Fat Loss Nutrition

Fitness meal plans, or pre-made diets, are something I’ve strayed from for the longest time and I can’t imagine I’ll ever give into creating them for clients.

A few common questions I get on a weekly basis are “what do you eat?” “What do I need to eat to lose weight?”  “Can you make me a personal fitness meal plan?” or something in a similar vein.

While the questions are not necessarily bad, they’re just not the right questions, in my opinion.  First of all, I’ll just be outright with it – I hate meal plans.  I hate them so much that when I see one written out by another trainer, or even when I scan some forums and see someone posting their meal plan, I conjure up feelings of dismay.

In saying that, I want to give some explanation on why I’m not a meal plan kind of guy, and what I believe to be a better alternative.

There are 2 main reasons I do not prescribe a fitness meal plan.

1. They are restrictive.
2. They make us stupid.

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Counting calories, tracking your intake, watching portions and serving sizes… while it’s something we talk about a lot in the health and fitness realm, it’s not easily understood as some may believe.

As someone working in the industry, I sometimes forget that many of the concepts and ideas that seem simple to me are often foreign to others.  For instance, I’ve gotten emails with basic questions such as “should I use a kitchen scale or measuring cups?” or “Should I count macros, calories, or both?”  I’ve even gotten the “do calories even matter as long as I’m eating clean?” That one always gives me the lol’s.

Before we go any further, I figure I’d better explain why I’m writing this piece.

This is strictly for those who have questions about counting calories, or about how to track their intake.  There are some very strong beliefs about whether or not you should track your intake.

I realize that the majority of my work is based around making this fitness lifestyle easier and more laid-back than the average, frustrated bro who thinks he has to eat nothing but chicken and brown rice 10 times per day.

I also realize tracking your calorie intake can seem cumbersome and that it has potential to become an obsession (for those who have extreme personalities).  I used to be that extreme person, but I woke up and wrote my Fat Loss Cheat Sheet.

Also, I’m writing this to serve as a resource for my clients and for those who email with questions about tracking their intake.

Let’s dive in.

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