Your clinic ran late. You’re starving. That healthy lunch you carefully packed this morning? Still in your bag.
You order Thai food instead. Again.
Or maybe it’s the chocolate in your desk drawer. You walk past it fifty times during your shift. By afternoon, you’ve eaten the whole thing without even tasting it.
You promised yourself this morning would be different.
And you’re thinking: What’s wrong with me?
Here’s what I need you to know: Nothing is wrong with you.
The Problem Isn’t You. It’s the Hidden Obstacles.
For years, I couldn’t stop going through the Wendy’s drive-through for french fries. I’d do it over and over. Multiple times a week. I knew it was unhealthy. I knew I was heading toward type 2 diabetes.
But I couldn’t stop.
I thought I was broken. I thought something was deeply defective about me and food.
Turns out, I was completely wrong.
The problem wasn’t the french fries. The problem was I didn’t know how to spot the obstacles that were making it hard to stop eating them.
We Approach Food Obstacles Differently Than Other Obstacles
Here’s what I realized on a trail run this morning. There were trees down everywhere from a windstorm. Big ones. Branches in the way. I had to climb over them.
Did I think: I’m such a failure for not getting past these trees easily?
No. I thought: Okay, these trees are in my way. How do I get over them?
But with food? We don’t do that. We see ourselves eating the chips. We think: I should just stop eating the chips. What’s wrong with me that I can’t stop?
We assume the only obstacle between us and healthy eating is ourselves.
And that’s BS.
The Real Cost of Not Seeing Obstacles
When you don’t have this skill, here’s what happens:
You keep doing the same thing over and over. You eat in the same patterns. You blame yourself. You put in massive effort and see zero progress.
It feels like you’re trying to Kool-Aid man through a brick wall instead of finding the door.
You’re exhausted. You’re frustrated. And you think you’re failing.
But you’re not failing. You just haven’t learned to look for the obstacles yet.
How to Start Spotting Your Hidden Obstacles
Ask yourself: What’s between me and the action I want to take?
Let’s say you want to stop ordering takeout for lunch and eat what you packed instead.
You might think: Nothing’s between me and eating my lunch. I just need willpower.
But that’s not true. Let me show you what obstacles might actually be there:
- You’re so starving by lunch you can’t think straight
- Your packed lunch doesn’t sound appealing anymore
- You’re mentally exhausted and the idea of dealing with heating something up feels like too much
- Everyone else is ordering food and you feel left out
- You told yourself you “have to” eat your packed lunch, which makes you want it less
See how different that is?
Each of these obstacles would benefit from a slightly different approach.
Once you know what the obstacle is, you have things you can actually work with.
The Problem-Solving Approach That Actually Works
Once you spot the obstacle, you can solve it. Not by forcing yourself through it. By making it easier AND more enjoyable.
The goal isn’t just to grit your teeth and eat the packed lunch. The goal is to make eating the packed lunch feel good.
Maybe you pack food you actually get excited about eating. Maybe you eat a snack mid-morning so you’re not ravenous by noon. Maybe you give yourself permission to order food sometimes without guilt.
This is so different from just trying to white-knuckle your way through lunch.
You’re finding what actually works for YOU. What makes it easier. What makes it enjoyable.
Because here’s the truth: if the healthy choice feels like punishment, you won’t stick with it long-term.
What Could Make This Easier? What Could Make This More Enjoyable?
These are the questions to ask yourself.
Not “How do I force myself to do this?” But “How could I make this feel better?”
Maybe getting up early to exercise would feel better if you had warm slippers waiting by your bed for the cold morning. Or if you chose a type of movement you actually like instead of forcing yourself to run.
Maybe eating healthy at dinner would feel better if you made food that actually tastes amazing instead of bland “diet food.”
Problem-solving isn’t just about making it doable. It’s about making it sustainable.
And sustainable means it needs to feel good. Not just “tolerable.”
Why This Matters for Physicians Specifically
You’re dealing with:
- Unpredictable schedules that blow up your meal plans
- Constant decision fatigue
- Emotional exhaustion from patient care
- Zero control over when you eat
- Always putting everyone else first
These aren’t character flaws. These are obstacles.
And they need to be problem-solved, not powered through.
The Questions to Ask Yourself
When you notice you keep doing something you don’t want to do, ask:
- What might be between me and doing this differently?
- What could I do to make this easier?
- How can I support myself here?
Then brainstorm. Get curious. Don’t judge yourself.
Maybe there are five obstacles. Pick the biggest one and solve that first.
The Truth About Obstacles
Here’s what I want you to remember: Obstacles don’t mean something’s wrong with you.
A tree falls on a trail. It’s not your fault. It’s just a tree. You figure out how to get over it.
Same with food. There’s an obstacle. It’s not your fault. You figure out how to navigate it.
And here’s the thing: obstacles will always exist. Even when you lose weight. Even when you feel in control around food.
Life throws curve balls. Your schedule changes. You get stressed. New obstacles appear.
But if you have this problem-solving skill, you can handle all of it.
Stop Forcing. Start Solving.
You’ve been trying to force yourself through obstacles for years. It’s exhausting. It doesn’t work. And it makes you feel like you’re failing.
You’re not failing. You just need a different approach.
Because this skill? It changes everything.
Listen to the full episode below.
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