Why I Give my Clients Sample Meal Plans

Have you ever felt like you aren’t sure if the way you’re eating is really working for your goals?

Or if you’ve ever tried a nutrition plan and it left you feeling frustrated, deprived, and lost, then I’m talking to you.

If you would have asked me even 2 years ago about meal plans, and if I do them for my clients, I would have said, “No, it’s not really in line with my principles for nutrition coaching.” But I’ve done a 180 and I do give my clients meal plans now — and it might not be what you think.

In the video below, I address:

• What a good meal plan looks like
• What a bad meal plan looks like
• Why good meal plans can help my clients reach their goals

(click image to play)

How I Do Sample Meal Plans in my Programs

A big reason why I offer sample meal plans to my client is to provide further clarity and education on the application of our nutrient timing guidelines and macronutrient splits.

My Sample Menus put all of the guidelines and practices and changes we’re making with our nutrition on paper. It gives a picture of what we’re doing and what it will look like when you apply it in real life. 

When I hear the words “meal plan,” I think of a list of things that you need to eat, in an exact order, at precise times, every single day. That might work for a couple days, maybe a couple weeks, but realistically, how can you follow someone else’s menu for what to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner over and over and over? We all have our own tastes, preferences, and schedules that make these a pretty unsustainable task.

I don’t adhere to that type of meal planning because it doesn’t teach my client anything. Sure, it tells them what to eat and when to eat it, but it’s not going to get them sustainable results longterm. 

Sample Menu for Clarity and Ideas

Instead, I share the nutrition practices that we’re going to be changing. For example, in my Lean Body training and nutrition online boot camp, we make big changes to our nutrient timing and our macronutrients. These changes lead to major results that can be sustained, and stick long term.

That’s all well and good, and they have all that information and knowledge about the best nutrition practices and guidelines, but what does that look like on paper? That’s where the sample meal plans come in. It’s taking all of that new information and new, positive changes and putting it on paper so you have a good idea of what it looks like in practice. It serves as further guidance and education, but it is NOT written in stone.

I also break it down into different sample menus for those who work out in the morning, in the afternoon, and for those who train in the evening.

Since we integrate pre- and post-workout nutrition into this program, and not all my clients eat at the same time or eat the same meals, we have guidelines for how many meals to eat throughout the day, and how to eat pre- and post-workout. Some of my clients are up at 4:00 AM to train before they have to be at work at 6:00 AM, and other clients are working out as late as 9:00 or 10:00 PM — so it’s important to know how to structure your meals, take that knowledge and information I give you, and apply it.

This way, you’re earning how to eat and how to apply these changes, as well as you have an idea of what it looks like in practice. Some of my clients take that sample menu and use it for their first week, and then their second week, they’ll start plugging in different foods and playing with the menu a little more.

I hope that was helpful, and I hope you have some insight as to why using a sample meal plan could be really helpful in order to not only learn what you need to do to see results, but also to put it on paper and see how to apply the principles on a day-to-day basis.

Registration is open for my online training and nutrition boot camp, and it’s already half-filled because of the wait list. It starts February 13th, and is $179 for the 6 week program, and I always offer a satisfaction money back guarantee. It’s also the last time it will be offered at this lower price, because of the amount of individual coaching per client. If you’re ready to make some significant positive changes to your nutrition and training, and if you’re ready to lean out and see some muscle definition for the spring, you can sign up or learn more HERE — or contact me with any questions.

Best wishes! XO