111. What happens when you get sick?
What happens to my eating habits, mindset, and relationship with food when I get sick and have to stop exercising? I’ve been unwell for nearly a month and couldn’t tolerate any training—and it reminded me how important it is to have a baseline nutrition framework I can fall back on when life forces a pause. I also ran into a viral clip (possibly AI/fake) of a well-known trainer saying he’d “get fat” if he couldn’t train and that he’d micro-dose GLP-1s to avoid it. Whether that video was real or not, the fear behind it is—especially for cyclists and endurance athletes who quietly rely on training to manage body weight.
In this episode, I share how I navigate time off the bike without spiralling into restriction or panic. I unpack the difference between my baseline “stay-alive” nutrition and the training add-ons (before/during/after), why eating the same tiny number of calories every day backfires, and what changes when training volume drops to zero. I also talk through the myth of “I’ll gain weight instantly if I stop,” the Christmas/winter slump, and why picking a practitioner who truly understands endurance physiology matters. I even share a real example: someone trying to live on 1,400 calories while training 15 hours/week—and why that guarantees hunger, exhaustion, and rebound eating.
Key themes I cover:
I explain how I keep my body composition stable when I’m not training by eating my normal baseline meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, plus a snack or two) and simply removing the training fuel. I talk about responding to real hunger, recognising the “cookie-monster” appetite that comes from under-fuelling endurance sessions, and how smart fuelling reduces sugar cravings and weekend blow-outs. I also get real about winter, illness and rest: performance nutrition isn’t meant to be rigid—it’s meant to adapt.
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TRANSCRIPT
I stopped training for a month. Here’s exactly how I ate - and why I didn’t oanic.
I got sick a month ago and couldn’t tolerate any exercise. No “just a little spin,” no strength sessions—nothing. And because I live and breathe endurance sport, I kept noticing the same fear-driven narrative pop up online: If I stop training, I’ll gain weight.
I even saw a video (which I couldn’t verify later—could’ve been AI/fake) of a well-known trainer saying he’d get fat if he couldn’t train and that he’d micro-dose a GLP-1. Whether that clip was real or not, the fear behind it is very real. I hear versions of it from cyclists and endurance athletes every week.
So I decided to share what I actually do when I can’t train.
My framework: baseline food + training fuel (added only when needed)
I think of my nutrition in two layers:
Baseline: the food that keeps me alive, healthy and “even”—breakfast, lunch, dinner and usually a snack or two. Protein, carbs, fats, fibre, colour. This doesn’t disappear when I’m sick or resting.
Training fuel: targeted before/during/after energy and carbs specifically to support a session. This part only exists when the training exists.
When I’m not training, I don’t add training fuel. Simple. I don’t starve my baseline; I just remove what I no longer need. This is why, after a month of zero exercise, my body composition is the same as it was when I got sick.
The “1,400 calories while training 15 hours” problem
Recently someone told me they were trying to live on 1,400 calories while riding 15 hours a week. No wonder they were hungry and exhausted. That’s not even enough to keep many adults functioning, let alone to train hard. Under-fueling your baseline drives cravings, binge-y weekends and a chaotic relationship with food. The fix isn’t to become stricter—it’s to separate baseline from training fuel and feed both properly at the right times.
But won’t I gain instantly if I stop?
No. What usually happens is people keep eating like they’re still training or they try to “save calories” all week, then rebound hard. When I stop training, I keep my normal baseline and drop the training carbs. My appetite naturally shifts down; I listen to it and keep meals simple and satisfying. No food moralising. No panic.
Winter, holidays and the “I’ll start in January” trap
Christmas, cold weather and social events can disrupt routine. I don’t wait for a perfect month. I lean on my baseline (real meals) and only add extra fuel if I’m actually training. If I’m sick or it’s an off-week, I don’t “make up for it” with punishment rides or restriction. I just return to baseline, hydrate, sleep, recover—and I’m ready to go when my body is.
Not all sports nutrition is endurance nutrition
Endurance physiology is different from stop-start or strength-dominant sports. The hunger after a 4-hour aerobic ride is not the same as after 40 minutes of lifting. Advice that works for a bodybuilder or a high-intensity circuit may fall apart at 3–6 hours on the bike. That’s why I work with practitioners who actually understand long-duration carb needs, gut training, and the cost of chronic under-fueling.
About those sugar cravings…
Most “sugar addiction” I see isn’t about willpower—it’s under-fueling fatigue. Skip carbs around training and your brain will come collecting later. When I fuel my sessions (on the days I have them), cravings drop. When I don’t have sessions (like the last month), I don’t add extra sugar “just because”—and I don’t fear it either. It’s context, not morality.
How I kept things stable while sick
I ate my usual baseline meals—not “diet” meals, just normal food that nourishes.
I removed the training add-ons: no pre-ride gel, no carb bottle, no recovery shake.
I listened to genuine hunger. Some days I wanted more at lunch, some days less at dinner. That’s normal.
I avoided tallying or punishing—because my framework does the heavy lifting for me.
The bottom line
If I can’t train, I don’t panic. Baseline remains; training fuel goes. When training returns, I add the carbs back around the session—before, during, after—and I’m all set. No yo-yo. No “diet starts Monday.” Just a flexible system that respects physiology and real life.
If you’re tired of guessing and want a calm, evidence-based way to eat on and off the bike, that’s exactly what I teach inside my program. You’ll learn how to set your baseline, layer training fuel, and adjust day-by-day without obsessing.
