What happens when the honeymoon phase ends

That's what Mark told me last week. And it's the exact conversation I have with most clients around week 6.

The honeymoon phase is over.

The Predictable Pattern

Here's what happens with almost every new client:

Weeks 1-4: Easy wins kick in. Cut the obvious stuff - oils, dressings, cheese. Drop 5-8 pounds fast. Feel like you've cracked the code.

Weeks 5-8: Weight loss stalls. Start getting comfortable. "I've got this figured out." Begin making decisions on autopilot again.

Week 9: Wake-up call. We analyze what happened and find the gaps.

Mark was in Week 9.

Where Intentionality Goes To Die

There it is. The moment you start "winging it," progress stops.

Mark's travel routine: Wake up late, skip breakfast, grab whatever's convenient, feel hungry all afternoon, make poor dinner choices because he's starving.

No structure = no progress.

The Reset Formula

When clients hit this wall, we go back to basics. Not more restriction. More intentionality.

Morning: Stop winging breakfast. Apple + protein shake takes 30 seconds. Protein and fiber combo controls hunger until lunch. No thinking required.

Lunch: Our classic protein-fiber formula. Examples:

• Chipotle: Bowl with double chicken, black beans, fajita veggies, salsa
• Starbucks: Protein box + apple slices
• Sushi: Half sashimi, half rolls with raw fish (skip the tempura)

Result: High energy, low hunger afternoon. Set up for better dinner decisions.

This isn't perfect nutrition, but it's actually pretty damn close given the macros he'll get from it. Plus it's convenient and easy to pull off on the road.

Mark's Travel Fix

Fair enough. So we built a system that requires zero cooking:

Grocery run: Rotisserie chicken, bagged salad, apples, protein shakes. Five-minute shop.

Backup plan: When eating out, show ChatGPT the menu. Ask for "600 calories, 30+ grams protein." Let it guide the choice.

No-brainer options: Protein + vegetables everywhere. Skip the sides, skip the bread, add hot sauce for flavor.

Why This Actually Works

Most guys think hitting a plateau means they need to do more. Usually they need to do less, but do it consistently.

Mark's problem wasn't that he needed a more complicated plan. He needed a simpler one that worked whether he was home or on the road.

The difference between guys who break through plateaus and guys who stay stuck? The stuck ones keep trying to wing it. The successful ones build systems they can execute without thinking.

The Breakthrough Moment

"I'm going to test this tonight," Mark said. "Use ChatGPT at dinner and see what happens."

That's intentionality returning.

Not perfection. Not tracking every macro. Just deciding ahead of time instead of figuring it out when hungry.

The goal isn't to be perfect from start to finish. Clients hit walls. The key is analyzing what happened, finding the gaps, and tapping into what makes them intentional again.

For Mark, that meant making intentionality convenient. Easy to execute. No second-guessing required.

So he can get back home without missing a beat. Maybe even lose some weight along the way.

-Bart

P.S. Mark tested the ChatGPT trick that night and found a 580-calorie salmon dish that kept him on track. The real breakthrough wasn't the food choice - it was getting intentional again.

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