Nutrition coaching could also be fairly accurately described as lifestyle coaching as there are so many variables at play within each person.
It is not simply telling someone that broccoli has more nutritional value than chocolate cake.
It is not looking over someone’s food logs and telling them they need to change everything about what they’re doing.
Effective nutrition coaching is a constant blend of art and science.
To make a broad generalisation, the science behind the food we eat and how it affects our bodies is relatively simple. There are certain commonly accepted facts such as protein has 4 calories per gram, carbs have 4 calories per gram and fat has 9 calories per gram (since you asked, alcohol has around 7 calories per gram but the impact is different due to the knock on effects on things like sleep, how you digest other foods that are in your body at the same time and how dehydrated you are).
So, in theory if we know how much energy you need on a daily basis it should be super easy to come up with a plan to hit it.
For example, 150g of protein, 250g of carbs and 75g of fat will roughly equal 2275 calories. But you could also eat 2275 calories by eating 150g of protein, 80g of carbs and 150g of fat. You could even eat 50g of protein, 200g of carbs and 120g of fat. Each of those three intakes will give your body the same amount of energy but over time will produce three different bodies that look and feel very different.
The art of nutrition coaching is finding where a client is, discussing where they want to be and starting off working together to bridge that gap. That gap might be huge or it might be very small. The coach’s job is to make the longer term goal into smaller, actionable steps that produce lasting change that an online calculator cannot do.
The conversations between a nutrition coach and a client at SCFIT are based around the idea that working on incremental targets and behaviours will produce lasting results.
The relationship between a nutrition coach and a client builds a level of accountability that helps people stay on track.
The goals that are set are always based in the real world and take into account all the lifestyle things that the client has going on.
The regular discussions are opportunities for clients to voice their worries and work together with their coach to find realistic solutions.
The plans that are set up are not set in stone – they are flexible and allow for clients to live their normal lives.
“The wind does not break a tree that bends” Sukuma proverb
If you’re interested in learning more about what we do then book a FREE call so we can discuss how we can help you.