I am a huge Rock fan and really just wanted to post a pic of him with pancakes, plus it was on his meal plan…maybe…I think…Anyway…

Recently I was asked to put a meal plan together for a potential client without first meeting the client (just based off of a couple rough guidelines). My initial answer was “yes of course”. I am a people pleaser, one of the reasons I have been successful in my line of work, but also my curse.

I have not always had a healthy relationship with food (a topic I will be covering in several blogs to come). When I first became interested in fitness and nutrition I was all over “plans”; the best plan for instant fat loss, the fool proof meal plan for a flat stomach etc. I would go online (or in a magazine) and find these free plans. I would follow them, sometimes even for the entire week but usually just a couple days. I would feel like a failure, disappointed for not following the plan and achieving the results I desired. Then I would find a new plan and start again. This was my cycle for many years, and none of those plans ever stuck, because they weren’t authentic and not a lifestyle.

Meal plans, although providing structure, do not take into account life’s unexpected happenings. What if you don’t feel like having the veggie curry that is scheduled for Monday? Or what if your work day goes late and you can’t make the Mexican salad you had scheduled for Friday? According to  Susan Alders (PsyD)’s book “Eating Mindfully” we can make up to 200 choices daily of what to eat and what not to eat, what drives these choices is much more complicated than “it was on my plan”.

Don’t get me wrong I think it is great to make a shopping list and roughly plan out what your meals will be for the week, but to say you are going to have an apple with almond butter at 2pm every day is unrealistic.

So if meal plans aren’t the answer, what is? The answer to that is… It depends…I know this is the most frustrating answer but it’s the truth. Everyone is different when it comes to their path to wellness and what works for them nutritionally. Bringing awareness to food choices is a big step in discovering your path, as I tell my clients you are your best coach, trainer, nutritionist etc. All the tools you need are within you, you just might require guidance and education to bring them out.

So although I could have created a meal plan for this client it would have been a disservice. Instead I will guide and educate the client with advice, meal suggestions, recipes, and anything else they might need to create a healthy lifestyle not a short term plan.

Sylvie
OG lifestyles