We're approaching the halfway point. Week 1 flies, week 2 sometimes feels like a grind, and from here things start to move quickly. Three topics today: how to train in a deficit (with fatigue and hunger biting), the hormonal response to dieting, and sleep.
Why we don't cut carbs first
Old-school advice: "cut the carbs." It's pushed because it looks like a quick win — you drop a load of water weight (not fat) and it all comes straight back the moment you eat carbs again.
Why we keep carbs in instead:
- Better training performance
- Better muscle maintenance (you train harder → protect/build muscle → more calories diverted to muscle repair)
- Lower cortisol (the stress hormone)
- You look fuller
- Fibre and micronutrients
- You're a human, and carbs taste good
The only catch: every gram of carb pulls in roughly 0.3-0.4 g of water, so the scale fluctuates more. My own example: 2 refeed days back-to-back — weight went from 84 kg to 88 kg, then back down by Friday. All carbs and water. Not fat.
If your current split is working, don't change it
Before we get into the framework: if you've been running a different macro split and feeling great, keep doing it. If the scale is trending down and energy is good, don't fix what isn't broken. Use the Range Method, ride it out.
The framework is for people who need a framework. If yours is working, ignore the next section.
The 30-90 Method
A simple system to fuel training and remove all the "what do I eat when?" confusion. Bookend your sessions:
- 90 minutes pre
- 30 minutes pre
- 30 minutes post
- 90 minutes post
That's it. Four eating windows around the session. Why it works:
- Ensures hydration and rehydration
- Prevents under-fuelling the session
- Stops you overeating right before training (bloated, sluggish)
- Aids repair and replenishment after
Four jobs, one simple system.
90 minutes pre
Applies if you're training after 7 am. Training at 5 am? Skip this one, go straight to the 30-minute window.
Carb + protein based. Low fibre, low fat. Fat and fibre slow digestion — you'll feel bloated on the mat or in the gym.
Examples:
- Bagel + jam + protein
- Rice + honey + whey
- Oats + banana
- Small sandwich or wrap
- Bowl of cereal
(Plenty more in the Snack Guide.)
30 minutes pre
Closer to training — lean more on liquid fuel here. Easier to digest, in and out fast.
- Pre-workout drinks / workout fuel / carb powders
- Coconut water + electrolytes (especially when it's warm)
- Small snack option: dates, dried fruit, raisins, a small breakfast bar
Keep it 80-150 calories, very easy to digest. And start the session hydrated — add electrolytes before training, not while you're cramping in round 2.
Pre vs Post — which actually matters more?
Everyone obsesses over the post-workout shake and the "anabolic window." Post matters. But if you've under-fuelled the session, the whole session suffers — output drops, intensity drops, volume drops. A poor session makes the post-workout window much less relevant.
Nail your pre. Then handle your post with proper food, not just shakes and powders.
30 minutes post
Liquid based — fast in. A whey shake, water + electrolytes, something easy.
- Protein shake is optional. If you're struggling to hit your daily protein, it helps.
- Carbs aid recovery but aren't essential unless you've trained really hard.
90 minutes post
Solid meal. Balanced. Higher in carbs. Quality protein source. Whole foods. Adapt the portion to your macros.
This is the meal that drives recovery — replenishes glycogen, regulates cortisol, especially important after evening training. Carbs after a PM session bring cortisol down, calm your nervous system, and feed straight into better sleep.
Think of it as the switch from sympathetic (fight) to parasympathetic (flight/rest). Training is the fight; this meal is the flight.
If you train in the evening — go caffeine-free for the pre-workout.
The hormonal cascade when you diet
A cascade of stuff happens when you diet — you can't escape it. These are normal adaptations. Aggressive methods (extreme drops, no carbs, fasting, excessive workouts) amplify them.
- Thyroid drops → metabolic rate slows
- Leptin (the satiety hormone) drops → you feel less full
- Ghrelin (the hunger hormone) rises → you feel hungrier
- Insulin drops
- Sex hormones (testosterone) come down
- Cortisol (stress) rises
Every diet does this to some degree. The 1,200-calorie / 5-day fast / zero-carb / 7-sessions-a-week brigade dial it up to 11. That's why cheap-food diets feel brutal — and why we're not doing them.
Protective principles — why moderate-to-aggressive, short-term
- Less aggressive deficit = less stress on the body.
- More food = more micronutrients = less internal stress.
- More carbs = better cortisol management = better long-term adherence. (Whenever you see "cortisol", just read "stress.")
A more aggressive deficit doesn't always mean faster fat loss. Calories in vs calories out — and the "out" side includes your steps and movement. Aggressive diets often lower output too. Anyone who's been on a GLP-1 (Ozempic, Mounjaro, Reta) has seen this — energy drops, walking drops, fidgeting drops. Big drop in input → big drop in output → the net deficit is smaller than the maths suggested.
The actual timeline — this is a 6-week diet
Worth saying clearly: you're only really dieting for six weeks.
- Weeks 1-6: the actual fat-loss phase
- Week 7: reverse diet (calories start coming back up)
- Week 8: reverse diet continues
- Week 9: maintenance — this is where we talk about what's next
From there, depending on your individual goal: another deficit, a muscle-gain phase, or a longer maintenance block. We'll talk through it 1:1.
If you're bored: read up on the Matador study — the principle of cycling diet phases and diet breaks, which is what we're effectively using.
"Is going under calories OK?"
Short-term, yes — that's exactly what we're doing. But here's what I've seen for years coaching hundreds of people through fat loss:
The ones who go against the plan — "I'm going to train 6 days a week, slash my calories, double the deficit" — are the ones who disappear in week 3.
A star that shines twice as bright burns half as long. They come out the gate like a house on fire and quietly stop replying because they're embarrassed. Don't be that person.
The Shred Checklist — 6 markers to watch
These are why I get you to log subjective feedback every day. If all six are tanked, your deficit is too aggressive and we pull back. If they're mostly fine, you're on track.
- Sleep
- Hunger
- Recovery
- Energy
- Digestion
- Stress
Sleep — the biggest PED there is
Sleep is a superpower most people waste. Boring fact: there's a study where the only intervention was sleep education — no diet changes, no supplements — and people gained muscle and lost more fat over 10 weeks. The control group (no sleep advice) actually gained fat.
Sleep is non-negotiable.
Sleep quick wins
- Routine. 60-90 minutes before bed, start winding down. If you want to be asleep by 10, set an alarm for 9:15 — phone off, shower, journal, get in bed.
- Block light and sound. Personally I sleep with a sleep mask and earbuds. (Won't work for everyone, especially with kids around.)
- Boring audio for falling asleep. My current pick is gaming lore videos — "Metal Gear Solid story explained" puts me out cold. Sad but effective.
- Caffeine cut-off. 8-10 hours before bed. My own cut-off is 12 pm, latest 1 pm. If you want to be asleep by 10, stop caffeine at 2 pm.
- Environment. Cool, dark, calm. Bedrooms are for two things: sleep and sex. Get the TV out.
- Hydration timing. Sip, don't chug, in the evening. Front-load water earlier in the day so you're not up at 3 am for a piss.
- Late meals. Try to avoid eating within 3 hours of sleep. If you train late (most of us are finishing grappling at 9 pm), keep the post-session meal lighter.
The full Sleep Guide is in the Core Guides — go through it if sleep is your weak link.
Foods that help with sleep
Look for foods rich in tryptophan. Tryptophan converts to 5-HTP → serotonin → melatonin. Serotonin is the happiness side, melatonin is the sleepiness side.
- Salmon, chicken, eggs
- Spinach
- Cheese, milk
- Tofu, turkey
- Pineapple, cherries
Combine these with carbs in your evening meal and you boost the effect. That's why carbs at night work for sleep.
Habits separate winners
Two types of people:
- Those who build habits, follow through, and get long-term results.
- Those who stop after 8 weeks and lose everything they built.
Your current state didn't happen in 4 weeks. It took years to get here. Lasting fat loss usually takes 3-6 months. Sometimes 9-12. Some people are a 2-year project. Keep building habits. Keep stacking wins. Discipline, not motivation.
Week 4 action points
- Don't cut carbs — keep them in to fuel training and protect muscle.
- If your current macro split is working, leave it alone.
- Try the 30-90 method around at least your hardest session this week.
- Nail your pre-training fuel — that's the leverage point.
- Run through the 6 Shred markers on Sunday — sleep, hunger, recovery, energy, digestion, stress.
- Pick one sleep quick win and lock it in this week.
Optional lecture lands Thursday, Q&A Friday. Get your questions in.