Wednesday, February 16 , 2022

Why Meal Plans Are Not For Us

5' MIN READ BY: glj-coached

Meal plans are everywhere. You can’t avoid them. Intermittent fasting plans, plant-based menus, low-carb and low-fat diets, paleo recipes, the Mediterranean way of eating, Weight-Watchers… the list goes on.

And we know why. Sometimes being told what to eat and when to eat it can be useful. Especially if you’re leading a busy life and want to make shopping quick and easy. The problem is, however, sticking to instructions and eating the same meals day after day without understanding the reasons why they’re important becomes more challenging over time. That’s why people find diets hard to stick to and meal plans become a temporary solution. We are in the business of educating our clients about food instead. We want changes to stick.

What is online fitness coaching?

Rather than issue simple guides and plans we focus on changing nutrition habits as part of our wider online fitness coaching packages. Changing your diet really only works if, at the same time, you make lasting changes to your exercise routine and lifestyle.

Coached by GLJ gives you all the knowledge and motivation you need to achieve that without a raft of rules to follow. Firstly we get to know you through a detailed one-to-one assessment. One size definitely does not fit all, if you’ll excuse the pun.

It’s important that you feel we match our services exactly to your needs. This is something a general meal plan could never achieve. We then put an individual package together for you that covers so much more than just your meals. Twinned with an exercise plan, our calorie and macronutrients guidance does more than managing your food groups. It educates you so you can make decisions without doing anything as drastic, or hard to stick to, as cutting elements of your diet out entirely. We can honestly say, we allow you to eat any favourite foods including chocolate. You will just know the impact they will have on your fitness so you can decide how much or little you want. It’s so much more effective than a meal plan. And, because it is part of our trademark online fitness coaching, we’re there to motivate and encourage you every step of the way.

The Best Way to Gain Muscle

We are not focused on weight loss at Coached by GLJ. In fact, many of our clients come to us wanting to weigh more. This is because of our expertise in using online coaching to build muscle.

We know a whole industry has grown up around protein supplements and, of course, high-protein meal plans. They promise great things, but in our view oversimplify the task of adding muscle mass. The right approach will depend on where you start, your general levels of fitness and your preferred method of exercise as much as what you eat. We’re not all fans of lifting weights at the gym, for example. Yes, diet, protein and calories will all play a role but the best way to gain muscle will be unique to you. Your nutrition and exercise plan should be unique to you too. That’s exactly what we specialise in at Coached by GLJ.

Say Goodbye to Meal Plans

If you find the idea of meal plans too restricting, we understand. We do not feel prescribing what you eat helps weight loss, muscle building or general fitness plans turn into long term changes that will last a lifetime. If you want to explore the alternatives, contact us and we can help you feel free about what you eat without the guilt.