More Than Meal Plans
on Jan 15, 2023, Updated May 13, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy for more details.
Every month it seems we get clients that are disappointed when they realize our coaching program doesn’t offer a daily meal plan. And believe me, we empathize, because when we were first introduced to macro tracking we went through similar stages of “grief.”
“What?! You’re just giving me a set of arbitrary numbers? I wanted a list of foods to eat. I wanted somebody to tell me when to eat. I wanted a meal by meal guide!
Now I’ve got to figure this all out?!”
These are hard truths to get past, and I’m going to be honest, some clients don’t get past them. They realize their expectations of the program were different than what they had in mind and they quit. Listen up, we are people pleasers here at SFM! We want nothing more than to meet the expectations of every single woman that comes into our program, but just as you as the parent know what’s best for your child when they want candy and instead you give them broccoli, we (with years of experience under our belt coaching women through macro counting) want so much more for you than a generic PDF with step by step instructions on what to eat throughout the day. We offer women true food freedom. We offer them real tools that they will take with them far past the amount of time they are coached.
“Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.” -Lao Tsu
What would be the easier option for us as online content creators? Creating a generic food plan for women to follow day in and day out? Or hiring 15+ coaching staff members that work individually with every client because of their unique needs? We know what works and we refuse to sells our clients short. When you learn how to program in your food, you aren’t limited by any foods whatsoever! You can eat the foods you love so long as they fit your macro budget. Don’t like chia seeds? Skip them. Hate sweet potatoes? Chose another carb option. Hate fish? You don’t have to eat it! Not in the mood for tacos? Trade tacos out for homemade pizzas. When you learn to macro count, you learn to be in the drivers seat with your nutrition. You learn which foods have which macros, which is essential when creating a macro balanced plate, not only for you but for your whole family.
What we do instead of a generic PDF is gather a large amount of data. We then put that data into an experienced coach’s hand. And THEN we begin the process of finding each client’s true calorie deficit, maintenance and surplus.
Why is our macro coaching program far superior to any generic food template plan or alternate program you might’ve followed in the past?
- We set sustainable macros for our clients. We know the secret sauce to succeeding with any nutrition program is sustainability long term. Read more about this HERE.
- We give our clients measurable daily goals and weekly check-in procedures that hold them accountable along with unmatched community support.
- We provide our clients support through countless accessible recipes! We strive to make what can be an intense process as doable as possible for people with busy lives. We offer our clients recipe archives, exclusive weekly new recipes, monthly dinner menus, freezer meal archives, 5 day meal prep recipes, meal planning resources, etc.
- We educate. Our motto at SFM is education drives compliance. We know that if you understand the process you have a higher likelihood of sticking to the program and we know that if you stick to the program you’ll see success. This is why we provide an archive of Q&A videos, weekly live videos, blog posts, and our clients have opportunities to ask their coach questions in their weekly communication.
While there will always be women that are unwilling to commit themselves to the process, we carry on with enthusiasm because there are so many women’s lives we’ve been able to positively impact for the better. Women who stick it out, push past the initial overwhelm, and gain:
- Increased nutritional knowledge
- Food Freedom
- A Healthy relationship with food
- A Healthy view of their own bodies
- Lasting healthy habits
- Increased Discipline
- Balanced hormones
- Health Longevity
- Increases in energy
- Decreases in medications for diabetes and high blood pressure.
And these benefits not only impact the women we coach, but also their families.
I’ll finish with a quote:
“Life rarely changes in a positive way without an increase in responsibility. That can mean taking ownership of your health or committing to a relationship or starting a business. Whatever it is, if you want the trajectory to change, the amount of responsibility usually has to change with it.” -James Clear
Yes, counting your macros will take more work than a slim fast shake diet. But with that increase in responsibility, will come REAL lasting change. If you’re in the “hold on for dear life” part of macro counting, rest assured, it will get easier and all of the learning will be worth it.