The Summer Shred Starts Here: How I’m Dropping Fat Without Counting a Single Calorie

The sun’s poking through, bikinis and BBQs are around the corner, and holidays are starting to pop up on the calendar. You know what that means… time to get things moving.

Now listen… we’re all different. There’s no one-size-fits-all magic formula. But when it comes to dropping a bit of body fat, the principle stays the same: you need to be in a calorie deficit, and you need to be consistent.

So what’s the best way to do it?

There isn’t one best way. Cutting out dairy, ditching carbs, doing intermittent fasting, going keto, eating only while the moon’s out (ok maybe not that one)… these are all just different ways of achieving the same outcome: eating fewer calories than you burn.

If any of those strategies work for you and you can stick to them without wanting to eat your own arm by day 3, great.

But if they don’t? That’s okay too. You’ve got to pick something that actually suits your lifestyle, not one that turns you into a hermit or makes every meal a maths lesson.

Some of you are so good at tracking your food intake, holding you accountable. It can be super beneficial to understand what’s going in and how much… but let’s be honest, calorie counting can be boring, time consuming and it’s just not realistic to weigh every grain of rice or track every olive oil drizzle.

What I’m doing

So here’s what I’m doing this time around. You lot know I love a bit of structure, but I also don’t have time to muck about with spreadsheets every time I eat a yoghurt.

For me, it’s a carbohydrate cut-back. That doesn’t mean no carbs, but I’ll be reducing my complex carb intake. Out of my 3 main meals a day, just one meal will include complex carbs. I’ll also be cutting out BREAD! I love bread and I eat lots of it…

Cutting it out for a month will reduce my calorie intake considerably. The vast majority of my diet will be made up of:

• Protein (plenty of it)

• Leafy greens

• Dairy

• Fruit

• Honey

This kind of shift naturally drops my calories without needing to log every bite. Easy win.

My training week

We’re turning the dial slightly on the workouts too. Here’s how the week looks:

Monday: 60min HEAVIES 👉 Compound & isolation lifts: squats, overhead press, deadlifts – big-boy stuff. 😄

Tuesday: 60min Spin 👉 Moderate heart rate (RPE 6/10), legs burning, music pumping. Good sweat.

Wednesday: 60min HEAVIES again 👉 Another date with the barbell. Big lifts. Stay strong, maintain muscle mass. 

Thursday: REST 👉 Rest is training too.

Friday: 60min Cardio & Bodyweight Circuits 👉 Threshold training, quality movements, high rep ranges, cardio bursts. 

Saturday: 5–10km Run 👉 Nice and steady. Bit of headspace with the headphones on.

Sunday: REST 👉 Recharge and reset.

Take note troops, the cardio stuff here - think Zone 2-3 or RPE 5-6/10. Less stress on the central nervous system, no big cortisol spike, but still burning calories and boosting fitness. The goal here? Keep energy high and feel sharp during the cut.

I’m doing it with you

Here’s where it gets spicy, I’m not just preaching this stuff. I’m doing it with you. Who’s with me!? Real time. Real life.

Here’s where I’m starting:

• Weight: 102kg

• Body Fat: 20%

• Start Date: Today

I’ll be sharing the journey over the next 4 weeks on socials and by email, so if you want to see how a busy dad of three with a border collie, who runs a business can still shred down without turning into a hangry recluse - then follow along!

My main goal is to maintain as much muscle mass as possible whilst torching the fat! I’d like to see my body fat drop 4% in 4 weeks. What this space!