COACHES WHO ARE RED FLAGS
So Many People Don’t Even Know What a Quick Fix Looks Like
That’s because they don’t work in the industry.
No coach is ever going to admit they’re offering a quick fix.
But in this article, I’m going to highlight some red flags that tell me that a coach is selling one.
Just because someone has body transformations on their page doesn’t mean they can offer you personalised nutrition or that they aren’t just selling a quick fix. The majority of the fitness industry can give you personalised macros or a 2-day meal plan—but not personalized nutrition coaching.
And sometimes, the ones who post the most transformation photos are actually doing the worst damage at a population level. They contribute to higher levels of disordered eating and eating disorders because they don’t understand our relationship with food.
(You don’t get taught this information unless you actively seek it out. Arbitrary number, but 90% of coaches don’t know enough about food psychology. I’ll admit—I didn’t until about 2021. Realistically, the percentage is probably even higher.)
The Difference Between Macro Coaching and Actual Personalised Nutrition
Macro coaching is simple:
🔹 You put macros into an app like MyFitnessPal and follow them.
🔹 If you hit them, great—you’ll lose fat. (Not necessarily in a sustainable way, though, if you don’t work on your mindset, beliefs, and habits… but that’s a topic for another day.)
🔹 But what happens if you can’t stick to it?
The average online coach has no other tools. They’ll get frustrated with you, and you’ll start thinking you’re the problem.
But it’s not actual personalised nutrition coaching—it’s just macro coaching. And it’s easy. You could learn how to do it yourself in very little time.
That’s why 17-year-old online coaches are popping up everywhere—because, to macro coach, you don’t actually need much knowledge about nutrition. You just need to understand numbers.
But understanding WHY you do what you do is the most important thing in coaching:
Why you overeat or binge.
Why you emotionally eat.
Why you don’t show up to the gym when you’re not feeling motivated.
Why you don’t trust yourself around certain foods.
Why you sabotage your results.
The list goes on.
I help my clients identify and break through their barriers, self-sabotage, and false beliefs that keep them:
🚫 Feeling insecure
🚫 Skipping gym sessions
🚫 Losing control with food
So they can finally build the confidence they want in their body and life. A lot of my clients have completely broken binge eating in under 90 days.
I Can Tell When Someone’s on a Quick Fix
I’ve spoken to guys in my DMs. And while I’d never badmouth their coaches directly to them, I can immediately tell when they’re being strung along.
Some have told me they’re eating 1,200 calories at 80+ kg. And these guys are weight training multiple times a week.
This is dangerous if you know you binge.
You need to think critically about the advice you’re getting. Starving yourself midweek to binge on the weekend isn’t how you build real confidence or a healthy relationship with food.
They feel guilty, shameful, and fearful around food. They lose control sometimes and frequently overindulge or binge. They already know they have a bad relationship with it.
But they’re just hoping they’ll somehow be able to sustain their short-term fat loss. The reality? They’re avoiding their real problems. And that never ends well.
My Clients Don’t Feel Like This…
Because they’re making long-term changes. They’re building trust in themselves.
When you’re doing it right, you don’t experience all this:
❌ Shame
❌ Fear
❌ A lack of trust in yourself
I admire courage in men. And the truth? Most men shy away from their shit.
If you’re reading this thinking, “He’s talking about me,” just know—I’m telling you this for your own good.
I don’t want you to suffer for years with this. But unfortunately, that’s exactly where most men are headed.
I’ve seen it with my own mates—guys with a poor relationship with food who are constantly on and off with training and nutrition.
They finish full share packets of crisps, smash through chocolate, and can’t control themselves. But they never say,
"I need to work on my relationship with food."
It’s always:
"I just need to change my body."
And that’s why they stay stuck.
🚩 Red Flags in Coaches
1️⃣ They Offer Cash Prizes for ‘Best Transformation’
Huge red flag. Money and “the dream body” are extrinsic motivators—influenced by external factors.
Fine to have, but when they’re overemphasised, they actually reduce intrinsic motivation—the kind that makes you show up because you want to.
No wonder these coaches never shut the fuck up about discipline—because it’s all for other people.
When you’re doing it for you, it’s easier to show up. You actually enjoy the process, rather than hating exercise.
A lot of my clients have told me about their friends who got shredded through body transformation challenges… then hated training after and, of course, went back to binging and feeling worse.
They decided online coaching wasn’t for them.
But they just invested in a quick fix.
It’s not everybody’s coaching style—but it’s the majority.
2️⃣ They Fat Shame Online
If you want to truly change, you need to feel safe with your coach.
Not just surface-level bullshit.
These coaches can’t help you dig deeper. They lack compassion and empathy.
And if they’re fat-shaming other people online? They might be thinking the same about you.
I don’t like that attitude frankly and it suggests to me they don’t actually understand how these things work.
3️⃣ The ‘No Excuses’ Shaming Mindset
Are you a coach, or are you just repeating Goggins?
Goggins is a mad cunt. Respect to what he does.
But two key traits of a good coach are:
✔️ Empathy
✔️ Compassion
The more you understand why people do what they do, the less you say shit like, “No excuses.”
You explore their mindset and behavior. Because people sabotage for a reason.
4️⃣ Over-Reliance on External Accountability
Are you going back to the same coach for the fifth time just to get your two-day meal plan for another six-week shred?
Yeah, that’s not coaching. That’s dependency.
If you’re still dependent on a meal plan, you haven’t actually learned the skills to manage your nutrition.
That’s not coaching. And it’s not long-term change.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this helps you see why these approaches won’t work in the long run.
And why, if you’ve been struggling with consistency, it’s not your fault.
Just because a coach’s page is full of before-and-after photos doesn’t mean they’re offering a sustainable solution.
If only you could see the shit I’ve seen. These pages look great on the surface. Shredded, tan etc.
What you don’t see is the aftermath. And honestly it’s a shame….