Live Well
Meal Plans Versus Flexible Dieting
By Jo Hill
If weight-loss or building lean muscle is your goal , the solution is pretty simple , but a lot trickier in practice ... Focus on your diet , or the foods that you are putting into your body .
This is pretty much why every diet , either directly or indirectly , will help you to lower your calorie intake . For example , weight-loss diets create a calorie deficit , i . e . you consume fewer calories than you are burning . Some diets will do this by making you restrict certain foods , others will make you eliminate entire food groups , some encourage calorie counting , and others may make you include some weird combination of specific foods . There is an endless list of diets out there , I ’ m just naming a few .
If you have been following me for a while , you will know that I believe that said diets are overly restrictive , unnecessary and unsustainable . On the other hand , I feel that meal planning ( and prepping in advance ) and flexible dieting are scientific , and in my opinion , super effective for weight-loss or for muscle-gain , which is your goal . So , which is better ? Sadly , the answer is not straight forward , as there are pro ’ s and cons to both .
Combine the Two Approaches
Let ’ s recap … A meal plan is when you are told exactly what you need to eat in order for you to reach your goals . Flexible dieting is when you are given a set of calories and macros , and you eat according to those numbers by tracking or logging what you are eating . So , with meal planning or receiving a balanced meal plan from a coach , you have more structure and less guess-work . This is ideal if you have a busy schedule and don ’ t have time to think about what you are going to eat next . However , the problem is that meal plans are often very restrictive , even frustrating , and can become boring in time . No one wants to eat the same thing day after day !
With flexible dieting , you have more wiggleroom in your food choices , and you often feel like you are in control of your diet , which is liberating … but there is also more opportunity for mistakes . You have to spend a bit of time learning to understand food , and you may have to weigh your food at first to be specific when you are logging it , However , you have more freedom to eat a wide variety of food – so long as you don ’ t listen to the IIFYM ( If It Fits Your Macros ) movement , which suggests that you can fill your macros with as much junk food as possible . While this is true to a certain extent – you could use all your daily calories on 10 Kristy Kreme donuts – but you will feel horrible , and you will battle to build lean muscle .
In my opinion , a combination of both is best . If you have been watching my IG TV videos that I share every weekend , I have tried shedding some light on the importance of meal prepping . Basically , if you fail to plan , you plan to fail ! In this sense I am promoting following a meal plan . However , my meal plan changes every week according to the foods that I think I would feel like , and I always leave a few extra calories for unexpected treats , bites or nibbles ... kind of like saving money in the bank .
Learn to Track Your Food
Therefore , my advice is learn more about food . Track what you are eating on an app , and get an average for the amount of calories you are currently eating . You can contact a coach , or even myself , to help you along the way , and help you get a secure set of numbers that will act as a form of accountability .
Then , spend 15 minutes over the weekend thinking about what you would like to eat the following week . I suggest prepping protein in advance , such as chicken breasts , chicken mince , ostrich mince and even tuna or egg white muffins . You can then add these to your chosen meals , but you can chop and change it . Shred some chicken up for a salad one day , throw some chicken into a veggie soup the next , add the chicken to some fat-free cottage cheese and use it as a filling for a wrap , or even in a frittata . You can change it up … but focus on getting a form of protein in with every meal .
And if you have a sweet tooth , as I do , include some treats . Either bake some yourself , or scan the barcode on your favourite store-bought goodie . You may not be able to eat an entire slab of chocolate , but having a few pieces of your favourite chocolate , or possibly a protein mug-cake after dinner ( that fits into your calories ), is going to help you to reach your goal , and most importantly , prevent the urge to binge later on .
Jo Hill is a Durban-based baking enthusiast with two selfconfessed addictions : Fitness and chocolate . She has made it her mission in life to show the world that it is possible to have the best of both worlds . The popularity of her healthy recipes led to her creating her popular Facebook page and blog called Pull ups and Peanut butter , where she shares her recipes for clean , healthy and diet-friendly treats . More info at www . pullupsandpeanutbutter . co . za
58 ISSUE 140 APRIL 2021 / www . modernathlete . co . za