Flexible Dieting: A Realistic Approach to Consistent Nutrition
The Nutrition Strategy that Keeps You Consistent
A few years ago, when I had my old personal training studio on the Wirral, a guy walked through our doors one day to enquire about employing me as his personal trainer.
Jamie was an unforgettable character. He was 6ft 4, very lean and had a physique resembling a high jumper. His long, curly blonde hair, baggy T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops made me think this guy works in a surfing shop down on the Southeast coast.
Despite his appearance, Jamie was an engineer for the tech firm Siemens. He told me he spent all day and until late in the evenings sitting down fixing IT systems. I could tell Jamie had not done a great deal of weight training before, and this is what he wanted help with. He wanted to build a stronger and fitter body as he knew he lacked physical strength and wanted to look better.
Jamie was a focused individual working 12-hour days Monday through Friday due to the job demands. He frequently moved locations and struggled to manage his diet. The best approach would be to do short workouts of 30-45 minutes but on a high frequency of 5-6 days a week. So long as he could see me once a week, he could easily hit his training requirements and create a fit, strong, and toned body.
This trickier side was his nutrition. Due to his schedule and high-stress level, I needed an easy approach that would work well for him. A strict dietary regime would not suit him at all, so I offered him an approach that is popular with most clients today… flexible dieting.
What is Flexible Dieting
Flexible dieting is about figuring out your ideal nutritional profile and establishing what your calorific intake needs to be followed by your protein target. Carbs and fat intake can be left to whatever suits you so long as you remain roughly within your calorie target.
This provides a great deal of flexibility with what you eat. As long as calories and protein are on point, then crack on with whatever suits you that day. Whilst this approach might not provide the most optimal food sources for your body, it WILL help you stay more consistent, and remember, consistency wins over intensity. Remember my Tortoise and the Hare analogy from the intro to this newsletter? Just click here if you haven't read that yet.
Why Flexible Dieting Worked for Jamie
The beauty of flexible dieting for Jamie was its adaptability. He could adjust his meals to accommodate unexpected work lunches and family dinners without the guilt associated with "cheating" on a diet. Jamie, being a techie, was more than happy to track his nutrition numbers through my Fit Body Code app. This adaptability helped Jamie maintain his nutrition consistency, improve his fitness and strength, and result in a great-looking body without feeling too restricted.
Balancing Macronutrients
Here's how Jamie learned to balance his intake, a strategy that can be utilised to suit anyone's fitness goals:
- He used more Carbohydrates to fuel his morning and training sessions and then switched to a higher protein and fat ratio later in the day, which kept him fuller for longer periods. This suited him due to his long working days.
- Proteins were included in every meal to aid muscle repair, as Jamie needed to increase his strength and lean muscle.
- Fats were no longer feared but embraced for their role in hormone production and overall health, with a focus on sources like avocados, nuts, and olive oil, which supported his tastes and ease of access.
Managing Indulgence
Flexible dieting also allowed Jamie to manage indulgences intelligently. Instead of an all-or-nothing approach, he planned for occasional treats, which helped him stick to his overall plan without feeling deprived. This strategy prevented the common diet binge cycles that had tripped him up in the past, producing a feeling of ease with his diet instead of hardship.
Practical Meal Planning Tips
Jamie adopted several meal-planning strategies that anyone can use to support a busy lifestyle:
- Prepare in Advance: Jamie would prepare protein-rich meals and complex carbs in bulk, ensuring he always had healthy options for his chaotic schedule.
- Leverage Technology: Tracking his meals Using the Fit Body Code app helped Jamie stay aware of his macronutrient balance and make informed food choices.
- Flexibility is Key: Keeping healthy frozen options and a couple of easy kitchen staples meant Jamie could still whip up a quick meal when life didn't allow time for cooking.
Side note: many of my clients struggle to increase their protein intake. You might be in the same boat if you aim for the recommended amount of 2.2g of protein per KG of body weight. If so, then feel free to download a copy of my High Protein Recipe Book... Click here
The Psychological Benefits of Flexible Dieting
The psychological shift was perhaps Jamie's most significant benefit. Moving away from seeing food as good or bad reduced his mealtime stress and guilt, fostering a healthier relationship with food. This mental shift is crucial for long-term diet adherence and overall well-being. Jamie felt at ease with his nutritional strategy, moving away from the normal negative mindset of a restrictive diet.
In last week's edition of the Fit Body Code, I discussed this issue when trying to create a balanced diet within your lifestyle. You can learn about a healthy balance and relationship with your diet here.
A recent study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition discovered those following a flexible diet were better able to maintain their weight loss during a post-diet period, highlighting the benefits of this approach in real-world settings.
Conclusion
If Jamie's story resonates with you, flexible dieting might be the approach you need to maintain consistency in your nutrition. It's a method that has helped many of my personal training clients on the Wirral find a balance between achieving fitness and body transformation goals and enjoying life.
Embrace the flexibility and practicality of this approach. Remember, successful nutrition isn't about perfection; it's about developing habits that fit your lifestyle and that you can sustain over the long haul. Let's redefine dieting, making it a supportive, enjoyable part of your life.
If you want to find out more about how I can help you with this approach, then contact me at [email protected]
Keep fit, lean, healthy, and strong.
Lewis