7d • Tools That Help
Weight, Food, and Feeling Like Yourself Again
"Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live." — Jim Rohn (Jim Rohn was an American entrepreneur and author whose work on personal development influenced a generation of writers and coaches, including Tony Robbins. He died in 2009.)
I've read two key books on nutrition: The Magic Pill by Johann Hari and Ultra-Processed People by Dr Chris van Tulleken. Both are must-reads, and both say a similar thing: the obesity epidemic we're experiencing in the west is due to processed food in our diets. There's significant scientific evidence that exercise does little compared to a healthy diet for losing weight. This hit home for me, so I decided to try it. For a month I ate only steak and eggs, and the weight flew off me. The more I investigated it, it wasn't due to the carnivore diet, it was due to the lack of processed food. I want to be clear: I don't recommend the carnivore diet. Carbohydrates are the body's primary fuel source and cutting them out entirely isn't sustainable or necessary. What made the difference was removing processed food, not removing carbs. This changed my outlook completely. Now I aim for 80% of my diet to be made up of one-ingredient foods. There are days when you must have that Indian takeaway, or the alluring smell of Gregg's steak bake draws you into a shop, but overall, aim for 80% single ingredients: meat, fish, butter, cream, cheese, eggs, vegetables, and fruit.
Don't be drawn in by the myth that fats are unhealthy. The corporate demonisation of fat is one of the most successful marketing campaigns in modern history. When flawed research in the 1970s suggested saturated fat caused heart disease, the food industry didn't just capitalise on the fear, they amplified it. Cereal giants like Kellogg's led the charge to reframe breakfast from eggs and bacon to bowls of processed grains. They funded studies that conveniently favoured their high-carb products whilst positioning themselves as the healthy alternative. These companies poured millions into marketing campaigns that painted fat as the dietary villain, plastering "heart-healthy" and "low-fat" across packets of sugar-laden flakes and loops. The result? A multi-billion-pound industry built on convincing generations that processed corn with added vitamins was somehow healthier than the eggs humans had eaten for millennia.
The psychology of junk food cravings works similarly to drinking. It's more about the thought and anticipation than the actual act. You convince yourself that "you deserve it," "everyone has Chinese on a Friday night," or "let's celebrate with a kebab." The truth is, you may enjoy eating it, but that window quickly closes when you feel bloated, lethargic, and ill, and you realise you've spent £30 on something that will make you miserable for days. The opposite is true with healthier foods. They may not taste as exciting due to the lack of flavour-boosting chemicals, but the feeling afterwards lasts for ages. The positive mind and body-boosting effects of a healthy diet will trump the finite pleasure from eating processed food.
Start small if this feels overwhelming. Even shifting to 50% one-ingredient foods will have an influence. Your taste buds will adapt, your energy will improve, and you'll wonder why you waited so long to make the change.
Weight is a Number and it's Not That Important
You step on the scale. It flashes a number. And for some reason, that number decides how you feel about yourself that day. Let's stop that here.
Weight is just a number. It doesn't know your story. It doesn't know how strong you've become, how much stress you're under, how many hours you've slept, or how hard you're trying to get through the day. Your weight is affected by a dozen things you can't see: water retention, muscle mass, hormones, time of day, gut content, genetics, sleep quality, even what you ate yesterday. It's a number, not a character judgment.
If you really want to track health, look beyond the scale. Body fat percentage. Muscle mass. How your clothes fit. How your mind feels. These tell you more than any flashing digit ever could.
Why Processed Foods Matter More Than the Gym
We've been told for years: "Eat less, move more." "Exercise will fix everything." But here's what recent research is showing: it's not that simple.
Studies now show that exercise alone leads to minimal weight loss. One major meta-analysis published in the BMJ (2021) found that physical activity results in an average weight loss of only 0.1 to 1.1kg over six months, unless accompanied by dietary changes. And here's the kicker: over 50% of the calories consumed in the UK now come from ultra-processed foods. These aren't just "bad" foods. They are industrially engineered products, carefully designed to hijack your appetite and override your brain's natural signals.
In Ultra-Processed People, Dr Chris van Tulleken dives deep into how these foods, full of additives, emulsifiers, and unrecognisable ingredients, are changing our bodies, minds, and behaviours. He describes how, after just one month of eating a diet made up of 80% ultra-processed food, he gained weight, developed anxiety, and became hungrier despite eating more calories. His conclusion is clear: it's not just the food, it's the system.
Johann Hari reaches a similar place in Magic Pill, which explores our obsession with quick fixes for health and weight. Hari argues that focusing on individual willpower misses the point. What we need is a full reset of our environment. A way of eating that prioritises real food, real nourishment, and mental clarity rather than calorie counts and shame spirals.
Stop Counting Calories, Start Counting Ingredients
Forget calorie counting. Start ingredient counting.
If you can aim for a diet that's 80% real, whole, one-ingredient foods: vegetables, meat, legumes, eggs, fruit, rice, oats, nuts, you're already halfway there.
A 2019 NIH study found that people eating ultra-processed diets consumed 500 more calories per day than those on unprocessed diets, even when both meals were matched for nutrients. That's how powerful the design of this food is. It pushes you to eat more without realising it.
Meanwhile, research published in Public Health Nutrition (2023) linked higher consumption of unprocessed foods to significantly lower rates of anxiety and depression, regardless of total calorie intake. Calories don't tell the whole story. The kind of food matters more than the number.
Why This Matters for Mental Health
This isn't a chapter about body image. It's a chapter about mental resilience.
A 2022 review in Nutrients found that people with diets high in processed food were 42% more likely to suffer from depression. Another study from Deakin University in Australia showed that switching from a processed diet to a Mediterranean-style diet improved symptoms in 32% of people with major depression, after just 12 weeks.
Chris van Tulleken writes about the disturbing overlap between processed food and mental illness, especially in children and adolescents. Hari, too, ties poor nutrition to rising rates of anxiety, burnout, and emotional volatility. Your brain needs real food. Not diet food. Not low-fat chemical sludge. Real food.
The 80% Rule (Not the 100% Rule)
You don't need to be perfect. You just need to tip the balance.
If 80% of your diet is made up of real, whole foods, then that other 20%, the takeaway, the biscuit, the occasional pint, isn't going to ruin anything. This isn't about restriction. It's about consistency. Not punishment, sustainability.
Processed foods don't need to be forbidden, but they do need to be kept in their place. They are fine in moderation. They are not fine as a foundation. You don't need willpower. You need better options in your fridge and cupboard.
The Takeaway (That Isn't Fried in Seed Oil)
If you're struggling with your weight and your mental health, you're not weak. You're living in an environment designed to confuse your body, numb your mind, and drain your energy. But here's what you can take back:
Don't let the scale define your worth. Look at how you feel, not just how you look. Count ingredients, not calories. Eat food your brain recognises. Move because it helps your mood, not just your size. Aim for progress, not perfection. Use real food to build a real foundation.
You don't need to "go on a diet." You just need to start feeding your brain again. Let food support your mind, not sabotage it.
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Weight, Food, and Feeling Like Yourself Again
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