PHF Nutrition Consultancy

04/03/2026

Q&A with PHF - Part 2…

02/03/2026

28/02/2026

26/02/2026

26/02/2026

Me as a fat loss coach?…

I don’t look at days.

I look at direction.

Because anybody can be good for a week.

What matters is whether the trend line is moving.

Here’s another one of my client’s data banks for you.

96.2kg…

Down to 84.3kg.

And still dropping.

You read that properly…

That’s well over 10kgs (26.2lbs to be exact)

And it’s all stayed off.

That’s structured, phased fat loss.

Not weeks of starvation.

And not days of panic.

Because this fat loss was built properly from day one.

With the client in mind.

You see, when I coach, I’m not thinking…

“How do we get a short-term fix?”

I’m thinking…

When do we push, when do we hold, and when do we protect adherence to prevent rebound before it even becomes a risk?

That’s what frameworks do.

Any kn****ad coach can slash calories and get you a quick drop on the scales.

And then blag you into thinking it’s actual fat loss.

That’s easy.

The hard part?

Fat loss with sustainability.

Not emotive reaction to short-term fluctuations.

You don’t need a process where your coach panics when you do 🫠

You need a process that is built on structure and science.

Because structure and science beat emotion every single time.

If you’re tired of chasing short-term wins that turn into long-term frustration…

Zoom out.

Stop obsessing over the daily number on the scales.

And work on the variables that actually move the dial of real fat loss.

That is what we are absolute masters of here.

If you want me to show you how this process works inside PHF, drop me a message.

Let’s build this properly so you don’t just become another rebound diet figure in 2026 🙂

24/02/2026

When it comes to coaching fat loss…

I talk to my clients about trend lines.

Not about today’s weight, not yesterday’s spike, and not the random jump after a salty meal.

Why?

Because fat loss isn’t built in days.

It’s built in phases.

A story I posted the other day on Instagram showed one of my client’s graphs.

From 93kg…

Down to 68.3kg

And still dropping.

Read that again.

93kg to 68.3kg

That doesn’t happen because someone “had a good week”

It happens because every phase was planned.

As a coach, I’m never just thinking about this week.

I’m thinking about absolutely everything that you’re not.

I’m building frameworks that support the bigger picture.

Because short-term fixes are easy.

Any muppet coach can slash your calories, starve you, and make you white-knuckle it for 6-weeks.

But then?

The inevitable rebound happens.

A heavy weekend.

Panic sets in, and then it’s back to the Monday reset.

That cycle is predictable.

What’s harder, and what actually works, is a multi-phase approach that removes the panic button completely.

This client hasn’t rebounded.

She hasn’t spiralled after tough weeks, and she hasn’t needed to “start again”

Because the structure was built properly from day one.

That’s the difference here.

I coach for results that last longer than your motivation does.

If you’re tired of chasing short-term wins that turn into long-term frustration…

Maybe it’s time to zoom out and start thinking outside of the box.

Drop make a message if you want me to explain this process in more detail 🙂

23/02/2026

22/02/2026

One of the best parts of running this business?

The people.

Yesterday I met up with someone who’s been working inside PHF for years now.

He’s the man behind a lot of the graphic design content you see from me.

The stuff that makes me look far more organised than I actually am.

He recently moved to Leeds to study at Leeds University, so yesterday was the first time we’ve actually met in person.

Crazy when you think about it.

Years of working together, and the first handshake happened in good old Barnsley.

So naturally, I gave him the VIP tour.

We managed to squeeze in a proper breakfast, great coffee, and a game of bowling.

I won’t talk too much about the two games to nil victory.

That would just be cruel 😬👀

After that we headed to Dolly’s Desserts, where I proceeded to eat what felt like my entire week’s calories in the six minutes it took me to demolish a Guylian Stuffed Cookie.

I did what I did, no regrets 🐷

But jokes aside, it was brilliant to finally sit down face to face with someone who’s been such a big part of this business behind the scenes.

Building something meaningful isn’t just about clients and results.

It’s about relationships, trust, and working with good people who genuinely care.

So a big thank you to JG for taking the time out of his studies to come and see me.

A top human being, a proper grafter, and someone with a big future ahead.

Next time?

I’ll treat him to a day in good old Derby! 🐏

21/02/2026

Is eating a fat-free salad “scientifically pointless”?

In a nutshell, no.

That’s an overstatement designed to go viral like most things nowadays.

A fat-free salad still contains plenty of nutrients you absorb just fine.

Water soluble nutrients don’t require added fat to be absorbed.

You also get fibre, fluid, and volume, which supports digestion and satiety.

Some nutrients absorb better with some fat.

Certain compounds in salad veg are fat-soluble.

Studies show absorption in these can be higher when the meal includes some fat, for example, from an oil-based dressing.

But this is what the post misses…

You don’t need to drown it in oil.

You only need a small amount of fat to support absorption, and it doesn’t have to come from dressing.

If your salad includes eggs, cheese, nuts, seeds, avocado, or you’re eating it alongside a meal with fat, you’ve already covered it.

If you’re eating salad with a fat-free dressing because you like it, it’s still a nutritious choice.

If you want to maximise the fat-soluble nutrients…

Add a small fat source (olive oil dressing, nuts/seeds, avocado, feta, oily fish)

The bigger health outcome is still the overall pattern…

More vegetables and fibre, consistently.

A salad isn’t “pointless” without fat.

It’s just that adding a little fat can make some of the fat-soluble nutrients more available.

These are the kinds of things we help our clients understand during their fat loss phases with us.

Because the world of fat loss nutrition is confusing and frustrating.

And we take away all that for our clients…

So they can concentrate on the good stuff that actually helps them lose weight.

Without the stress and overwhelm from stupid posts on social media.

Feel free to drop me a message if you have any questions 🙂

19/02/2026

The evidence-based answer?

Sometimes.

But only for specific goals.

Probiotics aren’t one magical thing.

They’re strain specific.

Dose-specific.

Condition specific.

So advice like…

“Everyone needs a probiotic for gut health”

Is not supported by evidence.

Sorry about that “gut health coaches” 😬

Where is the science strongest?

✅ Antibiotic-associated diarrhoea

Certain probiotic strains can reduce risk during or after a course of antibiotics.

✅ IBS

Some strains may help bloating and pain.

But results are inconsistent, and no single product is clearly “the best”

Now let’s talk about the idiots saying things like…

“Detox your gut”

“Reset your microbiome in 14 days”

“Heal your hormones with this capsule”

That’s marketing, not science.

Major gastroenterology guidance remains cautious because evidence is mixed.

Your microbiome is not a sink that needs flushing out.

It’s an ecosystem.

And ecosystems don’t get “detoxed” with a £39.99 affiliate link 🙄

So what’s the issue with most supplement shops?

Most labels don’t clearly state the following…

👉🏻 Exact strains.

👉🏻 Viable dose at end of shelf life.

👉🏻 Storage/quality control.

If you can’t match the strain to the research, you’re guessing.

And guesswork isn’t coaching.

The best thing to do?

Pick a specific goal (antibiotics. IBS)

Choose a product that lists strains and viable count clearly.

Trial it properly.

IBS? Trial it for 4-12 weeks.

If there’s no clear benefit? Stop.

They’re a tool, not a lifestyle identity.

Probiotics are not a daily requirement for most healthy people.

They may help in certain situations.

But if someone is selling them as a universal gut fix…

That’s sales and people just being dumb.

Watch out for these people…

They genuinely do not have a clue 🫠

18/02/2026

Joe Wicks dragged ultra-processed foods (UPFs) back into the spotlight again recently…

And the internet has done what it always does.

Picked a side and started shouting.

So what’s the actual science here?

First of all, a protein bar is not a poison.

I think the bigger conversation here we need to talk about is this…

UPF research is all about patterns, not one product.

Large umbrella reviews (including BMJ) consistently show that higher overall UPF intake is associated with worse cardiometabolic outcomes and higher mortality risk.

That doesn’t mean one bar “kills you”.

It means a diet built mainly around UPFs is where the risk shows up.

There’s a big difference.

We do have experimental evidence, not just correlations.

In a tightly controlled RCT (Hall et al., 2019), people ate more calories and gained more weight on an ultra-processed diet vs a minimally processed…

Even when meals were matched for calories and macros.

Why?

Likely because of palatability, eating rate, texture, energy density, and satiety.

Not because there’s some secret toxic chemical conspiracy.

A protein bar used strategically?

It’s convenient, portable, and it can help hit protein on a busy day.

A diet where bars, shakes, and packaged snacks replace meals?

Now we’re talking about crowding out fibre, whole foods, and proper satiety.

And that is absolutely not what we want to do.

Base most meals on minimally processed foods.

Use convenience foods as tools, not foundations.

Because a protein bar won’t ruin your health.

But a diet dominated by ultra-processed foods makes it easier to overeat and harder to nail basics consistently.

So even though good old Joe Wicks didn’t exactly hit the nail on the head…

And his scientific knowledge of nutrition seems to be somewhat lacking in general…

I kind of get what he’s saying.

It’s just a shame he had to sensationalise it for TV.

Drop me a DM if you have any questions 🙂

17/02/2026

After my OxyShred post, I got a DM asking if pre-workouts are actually any good.

The short answer?

They can be.

The long answer?

Most of the “magic” isn’t magic at all.

It usually comes down to a very small number of ingredients.

Not the neon tub, not the hype, and definitely not the word “EXTREME” written in size 72 font.

Here’s what the evidence actually says…

Caffeine is doing the heavy lifting.

Across studies, caffeine is one of the most reliable acute performance aids for resistance training and high-intensity exercise.

If your pre-workout “hits”…

That wired, focused, ready to run through a wall feeling?

That’s probably the caffeine.

Some ingredients work, but not the way people think.

Creatine is a great example.

Strong evidence for strength and lean muscle support.

But it doesn’t work because you took it 15 minutes before bench press.

It works by saturating muscle stores over time.

Yet many pre-workouts chuck it in randomly without proper dosing or consistency.

Others are more situational.

Beta-alanine can help certain high-intensity efforts.

Citrulline ingredients show mixed results with some small benefits in some contexts.

Useful? Potentially.

Game-changing? Rarely.

And then there’s the “kitchen sink” problem.

If you see proprietary blends and 18 ingredients listed without amounts…

That’s marketing, not transparency.

If you can’t see the dose, you can’t compare it to the research.

And that should tell you something.

So, should you use one?

If it helps you train better and you tolerate it well, fine.

But if it gives you jitters, wrecks your sleep, spikes anxiety, or leaves you crashing later…

It’s not a performance enhancer…

It’s a stressor.

Most people could replicate 80% of the effect with…

Proper hydration.

A sensible pre-training meal.

A measured caffeine source.

No drama, and no £40 tubs 😳

If you’re unsure about the one you’re using, send me the label.

I’ll tell you what’s actually doing the work…

What’s under-dosed…

And what’s there just for the vibes.

Evidence over marketing…

Every single time 🤓