4 COMMON NUTRITION MISTAKES WE MAKE
There is no doubt that the world of nutrition information is entirely overwhelming at times. When we’ve been fed contradictory nutrition information for most of our lives, it’s easy to feel confused and frustrated with how we can sustainably, effectively, and efficiently work towards any goals we may have.
After over seven years working as an online nutrition coach (and years in the fitness industry before this!), I want to share four major nutrition mistakes we often see as coaches working 1:1 with our clients. These mistakes aren’t because our clients are uninformed or wrong; they’re just often things we have been told (incorrectly) most of our lives.
Taking a step back and checking ourselves to see if we’re making any of these common mistakes can be a game changer in how we approach our goals - whether aesthetic, health-related, or performance-related - in a safe and sustainable way. Many of these topics are ones we dive into in our DIY Macro Month.
FOUR COMMON NUTRITION MISTAKES
WE PLAY TUG-OF-WAR WITH OUR GOALS
Any messaging that suggests we can be our leanest while also being our strongest and fittest is probably leading us astray. We are most successful in reaching our goals in a sustainable manner when we choose one primary goal to work towards. Different goals require different approaches (i.e. working towards fat loss goals looks different than working towards performance goals which looks different than working towards the goal of optimal health).
When we dial in and work on one primary goal, we allow ourselves the opportunity for incredible progress, rather than playing tug of war with several different goals pulling us several different directions.
In Week One of our DIY Macro Month, we focus on narrowing down our primary goal and creating a game plan to work towards it. This allows us not only to know what progress we can expect to see, but also to ensure we’re measuring our progress in a way that makes sense for our individual goals.
WE SKIP BUILDING A SOLID NUTRITIONAL FOUNDATION
When we think of understanding our nutrition as a skill we can build, we can better acknowledge the need to build that skill on a solid foundation. I believe that the foundation of our nutrition is a solid relationship with food and with ourselves. If we try to approach our goals from a shaky habits and a challenged relationship with food and our bodies, we may continue feeling stuck or unhappy with our progress (or lack thereof).
As nutrition coaches, we work with all of our clients by first focusing on building a solid nutritional foundation: fueling our bodies well, eliminating ideas of “good” and “bad” foods, feeling confident in our food choices, etc. before we dig into the specifics. In the DIY Macro Month, we specifically tackle one macro-tracking topic per week and ensure that our skills build on each other so we’re not just diving headfirst in the deep end, getting overwhelmed, then calling it quits.
Building our nutritional skills from a solid foundation makes us less likely to crumble once work gets extra busy or we feel extra stressed or we’re out of our routine.
WE FOLLOW RULES INSTEAD OF UNDERSTANDING THE “WHY”
When we follow lists of “do’s” and “don'ts,” we may see some progress for a short while, but that approach becomes unsustainable. Rules most often mean restrictions, and a restrictive approach towards our goals not only inhibits our ability to create maintainable progress, it also negatively impacts our relationship with food and our bodies.
Instead, knowing the “why” behind the steps we take to work towards our goals leaves us knowledgeable and confident in our eating habits and our relationship with food. It allows us to be flexible with our habits, whether at home in our normal routine or while eating out, visiting family, traveling, or enjoying our kids’ birthdays.
Our main goal in the DIY Macro Month is to come away from the four weeks together with confidence in our nutrition and the foundation to continue creating new habits knowing that we have the knowledge needed to navigate our nutrition in all the scenarios life throws our way.
WE IGNORE THE NEED FOR A PERIODIZED APPROACH
Periodization refers to the need for “seasons” in our nutrition. We cannot perpetually chase fat loss goals; we require periods of maintenance and fueling our bodies well for the sake of our health and progress. We cannot perpetually chase strength goals; our bodies need periods of rest and recovery.
Taking a periodized approach to our nutrition means that, when we work towards fat loss goals, we do so with intention, seeing effective and efficient progress, and creating progress that is maintainable.
It means that, when we work towards goals of improving our relationship with food and recovering from decades of dieting, we do so without worrying about fat loss goals as those are not our priority. It means that, when we work toward goals of building strength, we fuel appropriately for our training and recovery and include reload weeks and structured workouts.
Periodization allows us to create progress that lasts, rather than perpetually asking our bodies to do more. It makes our progress more effective, more maintainable, and more consistent. More than anything, it allows us to have realistic expectations that we can actually meet.
Whether approaching your nutrition on your own, working 1:1 with a coach, or working in a group capacity, avoiding these pitfalls helps us not only understand our nutrition better, but create sustainable progress and build a sustainable relationship with our nutrition that can last throughout our lifetime.
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