When and When Not to Eat - Tapping Into Your Natural Hunger Schedule

We’ve all heard the traditional diet advice: “You have to eat a big breakfast, and you should never eat after dinner.”

Generally speaking, this advice was created to help people establish a longer fasting period while they sleep. If you finish dinner by 6:00 PM and don't eat again until 6:00 AM, you've naturally created a 12-hour fast that limits your overall calorie intake.

But what if you are a night owl who regularly goes to bed at 2:00 AM? Stopping all food intake at 6:00 PM is going to be incredibly difficult. Inevitably, you'll break down, raid the fridge, and probably won't be making the healthiest food choices at that point. Or, what if you simply aren't hungry in the morning? Why force yourself to eat a massive breakfast when your body isn't asking for it? Forcing calories when you aren't hungry is entirely counterproductive to weight loss.

The real challenge isn't eating when you are hungry, it’s learning to use the times when you aren't hungry to your advantage.

The 3-Step Strategy to Manage Hunger

Instead of fighting your natural instincts, you can tap into your body's natural hunger schedule to start losing fat right now. Here is how you can put this into practice:

Step 1: Track Your Hunger Times

Pay attention to your body for a few days. Figure out exactly what times of the day you are the most hungry, and when you are the least hungry.

Step 2: Plan Your Meals and Snacks

Based on those hunger times, plan for 1 to 2 larger, calorie-dense meals and 1 to 2 smaller snack-type meals. Eat your larger meals when your hunger peaks, and rely on smaller snacks or beverages to bridge the gaps.

Step 3: Build Your Fasting Window

Create a fasting period of at least 12 hours based on your natural schedule. You can eat at any time of the day or night, as long as you have that 12+ hour block of fasting built into your 24-hour cycle.

What This Looks Like in Practice

If you aren't a morning person, you don't need to force a morning meal. For example, you might start your workday around 10:00 AM with just a coffee (about 100-150 calories). Because you are preoccupied with work, you might not actually feel hungry until 2:00 or 3:00 PM. That is the perfect time for a high-protein snack, like a shake or some cheese and meat (300-400 calories).

By 6:00 or 7:00 PM, when true hunger hits, you can enjoy a large, satisfying dinner of meat, vegetables, and healthy carbs without guilt (around 1,000 calories). And if you are a night owl who stays up late, you still have room for a 400-500 calorie evening snack around 9:00 or 10:00 PM—like yogurt, fruit, or cottage cheese.

This setup keeps your total daily intake around a healthy 1,800 to 2,200 calories while maintaining a 12-hour fast, all without ever feeling deprived or fighting your natural instincts.

Ready to Get Fit Now?

This is just one of the strategies to help you get Healthy + Fit 4 Life. If you want to dive deeper into how to make food your best friend, check out my Get Fit Now Video Training.

I cover everything you need to know to get on track, and the entire training course is completely free.

Lordhair 0.06mm SuperSkin-V Hair System 4-Week Update - Reinstallation - Tape Experiment - Trimming Tips

Here are the key takeaways, maintenance tips, and what I learned from trying a new attachment method this time around.

Four Weeks In: Durability and Wear

• Holding Power: The system stayed secure for the entire month. Toward the end, the adhesive softened into a pliable state, allowing slight movement when pushed, but it never lifted or failed completely.

• Minimal Shedding: The 0.06mm thin-skin base has held onto the hair strands very well. Compared to ultra-thin 0.03mm bases, the slightly thicker skin gives the hair roots more material to anchor into, significantly cutting down on daily shedding.

• Front Touch-ups: While the back and perimeter stayed locked in place, the front hairline typically requires quick touch-ups every couple of days (with the lightweight glue I was using). Using a fine-tip cotton swab to apply a light liquid adhesive along the very edge keeps it clean and seamless without excess buildup.

Cleaning and Scalp Prep

Taking your time between removal and reattachment makes a massive difference for comfort and longevity:

1. Removal & Cleanup: Peeling off the old adhesive took a bit of effort after four weeks of buildup, but thoroughly cleaning both the base and scalp is essential for a fresh bond.

2. Giving the Skin Air Time: Rather than reinstalling immediately, taking the system off overnight allows your scalp to breathe and recover while the hair system dries completely after washing.

3. Moisture Maintenance: Because hair systems don't receive natural scalp oils, keeping the hair hydrated with a few drops of lightweight oil (like argan or Moroccan oil) prevents the system from drying out.

Trimming and Customizing Before Reinstallation

Before applying fresh adhesive, I made a few small adjustments to keep the hair system looking completely natural:

• Micro-Trimming the Front Edge: Cutting back the frontal hairline by just 1 to 2 mm removes any thinned edges or slight discoloration from previous adhesives. A slightly irregular, wavy cut looks far more realistic than a harsh, straight line.

• Thinning Shears for Blend: Hair systems often start with relatively uniform density. Using thinning shears through the back and crown softens bulky sections and helps blend the synthetic/system hair seamlessly with natural bio-hair.

Trying a Full-Tape Application

Instead of relying primarily on liquid glue for the whole perimeter, I decided to test a full double-sided tape install around the edges and center:

• The Alcohol Alignment Trick: Double-sided tape grabs instantly, which leaves zero room for error. Spritzing a light mist of rubbing alcohol on the taped base before positioning gives you a few moments of slip to center and align the system perfectly before the bond sets.

• Tape vs. Glue on the Hairline: The tape method made the install fast, sturdy, and significantly easier to clean up down the road. However, if your top priority is an ultra-invisible, exposed frontal hairline, a dedicated liquid adhesive or thin glue along the immediate front edge still delivers the most undetectable finish under harsh, direct lighting.

Overall, the 0.06mm system continues to offer an ideal balance of durability, ease of handling, and realistic appearance. With regular maintenance, small edge trims, and proper hydration, getting three or even more months of great wear out of a single piece is well within reach.

If you are planning to pick up a system, head over to Lordhair.com. Check out their virtual try-on feature (where you can upload a photo to preview different base styles and cuts), and make sure to use code MIKE20 at checkout to save on your order.

Catch the full video breakdown and installation footage over on Rumble!

Learning to Make Food Your Best Friend - Finding a Balanced Diet You Can Actually Stick To

Diet is hands down the number one reason most people struggle with their weight. But the real problem isn't a lack of willpower, it’s how we think about food.

Most people fail at traditional diets because they believe getting healthy means giving up everything they enjoy. They assume eating clean is a life sentence of bland chicken breast, dry lettuce, and constant misery. Afraid of losing the enjoyment of eating, they either put off getting started or jump into an extreme restriction plan that leads straight to burnout and rebound weight gain.

It doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, when you transition to a balanced, healthy eating routine, you actually end up enjoying your food far more than you did before.

Real Hunger Means Real Enjoyment

When you’re in a habit of overeating or grazing all day, your appetite gets blunted. You’re often eating out of boredom, stress, or habit rather than true physiological need.

When you scale back portion sizes and stop overfeeding yourself at every sitting, something great happens: you get genuinely hungry between meals.

When you sit down to eat with real appetite, food simply tastes better. You actually look forward to your meals, and each bite becomes noticeably more satisfying. Healthy eating isn't about deprivation, it’s about restoring genuine appreciation for what’s on your plate.

Ditch the Heavy Spikes and Sluggish Crashes

Another massive perk of cleaning up your daily nutrition is ditching the post-meal slump. When meals are overloaded with refined sugars, processed carbs, and heavy oils, you trigger massive insulin spikes followed shortly by brutal energy crashes. An hour or two later, you feel tired, brain-fogged, and craving another quick sugar fix.

When you fuel your body with balanced, proportional meals built around quality protein, smart carbs, and healthy fats:

• Energy stays stable: No more afternoon crashes where you need coffee just to keep your eyes open.

• Your palate resets: As you cut down on excess added sugars and industrial oils, your taste buds adapt. You begin to appreciate the natural flavors and textures of real, whole foods instead of needing them drowned in sauces or sodium.

• Cravings drop: Balanced meals keep you satiated, putting an end to the erratic hunger swings.

Take Back Control

The goal isn't to look at food as an enemy you have to fight every day. It’s about flipping the dynamic. Instead of food controlling your mood, schedule, and cravings, you control your food.

When you find a sustainable balance, eating whole, nutrient-dense foods that fuel your training while still fitting your lifestyle, staying consistent stops feeling like a chore. That is how you turn nutrition from a constant struggle into your best ally.

Ready to Build Your Plan?

If you want a step-by-step roadmap to finding your balance, check out my FREE Get Fit Now Training Course.

Road to the 2026 Vancouver Fall Classic - 4 Weeks Out

We’re officially hovering right around the 4-week mark out from the 2026 Vancouver Fall Classic! Technically, I’m a couple of days past the exact four-week point after getting tied up over the weekend, but we’re right on schedule and making steady progress.

Here is a quick look at where things stand, current numbers, and what’s dialed in for the final stretch.

Current Weight & Body Fat Stats

• Body Weight: Hovering right near 190 lbs (often sitting just a pound or so under depending on the time of day).

• Body Fat: Recent testing on the gym’s body composition machine put me in the mid-to-high 7% range (around 7.7%).

• Target: Looking to bring that down into the 5% range over these next four weeks, which means shedding another 2.5% to 3% body fat.

The Plan for the Next 4 Weeks

Dropping into the 5% range in a month is totally doable with the routine dialed in:

• Cardio & Activity: Keeping daily steps high with plenty of walking (4-5 miles per day).

• Training & Diet: Dialing in the nutrition with zero guesswork, prioritizing high protein, keeping calories in check, and cutting out alcohol completely. When the nutrition is that clean, bringing down body fat becomes straightforward.

Posing Routine & Divisions

In the video update, I ran through some initial posing practice for both Men's Physique and Classic Physique:

• Physique & Classic Mandatories: Starting posing practice in earnest now to clean up transitions, foot placement, and holds (front poses, side chest, back double bicep).

• Stomach Vacuum: Working on bringing back the vacuum pose for Classic Physique. It’s an area that takes consistent practice, but it's already showing noticeable improvement compared to previous runs.

• Real-World Lighting: The lighting in this check-in is straightforward, top-down multiple sources, and not very flattering, no dramatic "anabolic" stage lighting here, just an honest benchmark to see exactly what needs refining.

I’ll be dropping weekly video updates right up until show day to track the changes as conditioning tightens up. Check out the full video above to see how the physique is looking at four weeks out!