Why Rigid Meal plans are Bullshit
Note:
This article has been published on my blog as well
I haven’t ever specified and recommended a particular meal plan to any of my clients I coach. Even If I were a Registered Dietitian, which I am not, I wouldn’t write meal plans.
The number one reason why I don’t recommend either write meal plans is that most people take meal plans literally like a template that they need to stick to and if by any means they didn’t adhere to one aspect of the plan they would consider themselves off the plan and thus they thought its failure and relapse. They take it as an absolute thing either white or black which is totally wrong.
Let’s say your meal plan says you need to eat oatmeal before your workout and due to some reason you weren’t able to eat that oatmeal and instead you had a banana. You would think that you screwed up the plan because you didn’t have that oatmeal and as such you would think that your workout will suck and the whole day is off the plan.
That’s why I don’t recommend or write meal plans. The right thing about any health goal is to have the right mindset. Our bodies are not fragile and can adapt quickly to various conditions. If you skip your pre-workout or post-workout shake, your muscles will not evaporate and your body will supply it with what it ever it needs.
The alluring factor about ready meal plans is that they are ready to follow and there’s no required knowledge about macronutrient of every single item. Another factor is that most people like to be told what they need to do without them thinking about it.
In fact, this is what keeps people from achieving their health goals. People follow the wrong mindset. They need everything ready and this is what I call the babysitting mindset which is the default state of many of us during these times.
If you used to be one my clients, you’re one of those who have freedom selecting and choosing their food as long as it falls under the right macronutrients used for your plan. In fact, losing weight has become easier than before. Most people have jobs and they move continuously throughout the day which makes losing weight is a matter of weeks and countable months but the problem is that we adopt the wrong mindset when it comes to what needs to eat and if we decided to start adopting a healthy lifestyle, we don’t keep on it which is why long-term solutions are needed for a perfect sustainable lifestyle.
That’s why rigid meal plans are not a long term solution and I don’t recommend it. Use meal plans as a learning tool and enlightenment to your progress. Remember Consistency and Progress are key.
If you liked my articles, Follow me on Instagram for more content
