Social media, the internet, and your local bookstore contain thousands of different diet plans all marketed in spectacular fashion. Many make outrageous claims and are not backed by science or research-based.
One of the main problems I have with many of these plans is that they are too rigid. They don't allow any flexibility for going out with your friends, traveling, or anything else that real people do in their real lives! This lack of sustainability tends to lead to failure sooner or later.
What I Do With My Clients Instead
I perform a Nutritional Audit on all of my new clients whether they are Virtual or In-Person clients. All of my clients fill out a food journal that looks like this:
I usually have the clients fill out a Thursday, Friday and a Saturday. That way we get at least one work day and one weekend in. They record EVERYTHING, including drinks (water, tea, beer, etc.)
After completing the food journal, we sit down together and go over the results and develop goals based on their specific lifestyle.
A Real-Life Example of A Nutritional Audit
Here are 2 small snippets from a recent Nutritional Audit I did with a client:
Calorie calculations
Notes and Goals for the Future:
Is This Approach Successful?
Yes! I do not want my clients to become obsessed with counting calories, but I do believe that educating yourself about calories and setting realistic goals is the key to any nutritional goal.
How Can I Get a Nutritional Audit?
Sign up for personal training with me! Virtual Training and In-Person clients can all receive a Nutritional Audit to set and monitor nutritional goals.