Q: What is holistic nutrition vs macro/ calorie based nutrition?
A: Holistic nutrition focuses on ingredients and their effect on our bodies versus fitting food into food groups and/ or numbers. Although both are important, what we eat typically tiers how much we eat in terms of both calorie and macro consumption. Our goal is for clients to learn that true health is not solely an external reflection but also, internal. We achieve this by teaching them how to intuitively choose nutrient dense food, read labels, properly fuel their bodies and set themselves up for longevity and vitality. The use of numbers to fit processed, nutrient depleted/ deprived foods into daily food choices is contradictory to that goal.
With that being said, we also encourage balance. Our clients enjoy restaurants, take-out meals, holiday dinners, etc. occasionally throughout the week. This is done without stress, guilt or fitting food into numbers. However, clients still recognize that those meals are not designed for every day consumption and they learn to create habits that help them to plan ahead, keeping it in moderation.
Q: What is provided in the nutrition guide?
A: Daily guidelines and instructions customized to your specific eating habits and food choices; these are usually things that I want you to include, eliminate, do and/ or not do. A daily eating schedule, recipes, list of protein, fat and carb sources, portion sizes, meal prep tips and grocery list. It is essentially a response back to your first week of tracking with instructions on how to proceed and what to focus on. Everyone’s guide looks a bit different.
Q: How do I know how much to eat if I don’t use macros, calories or a scale?
A: Portion sizes are created by using your hand: palm, fist, knuckles. Yes, it’s that easy.
Q: How do I start?
A: We start with a consultation, going over your relationship and habits with food, likes and dislikes, goals and client expectations. From there, you’ll track your food and drink for one full week on My Fitness Pal. Once that is completed, I will review the collected information and create your nutrition guide.
Q: Why do I need to track my food and drink?
A: As your coach, I need to know your daily eating habits, schedule, meals and food choices to structure a nutrition guide that is custom to you. It is not primarily for calorie counting although that can tell me if a client is under or overeating. After receiving the guide, you will need to continue to track daily. This creates accountability and ensures adherence to your new guide while also providing insight if there are adjustments that need to made along the way. Once I see that new habits have been created, tracking will no longer be needed. However, if I see that progress is regressing, tracking will be implemented again.
Please remember that tracking is short term and it is simply a tool that we use by putting our eating habits and food choices “on paper” and into perspective. This can bring awareness to what we may actually be consuming without consciously realizing.
Q: When do we check-in?
A: Online check-ins occur once a week and in-person or Zoom/ FaceTime check-ins occur once a month.
Weekly check-ins include setting smaller weekly goals, addressing immediate concerns and/ or re-focusing as needed. They can include a questionnaire or specific questions if we have already chatted that week.
Monthly check-ins include setting monthly goals, refocusing on long term goals, making any necessary adjustments to portion sizes and/ or food choices, optional progress pictures and/ or tape measurements.
Q: Will my portion sizes be adjusted each month?
A: Not necessarily. Changes like that are made dependent on the client's adherence to their guide and how their body responds.
Q: How long have you been a nutrition coach?
A: Since 2012.
Q: What types of client have you helped?
A: My clients have ranged from weight loss to weight gain, from postpartum to competition prep. Including women and men.