The Problem With Doing More: Why Your Plan Is Too Intense to Work
If you’re wired for performance, chances are your default response to any lack of progress is simple: Do more.
More workouts.
More cardio.
More rules.
More restrictions.
But here’s the truth most people won’t say out loud:
The reason you’re stuck isn’t because you’re not working hard enough.
It’s because your plan is too intense to be sustainable.
And that intensity?
It’s not giving you better results.
It’s burning you out — mentally, physically, and metabolically.
You’re Not Struggling Because You’re Lazy. You’re Struggling Because You’re Exhausted.
The problem with extreme plans is that they create temporary compliance but long-term inconsistency.
Here’s what I see all the time:
→ Training 6-7 days a week
→ Eating low calories every day (usually underfuelled with poor macro balance)
→ Adding cardio on top of weights to “speed things up”
→ Using cheat meals as an emotional release because everything else is too rigid
The short-term result? Maybe a few pounds lost.
The long-term outcome? Fatigue. Hormonal chaos. And eventually, a total rebound.
Why?
→ Cortisol, your stress hormone, stays chronically elevated
→ Sleep quality and duration tank, which reduces recovery and fat-burning hormones like growth hormone
→ Low calories + high output leads to metabolic adaptation, where your body downregulates energy to protect you
→ You lose muscle, which lowers your metabolic rate and makes it harder to maintain fat loss over time
Hard work isn’t the problem.
But without recovery and structure, your body will actively fight back — and it will win.
Intensity Feels Productive. But It Triggers Compensation
One of the reasons extreme plans feel addictive is because they give the illusion of control.
Sweating, pushing, tracking every calorie — it feels productive.
But it often triggers compensatory behaviours that cancel out the effort.
→ More hunger due to elevated ghrelin and suppressed leptin
→ Lower spontaneous movement — your body subconsciously reduces activity outside the gym
→ Mental fatigue, which increases impulsive food choices and decision fatigue
→ Cravings increase, especially for fast carbs, as glucose drops and cortisol rises
The result?
You’re working harder… but not losing fat.
Because your body is out of balance — hormonally, energetically, and psychologically.
Recovery Isn’t a Reward. It’s the Whole Point.
Your body doesn’t change during training.
It changes during recovery — that’s where fat is burned, muscle is built, and hormones stabilise.
If you're training like an athlete but recovering like a civilian, your results will stall or go backward.
→ Growth hormone and testosterone are released during deep sleep — both are essential for fat burning, muscle maintenance, and recovery
→ Cortisol drops during rest, reducing belly fat storage and improving insulin sensitivity
→ Muscle repair and glycogen replenishment happen during rest days — skip these and you lose performance and increase injury risk
→ Low sleep and overtraining increase inflammatory markers, which reduce fat oxidation and worsen cravings
You can’t out-supplement, out-caffeinate, or out-discipline a recovery deficit.
You have to plan for it — and treat it like training.
You Don’t Need a Harder Plan. You Need a Smarter One.
I work with CEOs and high performers who don’t need to be motivated.
They’re already all-in by default — and that’s usually the problem.
What they need is structure.
Something that works when business gets chaotic.
Something that doesn’t fall apart the moment they can’t do it perfectly.
That means:
→ 2–3 strength sessions per week — focused on progression, not punishment
→ A nutrition framework that allows for real food, flexibility, and social life
→ Walks and movement throughout the day — not relying on cardio to create a deficit
→ Built-in recovery so the plan works long-term, not just for 30 days
This is what creates consistency.
And consistency is what drives results.
The Bottom Line
If you’ve been stuck in a loop of all-or-nothing, constantly starting over, or training like mad with nothing to show for it — it’s not your fault.
It’s your framework.
You’re not weak. You’re overdoing it.
Here’s what works:
→ Train less, with more intent
→ Fuel more, with better structure
→ Recover harder, with purpose
→ Build a plan that works when life gets messy
You don’t need to do more.
You need to do what works — consistently.
That’s what I build for my clients.
No more guesswork. No more burnout.
Just structure, results and freedom from the intensity trap.
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Whenever you’re ready to work together, I’ll simplify and strategically plan your fat loss journey so you can stop guessing and start progressing.
Start by booking a free call here.
