My new diet makes me sugar-crazy. I started working with a nutritionist to shed 40 pounds. She said that to dodge diet boredom, I should eat a variety of foods. Now I find that I want to eat all the sweets I can get my hands on. Why can’t I muster up more willpower?
There’s nothing wrong with your willpower. Instead, your mix-it-up food strategy may be working against you. While eating produce, whole grains, and protein does help prevent the boredom and deprivation that sabotage weight-loss efforts, variety is proven to backfire when it comes to dessert. Women in one study who ate an assortment of treats with different textures (such as gooey and crunchy) and flavors (like fruity and chocolaty) felt their desire for sweets intensify. It seems that in women, dessert variety triggers cravings for different mouthfeels. So stay loyal to one favorite treat. When deviating, opt for the dessert that is closest in texture and flavor to your “usual.”
