When you are about to improve your relationship with food, meal planning is your best friend. If you already have a coach, they might have given you two options to choose from: macro counting or meal plan based coaching. What do they mean and which one is better? I get this question so often, so let’s get it!

Macro based nutrition plans basically give you the amount of each macronutrient you have to take in. For example, 100 grams of protein, 200 grams of carbohydrates and 50 grams of fat per day. What you fit in your macros and how, that’s on you. Of course most of the professionals will provide you with enough information to get you started, but to get used to macro counting, and be actually good at it – meaning to reach the level, when it takes no effort– will always take time and learning! If you choose this option, be ready that you will have a thousand questions, and some of it, you will have to answer to yourself. This is a great opportunity for those who are eager to learn about their body and health, and have long term goals or if you have previous experience or knowledge of nutrition. Macro based also gives you the freedom to choose what you are going to eat each day. If you go with macro counting, you might want to choose from an online macro tracker to make your everydays simpler.

If you are very new to this world, a meal plan based nutrition plan might be a better option for you. What it means, is that your coach will give you exactly what you need to eat and drink and when. This might sound more restrictive than the macro option, and in a way, it is, but if your coach is willing to work with you, you can always find the most enjoyable way towards your goals. This option also gives you the possibility to educate yourself about macros in the meantime, and just have everything calculated for you. When you feel confident enough and have a basic knowledge of nutrition, you can always switch to a macro based nutrition plan. 

Which suits you better, you have to decide. If you are a very busy person with limited free time I personally suggest going meal plan based. It will save you so much time, as you do not have to count anything, and your shopping list will be always pretty much the same. However, if you are adventurous with food, and like to experiment, or willing/want to study about nutrition, or you educated in nutrition, you should definitely go macro based.  

And of course, depending on your goal, you will not need to track for the rest of your life. Once you reached that desired level, you will have plenty of knowledge about nutrition, and a healthy relationship with food and eating, so you can then switch to an intuitive diet while still maintaining your body composition.

–I personally put all my clients macro based, as my methods are always educational, I provide all the tools and knowledge you need on your journey. For special requests, of course, I also make personalized meal plans. -Lita