The Real Struggle with Meal Plans + Restrictive Diets
When asked what they’re looking for from a nutrition coach, clients often say they’d like a straight-forward, structured meal plan to follow, outlining exactly what they should eat and when.
Initially, this idea seems like it would make a lot of sense: have someone well-versed in nutrition tell you exactly what to eat, don’t stray from the plan, and lose the weight you want, quickly. You don’t even have to think about- just stock the fridge with the same ingredients each week.
I don’t blame anyone for finding this appealing.
There’s a lot missing from that analysis, however. I can tell you confidently that the vast majority of people who are trying to lose weight and feel better in the longterm should NOT rely on a meal plan or a restrictive diet to get there.
The idea of a meal plan, or any rigid diet, might help you drop pounds on the scale initially, but what happens when you eventually stray from it?
You can’t possibly eat the same portion of chicken/rice/broccoli forever. You have a life filled with social gatherings with friends, family & coworkers. You also have normal, human cravings and a biological need for variance in your diet. Eventually, you will want to sneak a snack in, you’ll get bored, or you’ll be stuck somewhere without your chicken/rice/broccoli as an option. What then?
That initial weight you lost will mean nothing if you didn’t learn something that you can implement into real life.
The real work is in understanding the changes you make to your diet and lifestyle, and working to apply that knowledge to everyday situations. You need to be able to take a critical look at where you came from, and what sustainable habits you can continue to build on into the future.
In order to make real progress in optimizing your nutrition, it’s imperative to dig deeper into:
- Triggers
- Feedback from the body (bloating, aches, allergy responses, etc)
- Problematic habits
- Ingredient and food selection
- Food environment
- Exercise
- Mental and physical self-care
If all of this information is missed, then none of the weight loss matters, because it won’t be sustainable. You will constantly be chasing your goals with extremes (yo-yo dieting).
Healthy body fat reduction and weight loss is a byproduct of understanding and treating your body well, and improving your diet and lifestyle. It’s the small, manageable changes implemented over time that make a big impact on your body long-term.
Body composition changes, I can assure you, are achievable. You won’t change it in a week, but I can promise that if done the right way, it will be worth the wait.