Nir Eyal

Because I would fall off the train and say, you know, diets don't work anymore.

And, you know, the food industrial complex is out to get me.

And it's really hard for a big person to stay in shape.

So diets don't work.

Bring on that pizza and let me chase it with some French fries.

And what I learned was it wasn't actually a specific diet.

I mean, we're still debating what is the fact around what diet works.

Is there one perfect diet for everyone?

No, clearly.

But what does work over time and the way I lost weight is,

was persistence, was getting rid of my limiting beliefs that I couldn't, that this is not something that I could ever do, that I was never gonna change or that it was too hard.

Those were all limiting beliefs because they decreased my motivation and increased my suffering.

Instead, I started a new liberating belief that through persistence over the long term, I could lose weight.

And that's what I started to do.

That I used to all the time succumb to what we call in psychology, the what the hell effect.

Right?

I'd fall off the diet.

I'd have a piece of pizza or something and say, ah, what the hell?

Come on, bring on the chicken wings as well and all the other junk food.

And I don't say that anymore.