It’s Not About Chicken and Broccoli

The Real Reason Your “Clean Eating” Plan Keeps Falling Apart

Liz Rodriguez

May 21, 2025

So you’re ready to get back on track.

Maybe it’s Monday. Or the first of the month. Or you’ve just hit your breaking point and want to feel better again.

And suddenly, it’s back to chicken, broccoli…and guilt.

The “clean foods” come out. The rules tighten up. You start planning your meals like you’re studying for a final.

Nutrition becomes punishment. A routine to control, restrict, and erase whatever damage you think you’ve done.

But what if nutrition wasn’t the grind you return to after “falling off”? What if it was the foundation that supports the version of you you’re trying to build?

The Default Nutrition Loop

Here’s what I see all the time:

Start over → Go strict → Burn out → Repeat.

It’s a cycle rooted in shame. And it’s so familiar that we barely even question it.

We treat foods like symbols of being “good”; grilled chicken, spinach, no dressing. We view cravings or flexibility as weakness. We confuse discipline with deprivation. And we try to make our bodies work off of plans that were never designed for us in the first place.

Most of the mainstream fitness advice we’ve absorbed (fasting windows, carb cycling, endless meal prepping) was built off research done on young, fit men. Not women. Not women under chronic stress. Not women in perimenopause. Not women rebuilding their energy and metabolism.

In fact, if you try to follow the “lean and mean” protocols that do work well for men, like aggressive calorie cutting, long fasts, or ultra-low carb diets, you’re far more likely to end up with fatigue, stalled progress, and elevated cortisol.

We’re not broken. We’ve just been following a system that wasn’t built for us.

Why This Doesn’t Work (and What’s Missing)

This rigid, all-or-nothing approach to nutrition fails us in a few major ways:

It ignores how our bodies actually function; especially when we’re under stress or moving through hormone shifts
It over-focuses on calories instead of nourishment
It creates a reward/punishment loop that leads to guilt, shame, and self-blame when we inevitably “break” the plan
And worst of all? It convinces us that anything short of perfect isn’t worth doing at all

Research shows that chronic under-eating, especially combined with stress, can raise cortisol, disrupt sleep, and slow metabolism.

Yo-yo dieting and restriction don’t just wear us out; they train our bodies to distrust us.

So instead of feeling stronger and more energized…ee’re tired, foggy, moody, and stuck.

The Sustainability Gap

Let’s also be real for a second. Even if restrictive meal plans did work short-term… they’re a logistical nightmare to maintain.

You’re not going to perfectly map out meals and cook for hours every Sunday for the rest of your life. And honestly? You shouldn’t have to. What happens when life interrupts the plan? You get invited to a last-minute girls’ dinner. You travel.

You’re too exhausted to prep another container of grilled chicken. You actually want to enjoy your weekend.

Nutrition built on rigidity crumbles the second life happens. And when it does, we default to the story:

“I’m off track. I’ll start again Monday.” And the cycle repeats.

But what if the problem isn’t you breaking the plan? What if it’s the fact that the plan never respected your real life in the first place?

The Reframe: Nutrition as Strategy, Not Punishment

What if we stopped treating nutrition like a reset button; and started treating it like a strategy?

Not a strict rulebook.

Not a morality test.

But a way to support strength, focus, recovery, and longevity.

Nutrition should work with your body, not against it. It should leave you feeling steady, not starving. Energized, not anxious.

This is the difference between eating to shrink yourself and eating to support yourself. It’s not about choosing the lowest-calorie option. It’s asking: What’s going to help me feel full, energized, and focused today?

It’s not obsessing over macros. It’s learning what helps you build muscle, regulate your mood, and stay consistent; especially during the seasons when motivation is low.

My Story: From Meal Prepping to Paying Attention

I used to spend hours every Sunday meal prepping.

Chicken. Greens. Rice. Again.

I didn’t hate it at first. It felt like I was being responsible. Like I was doing what I was supposed to do to be “on track.” And being a role model for my clients.

But over time, it started to feel like punishment. Like I was trapped in a loop of planning, prepping, and eating the same things, regardless of how I actually felt. It made food feel like a performance, not support.

Eventually I hit a wall. I was tired of cooking for hours, tired of eating things I didn’t enjoy, tired of chasing the perfect “nutrition routine” and still feeling off.

So I started to shift.

I added a protein shake each morning; easy, no-brainer fuel to start the day. I switched to Fairlife in my decaf coffee to get some protein in early. I started building grab-and-go lunches: canned tuna or salmon, whole wheat crackers, cheese, raw veggies, jerky. These were meals that took minutes to put together and actually kept me energized. I paid attention to what my body needed; not what some plan told me I should eat.

That’s when everything changed.

I started noticing real signals…like the difference between thirst and hunger. I realized my energy slumps were tied to missing protein. I finally connected the dots that coffee was spiking my anxiety and blood pressure; not fueling me at all.

As I shifted toward balanced meals that felt good and worked with my life, I had fewer headaches. More focus. No more 3 p.m. crashes.

Nutrition started feeling like support, not sacrifice. And that changed everything.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need another round of chicken and shame. You need a way of eating that supports the woman you are now.

So I’ll leave you with this:

What’s one thing your body’s been asking for that your old plan didn’t include?
What would it feel like to eat like you’re already strong—instead of trying to earn it?

📍 Want help making that shift?

If you’re ready to stop micromanaging your meals and start building a sustainable, supportive way of eating, I’d love to help you map it out.

Book a Fitness Roadmap Session with me. It’s a free 1:1 call where we’ll get clear on what’s holding you back, what your body actually needs right now, and how to move forward with a plan that works with you; not against you. Let’s make nutrition make sense again.

Book Your Call Today