MONK MODE.

Welcome to the first edition of my Nutrition series! In this article, I will give you my hacks that helped me begin my nutrition journey, change my eating habits and re-organise my life. Out of my 3 pillars of self-improvement (fitness, nutrition and wellbeing), most people have told me that nutrition is the hardest one to overcome. Most people tell me that exercising or working out is much easier than eating right on a consistent basis.

You can’t out train a bad diet

I get it. Most people don’t eat well. Most people eat way too much then they should. Most people don’t think about what they put into their mouths. So it makes sense that most people find it hard to change their diet. However, if there’s one thing you take away from this article, it’s that you can’t out train a bad diet. If you think improving your fitness allows you the freedom to eat whatever you want, you’re wrong. Let me explain further using an example.

I love donuts. We all love donuts. However, 1 cinnamon donut from Donut King, not glazed or covered in chocolate icing or sprinkles, just a plain donut contains 133 calories.

Now, if you ran 1 kilometre, you would burn approximately 60 calories. You would have to run over 2 kilometres to burn off that donut…and what crazy person stops at 1 donut! Eat 2 donuts? You’ll have to run for almost an hour!

I’m not saying that you can’t eat donuts (that’s not a world I want to live in!), however I’m simply making the point that not eating a couple of donuts (that would take about a minute) is a lot easier than running over 4 kilometres! You make the choice.

Most people find improving their nutrition to be the hardest thing to do, however it is the most important thing. Good nutrition needs to be a lifestyle. This one change will have the biggest effect on your health goals.

With a change in mindset, I now personally believe that nutrition is the easiest pillar. We all need to eat to survive right? So you might as well eat well! Think about the days when you’re sick or when you just don’t feel like getting off the couch. You can still at least eat good, nutritious meals and hit your protein and calorie goals. Food is your fuel.

Build your environment

I am human. I’m not perfect. There are times when I cave in and end up eating half of the pantry, much to my wife’s amusement. She’ll walk into the loungeroom and catch me on the couch with (insert junk food item here) packets all around me! This is why (most of the time!) I try and build the environment I want to be in to succeed. When I crave junk food (usually at night), most times I can walk into the pantry and not find any of those types of foods in there. Why? Because I don’t buy them! I try to be as disciplined as possible inside the grocery store, just in case I crumble at home. That is why it pays to be as prepared as possible when you hit the shops.

Have your shopping list ready to go (and an overall sense of any extras you might need) and stick to it. Read the nutritional information labels to make sure that the products are in line with your protein and calorie goals. Don’t fall for any of the snacks that are cleverly marketed close to the checkouts…and don’t shop when you’re hungry!

With all the readily available nutritional information (on labels and online) and the health aisles that are packed full of great foods and healthy snack options, there are no excuses in 2025 to not hit your nutrition goals.

Remember, if the junk food is not in your house, you’re less likely to head to the shops to get it when you crave it, therefore less likely to have it at all. If you’re hungry late at night, have a glass of water, sleep on it and you’ll feel much better in the morning.

Are you really hungry?

This may sound stupid, but when you eat…are you actually hungry?

Or is it just your usual time to eat something?

Or did you smell something yummy?

Or did you see some food that looks good?

Or are you thirsty?

Or are you bored?

Or you can’t have a coffee without a piece of cake?

Or you just can’t watch a movie without munching on something?

Once I entered the world of calories, I realised the amount I was eating and the frequency I was eating at. I realised how many times a day I ate when I wasn’t even hungry and that I was eating in a calorie surplus and I didn’t even know it!

In today’s modern society, humans are addicted to food. For most of our existence on this planet, we’ve been used to the cycle of food, famine, food. We hunted, gathered and, most importantly, fasted. Now, in this world of abundance, our cycle is just food, food, food…and our bodies are paying the price.

Hunger is simply a feeling. When our stomach rumbles, we are so used to simply killing that feeling with food. However, for 99% of human existence, we used hunger as a sign to begin to hunt or gather, as we couldn’t store many foods (as refrigerators have only been around for the past 100 years). So, these signs of hunger still usually meant days or even weeks without food. Just like how we can feel anger, but it doesn’t mean we have to always act on it.

Now I’m not saying that we have to live our current lives like this today, but I’m simply saying that when you feel hungry, make sure that you actually are. If we can survive 1-2 months without food (only a few days without water), why are we eating 3 meals (including snacks and non-water beverages) a day? My general rule of thumb is if you’re not hungry for something healthy, but you could go for something unhealthy…then you’re probably not really hungry.

And missing a meal every now and then won’t kill ya! Actually, it would probably be beneficial…you’ll be just fine.

“Enjoy your body, use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it or what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own”.

– Baz Luhrmann

Me enjoying some amazing street food on my trip to Thailand last year…which has now ruined any Thai food for me in Australia, ha ha!

If you’d like to hear more of my nutrition preparation hacks, please subscribe to MONK MODE and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and X. A new article goes live soon!