Tag: performance

Fat Isn’t Evil: It’s Essential

Picking up from where we left off last week — we’ve already dismantled the myths around protein and carbohydrates, now it’s time to put the final macronutrient into proper context.

In Week 3, we covered nutrient timing and why eating with intention matters. In Week 4, we cleared the air around carbs, showing they’re a necessary tool for fueling performance, not something to fear.

This week, we’re doing the same with fat, one of the most demonized and misunderstood components of the human diet.

Why This Matters:

Most people trying to ‘eat healthy’ unknowingly sabotage their energy, focus, and results by fearing fat. Understanding the truth lets you make smarter, less stressful choices in and out of the gym.

The Problem: Fat Got Blamed for What Sugar (and Sedentary Living) Did

The war on fat started in the 1970s and 80s, pushing people toward fat-free everything, from cookies to frozen dinners. What happened next?
• Obesity skyrocketed.
• Type 2 diabetes surged.
• People got sicker, not healthier.

Why? Because removing fat didn’t remove the problem. It just made food more processed, more sugary, and less satisfying.

Question:

Ever skip the avocado on your salad because you thought it was ‘too fattening’, then ended up hungry an hour later? Now, youre beginning to pick up what I’m puttin’ down.

What Fat Actually Does in the Body

Fat isn’t the enemy. It’s a required nutrient for:
• Hormone production (testosterone, estrogen, cortisol)
• Brain health and cognition
• Joint lubrication and recovery
• Fat-soluble vitamin absorption (A, D, E, and K)
• Cellular structure (yes, your cells are literally built from it)

But here’s the key: fat is fuel for low-intensity output and recovery, not high-performance explosive training. That’s where carbs step in.

Quick Fat Facts:

• Unsaturated fats (olive oil, nuts, avocado, fatty fish) support heart and brain health.

• Saturated fats (animal fats, butter, coconut oil) are fine in moderation, especially from whole foods.

• Trans fats (partially hydrogenated oils) are in a different league; avoid them entirely. They wreak havoc on cholesterol and inflammation.

You need both fat and carbs, but at the right doses for the right goals.

Data Point:

Fat slows gastric emptying, helping you feel fuller for longer—a secret weapon against late-night snacking (British Journal of Nutrition, 2021).

Why “Healthy Fats” Doesn’t Mean “Unlimited Fats”

Yes, olive oil, avocado, nuts, and salmon are great, but overconsumption is still overconsumption.

Fat is energy-dense.
• 1 gram of fat = 9 calories
• That’s more than double protein or carbs (4 calories per gram)

So while you need it, you don’t need as much as you might think, especially if you’re already fueling with protein and carbs.

Most Common Fat Mistake:

Dousing salads, veggies, or “healthy” bowls with extra oil or nuts. Even good fats add up fast, so measure, don’t guess.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Swap:

Instead of fat-free salad dressing (loaded with sugar), use olive oil and vinegar for flavor, better absorption of nutrients, and longer-lasting energy.

Here’s how to build smart, balanced fat intake into your day:

• Add a thumb-sized portion of fat to your main meals (nuts, oil, nut butter, avocado)
• Don’t dump oil or butter onto every dish “for health;” it adds up fast
• Keep fats lighter pre-workout, so digestion doesn’t slow you down
• Post-workout, prioritize protein + carbs, not a heavy fat load
• Evening meals can include more fats to help slow digestion and promote satiety

You don’t need to avoid fat, you need to respect it.

Visual Analogy:

Think of fat as the steady-burning logs on a campfire versus using pine needles: the dry pine needles can get the fire going, but don’t last. The logs are for warmth that lasts all night.

Now that we’ve set the record straight, here’s how to use fat like an anti-hero: deliberately, strategically, and never just because the label says “healthy.”

Action Challenge

For the next 3 days:
• Track how much fat you’re eating (rough estimate is fine)
• Identify where it’s coming from (meals vs snacks vs sauces/oils)
• Adjust one meal per day to intentionally include a measured fat source (e.g., 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 avocado, or 10 almonds)

You’ll start to see how easily fat sneaks in and how powerful it can be when used deliberately.

Coach’s Corner

• Fat is a recovery nutrient, not a performance one.
• Don’t go to war with it, just don’t treat it like a free-for-all either.
• Balance is your ally. Fat has its place, use it like a tool, not a reward.

Suggested Reading

“Deep Nutrition” by Dr. Cate Shanahan
A sharp breakdown of how traditional diets used fats well, and how we can reclaim that without getting lost in the noise.

Real-World Headline:

In 2024, a major study published in JAMA found that replacing just 5% of calories from saturated to unsaturated fat was associated with a significant reduction in cardiovascular risk. (Source: JAMA, April 2024)

Science Insight:

Regular consumption of omega-3 fatty acids (found in fatty fish, chia, and flaxseed) is associated with improved heart health and reduced inflammation, according to the American Heart Association (2023).

Quick Fact:

Contrary to old myths, moderate whole-egg consumption does not increase heart disease risk for most people (Harvard School of Public Health, 2022).

Key Takeaway: Your hormones, brain, and cells are built from fats. Don’t fear them, but definitely manage them.

Key Anti-Hero Move: Use fat on your terms, not the food industry’s. Portion is power.

Empowerment Challenge:

What’s one fat source you’ll add back this week? Try it, track it, and notice the difference. Anti-heroes don’t just read, they act.

What’s Coming Next

You’ve now got a full picture of the big three macros, but how do you put them together? In Week 6, we’ll map out what a real-world performance meal looks like, and how to adjust it for your goals, whether that’s training, leaning out, or staying sharp at work.

In Defense of Carbs: Energy, Recovery, and the Science You Need

Most people fear carbs because they’ve been sold the idea that carbs equal fat gain. But for anyone who trains, thinks deeply, or recovers with intent, carbs aren’t optional; they’re essential.

This isn’t about eating gummy bears or Pop-Tarts and calling it “fuel.” It’s about understanding the physiological role of carbohydrates and using them to enhance output, mood, muscle retention, and recovery.

Let’s break it down.

1. Carbs = Performance

Glycogen (stored carbs) is your muscle’s preferred fuel during strength training, sparring, sprints, or any high-output effort. Without enough:

  • Strength drops
  • Endurance tanks
  • Motor control falters

Carbs refill that tank. Fewer reps and less intensity? That’s not a motivation problem; it might be a glycogen one. There’s a term known as “bonking” in a workout. To “bonk” in a workout is to reach the functional depletion of glycogen, brought on by exercise. In other words, it’s the condition in which your muscles run out of fuel, with profound effects on performance and well-being. And how do you avoid it? Adequate carbohydrate fueling for your level of performance.

Science Sidebar: When you eat carbs, insulin helps shuttle glucose into muscle cells to refill glycogen. This is why carbs matter most around activity, not when you’re sedentary. Research shows that athletes and active individuals who time carbs around exercise have better performance and recovery (Burke et al., 2011).

2. Carbs = Cognitive Clarity

Your brain runs on glucose. Low-carb fog is real. It shows up in several ways, such as decision fatigue, irritability, difficulty focusing, and a short attention span. Yes, ketones can serve as a backup fuel, but they’re not the most efficient during high-stress or high-focus days.

Carbs sharpen cognition, boost mood, and reduce stress response.

3. Carbs = Recovery and Muscle Retention

Carbs after training:

  • Restore depleted glycogen
  • Support protein synthesis
  • Lower post-training cortisol

They’re also “protein-sparing,” meaning your body doesn’t need to break down muscle for energy.

4. Carbs = Hormonal Stability

Low-carb diets for too long can suppress:

  • Thyroid output (especially T3)
  • Leptin (your satiety and metabolic rate signal)
  • Sleep quality and parasympathetic recovery

Especially for athletes, hard trainers, or people under high stress, this is a deal-breaker.

5. Carbs = Better Sleep

Moderate carbs in the evening:

  • Support serotonin → melatonin conversion
  • Lower cortisol
  • Help shift the body into parasympathetic mode.

Sleep: Carbs help lower cortisol levels and promote relaxation. Carbs also help raise serotonin, a neurotransmitter that supports relaxation and sleep. It’s one reason why a small carb snack before bed can improve sleep quality for some people. This is why low-carb diets can sometimes disrupt sleep.

Pro tip: Avoid eating after 8:00 PM. If you must have something, keep it light and digestible:

  • 1 banana
  • 1 scoop whey
  • 1 Fairlife 26g protein shake
  • Optional: 1 tbsp PB2

That’s ~350 kcal – just enough to support recovery without interrupting your sleep cycle.

The Real Issue Isn’t Carbs, It’s Unstructured Eating

People don’t “gain fat” from potatoes. They gain fat from:

  • Chronic snacking
  • Emotional eating
  • Under-fueling during the day and overeating at night

Carbs are fine; reactivity and randomness aren’t.

Coach’s Notes: Carb needs vary from person to person; listen to your body and adjust based on your activity, stress, and recovery.

  • Start with structure, not restriction.
  • Place carbs around output: morning, post-training, early dinner.
  • Observe how your sleep and recovery improve when you fuel with intention.

As silly as it may sound, a palm-sized portion of rice, potatoes, or fruit is a good place to start if you don’t want to count grams. Use your hand as a guide for portions.

Bonus tip: Carbs that are high in fiber, like fruit, potatoes, and whole grains, not only support performance, but also feed your gut microbiome, helping with digestion and immunity. And just in case you need a reminder, any fruit or vegetable is a carbohydrate source. Some are better than others, but the key is to eat the ones you like vs. trying to force yourself to eat anything you don’t like.

Suggested Reading:

Good Calories, Bad Calories – Gary Taubes
A well-researched, critical look at nutritional dogma and food myths, especially around carbs and fat.

Myth: Carbs make you fat. Truth: Excess calories, not carbs, drive weight gain.

Carbs don’t kill gains; they help sustain them. Used wisely, they improve output, cognition, mood, sleep, and recovery. However, as with any caloric intake, excess leads to consuming more calories than you burn, i.e., a caloric surplus = “weight gain.”

Action Challenge:

Track your carb intake for 3 days, but not just the grams. Track when and why you ate when you did:

  • Was it training-related?
  • Emotional?
  • Habitual?
  • Based on energy need?

Awareness creates clarity, and clarity can help drive consistency.

Next Week: You’ve dialed in protein and carbs. Now we’ll cover the most misunderstood macronutrient of all: fats.

How to use them for satiety, hormones, and cognitive support without overdoing it.

Food Is Not a Feeling: Rethinking Nutrition as a Tool for Consistency and Performance

Most people don’t have a nutrition problem; they have a perspective problem.

They’re not making poor food choices because they don’t know better. They’re making them because food has become emotional, reactive, and inconsistent. It’s comfort. It’s control or lack of it. It’s a celebration. It’s punishment. Worse still, it may be a genetic issue. And that is often the one that is least talked about. Often, almost every fitness “influencer” or goofy “guru” just tells everyone who will listen that they just need more or less of (fill in the blank). Given the particular and foundational nature of thetopic, 99% of influencers and “online fitness coaches” do their best to cram everyone into the same box.

And that’s the first thing we need to dismantle.

The Problem: Food Has Been Taught as Reward, Not Resource

We’re told from a young age that food is earned. Or to “earn your calories.” That it’s something you deserve when you’ve worked really hard, “been good,” or achieved something meaningful. Now, in some ways, that can be true, but it makes much more sense that, after all this time, we shouldn’t treat it like some sort of mood regulator.

  • Stress = snacks
  • Sadness = sugar
  • Boredom = bites
  • Hard workout = “reward meal”

But if you’re trying to feel, think, move, and live better—whether in training or just day-to-day—then food should support those goals. Emotions fluctuate, but your system for eating can remain steady.

A More Useful Lens: Food as a Support System

This isn’t about becoming robotic or clinical. It’s simply about building stability.

If you train, work, and live with intention, then food is one of your daily support tools. It’s not a treat. It’s not a cheat. It’s structure.

That means:

  • You eat when your body needs fuel.
  • You eat with an understanding of what’s coming next.
  • You repeat meals that work.
  • You build rituals around consistency, not emotion.

It’s how professionals eat. Not rigid. Not joyless. Just consistent, and you can do it, too.

What This Looks Like in Practice

We’ve covered this info a few times, but it bears repeating:

  • A consistent breakfast with protein, fiber, and hydration (not just a dose of caffeine and chaos and you’re out the door).
  • A post-workout meal that supports recovery, not emotional relief.
  • Default/backup meals when you’re too tired to think.
  • Less “what am I in the mood for?” and more “what supports what I’m doing today?”

For example, my go-to breakfast is eggs, oats, and berries. I repeat it most mornings because it works for me. Again, not robotic, just straightforward, easy to maintain, offers lots of flavor combinations, and is a simple, logical way to handle your food for the day.

You’ll find plenty of room for flexibility later. But not if you’re always reactively eating.

ACTION CHALLENGE:

Track what you eat for 3 days, but not just what, also why. Each time you eat, note what prompted it.

  • Was it hunger?
  • Boredom?
  • Social pressure?
  • Stress?
  • Fatigue?

You’ll be shocked by how often it has nothing to do with performance or physical need.

Coach’s Corner:

  • Start small. You don’t need the perfect meal plan; you need a few solid defaults.
  • Emotion is part of eating, and sometimes, comfort eating is okay. But it can’t be the foundation.
  • If your day feels chaotic, your nutrition shouldn’t add to that chaos. It should bring structure.

Suggested reading: “The Hungry Brain” by Stephan Guyenet
One of the best deep dives into the biology of eating behavior, hunger, and food decision-making.

Key takeaway: The more you can separate food from mood, and link it to your daily needs, the more empowered and consistent you’ll become, no guilt, no perfection required.

A great life = persistence > perfection.

No More Macro Mayhem: How to Hit Your Numbers Without Losing Your Mind

After years of lifting, training, and meeting real-life performance demands, you realize your nutrition plan shouldn’t feel like another workout. But for many people, it turns into a tracking obsession, a spreadsheet habit, or a source of stress or anxiety every time you eat.

Let’s change that.

Why macros matter, but not how you think.

Macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fats) are the foundation of performance. They help your muscles rebuild, maintain hormonal balance, and support the overall recovery process. But knowing about them doesn’t mean you have to let them control you.

As the saying goes, precision doesn’t mean perfection. It means having a system. If you want to train hard and stay healthy for years, your nutrition shouldn’t wear you out mentally. It should feel natural, not like a burden.

Three Rules to Keep It Simple and Consistent

  1. In the Beginning, Pick Your Baseline and Repeat It
    Select one meal, either breakfast or lunch, that aligns with your nutrition goals and fits your daily routine. Use the same amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fat each time. If keeping it simple helps, don’t worry about making it exciting. Simple meals build structure, and structure leads to consistency.

    This meal becomes your anchor, helping you stay on track. After week one, you can start making small changes to keep your meals interesting while still keeping things simple.
  2. When Portioning, Simply Use Visual Portion Anchors
    Instead of chasing macros with a food scale, use your hands as portion tools:
    • Protein = palm of your hand
    • Carbs = cupped hand
    • Fats = thumb or small handful

      This method works for everyone from tactical athletes to Olympic weightlifters and CrossFit competitors. It’s not about being exact with every number. It’s about enjoying your food and reaching your goals by being consistent and making steady progress each day.
  3. Make Tweaks with Purpose, Not Panic
    Most people make changes too soon out of worry. Try not to do that. If your training feels off or you’re hungrier than usual outside of workout times, make minor adjustments instead: add +5% protein. +10% carbs. Be sure you’re consuming the bulk of your carbs around your training window.

    Here’s a bonus tip: Start by keeping notes. Each week, look back, notice any patterns, and make changes with confidence. Being consistent and clear is better than chasing new trends or getting distracted by outside opinions.

What Gets In the Way

Let’s be honest: people don’t miss their macros because they’re lazy. It happens because life gets busy, maybe you didn’t sleep well, your kids are sick, your workout got delayed, or work meetings piled up.

That’s why I follow a simple rule: plan your meals for the life you really have, not the one you wish you could organize. If your plan falls apart when things get unpredictable, it needs to be stronger. Don’t stress—just adapt and keep going.

That’s where coaching and real-world experience make the difference.

The Coach’s Corner

I’ve seen this happen with everyone I’ve coached—military members, athletes, and in my own nutrition journey, even while running a Paleo meal prep business. I always try to share these ideas and show people how to cook good food that supports real performance. The athletes who succeed over time don’t eat perfectly; they eat well and stay consistent. They build habits, rely on routines, and make their food work for them.

This Week’s Action Plan

  • Anchor a meal: Pick one go-to meal that hits your macros and repeat it 4–5 days this week.
  • Use your hands: Apply the visual anchor method to every other meal.
  • Track with context: Pick one training day and one rest day to log. How did you feel? What did you eat? Did it support recovery?
  • If necessary, adjust just one thing next week based on performance, energy, or hunger cues.

Final Word

This is about fueling your performance without burning out. Your training needs clarity, and your life needs structure. Eating well and hitting your macros shouldn’t feel like a burden. It can be the steady, powerful engine that keeps everything running smoothly in the background.

Try these strategies and let your nutrition support your best work, both in the gym and in your daily life.

Forty Point Two

3, 2, 1 get some!

Five weeks ago, I pulled a 41.3-second 250 meter row. Today, I hit 40.2. Just over a second faster.

Most wouldn’t notice the difference, but if you’ve ever chased improvement in anything, lifting, rowing, writing, or career-related, you know what that second really means.

It’s not one test. It’s everything between the test and the retest.

Early mornings. Late nights. Lifting after focusing on a screen all day, securing cloud configs, writing incident reports, and drafting security policies. Endless meetings, collaborating with stakeholders, or staying disciplined enough to meal prep when convenience is whispering your name.

The first test showed where I was. The weeks that followed demonstrated what I was willing to do to get a little bit better every day.

That one second didn’t come from luck. It came from honesty. From taking stock of where my form slipped when fatigue hit, where breathing got shallow, where my leg drive gave too early, and where comfort started whispering, “Hey man, you’ve done enough.”

It came from the same place real growth always hides: the re-tests, not the first runs. Every domain follows the same law: test, learn, refine, retest. That’s how systems harden. That’s how people do, too.

The next time you test something, whether it’s a lift, a sprint, IAM permissions, or a personal limit, remember this: progress rarely looks dramatic as it happens. It might seem minor, but the one second I cut over five weeks shows the value of steady effort. Others might have said, “Hey man, that 41.3 is pretty damn good for a man your age.” For me, that will never be enough.

What “the science” says:

  • Power output was 673 Watts
  • VO2 Max is 68.5 ml/kg/min
  • Faster than 95% of male rowers your age
  • 89% faster than all male rowers

No matter what, 41.3 → 40.2 is proof that attention to detail and small improvements over time are earned, never issued, and that’s the real story.