Stop Starting Over: Smarter Swaps for the Foods You Love

It’s Monday. Again. You’re starting over. Again. Leanna Chanco sees this cycle all the time with busy mothers and women over 35, and she’s clear about what causes it: it’s not the cravings. It’s feeling like you have to be “perfect.” How many Mondays have you restarted because of one slice of pizza?

Her fix isn’t another restrictive diet. It’s smarter swaps for the foods you already love, so you can keep enjoying them and still move forward.

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Leanna’s four swaps

Craving	Smarter swap	Why it helps
Pizza	Tortilla pizza	A thin base means fewer calories, leaving room for protein-rich toppings
Pop	Diet or zero-sugar pop	Same fizz and flavour without the sugar calories
Chips	Popcorn	More volume per calorie, plus fibre
Cake	Greek yogurt + peanut butter + your favourite toppings	Sweet and creamy, with far more protein

Same craving. Still satisfying. Better macros. That’s the whole idea.

What a swap can save

Do small swaps really add up? Over a week, they can. Here are two of Leanna’s swaps side by side, using typical values for common portions.

A note on diet pop: it’s a helpful step away from sugary drinks, but in 2023 the World Health Organization issued a conditional recommendation against relying on non-sugar sweeteners for long-term weight control. Think of zero-sugar drinks as a bridge, and lean on water, sparkling water and unsweetened drinks most of the time.

Why “perfect” keeps you stuck

All-or-nothing rules sound disciplined, but they tend to backfire. In a study of 223 adults, Smith and colleagues (1999) found that a flexible approach to dieting was linked with less overeating, lower body weight and lower depression and anxiety, while rigid dieting habits were linked with more overeating. It was an observational study, so it shows a link rather than proof, but it matches what coaches see every day.

Habit research tells a similar story. In work led by Phillippa Lally at UCL, missing a single day didn’t derail the process of building a new habit. So why treat one off meal as a reason to quit for the week?

How to make swaps stick

1. Pick one swap this week. Start with the craving that shows up most often.
2. Keep the swap stocked. If popcorn kernels and Greek yogurt are in the house, the swap is the easy choice.
3. Plan the real thing sometimes. A planned slice of real pizza with family isn’t a failure. It’s part of a plan you can live with.
4. Get back on track at the next meal, not next Monday.

Want more ideas? Leanna’s banana bread protein balls and blueberry lemon protein scones are built on the same idea: the treat you want, with better macros. And if you’ve cut everything and still feel stuck, Norvic explains why eating less isn’t always the fix for a plateau.

Women over 35 and busy mothers don’t need another restrictive diet; they need a plan they can stick to. Leanna invites people to message her “SHRED” on Instagram, or you can apply for coaching here.