The Desk Method
A method you can audit, not a philosophy you have to trust.
Four stages run in sequence and repeated for the length of the engagement. Each stage has defined inputs, a defined output and a defined boundary.
Assess
A structured intake that maps your nutrition history, schedule, training demands and current behaviours before a single number is set.
- Intake
- History
- Constraints
- Baseline
- 01.01
Nutrition history: what you have run before, what worked, what collapsed and why.
- 01.02
Weekly schedule: work pattern, travel, family logistics and realistic eating windows.
- 01.03
Goals and timeline framed as a direction of travel, not a guaranteed date.
- 01.04
Food preferences, allergies, intolerances and cultural or household constraints.
- 01.05
Training demands: modality, weekly volume, intensity distribution and recovery capacity.
- 01.06
Baseline behaviours: sleep, alcohol, hydration, meal frequency and eating environment.
Design
Energy and macronutrient architecture built around the life you actually live, with structure where it matters and flexibility where it does not.
- Energy
- Protein
- Structure
- Protocol
- 02.01
Energy target set from your reported intake, activity and objective — reviewed, never fixed.
- 02.02
Protein anchored first, then carbohydrate placement around training, then fat for the remainder.
- 02.03
Fibre and hydration targets attached to the plan rather than treated as an afterthought.
- 02.04
Meal architecture: number of meals, anchor foods, swap lists and travel contingencies.
- 02.05
A written protocol document you own, with the reasoning behind every target.
Execute
Execution is the product. The plan only earns its keep once it survives ordinary weeks — busy ones, social ones, tired ones.
- Adherence
- Logging
- Routines
- Repeatability
- 03.01
Clear daily targets with a defined minimum-effective version for difficult days.
- 03.02
Weighing and logging guidance calibrated to your experience level, not imposed wholesale.
- 03.03
Adherence tracked honestly — the aim is a usable signal, not a perfect score.
- 03.04
Practical decision rules for restaurants, travel, shift work and social events.
Review
A weekly read of the data you produced: trend, adherence, energy, hunger, performance. Reviewed before anything is changed.
- Trend
- Adherence
- Context
- Review
- 04.01
Weekly check-in: body weight trend, measurements, adherence, energy, hunger and performance.
- 04.02
Trend analysis over multi-day averages — never a reaction to a single reading.
- 04.03
Context recorded alongside the numbers: travel, illness, sleep debt, social load.
- 04.04
Escalation to a qualified medical professional whenever a response falls outside coaching scope.
Adjust
One deliberate change at a time, with the reasoning written down, so the effect of each decision stays readable.
- Decision
- One variable
- Rationale
- Re-baseline
- 05.01
One considered adjustment per cycle so the signal is never confounded.
- 05.02
Changes ranked by expected impact: adherence structure first, then intake, then distribution.
- 05.03
Documented rationale so you finish the engagement understanding your own system.
- 05.04
Re-baseline at agreed intervals rather than drifting indefinitely.
Scope of practice
What this method is, and what it is not
Clear boundaries are part of the service. They protect the quality of the work and, more importantly, they protect you.
The Composition Desk provides nutrition coaching and education for generally healthy adults.
TCD does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, disorder or medical condition.
TCD does not provide medical nutrition therapy, prescribe medication, or interpret laboratory results.
Where an intake response indicates a condition, symptom or medication requiring clinical oversight, TCD requests medical clearance from your physician before proceeding, or declines the engagement.
TCD does not provide services for eating disorders or disordered eating. Where these are indicated, TCD will refer you to appropriate specialist care.
Clients are responsible for consulting their own physician before changing their nutrition, and for disclosing relevant health information accurately.