5 Health Mistakes I Made on my health journey as a nutritionist
My health journey didn't start with passion or purpose; it started with pain, confusion, and frustration.
I was 55kg, under-eating, lacking muscle, and had lost my sex drive and morning wood. My immune system was reactive, causing issues with histamine, dry skin patches, and seasonal congestion. But the worst? The digestion. I was bloating so badly that I looked 7 months pregnant. Gas that cleared out rooms. I avoided eating around others out of pure embarrassment. That was my wake-up call.
Maybe some of this sounds familiar? If it does, hit reply. I'd love to hear your story.
It took over a decade, around 12–15 years, to rebuild and reach where I am today: a practising nutritionist specialising in health optimisation. But the road wasn't smooth. I made mistakes. Plenty. And while I don't regret them, they shaped me. I do want to share them with you. So, your path might be shorter, less expensive, and more effective.
Here are five of my biggest mistakes, so you don't have to.
1. Running Before Learning to Walk
We live in a world of "now." Instant delivery, Uber Eats, next-day everything.
Naturally, I took that mindset into my health. I wanted it all at once: cleanses, supplements, intense workouts, saunas, enemas, colonics, float tanks, and breathwork all in the same day, on top of working and trying to cook "perfectly."
But your mitochondria don't operate like Amazon Prime. They're sensitive, adaptive, and deeply connected to your environment. They require consistent signals, such as light, food, movement, and perspective, over time. They respond to rhythms, not revolutions.
Trying to do it all at once? I crashed. No feedback. No clarity. Just chaos.
Lesson:
Go slow. Add one new thing a week. Track your responses. More isn't better. Better is better.
2. Believing Supplements Were the Answer
At one point, my supplement cupboard was overflowing. Bottles were stacked up and fell out when I opened the door. It started innocently enough.
"Oh, astaxanthin helps with tanning—Reddit says so."
"Beta-alanine pre-workout, citrulline during, zinc and creatine post. That's what XXX does."
Everyone online had their "one thing" that changed everything. So, I tried them all. Within months? My cupboard became a chemist's lab.
But the truth?: Most did nothing, and 98% were unnecessary. The timing was wrong, and the dosage was irrelevant. The foundations weren't there.
A more elegant path?
Work with a mentor. Track your data (HRV, sleep, energy). Remove the noise. Use testing when relevant. Don't guess—make informed decisions. Slowly put the pieces with a mentor, and then, like riding a bike with stabilisers, it is no longer needed.
I wasted thousands on supplements and tests. You don't have to.
3. Not Asking for Help
Information is everywhere. Application and wisdom? Rare. I was swimming in health information overload.
I bounced between podcasts, forums, protocols, and Reddit threads for years. I had a close friend, Tim (also known as Tim Biohacker), who shared my interest in health, and we tried everything together. But after a while, I realised: if I didn't go outside of myself (and him), I'd stay stuck.
Bloated. Patchy skin. Clearing out the gym. Hungover without touching alcohol.
Eventually, I reached out. For over 3 years, I worked with 4 different clinicians. Finding the right one made all the difference—not just in my health but in fuelling my career. The experience shaped how I now coach and guide others.
Many people avoid asking for help. Pride. Embarrassment. Shame. Years of silence and band-aids.
But your life is proportional to your health. And investing in the right support might be the highest ROI of your life.
4. Thinking Health = Aesthetics
Too many shirtless selfies. There are too many bulk and cut cycles. Too much focus on the mirror, not enough on what's beneath the surface. That was me for some time.
I was lean but stuck. Despite training hard and working with a great coach (I have had many over the years to gain different insights), results were painfully slow. That's when it hit me: the outside was fine, but the inside wasn't.
Leptin resistance? Hormonal dysregulation? Mitochondria issues / Redox rock bottom?
Trying to look "shredded" while your liver, gut, and brain are under strain is like upgrading your car's bodywork—black rims, tints, fancy lights while the engine's on its last legs. It's not going to work.
Real body composition is built from the inside out.
The gut, brain, hormones, and organs prioritise them, and the outside will take care of itself.
Many "calories in, calories out" coaches, like James Smith, are now on TRT. There's a lesson there. Even your favourite podcast host, Andrew Huberman, is taking TRT. There's no shame, but realise results are different.
5. Trying to Biohack Everything
There's always a new "hack." Something sexy. Something expensive. Something cool. Something your favourite influencer is doing.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Cryotherapy
Red light panels
IV NAD
"Stacks", "protocols", and "cycles"
Look, I love some of these tools. I've tried many, but let's be honest: most are noise, marketing, and distractions from the real work.
They're not bad. They're just not necessary or something you're deficient in.
They don't fix your broken sleep. Or your blood sugar swings. Or your light exposure. Or your lack of connection. Or correct specific metabolic bottlenecks. Or how genetic variants, trauma, biomechanics, and other factors are all connected.
Joy Of Missing Out (JOMO) is underrated. Focus on the basics. The boring. The consistent. They're what moves the needle long-term.
In Summary
These were just some of the mistakes I made along the way. I'm glad I made them—they taught me what really matters.
But I wish I'd known better. It would have saved me time, money, and energy, especially time, which is the real currency. I hope it helps you.
Everyone's health journey is unique. Regenerative health doesn't follow a fixed plan; it adapts to you.
These lessons now shape how I guide clients, helping them cut through the noise, unlock stuck doors, break old beliefs, and finally live with freedom. Health becomes natural and coherent, not a chore, not a conquest, not a to-do list.
And the journey never really ends. It just gets better.
Book a discovery consult if you want to work with me personally to reclaim your health and wellness for good HERE. Check Tom’s results above.