Why We Keep Looking for the Wrong Solution

28/07/2026

Have you ever noticed how quickly we go looking for the answer?

The best diet.
The best supplement.
The best exercise program.
The best medication.
The best meal plan.

That one thing that’s finally going to make healthy eating feel easy.

Whether it's food cravings, weight loss, low energy or creating healthier habits, we're often searching for the one thing that will finally make it all click.

We spend so much time searching for the solution, that we sometimes forget to ask a much more important question. What problem am I actually trying to solve?

A shift in thinking

One of the biggest shifts in my coaching over the years hasn’t been learning more about nutrition, or hormones, or gut health.

It’s been learning to become less interested in the symptom and much more interested in what’s sitting underneath it. Because the same experience can be driven by completely different things.

And nowhere has that become more obvious to me than with Food Noise.

The same experience doesn’t always have the same cause

Each of them says exactly the same thing.

“I can’t stop thinking about food.”

On the surface, they have the same problem.

But after talking a little longer, the picture begins to change.

One hasn’t eaten enough during the day and arrives home genuinely hungry.

Another has been sleeping poorly for weeks and is running on empty.

Someone else has spent years trying to be “good” with food, only to find that the more they restrict it, the more space it takes up in their mind.

Another is juggling work, family and a hundred invisible responsibilities, and food has quietly become one of the few moments of comfort in an otherwise demanding day.

The experience sounds the same, but the reasons couldn’t be more different!

That’s why one solution rarely works

If we assume every experience has the same cause, we’ll naturally reach for the same solution.

Drink more water.
Eat more protein.
Plan your meals.
Practise mindful eating.

They’re all sensible suggestions and for the right person, at the right time, they can make a real difference.

But only if they’re addressing what’s actually driving your Food Noise..

Otherwise, they can leave you wondering why everyone else seems to be succeeding while you’re still struggling.

The problem isn’t necessarily you. It might simply be that you’re trying to solve the wrong problem.

Food Noise isn’t always the problem

I know that might sound like a strange thing for me to say, but hear me out.

I don’t tend to think of Food Noise as something that’s “gone wrong.” I think of it more like a '“conversation”.

Sometimes your body is asking for nourishment.

Sometimes your brain is asking for rest.

Sometimes stress is dialling everything up.

Sometimes years of dieting have taught your brain that food deserves far more attention than it should.

Food Noise isn’t always the thing that needs fixing.

Sometimes it’s the thing pointing us towards what needs support and I think that’s a much kinder place to begin.

Asking a different question

People often ask, “How do I stop thinking about food?”

A better question to ask might be, “Why does food feel louder today?”

Or, “What’s changed?”

Or perhaps even, “What’s my body (or my life) trying to tell me right now?”

Those questions don’t promise instant answers, but they do move us away from judgement and towards understanding.

And in my experience, personally and with my clients, that’s where lasting change begins.

Curiosity is often more helpful than certainty

One of my favourite parts of coaching is watching someone realise they’re not failing. I love that look of relief, as if suddenly a weight has lifted. They’re simply responding to something they hadn’t recognised before.

A lack of sleep.

An afternoon without enough food.

A stressful week.

A habit they’ve repeated for years without ever questioning it.

That moment of awareness doesn’t magically make Food Noise disappear, but it often changes what happens next.

Because once we understand what’s driving the experience, we can choose support that’s actually matched to the cause.

So I’ve created a simple ‘What's Driving Your Food Noise? quiz. It's simply a starting point - a way to become a little more curious about the patterns that might be sitting underneath your Food Noise and discover a few gentle first steps that could help.

Because while the experience may feel similar, the reasons behind it are often surprisingly different. And understanding your pattern is a much more helpful place to start than following someone else’s solution.

Take the Quiz

I’d love to know what you discover and if it provides you with some helpful insights about what might be driving your food noise.

A different question to ask

Perhaps the next time you find yourself looking for the answer, pause for a moment and instead ask, “What problem am I actually trying to solve?”

Sometimes the answer isn’t another strategy.

Sometimes it’s a little more sleep.

A proper lunch.

A gentler week.

A conversation.

Or simply understanding yourself a little better.

Because perhaps lasting change doesn’t begin with finding the perfect solution. It often begins by asking a better question.

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