Slipping Back - The Chemistry Behind Falling Back into Old Habits

Quick story from this weekend that perfectly illustrates what I teach.

Slipping Back Isn't always a Lack of Discipline. It's Chemistry.

As you know, I completed four weeks of solid eating. Whole, plant-based foods. No forcing, no restriction; it just felt good.

Then I gave myself a week to ease back in. I slowly reintroduced some animal protein, nothing major. I'd avoided solid meat entirely, apart from about 100 grams of Wagyu biltong I couldn't resist.

Then Saturday night happened.

I attended a wedding with exceptional food. Truly exceptional. For a catered event, the quality, flavours, and textures were all there.

This is where people trip up.

Even when the quality is high, the formula doesn't change. It's still rich, layered with seed oils, heavy on meat, creams, sauces, and refined carbohydrates. It's designed to taste incredible. And it did!

I went in prepared. I knew what I was walking into.

But what stood out wasn't the meal itself; it was what happened after.

From the moment I left that venue until midway through the next morning, I couldn't stop thinking about one thing: the mustard sauce. I have no idea what was in it, but it struck the perfect balance of mustard and sugar. I paired with a crispy, salty roti that I dragged over the side plate scooping up the last of that mystical mustardy mayhem... and boy, it hit every note.

That's not random. That's a bliss point. That's dopamine.

Here's what most people don't know: the bliss point is an actual method used by food scientists to engineer products that maximize pleasure and drive sales. True story!

It's the precise combination of sugar, salt, and fat that triggers the strongest reward response in your brain. Companies like Nestlé, Coca-Cola, and major processed food manufacturers employ scientists specifically to find this "sweet spot" where you can't stop eating.

Former FDA commissioner David Kessler documented this extensively in his research, showing how the food industry deliberately creates hyperpalatable foods that override our natural satiety signals. They're not trying to nourish you. They're trying to keep you coming back.

If you don't understand that, it's very easy to get pulled straight back in.

Five years ago, that would have been it for me. Eat well for a while, have one meal like that, trigger the system, and suddenly you're back in old patterns.

Now I know what's happening.

I can feel the pull, but I'm not confused by it. I understand what's driving it: neurologically and from a microbiome perspective.

And that changes everything.

As I told a client this morning: the difference is knowing what's calling the shots and why. Once you understand that, it becomes easier to interrupt it.

This is exactly why my Bio Hijack journey videos and audio series land the way they do. It's not just tools; it's the why behind it. The biology, the patterns, the mechanisms.

When you're armed with that knowledge, you don't panic when cravings show up. You recognize them.

There's also something worth asking:

Are we treating these kinds of meals as true indulgences, reserved for special occasions? Or have we normalized them into everyday life? There's a difference between a feast and a lifestyle. Your body feels that difference, whether you acknowledge it or not.

I also understand this for what it is: part of the process.

If you take the crutch away without replacing it, you will trip up.

Replace it with something that actually supports you, something that helps you heal, and eventually, you put the crutch down on your own.

This is exactly what I break down in Bio Hijack: the invisible mechanisms that drive your choices, and the practical strategies to rewire them.

Hit reply and tell me: Have you ever had a meal trigger cravings that lasted days? What was it?