The Reach Your Peak Experience (A Sports Nutrition Podcast)

Muscle loss during fat loss is a worry for many a body comp enthusiast. So what is the truth here? Is it normal to lose muscle during weight loss? Well, yes and no and it depends. The issue lies in how we interpret the data and what we perceive as normal or abnormal.  In today’s episode, I explain what you need to know about muscle loss during a fat loss phase and how to properly interpret the dat...

Athletes train hard, but training alone won’t cut it—nutrition is the game-changer.  Whether you're a weekend warrior or an elite competitor, the food you eat directly impacts your health, performance, and recovery. Think of it as the foundation of your success: without the right fuel, your body won’t perform at its best, recover properly, or adapt to training. Firstly, however, one must know...

Fat Loss Timeline: Expectations vs Reality You need to understand this right here if you are even thinking about stepping into the fat loss pursuit space. Nothing gets in the way of solid, sustainable results with wirht loss then the gap and divide between what is expected and what naturally happens. Assuming good strategy is in place in the first place of course. In today’s episode, I explore and...

"Hey Aleksa! I know you're telling me to eat more protein and include it throughout the day. But what about Sundays? I don't do any training then so do I really need to?".  So what is the 101 on protein and rest days? Is it still important to optimise intake on those days the muscles are resting and activity is down? In today’s episode, I answer this question and explain what y...

Let’s face it… The world of nutrition trends moves super zooper dooper fast. What was in the spotlight a few years ago can seem obsolete to some now but this can be for better or for worse. In the “dieting space”, there are many things I wish would go away that still remain known in 2025 but should have stayed in 2020. Specifically, there are 4 diets that you should avoid in 2025. If you’re still...

How hydrated are you? Enough? Not enough? What’s the deal? Hydration is often overlooked which is an issue in itself but what if you are wanting to know if you are well hydrated. How can you assess your hydration status? Well there are so many ways and there are gold standards to really get down to the finer details. However, let’s keep it simple today.  In today’s episode, share with you the 1 su...

You’ll hear fear mongering around liquid calories and you’ll hear people praising it as a solution to fat loss, fuelling, and a busy lifestyle. So which is it? Are liquid calories bad for you? To be avoid? Embraced? All of the above - depending on your situation.  In today’s episode, deep dive into liquid calories from a contextual point of view to explain how you should view them on a goal depend...

One of the more common body composition-related questions is whether or not one should focus on fat or muscle first. The truth is that there is no universal rule or guideline to follow here as its very much nuanced and contextual. However, there are ways to help make a more informed decision and that is what today is about.  In today’s episode, I share with you 1 question you can ask yourself to h...

Do you ever find yourself overreacting to an obstacle or slip-up with your nutrition and weight loss journey and end up giving up for a bit or ruining things even more? Allow me to help. Introducing the tyre analogy mindset switch. In today’s episode, I share the tyre analogy mindset hack that will help you overcome self sabotaging behaviour in the face of obstacles.  DISCLAIMER: The information i...

Are you a stress eater? So many are so you are not alone.  Stress eating habits and behaviours can truly be an obstacle when it comes to your nutrition but is one that can be addressed through correct strategy. One such way is using a Pattern Interrupt method - an easy baseline tactic that I teach my clients.   In today’s episode, I break down a simple approach to start breaking up some of your st...

"Where did my muscle go?!" - Many people after thinking they are smaller than they should be after a cutting phase post bulk. So what is happening here? Did you actually lose the muscle? When it comes to nutrition I have realised that many hardships for people stem from a poor understanding of what to expect which is worsened by unrealistic expectations. So why does this matter for this...

Why does approaching a health and nutrition goal have to feel so external to everything else in our life? Why do we think how we plan for and execute our plan to achieve a fat loss goal or muscle building goal or leveling up performance…needs to be something fancy or different? Importantly, today I want to show you how you can break down a goal and start taking steps towards achieving it using a r...

Forget Dominos. Forget Pizza Hut. Forget the local place that does the “Best Pizza in Hogwarts”. Today I ordered a pizza for you from The Climbing Dietitian HQ. This pizza is heavy on the educational sauce and the knowledge is cooked to perfection. I am talking about my signature dish…the Pizza Analogy for Nutrition Prioritization. Particularly, the nutrition prioritization for body composition go...

When one wants to lose weight and achieve some fat loss results… The automatic response is some form of food and calorie restriction. Makes sense…calorie deficit is key, right. However, there is a difference between good and bad restriction strategy and that is why alot of people jumping on the bandwagon of clean eating will find themselves thinking they are using a tool but creating a weapon agai...

Oh, you expect your progress to be linear? You want to improve every day in consistent fashion? Not so fast. You may want to sit down while I tell you this through this podcast episode.  Today I explore the reality of progress and how one’s belief or desire for linearity is often misguided and unrealistic - whether it be in performance, body composition, and everything in between. DISCLAIMER: The...

There’s talk about meal timing. There’s talk about meal composition. There’s talk about meal size. And there is also talk about meal frequency. Does it really matter how many number of meals you have per day? In this episode, I deep dive into this and share some examples and considerations around meal frequency to give you a better understanding of meal count and if it actually does matter in the...

Fat burning = Fat Loss, right? Wrong. Well not necessarily wrong but not quite the correlation you or others may think it is. Now while I do understand that fat burning is used a a phrase pretty interchangeably with fat loss but this is targeting the whole space of fat burning products and activities that are promoted incorrectly. Do XYZ to increase “fat burning”. Drink this drink for “fat burning...

If you are bulking or building muscle in any way, there is a good chance you will eventually switch to a fat loss/leaning out phase. One of the common concerns with this is the preconceived idea or worry around muscle losses - all those sweet hard-earned gains going away. While it is never that simple or easy to just lose your muscle, there are ways to minimise this.  In this episode, I breakdown...

“Let’s get saucy”.  This is one way you can improve your meal prep and make things easier by creating variety without having to use a different recipe each week. Your sauce game can truly make or break your meals so having options that don’t break your calorie bank is key.  In this episode, I share a few lower-calorie sauce ideas that you can use to jazz up your meal prep and make your diet just t...

In order to succeed with your nutrition goals, there needs to be a proportionate effort to the level of results you are hoping for. This is where people get stuck. It is important to understand that while sometimes nutrition can be simple, it is not “easy” to achieve your goals. You need to do some things in a way that you might not be accustomed to or thought you would need to. What do I mean by...

With January comes a slew of returning (and new) nutrition trends and fads. Some are to be completely avoided. Others would require at least some more thought and consideration before you embark on doing them. Regardless, it is important for me to highlight to you some common nutrition trends that pop up, especially around the new year that you should be wary of.  In this episode, I share 6 common...

New year, new you? No. New year, new resolution? No. New year, new goal? Nope. New year, new diet? Yes. Or so it seems with the number of people switching and changing and jumping on the latest trendy diets every single new year in January. In this episode, I discuss why the new year new diet thing is a trap! And potentially keeping you from seeing the results you are waiting for.  DISCLAIMER: The...

New year, new you? Of course, it’s what we all say right… But when the decision needs to be made on how you approach your nutrition this year…which will you choose? The quick fix results in January and February? Or the long-term real results that take TIME? In this episode, I open up the dialogue around which “pill” would you choose when it comes to your nutrition and results as we kick off anothe...

High protein this, high protein that. It is no secret that protein has taken over and that food companies are now bombarding us with protein versions of what it seems like to be everything from ABC to XYZ. Is this a good thing though? A prime opportunity to never miss out of those protein gains? Well, yes and no. It’s neither good or bad. This is a nuanced topic and context really matters. In this...

After Christmas and New Years (the holiday season), you may find yourself a bit heavy. A bit softer. A bit more…less defined. So why is this? What happened? Well, most would believe they have had a setback in their fat loss goals. Many would see it as a failure.  However, you need to understand the truth behind the post holiday weight gain! The truth may look different that you expect and in turn...