The no-dessert approach could be the one mistake that is most consistent, no matter what plan you’re following for fitness and nutrition. You see, thinking certain foods are off-limits is a big reason why you might have a difficult relationship with food. It’s time to break that dangerous mindset.

The no-dessert mentality reflects the popular belief that there are “good foods” and “bad foods.” Put more simply, most people believe that some foods will make you fat, while others are fair game to indulge in. This simply isn’t true. While some foods do have more calories, fat, or carbs, how you eat these foods is what makes all the difference. Fat isn’t bad, and neither are carbs. Restricting yourself to super-low calories isn’t healthy either.

Your focus should be on having a basic understanding of the human body, so you can bend the rules to make them work for your body. This is the big picture that everyone seems to ignore: Your body is different from the bodies of your friends, coworkers, family members, and that celeb on the magazine cover. Ignoring this reality and doing what they do might work, but if it isn’t a good fit for you, it’s inevitably going to fail.