If you’ve been following us for a while, you’ll know we often recommend that people eat more, not less, especially if they’re struggling to shift body fat. It sounds counterintuitive, but it’s often a lack of nutrients, rather than an excess of calories, that’s holding people back from making real progress.
Food Fuels Progress
Nutrition is a major driver of performance in and out of the gym. Alongside sleep, hydration, and other key lifestyle factors, what you eat affects how you feel, how you recover, and how well you can train. People often turn up to sessions under-fueled, low on energy and drive. Credit to them for showing up, but the reality is, they’re unlikely to get the most from their session.
Eat to Train, Don’t Train to Eat
If you consistently feel sluggish in the gym, look at your diet. You may not be eating enough, or you might be eating the wrong kinds of food. We often refer to our Nutrition Made Simple traffic light system, where the green and orange foods should make up most of your intake. If you’re focusing on nutrient-dense, whole foods—lean proteins, complex carbs, healthy fats, and lots of veg—you can eat more than you think without gaining weight.
Yes, a calorie deficit is required for fat loss. But more isn’t always better. Cutting your intake too drastically can result in fatigue, low mood, disrupted sleep, and poor performance in the gym. You might drop some weight quickly, but it won’t all be fat—and in the long run, extreme deficits often do more harm than good.
Foundry’s Balanced Approach
When clients who’ve been undereating start increasing their calories sensibly, the feedback is almost always the same: better energy, improved mood, more consistent training, and in many cases, better body composition. That old saying, “eat less, train more”, might sound good on a motivational poster, but it rarely works for long in practice.
We encourage clients to build consistent habits that support recovery, strength, and longevity. Nutrition is never about punishment or extreme restriction—it’s about eating like an adult, prioritising real food, and making smart choices most of the time.
The Power of Food Awareness
It’s also worth pointing out that most people underestimate what they eat and overestimate the quality of their diet. That’s where food tracking can help. Whether jotting things down in a notebook or using an app like MyFitnessPal, logging your meals for a few days can be an eye-opener. It’s not about calorie-counting forever. It’s about building awareness and creating more informed habits.
Your Training Deserves Fuel
Eating to support your training isn’t just for athletes. You must fuel that process if you’re trying to get stronger, fitter, or leaner. And when you do, everything improves—how you train, recover, and feel.
At Foundry, we help our members build practical, sustainable nutrition habits that align with their goals and lifestyles. Our personal training members across London are supported with realistic nutrition guidance designed to fuel long-term progress, not short-term gimmicks. If you’re unsure where to start, come and speak with a coach; we’re here to help you get stronger, feel better, and eat well in a way that supports all of it.
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