From the Archive

The first challenge was not nutritional — it was culinary. Hitting protein targets meant preparing chicken breast and steak consistently, and that required learning to cook properly. Not as a chef, but as an athlete who needed fuel. Chicken was plain at first, difficult to eat in volume, and easy to overcook. Gradually the technique improved. Marinades came later — not for flavour as a luxury but for sustainability. A meal plan you cannot face eating every day is not a meal plan that works.

Early on, eggs featured heavily — they were an efficient, affordable source of complete protein. Too heavily, as it turned out. Something did not feel right. The body was signalling that the volume was excessive before any science confirmed what the correct amount should be. The response was to reduce, adjust and monitor. That instinct — to listen to physical feedback rather than rigidly follow a plan — became one of the most valuable tools developed during this period.

Seven meals per day, each sized to hit macro targets, produced a problem: volume. Eating enough at each sitting to meet the daily numbers caused significant bloating and discomfort. The adjustment was counterintuitive — prepare only what was needed for that meal rather than dividing the daily total equally across seven occasions. Portion sizes were recalibrated meal by meal based on appetite, training timing and how the body responded. The bloating resolved. The numbers were still met. Flexibility within structure turned out to be more effective than rigid uniformity.

Every meal included a substantial portion of vegetables — typically a kilogram of broccoli and carrots across the day, prepared in bulk. This was not a modern "eat your greens" marketing message. It was a practical decision: micronutrient density, fibre, satiety, and the understanding — gathered from library research — that a high-protein, high-calorie diet needed adequate plant-based support to function properly. Salad accompanied the protein meals specifically because protein takes time to chew and eat. The vegetables made the meals practical as much as nutritional.

This was not a life of leisure with unlimited time to eat. There was a job. That meant meals had to be prepared in advance, portioned, refrigerated and taken to work in containers. Batch cooking became the only viable approach — not because it was efficient in theory, but because the alternative was missing meals and compromising the plan. The fridge was always stocked. The containers were always ready. That level of preparation, sustained for two and a half years, was what separated intention from result.

Creatine was not purchased from a supplement shop — it was adopted because early academic research, found in a library, supported its use. Five grams daily, taken with a meal. The first weeks produced stomach discomfort significant enough to question whether to continue. The decision was to persist through the adaptation period rather than abandon the protocol. The discomfort resolved. What followed was noticeable: muscles felt fuller, recovery improved, and — critically — the effect was most pronounced when hydration was adequate. Five litres of water per day was not a target arrived at by chance.

Breakfast was kept clean and consistent throughout. The standard bread and cereal of the time was replaced with muesli, eggs and — notably — a high-protein Scandinavian dairy product bought because its nutritional profile was exceptional, long before anything comparable appeared in British supermarkets. Breakfast was not a meal to rush or skip. It was the foundation on which the rest of the day's nutrition was built. That understanding has not changed in thirty years of working with clients.

No shortcuts. No steroids. No coach. No internet. Two and a half years of cooking every meal, tracking every number and applying every principle on this page to a real body — 6ft 1, proportional, from head to legs. The photograph will be here shortly.