Dieting for long-term change fails, for the simple reason that diets are not sustainable over time. The mental process and awareness of current readiness and willingness to do things differently, as well as the ability to do the things necessary to create change, is the first and crucial step to long-term success. A deep exploration into these things is necessary prior to beginning the process. Together, the client and I take a dive into their readiness, willingness, and ability to create change by exploring a series of questions.
To know where to begin, we need some practical information like height, current weight, goal weight, current purposeful exercise routine, any health issues, and typical lifestyle choices. Below is a real conversation between a client and I during the intake process, which gave the client a good understanding of her current practices and mental state, and gave me a good idea of where to begin with her, as well as some possible challenges that we would have to work through.
It’s important to set the role of client and coach in terms of realistic expectations from the beginning. This is an integral step in creating success. Open lines of communication and understanding of the responsibilities of each of us sets a realistic and structured path forward.
Knowing the client history with nutrition informs me of their current abilities, but very importantly it also highlights to the client their strengths that they may not currently recognize. This client was 7 months postpartum with a goal to return to pre-pregnancy weight and had worked with a nutrition coach prior to pregnancy for a year. My immediate curiosity was why she didn’t have a system to return to, as well as knowledge of amount of macros in terms of portions set up for herself through previous coaching.
So, my initial question was, what was she prepared to do to achieve her goals in terms of a weekly consistent time commitment. Hearing back that she was prepared to meal plan and prep, including grocery shopping on a consistent day weekly, as well as planning for simpler meals during the week and more complex ones on weekends told me that she had some previous experience in a routine. She was also specific with meals, and how she could carry them over for lunches on other days. This showed, and I pointed out, her strengths of skills in planning and organization.
She had a lot of skills built from her previous coaching experience. It was confidence in her new role as a mother, doing these things, that was the challenge. It also highlighted her level of dedication, which we solidified with her commitment to do these things with one hundred percent follow-through weekly. That was important because it set the tone, both for her realistic expectations and for forward motion. It set the beginning of a plan. It also allowed her to see that she did already have a lot of skills, which is always a confidence booster.
My next question to her was, what did she expect from me in terms of coaching. Her answer was support with meal planning, accountability, and direction with portions. That revealed to me that in her previous work with a coach that meal plans were provided rather than her learning how to create meals based on her needs. This is a very important skill that is necessary to acquire so that she isn’t forever dependent upon me, or other coaches, for her lifetime.
So, our next identified skill for her to work towards gaining was for her to learn how to design her own meals based on her macronutrient needs. The goal of coaching should be proficiency and self-sufficiency for the client, not coaching dependence. I outlined my role as being one of teacher, as she learns through experience. One of the best ways to do this is to track the components of each meal and snack. Then we would review together. This allows for both accountability to the work as well as learning what she needs and in what portions.
We revisited the question of what has worked well in the past, and she said she had good success with tracking. Always identify your strengths and use them. I re-iterated that I am available as a support daily through text or email for feedback and clarity of direction, and to send her tracking and any questions she may have about it. That’s learning through experience.
She also took some recipe books for resources to see how to create meals that line up with her portions in macronutrients. Doing this teaches to know how to instantly read a meal that isn’t prepared at home. A person must be able to adapt to their environment, not be tied to their kitchen. It’s also not necessary to weigh and measure everything. Having a general idea and improving the quality of foods goes a long way.
When people come in for a consult, they generally have more than one thing they want to achieve. It’s best to get those in order of importance, as that will change the process. For example, this person was most interested in weight loss, as opposed to gaining muscle mass, improving health, or improving her athletic performance. That was priority #1.
So, our main goal for her was to create a daily caloric deficit. Due to breastfeeding we couldn’t go too low, so we settled on a moderate amount of daily calories, and I gave her a realistic timeline that it would take to lose that weight. We also looked at current eating style, number of meals and snacks, as just manipulating those and the types of foods eaten can make the daily diet less caloric.
General daily movement (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) and types of foods eaten are greatly responsible for metabolic status. The longer time frame will also allow her to begin adding in some purposeful exercise which includes strength and muscle mass development. This is crucial for maintaining weight loss.
During the intake process, I like to ask lots of questions (at least 14) that relate to past experiences, present thoughts and feelings, hopes and desires for the future, and current abilities. Nutrition is super basic; it’s not complicated. However, it’s one of the most challenging aspects of people’s lives.
Feeding ourselves isn’t a prioritized skill taught to children (it should be). Neither is coping with the desire for instant gratification and frustration management. These are the things that we all struggle with as humans, and when we work at doing difficult things, that builds resilience, and that’s the thing that carries a person far in their life.
Preparation to change requires knowing where we currently are, where we want to get to, what tools we have to get us there, and what we have to work on to acquire.
Change is a process of exploration through experience. It isn’t easy. It requires both acquisition of knowledge, as well as building trust in oneself. Working with a coach who has walked the path and has the education and experience of working with many others can greatly assist you in your journey to living your goals.
Food is more than just what we eat. We are what we consume.
