So now as a result of that, their hunger is going to increase, right? The cravings for those things that they've completely cut out is going to increase, and their adherence to their diet, quote unquote, seemingly just disappears.

SPEAKER_00 2:43

Yeah, for sure. What's you know, for most people, what's a mystery is that healthy foods can be high volume, like we know this, right? You can eat huge taco bowls, loaded stir fry, potatoes, wraps, burrito bowls. These are all things that that we prepare on our pages and stuff, so people can can learn how to make these types of foods. You know, there's fruit, there's popcorn, there's so many different things. And you can still lose weight if calories are managed properly. Healthy eating should often feel more abundant, not less, and it's usually the opposite.

SPEAKER_01 3:14

Yeah, and I think that's like the biggest sort of wake-up call for our new clients that come into the system that they can eat a lot more than what they would have originally ever considered would have been an appropriate amount on a diet. And again, it's all about, as you know, and as we both know, and we we teach everybody, is that it's it's really comes down to food selection because you can eat a lot of calorically not as dense foods, right? So, like again, fruit, popcorn, eat your weight in that stuff, and it's gonna be hard to sustainably be in a caloric surplus. So it's just the food selection is the most important part. So again, Dad, if someone just started to try to eat healthier, what are some things you recommend that they start doing immediately?

SPEAKER_00 4:03

That's easy, and we'll give them probably the biggest bang for their buck. It's one, add protein to every meal. Number two, increase the food volume with fruits, vegetables, potatoes, rice, soups, etc. And then three, uh stop trying to see how little that you can eat.

Mistake Two: Healthy Food Is Boring

SPEAKER_00 4:19

You know, another mistake people make is that they think that healthy eating means boring food, and we know that that's just simply not true. People think healthy eating means plain chicken, broccoli, brown rice, zero flavor, meal prep containers that look depressing. That's what you see. And I I get it, I understand. That's one of the biggest reasons people quit.

SPEAKER_01 4:41

So, where do you think that this healthy food must taste bad sort of ideology and belief system kind of just originates from?

SPEAKER_00 4:50

That's pretty simple. The fitness culture itself, especially old school bodybuilding culture. So if you think about Arnold's movies and things like that, and the things that they like, I don't know anybody that at this point is okay with chugging raw eggs. I just, you know, it's something that people used to do, but not today. So, you know, people are taught that, and again, seasoning is bad, sauces are bad, comfort food is bad, that doesn't make any any sense. So healthy eating becomes a punishment instead of enjoyment. So I guess I think people, once they start dieting, they think that that's the way it's gotta be. Like dieting is miserable, and it's not. So how you prepare prepare the food actually means a lot. You know, most people eat dry chicken with no seasoning. You know, number one, you gotta go find your favorite, favorite seasoning. It doesn't matter what kind it is. Unseasoned rice, ladies and gentlemen, salt and pepper. Yeah, they are your friends, and you've got to use them. Again, steamed vegetables. So, you know, it's season the rice. I did there's such a world of difference between just plain white rice and a little bit of salt. Huge. And you know, when they do this, then they wonder why, you know, they binge on pizza on Friday night, because the healthy food experience feels emotionally unsatisfying at best.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

Yeah, and and I just I just made a video in my car about this because of the fact that when people approach dieting foods in particular, it's almost like they're subscribing for this miserable experience from the moment they start till the moment that it inevitably ends. And so these healthier versions of the things that you already like to eat are the substitutions that you really want and the ones that you're really looking for. Again, burgers, tacos, pasta, sandwiches, pizza bowls, you know, high protein crunch wrap, like the list goes on and on of all the things that you like that you can prepare a better way that can now fit into the context of your diet and your caloric deficit. And so all healthier and and lower calorie options, right, don't always necessarily taste horrible. A lot of the times they're they're they're very comparable to the things that you like already. And so that emotional part of food shouldn't be neglected when you decide that you want to lose some weight.

SPEAKER_00 7:09

I'm glad you brought up the emotional side of things because this part is huge psychologically. People don't just eat for nutrient matter, they never do this. They never eat for just nutrients, they eat for comfort, nostalgia, routine, stress relief, and enjoyment. And you know this has been a big part of our family, and even me growing up, we've done podcasts about this particular subject. So if your healthy eating plan ignores that this is how we really do feel about food, then it usually fails.

SPEAKER_01 7:37

Right. So when it comes to addressing the problem that healthy food is gonna taste bad all the time, and in order to be in a caloric deficit, I have to be miserable and I have to eat things that I don't want to. What are some practical steps that people can do right now to avoid that becoming their reality?

SPEAKER_00 7:58

Yeah, perfect. Look, folks, write this down. Learn three healthy meals you genuinely love. You know, you can go grab cookbooks and things like that, and there's millions of recipes, but really find the things that you, you know, write them down, the things you absolutely absolutely love. And then number two, use as much seasoning as you like. And I always recommend for all the years in the restaurant business that you use fresh different herbs and things like that, because it may it's an entirely new eating experience if you if have not been accustomed to doing that. And then the third part is stop trying to eat like a bodybuilder preparing for a contest. That's not that's unless you are, that's not part of how this really works.

Mistake Three: Perfect Overnight Mindset

SPEAKER_00 8:36

So mistake number three is generally eating healthy means becoming perfect overnight, and that's something you definitely want to get rid of. So most people try to go from takeout every day to tracking every calorie, meal prepping perfectly, never eating dessert, drinking a gallon of water, cooking every meal, it's just too much to change all at once.

SPEAKER_01 8:59

Yeah, and absolutely. We know that that is to be true, right? That if you were to go and actually try and overhaul your life to fit your diet, right? To fit this healthy eating sort of routine, that it's not gonna work. And so why do you think that people's first instinct is to completely overhaul their life in order to kind of conform to a diet?

SPEAKER_00 9:22

Well, I think because people think that discipline and motivation are like key elements to adhering to a diet or doing a diet successfully. And and man, they have such a small role, if any at all, at some time, most of the time, you know, because the motivation often just creates unrealistic expectations. People think this time I'm gonna do everything right. Well, I don't even know what that even means. But behavior change, you know, doesn't work that way. It takes small steps over a longer period of time. So I give you an example, like we call this the Monday reset. People say, I'm gonna start Monday, no sugar, no eating out, I'm gonna go to the gym six days a week, and I'm only gonna drink water. Then by Thursday, they feel overwhelmed and they want to kill somebody. And I get that. That's just that's why this is important.

SPEAKER_01 10:08

Yeah, I think they just set themselves up for failure immediately when they take that sort of approach to it, right? And the other thing too that people people, you know, they they get all crazy about is like, let's say they go off course, let's say they they eat off plan for one meal, they feel as though that the world is kind of crashing down on them, though this colossal failure, right? You eat one cookie, oh well, I ruined everything. Well, uh again, it in in in a lifestyle shift, one occasion, one meal, one slip-up is not going to destroy your progress, not going to destroy your, you know, uh your your goals or or the or the steps you're taking towards towards meeting them. And so that all or nothing mindset is what I think kind of can destroy your consistency over time.

SPEAKER_00 10:52

Yeah. And so what they do is, you know, they they make and and look, food tracking is okay, but you know, they make they're trying to weigh every single gram and they feel miserable if they miss something, they track every calorie, they optimize every meal. And so they do all this before they even learn, you know, basic eating structure. And that's important. And it's actually pretty simple, you know, the way a plate looks. And you know, that's the same thing as like trying to run a marathon, you know, before you run your first 5k. It's not gonna happen, and you're gonna just give up.

SPEAKER_01 11:25

So, what would you recommend would be a better approach for people?

SPEAKER_00 11:29

So, what I'd recommend is you gotta start with just one habit. More protein as an example, fewer liquid calories, like so cut out the sodas if you can, drink something, maybe a diet soda or even water if that's okay, or anything that has less calories, cooking at home twice per week. I I know that sounds crazy, but you know, because some people actually really do eat out every single day because it's convenient, and I understand that, but by eating at home twice, that makes a big difference. So uh eat slower. I know Vin, you've done this too in the past. It's huge helpful. And then walking after dinner that helps, you know, digestion. So those small wins, you know, start to build the person that you're really becoming it and it shifts away from a diet. It's like you start to associate as I'm a person not who's uh trying to lose 20 pounds, but I'm a person who pays attention to what I eat every day. I'm a type of person who tries to be healthy, that that's it. And so that type of identity creates the long-term change. Because you just you gotta be yourself, you gotta be who you want to be.

SPEAKER_01 12:32

Yeah, absolutely.

Sustainable Fat Loss And Next Steps

SPEAKER_01 12:33

And so kind of to conclude here, right? If there's one takeaway, is that the healthy eating is not starving yourself, it's not eating things that you hate that are miserable, that are bland, right? It's not being perfect all the time and never eating off course because setting an expectation like that is ridiculous. And if that kind of describes where you're at with your diet currently, I got news for you is that it probably won't last because your motivation, as we covered, is only gonna gr it's only gonna get you so far. And so when when those cravings and when your dissatisfaction with your own diet is going to override the the goals that you have set, you'll just drop it anyway. So learning to enjoy the things you love contextually to your goals is really the only way through this in a sustainable fashion, is the way that I see it.

SPEAKER_00 13:32

Yeah, I agree. And I, you know, I don't think this gets stressed enough is that a fat loss or weight loss is generally it should be treated as a phase and not a life cycle, because it's it isn't. So the thing is, you know, the best nutrition plan is the one you can realistically live with. And I just continue to think more and more about this day in and day out, how I I just want to live my life and where does food play a role in all of that? And it certainly isn't me wanting to be on a diet constantly, it's just about making choices that make sense for me. So healthy eating should improve your life, not make you hate food.

SPEAKER_01 14:13

Yeah, I couldn't have said it better myself. So, guys, if you're struggling to try and make healthy eating sustainable, that's kind of what we help people solve at time of detention, right? We help people build systems around nutrition that actually fit your real life. And so if you're interested in learning more how to eat big, stay full, lose the weight, and keep it off forever, we've attached a link to a free resource to help you get started on your fat loss journey. Or of course, feel free to click the link to book a call to discuss if our coaching systems might be the right fit for you. Thanks as always for listening. We appreciate you guys. Be sure to follow us on social media at Time of AttentionPT, and we'll see you next week. Goodbye, everyone.