⁠⁠It’s BBQ season not bulking season, put the fork down

Ey up,

There’s no doubt about it, the UK is firmly in summer now.

The BBQs come out. The pints come out. The excuses come out.

“Ah mate it’s summer, I’m just enjoying myself.”

That is fine. Genuinely.

But if your idea of enjoyment is pretending every garden party is a cheat day free-for-all, don’t be shocked when your summer body looks more like winter insulation…

It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. I promise you that you can enjoy the sun, enjoy the pub garden AND still see progress towards your goals.

Why summer is where most people go wrong ☀️

Here’s the trap:

• You train hard all winter

• You dial in your nutrition (sort of)

• You see some progress

• And then boom…

• June hits and suddenly it’s “fuck it, I’ll start again in September”

You coast for 3 months. BBQs, beers, holidays, and festivals. And by the time you "get back on track," you’ve wiped out 80% of the progress you made 😢 

All because you didn’t have a plan for the fun part of the year.

You do NOT need to be miserable to meet your goals

But you do need to be strategic and plan 💡 

I’m not saying you can’t eat burgers or enjoy your summer.

I’m saying: Stop acting like your mate’s BBQ is an episode of Man vs Food.

Here’s how to stay on track and still enjoy the sun:

1. Pre-BBQ Strategy 🍗

Eat light and high-protein beforehand.

If you turn up starving, you’ll inhale everything in sight.

Greek yoghurt, eggs, a protein shake = minimum damage, max satiety.

Bank calories if needed.

Got a big event coming up? Reduce fats and carbs for a day or two beforehand. Boom, you’ve just bought yourself wiggle room.

2. Drink Like a Grown-Up 🍻

You’re not 18 anymore. You don’t need to prove you can drink 8 pints of lager and still eat half the buffet 😬 

Pick your battles.

If you’re going to drink, keep it to something you can track and avoid mixing with loads of sugary crap. Think gin + slimline tonic > piña colada.

3. Be Useful. Bring a Side 🍽️

Don’t show up empty handed and then complain there’s nothing healthy.

Bring something you know you’ll eat.

Chopped veg and hummus, high-protein pasta salad, some chicken skewers — anything 🥗 🍗 🥕 

Stop being at the mercy of whatever ASDA deals your mate’s mum found last minute.

3. Stop Lying to Yourself 🙄 

You don’t need to log every crumb. But don’t lie to your MyFitnessPal and pretend you had "two burgers and salad" when what you really had was four burgers, three handfuls of crisps, one mini cheesecake, a magnum, and seven cans of lager.

You’re not fooling your diary. Or your waistline.

🧠 You’re not bulking

You’re just undisciplined.

And look your human, we naturally want to eat when there’s a ton of nice food in front of you. It’s built into our chimp brains for survival. But you’re not eating for survival.

“Bulking” requires structure, a surplus, training intensity and planned progression. What you’re doing is hoping a weekly binge disguised as “living your best life” is somehow going to leave you leaner and stronger by accident.

It won’t.

Here’s what to actually do 👇

Set your non-negotiables for the week.
→ Hit protein daily
→ Get 3-4 lifts in
→ Nail sleep 5+ nights
→ Get sunlight & steps daily

If you tick those off then yes, you can have the burger. You can have the Aperol. But the other 80% of your week still needs to show up.

Summer’s not your downfall. Your lack of structure is 🤷‍♂️

The people who stay in shape year-round don’t avoid fun — they manage it better than you.

They don’t treat every BBQ like the last supper.

They don’t view food as something to “get away with.”

They just have a better system.

Cheers,

Sheep 🐏

P.S. I coach real people with real lives. If you’ve got BBQs, weddings, festivals, and beach holidays lined up — good. Let’s build a plan that lets you enjoy them and still hit your goals. Want to see how that actually works?

Book a free call and I’ll show you.

No pressure. Just clarity 🤷‍♂️