At the beginning of every new year, many women set food and weight-related goals with the very best intentions.

They promise themselves:

I’ll stop snacking,  I’ll be more disciplined with portions,  I’ll eat “cleaner” or healthier foods.
I’ll lose weight and keep it off…

On the surface, these goals sound reasonable. And they’re often specific, measurable, and time-bound—the very definition of SMART goals.

And yet, year after year, the same struggles return.

This isn’t because women lack motivation or commitment. It’s because SMART goals focus on outcomes, not the reasons we eat—and eating is never random.

That’s where the 9 Drivers for Eating change everything.

Why SMART Goals Fall Short for Eating and Weight

SMART goals can be incredibly effective when applied to projects with clear endpoints—like renovating a kitchen or completing a work task.

But eating habits aren’t a linear project where the steps are clearly known.

They’re shaped by:

• • Stress and fatigue
    
    
  • Emotional needs
    
    
  • Hormonal changes and life stage
    
    
  • Body image and self-trust
    
    
  • Years (or decades) of dieting experiences
    
    

When we try to apply rigid targets—like “lose 10 kilos in 8 weeks”—to behaviours that are deeply human and emotionally layered, the goals don’t just fail. They often cause harm.

Rigid goals can:

• • Trigger all-or-nothing thinking
    
    
  • Increase restriction, followed by overeating
    
    
  • Create guilt, shame, and self-blame
    
    
  • Reinforce the belief that “I can’t be trusted with food”
    
    

When we don’t address why we eat, habits simply return in another form.

Snacking creeps back.
Emotional eating feels out of control.
Restriction leads to overeating.

Mindful eating offers a different approach — one rooted in curiosity rather than criticism.

Eating Is Never Random: Introducing the 9 Drivers for Eating

One of the most powerful mindset shifts in mindful eating is this:

Eating is never random. It’s always driven or triggered by something.

I created the 9 Drivers for Eating to help women move away from blame and toward understanding.

They explain why two people can eat the same food for entirely different reasons—and why lasting change only happens when we identify which drivers are most active for us.

Here’s a simplified overview:

1.Physical Hunger & Satiety

Eating because the body genuinely needs fuel and finishing when you are physically satiated. Now this would be ideal for everyone, but we are not taught to tune into and trust our own unique cues.

Instead we eat to the “clock”, or because everyone else is. And because we don’t tune into  out innate guidance, we eat when we are not hungry, overeat, or don’t eat enough and find ourselves snacking between meals. 

When we eat mindfully, our body naturally guides us to when, what, and how much to eat.

2.Health Beliefs & Goals

Food choices influenced by what we believe is “healthy,” even when those beliefs don’t work for us. We think the next diet will work, but it never lasts. We may even try to follow the guidelines given to us by our doctor, dietitian, or naturopath, but find them difficult to maintain. Health is important to you, and it’s frustrating when you can’t stick to healthier eating.

Physical, mental, and emotional health impact on how confident we feel about improving our health. Two people with diabetes will have different food requirements because we are all individuals. Generalised advice on healthy eating doesn’t work!

You can be healthy and enjoy food when you eat mindfully.

3. Ethical, Religious, or Spiritual Influences

You may have beliefs that guide what, when, or how you eat. However, as an example, someone who chooses to eat a vegetarian pattern of eating may do so for environmental, religious, spiritual, or health reasons. Or they may just prefer eating mostly plant foods because they enjoy eating them and they are easy to prepare.

You may have beliefs that guide what, when, or how you eat.

4. Body Image

Poor body image is being dissatisfied with how your body looks. Discomfort in our bodies that leads to restriction—or to overeating for relief, can be related to negative body image. We are bombarded with images of what an ideal woman’s body looks like, and unfortunately most of the images  aren’t real thanks to the use of AI and editing tools.

If body image is of concern to you, and you know that it is impacting on what and how you eat, then please contact me directly. You can email me here.

Discomfort in our bodies that leads to restriction—or to overeating for relief, can be related to negative body image.

5. Food Knowledge & Skills

Eating what feels familiar or easy because of confidence (or lack of it) in food preparation relates to our experience of food and nutrition knowledge. As children, it is not until we eat at another family member’s home or with a friend’s family that we realise that not everyone eats the same food!

It is possible to use the knowledge and skills we have, and slowing increase our confidence preparing and eating a wider variety of foods, but make sure you receive guidance that is related to your individual needs.

Eating what feels familiar or easy because of confidence (or lack of it) in food preparation relates to our experience of food and nutrition knowledge

6. Food Pleasure

There are degrees of “eating for pleasure” from the need to enjoy food—which is essential, not optional, right through to appreciating the tastes and textures of all foods. What is ideal with this driver for eating is to receive pleasure from food by eating mindfully.

Eating for pleasure is not a strong driver for everyone, so if it isn’t for you, then don’t be concerned, as long as you feel nourished and replenished after eating.

What is ideal with this driver for eating is to receive pleasure from food by eating mindfully.

7. Food Preferences

Food preferences show up when we choose foods that have certain flavours or textures. You may have friends who are “sweet tooths” or love savoury foods, but interestingly the texture of foods has a more powerful influence over our preferences.

Over my career I have held 100s of mindful eating workshops, and when the participants reflect on why lobster, chocolate, or apples, are their favourite foods, it is because of the texture!

Food preferences show up when we choose foods that have certain flavours or textures

8. Emotions & Stress

Eating food for comfort, relief, distraction, or safety is a sign of an emotional eating habit. Emotional eating habits are like all habits, we create them to solve a problem, but often we don’t know how to stop them when they have passed their use-by-date. No diet, or amount of willpower will stop a non-hunger eating habit, but eating mindfully is the key to transforming these habits.

Emotional eating habits are like all habits, we create them to solve a problem, but often we don’t know how to stop them when they have passed their use-by-date.

9. Convenience

Choosing foods that fit real life, not idealised expectations, can be healthy, enjoyable, and sustainable. I will never be a gourm6.et chef because I would prefer to be growing my own food that spending hours in the kitchen. But don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy cooking simple foods and making up meals from whatever I have in the pantry, refrigerator or freezer. I must admit, I do like to see how quickly I can prepare a meal too 🙂

Choosing foods that fit real life, not idealised expectations, can be healthy, enjoyable, and sustainable.

 ✨HOW TO USE THE DRIVERS WITHOUT OVERWHELM

You might have read through this summary of the 9 Drivers for Eating and thought, I need to work on all of these! And that is not uncommon.

It can seem overwhelm thinking that we need to so much work, but mindful eating doesn’t create more work, it creates an ease around food and eating.

My clients, who will hear from soon, find that when they start working on one eating habit there is a natural rippling effect that starts changing other habits as well.

The key is this: no driver is “bad.”

Problems arise when one driver dominates—especially without awareness. But with your own insights plus expert guidance you can become the queen of your drivers for eating without the overwhelm.

Why Habit Change Works Better Than Goal Setting

Instead of setting rigid goals, mindful eating invites women to choose one habit to understand and gently change.

That habit might be:

• • Afternoon snacking
    
    
  • Emotional eating
    
    
  • Restricting during the day and overeating at night
    
    
  • Eating in secret
    
    
  • Feeling out of control around food
    
    

When we explore which drivers sit underneath that habit, change becomes possible—without force or willpower.

Let’s look at how this works in real life.

Real Women, Real Change: The Power of Understanding Drivers

Carol: “My Problem Is Snacking”

Carol believed her issue was snacking too much in the afternoon.

But when she slowed down and reflected, she realised the real driver wasn’t lack of discipline—it was skipping meals and not tuning into hunger and fullness cues.

By working on regular meals and rebuilding trust with hunger and satiety, her snacking settled naturally.

No rules. No restriction. Just understanding.

Judy: Emotional Eating Isn’t About Food

Judy knew she used food to cope with stress, but she didn’t realise how strongly her dieting history had reinforced that habit.

The turning point wasn’t removing foods—it was giving herself permission to eat.

When food stopped being forbidden, it stopped having power.

By learning to pause, identify emotions, and practice mindfulness, Judy’s emotional eating reduced—and mindfulness began to ripple into other areas of her life, lowering overall stress.

Valerie: Breaking the On-and-Off Diet Cycle

Valerie had lost weight but lived with a constant fear of regaining it—a common legacy of dieting.

Through mindful eating and tuning into hunger and fullness, she rebuilt trust with food.

Three years later, she has maintained her weight—not through control, but through connection to her body.

Her success didn’t come from a SMART goal.

It came from addressing the dieting driver that kept pulling her back into fear.

Bronwyn: Eating in Secret

Bronwyn ate in secret because of shame—believing she was “failing” at healthy eating.

The real driver was guilt from past dieting attempts, combined with fear of missing out created by restriction.

By removing food rules and practising self-compassion, Bronwyn began eating more openly, calmly, and sustainably.

The habit didn’t disappear overnight—but it softened as understanding replaced judgment.

Gayle: The Overeating Roller Coaster

Gayle felt out of control around food, deeply frustrated because she wanted to eat in a way that supported her health.

Underneath the habit were two powerful drivers: stress and perfectionism, both fuelled by years of all-or-nothing dieting.

By slowing down, eating mindfully, and tuning into her body, Gayle began rebuilding trust—and confidence that she could care for herself with food.

Why Insight Beats Willpower Every Time

None of these women needed more willpower.

They needed:

• • Insight
    
    
  • Guidance
    
    
  • Support
    
    
  • A way to understand why their habits existed
    
    

SMART goals define a target or endpoint.

The 9 Drivers for Eating explain why you’re doing what you’re already doing and how to change it long term.

And when you understand the why, change becomes kinder, steadier, and far more sustainable.

An Invitation to Pause

If you’re feeling stuck with food, consider these questions:

1. Which eating habit causes me the most frustration?
2. When does this habit show up?
   
3. What might this habit be trying to help me with?
   
   

As an example:

You might snack for energy or relief.
You might emotionally eat for comfort or safety.
You might overeat because of restriction, stress, or fear of missing out.

These aren’t failures.

They’re messages.

Your Next Gentle Step

🎧 Listen to the full podcast episode to hear these stories and learn how the 9 Drivers for Eating can help you move away from goals that don’t stick and toward habits that truly last. Access it on YouTube 

✨ Get the support that’s right for you, book a free 30-minute Mindful Eating Strategy Call.

This is personalised support to help you identify your main drivers and create a sustainable path forward—without dieting, guilt, or starting over.

Because lasting change doesn’t begin with another goal.

It begins with understanding what’s really driving your eating.