I do this charming little thing where, on the 31st of December every year, I write down various things in a notebook like:

'Eat healthier'

'Exercise more'

' Read more'

Watch the hosts of Mamamia Out Loud discussing the vegan plus bacon theory. Post contines below.

Normally accompanied by various love heart and star sketches that are going to work together to create the shiny, sparkling, brand-spanking new version of me. Sound familiar?

Narrator: She did not do any of these things.

Notice how my resolutions are just as vague as possible and actually have no unit of measurement? Just the faint whiff of hope that maybe, just maybe, this year will be different?

Cue around now, a month or so into the year, and Cadbury has released a new Biscoff block that looks overwhelmingly threatening to resolution number one.

We stare at each other in my kitchen. You could cut the tension with a knife. Screw it. I can eat healthier next year.

*Buzzer sound* WRONG.

Think of it this way, if you spilt a drop of coffee on your freshly washed white shirt, would you just go ahead and pour the whole thing? Of course not.

Which is exactly what TikTok is getting at with the viral 'vegan plus bacon' theory, that involves putting a little less load on your goals. So you can feel accomplished and not go as hard on yourself.

What exactly is the 'vegan plus bacon' theory?

The concept was simple. Creator @trailmixliz posted a TikTok that simply said:

"'I'd go vegan but bacon.' So do it. Go vegan but bacon."

A few words that got over 2 million views and 300,000 likes. The comment section was flooded with, "Sometimes I forget free will is a thing," and "People don't realise you make the rules," and my personal favourite, "I just gained consciousness."

With that, something relatively plain-sounding opened millions of people's eyes and triggered what was to become the 'vegan plus bacon' (or cheese) theory.

Despite what it sounds like, the theory is actually a whole lot broader than veganism. It surrounds the idea that, when it comes to our goals, there is no room for perfectionism. In fact, we can afford to be a little bit more compassionate with ourselves in order to get further.

In 2026, there seems to be a lot of 'all or nothing' discourse. We're either waking up at 5am to go on a run, or we're lazy slobs. Miss a run one time and you've moved from one side to the other.

So the vegan plus bacon theory asks: what if we bent the rules to our goals? They are personal, after all. What if, if there's one small thing we can do to make our goals easier to achieve, we afforded ourselves that instead of making it harder in the long run?

Maybe we could first try being vegan-ish.

How can you apply it to your life?

So, you don't want to go vegan. Me neither. Well, good news: the vegan plus bacon theory can actually apply in many different ways.

For example, you don't feel like going to the gym. What if you just went and did some stretching?

You want to better your sleep schedule, but you love to scroll at night. What if you took that habit somewhere that wasn't your bed?

You want to go sober but you love a celebratory marg? Cheers!

The vegan plus bacon theory doesn't need to be inherently 'good for you' or even close to the end goal; just think of it as a stepping stone. Because a small attempt at your goals is the key to actually getting there, rather than jumping in headfirst — a surefire recipe for burnout or boredom.

I've started testing it and it turns out, life is a lot less stressful when you're just less hard on yourself.

In my own life this year, I wanted to start expanding my taste in books and trying out genres I'd never normally pick up.

Listen to the entire episode of Mamamia Out Loud, here. Post continues below.

Buuuuut, I love a cheesy romance. After vegan plus bacon'ing it, I break up every new read with a guilty pleasure read and it keeps me moving and out of a rut, motivated to start the next one.

At the end of the day, you don't need to force yourself into anything. Reminder: The rules you set yourself aren't real. If that makes you uncomfortable, maybe it's time to try the theory out for yourself. Even just a little.

After all, isn't it better to do something than nothing at all?

Feature image: Supplied.