How To Make Dieting Easier And More Successful

Caitlyn Davey • July 8, 2025

If you’ve been dieting for a while and have tried various techniques like restricting food groups, starving yourself or eating only at certain times, and yet have had nothing work for you it might be time to stop. Maybe now it’s time to take a step back, look at what you’ve been doing wrong and improve from here on.There are simple ways to set yourself up for success in dieting, but if you've been dieting long-term and aren't seeing results, it could be that you need to stop and evaluate your relationship with food. A nutrition coach can help you change your understanding and set you up for success in the long-term.  Diet close to your maintenanceCutting calories drastically can be detrimental to your overall goals, and while you might see results initially, often these taper off if you've dropped unsustainably.James advises against setting unrealistic calorie goals, mainly due to the fact that your efforts go to waste eventually and causes a major drop in motivation. “What everyone tends to do straight away is say, ‘I’m going to hit 1,200 calories for a while’. But where they go wrong is that they don’t understand that energy in equals energy out. 'So, if you’re eating what you perceive as 1,200 calories, then your perceived effort changes and you’re depleting your energy stores, your weight loss may come faster, but for how long? Because what tends to happen is your non-exercise activity tends to drop, your exercise activity tends to drop and now you’re eating 1,200 and still not creating a deficit that you believe that you should be in. And then, you start to plateau, what happens when you plateau? Your training has gone to waste, you are hardly moving, and now your weight loss has stopped. After which, you let go of the idea completely because you’re not achieving the goals you’d set out for.”A strategy that can work is eating a calorie intake close to your maintenance. Maintenance is the calorie intake that would keep you at your current weight. So a marginal decrease will enable you to move and perform while still remaining in a deficit. Focus on your stepsIncreasing your step count, and just moving around, in general should be glorified. You can't out train a bad diet, but you can move more throughout the day. While the aiming for 10,000 steps may not be sustainable, James recommends aiming for 5,000-7,000 per day. “I know people struggle,' James says. 'Anywhere between 5,000 - 7,000 steps I believe makes a relatively healthy human being. But how can we push that more? A lot of people listening may say, ‘I can’t move anymore,’ ‘I can’t do more steps,’ ‘I have a sedentary job,’ - from someone who has now done this for over a decade, I can tell you clear as day, that you can move more than what you are moving. I’ve seen it, I’ve had this discussion with clients, hundreds of clients, where they tell me they can’t move anymore. Alright, let's strap a watch to you, let's strap a Fitbit to you, and let’s monitor it. All I want you to do is to focus on moving as much as possible.”He adds, “This will only help you. Again, if we can up our steps and we can up our energy expenditure, then that gives a little bit more freedom with our food, maybe we can eat a little bit more food. Really focus on your steps, focus on the amount of movement that you do.” Time frame dietsGiving yourself a time frame on your diet can help you diet for a period, then go on maintenance for a time.'I tell some of my clients as well that we’re going on a 12-week fat loss phase,' says James. 'At the end of these 12-weeks, you are going on a maintenance phase for around 8 to 12-weeks. Regardless of where you were at, regardless of what you’ve done in those 12-weeks, at the end of those 12-weeks we’re going on a big maintenance phase.”The purpose of the maintenance phase is so that you can get back to training, back to building muscle, back to changing up body composition all while you try to maintain the same weight. This will improve your body composition and give you time frames to work within.  Stop restricting yourselfThe idea is simple - you can eat anything you want; you just can’t eat everything you want. To get results, you need to allow yourself permission to eat what you want, not abstain from certain foods.  The moment you stop restricting yourself is when you may actually start to see results.  “Ask yourself: How many years you’ve tried to lose weight? What has been the common theme of each and every single diet that you’ve done unsuccessfully?' asks James. 'By unsuccessfully, I mean that you’ve regained all the weight, or you’ve just not lost the weight. What was one of the main things that they all have in common? I can guarantee you, it’s food restriction. You’re cutting out something. You’re being restrictive somewhere along the line, so maybe it’s time to flip the diet on its head and not restrict.”“Give yourself permission to eat whatever you want. People then ask, ‘Yeah but if I can eat whatever I want, then I’ll eat everything,’ you think you will, but this has been disproven time and time again. The quickest way to get someone to do something is to tell them not to do it. People think, ‘So I can just eat 20 donuts then?’ Well, yeah you can. You can eat 20 donuts, doesn’t mean that you’re going to get results, but you can, you have permission to. And because you give yourself permission to do whatever you want, you start to make greater decisions, you start to think, ‘I can have that but do I want to?'' 

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July 22, 2025
If you live in Wynnum or Capalaba , chances are you’ve seen a bootcamp in action — high-intensity sessions in parks, with lots of burpees, sprints, and shouting. While bootcamps can be a fun way to get sweaty, there’s a reason more people are choosing structured strength training instead. At Rebuild, we often meet people who’ve jumped from one bootcamp to another, chasing results they never quite achieve, or can’t maintain. Here’s why strength training, not bootcamp-style fitness, is the smarter long-term approach for your health and body. 1. Progress Over Punishment Bootcamps often focus on burning calories and pushing people to their limits every session. It feels intense — but it’s usually random. There’s no plan beyond “go hard”. Strength training is different. It’s measured, progressive, and adaptable . Whether you’re lifting a barbell or doing bodyweight movements, the goal is to build skill, strength, and confidence over time. You're not punished for where you're at — you're coached toward where you want to be. 2. Stronger Muscles = Better Results Cardio-heavy bootcamps might help you lose weight quickly, but they rarely help you build muscle, and muscle is the key to long-term fat loss, strength, and mobility . When you train with resistance (weights, bands, or bodyweight), your body becomes more efficient. You burn more calories at rest, move better, and feel more capable in everyday life. And unlike bootcamps, strength training actually preserves lean mass while you're in a calorie deficit — which matters if your goal is body composition, not just weight loss. 3. Individual Coaching Matters Most bootcamps have one instructor yelling instructions to a big group. There’s rarely time to check your technique, let alone adjust for injuries, experience, or confidence levels. At Rebuild, our group sessions are coach-led and purpose-built . We take time to teach proper form, scale movements to your ability, and track your progress. You're not just surviving a workout — you’re learning how to move better and train smarter. 4. It’s Not Just About Today’s Workout Bootcamps often lack structure. You show up, do something exhausting, and leave. There’s no continuity or long-term planning. Strength training follows a programmed approach , meaning each week builds on the last. You’ll have sessions designed to improve specific movements and outcomes — whether that’s lifting more weight, increasing core strength, or mastering your first pull-up. That structure keeps you consistent, motivated, and injury-free. 5. Sustainability Over Shock Tactics If you’re tired of the “go hard or go home” mentality, strength training is for you. It’s adaptable to all ages, bodies, and goals . You’ll get fitter, stronger, and more confident — without burning out or breaking down. Ready to train with purpose? If you're looking for something better than a bootcamp in Wynnum or Capalaba , join us at Rebuild. We coach real people — not fitness models — to get real results. 📍 Structured training 📍 Expert coaches 📍 Community that has your back You don’t need to be fit to start. You just need to start.
July 22, 2025
A lot of people have completed a marathon but how many people have collapsed at 40km?

Sometimes you do everything right, and shit still doesn’t go to plan.
 Last weekend I ran in the Gold Coast Marathon, my first ever marathon. I trained properly, my body felt relatively good (all things considered when preparing to run 42.2km), I carb-loaded, and my race day nutrition was dialled in.
 I was ready.
 We set off. Jess and the kids met me at different points on the course with signs, the atmosphere was great. I loved seeing the kids with their signs. Pacing felt on point. The first 21km? Easy. I felt great. Maybe I should’ve drunk more water, but I didn’t think too much of it at the time.
 At 25km, I felt slower, but pace wise I was still holding well. I’d kept telling myself throughout the day "The race starts at 30km." And let me tell you, it does.
 By 30km, the sun was out, and I was starting to struggle. My watch started glitching so I had no real idea of my splits. I thought I was slowing down a lot (turns out I wasn’t), but the effort to keep the same pace suddenly felt 10x harder.
 I hadn’t taken on enough water. Usually, I can get away with lower fluids. Not this time. Dehydration crept in. hard.
 At 35km I was in survival mode, one foot in front of the other, flicking between moments of pain and little short lived waves of “let’s go.” But by 39km I was delirious. I could see the finish line, I hit the 40km mark (where I thought enjoyment might return to finish), and I collapsed.
 I was gone. Scary stuff.
 The last few hundred metres were a complete blur. All I remember is the crowd, the medics, and about five paramedics suddenly around me. I was vomiting, shaking, confused, in and out of it. I had this overwhelming, indescribable feeling, and honestly, for a moment, I thought I could die.
 My memory went. I couldn’t recall the day, the year, where I lived, or how to spell. I only knew who Jess and the kids were, and that I didn’t want them to see me with wires in me. 
 My temperature had hit 40°C. Blood pressure crashed. Thankfully, the medics and paramedics were incredible, I had a drip running into me within 10 to 15 minutes.
 As I already knew, I’m stubborn. I wanted to run it all. Not walk. Not stop and breathe and In hindsight, I should have. 
 Seems like my mind was just a bit stronger than my body on the day. I never thought I could push myself there in all honesty. 

Am I gutted? Of course, I was only 2km away but I gave it everything I had on that day. Heat stroke, exhaustion, and dehydration got me. 

I am always reminded here of the quote ‘The man in the arena’ look it up if you need. 
 Will I run 42.2km again? Yes, I feel I need to. 

Would I do things differently, now I’ve run 40km under race conditions? You bet, lessons learnt. Always lessons. Never be scared to not succeed. Be scared to never try in the first place. 
 We go again.
By Caitlyn Davey July 8, 2025
You Need To Earn The Right To Be Good At Something
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