The Good, The Bad & The Ugly by Roderick Schembri

This month’s feature is once again written by Roderick, our Sports Nutritionist, who is available for consultations by appointment at SkySpirit.

With a strong focus on performance, metabolic health, and sustainable results, Roderick helps clients build the right foundations before turning to extreme dieting strategies.

Following on from “Nail The Basics”, the previous article, once your engine is built, the next step is to learn how to drive it for fat Loss & strength. From a clinical and performance perspective.

If you’re looking to improve body composition, performance, or long-term health, bookings with Roderick are open at SkySpirit.

The Good
•Drive smart, not recklessly.

A moderate calorie deficit (≤500 kcal), strength training 2–3x/week, and 20–30 min of cardio after training keep your engine running efficiently without burning it out.
Stick to a Mediterranean-style diet, balanced fuel, and no need to experiment with your fuel and avoid food groups (unless suggested by a health-care professional/Medical reasons). Result: smooth ride, consistent progress, no breakdowns.

The Bad
• Flooring the gas pedal too early.
• Increasing training too much while cutting carbs or fats completely is like revving hard in the wrong gear.
➢ You’ll get results… briefly granted, then it breaks, having to stop consistently at nearby gas stations (craving and binging).
➢ Eventually: fatigue, frustration, and a stalled journey.

The Ugly
• Engine & car abuse (no service and leaving the tank empty regularly)
• Crash dieting + excessive training = engine damage.
Research shows aggressive deficits trigger adaptive thermogenesis, your body down shifts its energy output more than expected, decreasing REE, TDEE & SEE.
1. Resting energy expenditure (REE)
2. Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)
3. Sleep Energy Expenditure (SEE)

In simple terms:
❖ You can keep revving… but you’re going nowhere and burning the engine while doing it
❖ Your engine is powerful…but the clutch is slipping
❖ You rev harder… but no power hits the wheels

Worse? This makes fat loss harder and regain easier.
The good news? When you drive steadily (gradual deficit), this effect is minimal or disappears quickly when you do a diet break.

Practical Takeaway
1. Fat loss isn’t about redlining your engine.
2. It’s about driving smart, maintaining control, and finishing the race, not blowing the engine halfway through.
3. Anyone can diet. Very few can do it without breaking their engine. That’s the difference to success!

Book your personal nutrition session with Roderick Schembri.

Email: thesportsnutritionist@rstraining.fitness

Instagram: rstrainingpt

Facebook: AdvanceU: Physio, Fitness & Nutrition

References
Barrea, L. et al. (2024) “Role of Mediterranean diet in endocrine diseases: a joint overview by the endocrinologist and the nutritionist,” Journal of Endocrinological Investigation. Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, pp. 17–33. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-023-02169-2.
Dimopoulou, M., Dimopoulou, A. and Gortzi, O. (2025) “Dietary Patterns and Mental Health Across the Lifespan: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials,” Psychology International, 7(4), p. 87. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/psycholint7040087.
Estruch, R. et al. (2013) “Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a mediterranean diet,” The new England Journal of Medicine, p. 28. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa1200303.
Estruch, R. et al. (2018) “Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or Nuts,” New England Journal of Medicine, 378(25). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa1800389.
Hernando-Redondo, J. et al. (2022) “Mid- and long-term changes in satiety-related hormones, lipid and glucose metabolism, and inflammation after a Mediterranean diet intervention with the goal of losing weight: A randomized, clinical trial,” Frontiers in Nutrition, 9. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.950900.
Konieczna, J. et al. (2023) “An Energy-Reduced Mediterranean Diet, Physical Activity, and Body Composition: An Interim Subgroup Analysis of the PREDIMED-Plus Randomized Clinical Trial,” JAMA Network Open, 6(10). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.37994.
Nunes, C.L. et al. (2022) “Does adaptive thermogenesis occur after weight loss in adults? A systematic review,” British Journal of Nutrition, 127(3), pp. 451–469. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114521001094.

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