Past halfway — heading into the final four weeks. Results have been insane so far. Three topics today: tuning your targets (when to change them, when to leave them alone), managing hunger (food strategies + lifestyle), and a quick refresher on eating out.
"Should I drop my calories further?"
Most-asked question this week. Run through this checklist first — if you tick all three, don't change anything:
- Weight is still trending down
- Training still feels good
- Body composition is visibly improving
If all three are happening, you don't need a more aggressive number. Compare your photos against Week 1 — not week to week. Week-to-week changes are too subtle; the dramatic differences show up across the longer view. Progress is progress. Don't change for faster results just for the sake of it.
Before you cut more — check the inputs
Same story as last week: a star that shines twice as bright burns half as long. I've watched a lot of people fly too close to the sun and then quietly disappear because they're embarrassed. Don't be Icarus.
Before you cook more, make sure your data is clean:
- Are you tracking honestly? Monday to Sunday?
- Is sleep actually 7-9 hours, or are you saying it is?
- Are you actually hitting your steps?
Often the fix isn't the calorie number — it's the inputs. Be honest about whether you're doing the work.
If you do want to go more aggressive
If you feel good and want quicker results and you can handle the hunger — test it. Drop the calories this week and see what shifts. Same goes if you haven't seen the results you wanted by now.
One important thing built into the tracker: your calories drop slightly every two weeks anyway. So even if you go aggressive this week, you're only doing it for this week and next — from there, calories start coming back up as we move into the reverse phase.
What fat loss actually looks like (again)
It's never a straight line. It spikes, plateaus, drops, drops again, spikes back up, then keeps drifting down over time. That's why we look at weekly trends, not days. One bad scale reading means nothing. The two-week average is what we read.
Tracker tip — re-enter your bodyweight
If you've already dropped a chunk of weight (some of you 3-4 kg in), re-enter your new bodyweight at the top of the calorie calculator. The sheet will readjust your targets to match your current size — otherwise you're still being given numbers calibrated to a heavier you.
If you're already hungry and struggling — don't drop more
This is the long game. Hold the line, lean on the Range Method, and ride it out. Maintenance sits between your target and your higher line — eating anywhere in that range is still progress.
And if you're feeling battered, you can throw in another refeed day this week. Not a binge — a planned, structured day closer to maintenance to take the edge off.
Hunger management — 5 factors that make food more filling
Hunger rises as calories drop. Research shows five factors make any meal more filling — build your meals around them and the deficit feels much easier:
- Higher protein content — chicken breast, fish, yoghurt
- High fibre content — broccoli, fruit, oats
- High water content — potatoes, soup
- Hard to chew — tougher steaks, raw veg, anything that takes effort
- Bland / plain — you don't over-reach for boring food. Plain boiled chicken on a plate? You stop eating long before it becomes a problem.
The Satiety Index
There's a satiety index ranking foods by how full they keep you. Potatoes top. Apples great for breakfast. The more refined and ultra-processed the food, the less filling its calories — which is why processed food is so easy to overeat.
Build every meal around: protein + high-volume carbs + veg. That's the formula. Simple.
Mindful eating — the underrated lever
When you sit down to eat, actually sit down. Slow down. Chew. Calm your nervous system. You want to be in the parasympathetic (relaxed) state when you eat, not the sympathetic (stress) state.
- Phone away.
- Aim for ~20 chews per bite.
- Put the fork down between bites.
- Use smaller spoons. (Stole this one from Alan Sugar.) More bites for the same volume of food = your brain reads "more meal" without you eating more.
Why you're actually more hungry — lifestyle drivers
It's rarely just the calories. The big drivers:
- Stress → cortisol up → hunger up
- Poor sleep → ghrelin up, leptin down → hunger up
- Dehydration — thirst very often feels like hunger
- Low protein → constant grazing
Push protein to 1.6 - 2.2 g per kg of bodyweight. That number isn't random — that's the range that does the work.
The Triple S — Sleep, Stress, Steps
The Triple S Guide in your Core Guides covers this in depth. Fix these three before you cut any calories.
- Sleep — 7-9 hours.
- Stress — manage what you can. Walk outdoors, phone off, pick one day a week to genuinely reset.
- Steps — keep them consistent. Dropping steps actually spikes hunger because movement regulates appetite.
Meal timing — be proactive, not reactive
Know your hunger patterns. If you always crash at 3:30 pm, plan a snack for 3:15. Don't wait until you're ravenous and reaching for whatever's closest.
Adjust meal sizes to suit your day. Some days lunch needs to be bigger. If long meetings or weird training times are wrecking the rhythm — solve the situation, not the hunger after it. Awareness is the key. Know what's happening and why.
Eating out — the playbook (refresher)
I'm not going to be a shithouse about this — eating out should be enjoyable. I eat out 1-4 times a week and my nutrition is the best it's ever been. You just need a strategy.
- Limit deep-fried. Choose grilled, baked or steamed instead.
- Grilled is the default for meat and fish.
- Always add veg or a side salad — even if it's cooked in butter. The volume keeps you fuller for longer.
- Hold off the bread basket. If you want some, save it for mopping up the sauce of the main — don't use it as a filler before the meal arrives.
- Not every meal out is a special-occasion three-course event. You can go to a restaurant and order a chicken stroganoff (my local Noobar pick, regularly), or a steak, or a salad with grilled chicken. Most meals out should look like a normal weekday meal, not a starter-main-dessert tour.
- Alcohol. The faster you want progress, the more you limit it. That's the trade.
The swap cheat sheet
- Crispy → grilled
- Fries / triple-cooked chips → baked wedges
- Creamy sauces → broth or tomato-based
- Breaded chicken → baked or grilled chicken
- Burger or ribs → bun-less burger or steak
Small swaps repeated often save you thousands of calories per year.
Motivation vs discipline — the closer
Motivation spikes and dies. Discipline is the steady line you can actually rely on. You build discipline by staying in the right environment — around people chasing the same thing. Conversations like these every week. This is why the Shred works.
You don't rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your habits. (Atomic Habits — read it.)
Past the halfway point now. From here, discipline and habits start doing more of the heavy lifting than motivation ever did. Stick to the plan, keep perspective, keep showing up. It adds up. I promise.
Week 5 action points
- Run the 3-check decision tree before changing your calories — only drop if all three say "stuck".
- Re-enter your bodyweight in the tracker if you've dropped 3 kg+.
- Build every meal around protein + high-volume carbs + veg.
- Use smaller spoons, 20 chews, phone away.
- Push protein to 1.6-2.2 g/kg.
- Lock in the Triple S — sleep, stress, steps.
- If you're eating out this week, run the playbook + swap sheet.
Optional lecture Thursday, Q&A Friday. Drop your questions in.