Good morning, friends!

I hope you’re having a great day. It’s been quite a busy week over here. My latest online boot camp kicked off on Monday, so this week has been full of coaching on our workouts and everyone’s macronutrients for each day. Super exciting!

I’ve also had quite a few phone calls with my one-on-one clients, as well as on my new Fitness Business Mentorship Program (more to come on that next week.) Lots of exciting things happening – along with the usual mix of training, coaching, and writing programs.

(waiting for a client to jump on a call!)

Today I wanted to touch on the topic of flexible dieting, and why I’m a big fan of counting macronutrients during certain periods (i.e. focused fat loss)

Please note: it is the goal for all of my clients to ultimately eat in an intuitive, habit-based manner. I’m just making the case for flexible dieting and tracking macros for certain time-frames – and not for everyone – some of my clients have never tracked a macronutrient gram, and it just doesn’t jive with their mindset.

Before I get into the “Why’s” of that statement, let me explain my version of Flexible Dieting.

My take on flexible dieting is eating a diet (not as in “on a diet” but in the way one eats) that comprises 90% of whole, nutrient-dense foods, but allows for some flexibility on ‘treats’ – aka foods that have quite a bit of taste, but maybe not so many micronutrients. It’s knowing roughly (or exactly, if you’re tracking grams at that particular time) how much carbohydrate, protein, and fat you need for the day, and filling those requirements with mostly nutrient-dense foods.

I’d probably say the antithesis of flexible dieting is 100% clean eating, and the antithesis of 100% clean eating is the “Pop Tart Diet” of flexible eating. You know, those who say they practice flexible dieting, and seem to eat Pop Tarts all day long. I fall somewhere in the middle, hitting all of my micronutrients, and then allowing for one or two nutrient-void, yet tasty-full foods a day, too.

This topic actually came about because of some comments I received on my Snap Chat. I snap most of my meals in order to provide meal ideas and inspiration to my clients, and most of them contain lean proteins, lots of veggies, and healthy carbs and fat. However, in the vein of transparency, I also snap my treats, because I’m NOT all about putting on the veil that I eat clean 100% of the time.

So, when I posted the picture of this donut I had last week, I caught some flack because it wasn’t “clean.” How could I promote that to my followers?!

Here’s how.

Why I’m Team Flexible Dieting…Sort Of

#1. Flexible Dieting allows you to “slip up” without falling off track

Let’s say you decided that you’re going to cut out ALL processed foods, ALL sugar, and ALL alcohol. AKA – you’re hopping on the 100% clean eating train at full speed.

You make it three days, and then cave and have an extra large piece of cake at your niece’s birthday party because “EFF it. You deserve it.” Then, you feel guilty because you broke the rules, and ate sugar and processed carbs. So then you say ‘eff it’ and have some wine, and then some more wine, and then some more cake, because hey, “you already broke the rules for today. might as well keep it going.”

It has the potential to become a guilt-ridden cycle of which I’m just not a fan.

In turn, if you allow some flexibility in your diet, you could eat “clean” the majority of your day, and then “fit in” one of your favorite cookies at the end of the day (or whenever) and not feel deprived.

Or, you could eat a small piece of cake at that party, knowing you can simply fit it into your menu or macros for the day, and move on with your life.

#2. You can save on will power by allowing for some of your favorite treats.

If I post a picture of a donut next to a picture of a sweet potato, which would you say is the “healthier” choice?

(quinoa, sweet potato, kale, cheese, + chicken – my dinner last night!)

I’m guessing nine out of ten people would say the sweet potato.

And sure, that sweet potato inarguably has many more vitamins and nutrients than the donut.

However– what if someone, by choosing to fit the donut into their daily menu, guilt-free, mind you, prevents a late night binge or snack attack later on in the week? What if choosing that donut prevents feelings of restriction, deprivation, and dissatisfaction and allows for better choices in the long-term?

Clearly I’m not claiming that a donut is more nutritious than a sweet potato, but by opting to fit a not-so-nutrient dense, but super tasty food into your menu, and feeling satisfied and not deprived, you might be doing yourself a favor.

In fact, several of the ladies in my current online boot camp have told me they’ve been able to completely ditch their late night “snack attacks” by adding in a small (100-200kcal) treat in their day. One of my clients has opted to have her Starbucks caramel macchiato every day, and is still seeing outstanding results.

Bottom line: it’s up to the individual, but a diet full of restrictions and deprivation is never a good idea.