Same foods vs. Flexibke dieting approach.

[Lance Lopez]

Hello!

I have a question about whether it’s best to have average clients, with the goal of weight loss, either stick to eating the same foods weekly (kind of like bodybuilding style) or be more flexible with food weighing and logging.

It seems easier to eat the same foods consistently—less room for error and confusion.

But then I think of sustainability/adherence. A more flexible approach may be more sustainable.

I would love to hear your guys’s approach and opinion on this 🙂

Thank you, guys!

[Ana Manzon]

I’m flexible dieting and it is invaluable for me because I can still enjoy spontaneous meals and outings with friends and make adjustments to the rest of my week accordingly. This hugely helps with adherence. Having said that, I still eat mostly the same foods daily for convenience. It should be up to your client which method they prefer. Both can be successful. The difficulty with eating the same thing (without tracking by and logging) is that, if you need to adjust calories up or down, how would you do it?

[BryceBahm]

[Lance Lopez]

BryceBahm wrote:

Thank you so much Coach Bryce!

This is what I’ve summarized from your response:

– Depending on the clients personality (determined during the initial consultation) they may either prefer a set system or require more variety/flexibility.
– A set system is easier to track and make adjustments
– Physiological/emotional state is often times not considered. Therefore including variety will benefit certain clients to increase adherence
– Variety will also promote health by avoiding nutrient deficiencies caused by eating only a small selection of foods
– Figure out how to get the ball rolling with the new client, then once the momentum has got them started, start guiding them in dialing in their nutrition
– Don’t be a fan of either rather it is more important to focus on what will make the client happy and what will work best for them

[Lance Lopez]

It made me realize that I was probably a bit too much of a fan of flexible dieting. Rather than being a fan, I should take a step back and acknowledge that individual’s different personalities is what will determine what will work best for them. Thank you!

[Joe]

[Lance Lopez]

Joe wrote:

I appreciate the mentoring Joe! And Bryce 🙏🏼

[Lance Lopez]

What I summarized from your response Joe:

– Flexible dieting, with too much variety can be a more pain in the butt in terms of tracking accurately
– Offer the client ways they can approach their food
– Ensure clients understand the importance of consistency and adherence. Whatever the client chooses to do, they must stick to It consistently
– Whatever method they choose, it must be trackable.
– Convey the most basic understanding of energy balance to clients
– Make sure clients prioritize micronutrient dense foods
– My job isn’t to have them lose weight, my job is to manage their expectations based on the actions they commit to

[Lance Lopez]

As for “offer the clients ways they can approach their food”, I’ve made a Nutritional Assessment sheet.

In it, I included this:

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[Lance Lopez]

A different selection of ways for a client to approach their food 😊

[Author]

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