The definition of the word diet is: the foods and drinks that you habitually consume.

People who successfully transform their bodies don’t think of it as being “on” or “off” a diet; they simply eat foods that will enable them to reach their goal.

All that delicious processed food you crave (chips, biscuits, cakes, McDonalds or similar) contains barely any nutrients. What is your body supposed to do with it? Build muscle and drop fat? No. It’ll store a lot of it as body fat if you’re not in a big enough calorie deficit. Your body will be running inefficiently whether you’re in a deficit or not. On top of that, you’ll still be hungry because you’re depriving it of the nutrients it needs.

If you eat unprocessed real foods such as meat, seafood, nuts, rice, potatoes, veggies and fruit (i.e. real food), because it’s full of nutrients your body requires, it’ll be able to use it for fuel and to build muscle.

Your diet should incorporate quality real foods that you enjoy, or you’ll be constantly be thinking about all the food you “can’t have.” When you chronically under-eat protein, carbs, or fats, it’s very likely you’ll have cravings for food you didn’t even really care about before going “on” your diet.

When you tell yourself you cant have a certain food, you’ll want it even more. You have a choice. You can eat it. No one is stopping you. It’s up to you if you want to do it or not. You have to decide whether it's aligned with your goal, will it contribute to your progress or not? 

It's all about your perception. Instead of thinking “I'm not allowed to eat that”, it should be “I’m choosing not to eat that”

If you have a day or two every month where you snack on a few other foods it’s probably no big deal because it’s not frequent and you’re not binging. However, if you binge for a day or two then continue eating crap here and there for weeks or months after… you’ve gone back to your old bad habits that got you so out of shape in the first place. This is going to affect everything.

When dieting, there’ll be small hiccups along the way while you’re learning and while you’re making those sacrifices and changes to your lifestyle. As long as you aren’t relapsing to your old ways. A nutrition plan that is frequently adjusted, so you’re always eating unprocessed good quality foods you enjoy, will help stop those cravings and falling off plan. Consume adequate protein, carbs, and fats from foods you actually enjoy eating. Then it wont even feel like you’re on a diet.