The No-BS Guide to Making Food Easy Again: Actionable Steps

G'day Legends! A massive thank you for the support on my Leadville 100 Ultramarathon Redemption videos on YouTube. The feedback for Part 1 and Part 2 (which just dropped 2 days ago) has been incredible! My team and I are pumped and I’m stoked to keep sharing the journey with you. YouTube has quickly become a platform I love because it allows me to dive deeper into topics (it’s much easier to make a 10-minute video than cram everything into 60 seconds!). If you enjoyed the doc, go ahead and subscribe. We drop new, value-packed videos every two weeks—plenty more good stuff coming!

Back to Basics: Let’s Talk Food

Today, I want to take things back to the foundation—food. It’s why I started my career, helping you legends make better choices. A quick story: I was chatting with a mate after a lifting session, and he started sharing his carb struggles. As I listened to his meal plan, one thing jumped out—he simply wasn’t eating enough. This is something I see all the time, especially with active people. He looked confused, and as I explained, he started getting overwhelmed by the complexity of food. Sound familiar?

But the reality is: food doesn’t have to be complicated!

In last week’s newsletter, we broke down macro ratios for performance. This week, let’s simplify food planning, just like we plan workouts. The idea of exercise is straightforward, but when it comes to food, things get murkier. Our gut health is complex, but we can still approach meal planning the same way we schedule gym sessions. You probably know your workout plan for the next 7 days, right? So why not do the same with food?

How often do you head to the gym without a plan but still get your workout done? Now, imagine doing that with cooking. You say you’re going to cook, but without a plan, you end up ordering in. (Come on, you know that’s you, right?) Let’s change that and make cooking as simple as working out.

5 Simple Steps to Better Meal Planning:

1. Pick a night to cook—just like you schedule your gym time, set a date and time for when you’re going to cook a meal this week. Write it down, lock it in.

2. Find a recipe that excites you—choose something that you’re pumped to make. You can check out the recipes from my book Eat Like A Legend, head over to my website for awesome recipes (like Smokey Chicken, Colorful Rice And Nourishing Hummus), use our meals from Centr, or even grab something from the Breville app. There are endless options, so no excuses!

3. Write a shopping list—this is key. Organize your list by sections of the grocery store. This might take a bit of practice, but once you nail it, you’ll save a ton of time (and avoid unnecessary laps around the store). Focus on grouping your produce, proteins, grains, etc., together to make shopping a breeze.

4. Cook the recipe and embrace the mistakes—don’t stress if things don’t go perfectly. That’s part of the process. Learn from your mistakes, and remember that every meal cooked is a win!

5. Repeat the recipe next week—too many people try a recipe once, find it tricky, and give up. Instead, make it again next week. You’ll get faster, more efficient, and more confident with every repetition.

What You’ll Learn from This Process:

• Planning saves time—just like you’d never walk into the gym without a plan, meal planning upfront saves you a ton of time on the back end.

• Efficiency in the kitchen—the more you repeat a recipe, the quicker you’ll get at it. Trust me, you don’t need to use every pot and pan in your kitchen—repetition helps you figure out what’s truly necessary.

• Money-saving hack—by cooking the same recipe more than once, you’ll use up those leftover ingredients that often go to waste. It’s one of the easiest ways to save money while eating well.

As you get more comfortable, you can expand to planning more meals per week. One trip to the grocery store can cover multiple meals, saving you time, stress, and extra trips.

Quick Calorie Breakdown

In last week’s newsletter, we covered macros, but today let’s look at calories. Women typically burn between 1,600-2,400 calories per day, while men range from 2,000-3,000. This is a big range, so how do you figure out where you sit?

The simplest way is by using a wearable. I personally use WHOOP and my Apple Watch Ultra to track my daily burn. If yours says 2,400 calories, aim to eat around that much to maintain your weight. Adjust as needed, but remember—under-eating can hold you back!

Next Week’s Topics:

• Are wearables accurate for calorie tracking?

• What do “xx” calories look like in food?

That’s it for today, team! Thanks again for all your support, and keep smashing your goals.

Much love,
Dan

#EatGoodFeelGood