Oh, the dreaded question I get asked time and time again: “Can you make me a meal plan?” **sigh**
This question is often followed by, “If you just tell me exactly what to eat, I’ll do it!” or “Just tell me what YOU eat.”
My response is always the same: “I don’t believe in meal plans.”
**GASP! Oh no she didn’t just say that!**
It’s true. I don’t believe in the long term benefit of a specific meal plan. Much like I don’t follow or recommend any specific diet. This may come as a disappointment, but I will NOT feed you any magic pill to help achieve your weight loss goals, or otherwise. Because the magic pill doesn’t exist.
For my thoughts on all the diets, you can visit my previous blog. For today, let me explain why a meal plan is not, nor ever will be, the answer to your weight loss struggles.
For one, every individual and every situation is totally different. We all have different tastes, budgets, kitchen equipment, likes and dislikes, cooking abilities, etc. All it would take is one recipe featuring sweet potatoes when you LOATHE sweet potatoes for you to lose faith in the meal plan and fall off course. Could it be modified? Sure, but the effort it would take to modify would frustrate everyone and make you doubt if the effort is worth it in the first place. And what if you don’t recognize one of the ingredients? It’s a slippery slope to ordering takeout due to frustration or lack of motivation.
Meal plans also don’t leave much room for personal growth. To me, telling you exactly what to eat is a lot like doing my kids’ homework for them. It’s easy at first, but what do you learn? You learn how to follow a recipe, not necessarily WHY the ingredients are there or HOW to make healthy choices. What happens when you go on vacation or can’t afford the meal plans anymore? (Or more commonly, it just feels unnatural to be eating someone else’s food choices.) All we did was create a dependency on the meal plan so that when it’s gone, the old habits creep back in and you’re back to square one.
As for the “Just tell me what you eat” request – I’m happy to tell you what I eat, but I will ALWAYS caution that your goals are different from my goals, so our nutrition choices should also be different. I am not trying to LOSE weight, where many of my clients are. I also am VERY active in my job and lifestyle, where many are not. While I do make healthy choices and include lots of nutrient dense food, my quantities might be larger than yours should be. So, unless you are built just like I am, and are working towards the same goals, and lead a similarly active life, I wouldn’t recommend eating just like me. I will always be happy to share recipes and offer advice on portion sizes and substitutions, but that doesn’t mean you should only eat what I tell you to.
The most successful meal plan is the one your make yourself. This is why I believe food tracking is SOOO beneficial. After you see the nutrient value of what you are already eating, it’s easier to make adjustments to improve. You might think that something you are eating is healthy, only to find out that it’s 800 calories in one meal and full of fat. Once you pay attention, you can see what needs to change.
It all comes down to choices. You can choose to eat whatever tastes good and throw caution to the wind, or you can choose to eat what makes you feel good and makes your body work better. Following a meal plan I make for you will never lead to you making better LONG TERM choices. I can offer advice and accountability, but the habits can only be formed by you.
So don’t be offended if I tell you that I won’t make you a meal plan. I have your best interests in mind.
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