Why Flexible Eating Plans Are Sustainable

What are a couple things you can change today that will positively impact your health in the future?

A while back, I completed my certification in nutrition coaching through the National Academy of Sports and Medicine. In the exam, one of the questions was the following: Which option BEST describes the characteristic(s) of a high-quality nutrition plan?

The answer is simple: A nutrition plan should be flexible, based on person's needs and goals

Over the span of the last nine years, I have taken courses in biochemistry, human physiology, pathophysiology, served as a medical laboratory technician, and completed certifications in performance nutrition (supplementation) and general lifestyle nutrition/nutrition specialization. I also have experience my own situations where I was given restrictive meal plans to follow during my time in bodybuilding. 

It all boils down to this - the best plan is the plan you can follow for the rest of your life. 

I have had some people in the past request meal plans from me. I have dabbled in it. However, if I do not enjoy being told what to eat, why would I do that to someone else?

What I had to realize is this: those who want me to tell them what to eat and when to eat it are not meant to work with me. This has been a very difficult pill for me to swallow as someone who truly enjoys helping others and seeing them prosper. Nevertheless, I must stick to my values. Otherwise, I get this inner conflict that is truly disturbing. In telling someone what and when to eat, I am catering to a diet - a temporary fix to a long term problem. It isn’t sustainable and it doesn’t create a learning tool that allows the person to truly benefit. 

Now when I am asked to do a meal plan, I simply say no and explain why. First off, in the many certifications I have, they make it very clear it is illegal for anyone other than a registered dietitian or licensed nutritionist with a college degree in nutrition and license by the state (requirements for the state of Florida - other states don't require such in depth education and literally anyone who takes a nutrition course could be called a nutritionist, so be aware) to prescribe a meal plan. In telling someone what and when to eat, that is exactly what is happening. The person is literally receiving a “prescription.” This method may help with any immediate issues that need to be resolved. However, the likelihood of the person staying with the meal plan long term is not very high (some studies have shown less than 20% of those who begin do not complete these types of programs). 

When we look to become healthier, there has to be an overall method involved. When I coach someone, I use what is considered a “flexible eating method.” This allows me to calculate the proper “fuel” intake for the individual and further break that up into proper macro and micro-nutrition. For those I work with, I teach them how to use a food diary to track their foods. While this is not necessary long term, it allows the individual to learn where they may want to make some changes or add some other foods to help reach their goals - whatever that may be. I have worked with people who want to lose weight, build muscle, maintain, or just looking to feel better about themselves. In all these scenarios, tracking our foods has become the only way to know we are making progress. It gives me (the coach) a way to hold the person accountable and assist where needed. If the person is not willing to track their foods, I am unable to coach them properly in the area of nutrition. I am unable to see what they are eating or if they are meeting their individual needs. This is the only reason I use the food diary method. This is especially important for my athletes who are working towards a specific goal. 

For anyone who is not interested in hiring a nutrition coach, but want to implement healthier habits, there are a few ways to begin without counting calories or macronutrients. These tips help individuals continue to sustain a healthy lifestyle without added stress (taken from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/weight-loss-for-life-the-dietfits-study-2018040913595) :

1) Eat as many vegetables as possible

2) Choose high-quality, nutritious whole foods and limit anything processed

3) Prepare food themselves at home [as much as possible]

4) Avoid trans fats, added sugars, and refined carbohydrates like flour.

The key is this: diets are restrictive and make the person feel bad if they eat something outside of the program. This “bad” feeling can lead to an emotional downfall that leads to more “bad” eating and more “bad” behavior. The person already feels like they did something “bad” and continues to punish themselves with more “bad” action. Here’s what we all must remember: we are not ever going to be perfect. The main idea in any flexible eating program or learning how to implement better eating habits is by becoming “aware” of your emotions. Are you an emotional eater? Do you starve yourself when you are stressed? If you answer yes to either of those, the first thing you must do is figure out how to manage that portion of your behavior. Instead of eating excessively when you are feeling down and out, go for a walk. Vitamin D is a natural mood booster. This, accompanied with physical activity, through research, seems to help with depression and anxiety. Therefore, when you are feeling stressed, instead of sitting on the couch with our “comfort foods,” we need to get outside if possible. I understand not everyone lives in sunny Florida, but I have also lived in places with dreary winters, such as the middle of England. I would still get out and walk around a little during the day. There was a time when it was dark when I went to work (I worked as an instructor inside a classroom mostly) and it would be dark when I left work. Nevertheless, I would take a break in the middle of the day and just get out of the building or at least open the door to the building if it was raining. Just in doing this, it allowed me to breath in some fresh air and continue about my day in a better mood. 

What does this have to do with nutrition? Well, everything. If we are not working on our mental state, we will not be successful with allowing ourselves to make healthier choices and learn how to make changes to our existing nutritional intake. This is why Chapter 1 of my book, Reclaim Your Life, focuses solely on mindset. If we are not developing our minds and allowing ourselves to feel worthy, it will not matter what we set out to do. We will not allow ourselves to achieve the end goal. We will literally begin to self-sabotage. Therefore, getting our minds to the point where we can accept the responsibility that goes along with lifestyle changes is the first thing we must do. We can then go on to explore our nutritional goals and implementation of flexibility into our lives. 

Flexible eating means we simply learn how to implement more nutritious foods without completely depriving ourselves of the foods that make us feel good. We are paying more attention and again, becoming aware, of what we are taking in. We are purposely making healthier choices when we go to the grocery store or a restaurant. We are no longer punishing ourselves and instead are learning how to fuel our bodies properly. 

It’s not about taking out everything all at once that does not serve us. It’s more about not going overboard, learning how to eat in moderation, adding in more real foods to replace processed foods, and building a foundation upon which to grow. It’s not about “good” or “bad” foods. It’s about learning which foods will serve us better. 

Begin by simply making a decision - “I want to eat better.” Then make a plan of action. We have talked about how to do this in recent blogs. Utilizing the SMART tool is a great way to start. How will you eat better? Will you only eat out for lunch one per week instead of 5 times per week? Will you start preparing foods at home and remembering to bring them to work or on an outing with you? Will you be purposeful in knowing that you are not going to be perfect, but that every small change you make can make a huge difference in the future? Will you remember not to rely on your own strength, but in building better habits in order to rely on discipline instead? Will you invite someone (could just be a spouse or friend) to do this with you and be an accountability partner? Will you want to hire a nutrition coach? How will you begin this journey?

Once you get all the logistic written down, you can officially begin the planning phase. Then you will go into the action phase. 

No matter what, just remember that it’s progress over perfection. The reason diets fail is because they expect people to go from 0-100 in a matter of days. This is not sustainable over a long period of time. “Several studies indicate that dieting is actually a consistent predictor of future weight gain,” said Janet Tomiyama, a UCLA graduate student of psychology and co-author of “the most comprehensive and rigorous analysis of diet studies, analyzing 31 long-term studies” (https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/Dieting-Does-Not-Work-UCLA-Researchers-7832). 

You may wonder why I talk a lot about nutrition and flexible eating. For one, helping others learn how to fuel their bodies properly has become a passion and long-term mission of mine. It bothers me when people tell me about these diets they are doing because deep down, I know they are most likely not going to be sustainable. I never want to bring anyone down who is trying to live a healthier lifestyle; however, I do love to reiterate that restricting ourselves completely is just not the way to go. Over time, as we make healthier choices, we will CHOOSE the healthier foods over the processed foods we maybe once relied upon. Our habits change and so do our taste buds. We no longer crave what we may have craved before. Nevertheless, it takes time and it takes effort. 

Implementing exercise in any case is always a way to help reach our goals, but nutrition and learning how to properly fuel our bodies has to be at the forefront as well. For questions on how to get started with a flexible eating program or learning how to track your foods, please feel free to reach out to me at jodiwatkins@2bepicfn.com. 

I hope this blog has opened your mind to possibilities and knowing that sustainability over time should always come before crash dieting and yo-yo dieting (also known as on-again-off-again diets or losing and gaining diets). Sustainability leads to lasting results. When we diet and don’t stick to it, we again feel “bad” and tend to go into this downward spiral. Why even go there if there is a better alternative? We already battled our minds on a daily basis. Adding to our stress or feelings of unworthiness should never be the way to go. Instead, choose flexibility and sustainability - choose life. 

Other References Used in Recent Studies:

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8.American Heart Association. 2001 Heart and Stroke Statistical Update. Dallas, Texas: American Heart Association, 2000

9.http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/nutrition/netmain.html, Georgia Department of Education, Nutrition Education & Management Training (NEMT)

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