The #1 Reason Weight-Loss Meal Plans Don't Work for You

Have you said this, “If only someone would tell me what to eat, I’d be so much healthier?” 

Or, even better, “If someone would come to my home and cook healthy, delicious meals for me, I’d finally lose the weight (or lower my blood pressure or not be pre-diabetic). 

I have some bad news for you. 

It won’t work. 

It never does. 

How do I know? 

I’ve handed out thousands of meal plans. Each plan was customized to my client's caloric needs (for weight loss, maintenance, or weight gain) and customized for different food preferences (gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, low-carb, even fast food, and dozens of other options). They included shopping lists, recipes, and food substitution lists.

Do you want to know the truth?

The overwhelming majority of people didn't follow their plan. 

Sure, a few did, but they were not the norm. The people who do follow the plan all have one thing in common, which I’ll get to in a minute. 

Here's why you won't follow the plan.

There are lots of reasons. Here are just a few:

Client: I don’t like what’s on the plan.
Me: Here’s a substitution guide. You can use it to find a food you prefer and it tells you what serving size is equivalent. 

Client: I don’t know what to buy.
Me: Here’s a shopping list detailing exactly what you need to buy to make the meals. 

Client: I don’t know how to prepare the meals.
Me: Here are the recipes. They have no more than 5 steps. Alternatively, just put the ingredients into a bowl (sometimes no cooking was required). 

Client: I don’t have time to shop.
Me: The supermarket is open 24 hours. 

Client: I forgot.
Me: We have weekly meetings to remind you. 

Client: I lost the meal plan.
Me: Here’s another copy and a digital version you can keep on your phone. 

This is the difference.

The difference between the 1% of people who successfully use meal plans and the 99% who did not is this: Your beliefs dictate your behavior.

If you believe that a meal plan won’t work for you because nothing works for you, you’ll be right. 

You will self-sabotage and find "reasons" why you can't follow the meal plan. 

You’ll want to follow it. 

You’ll mean to follow it. 

You won’t follow it. 

You won’t make the changes you need to your nutrition (or fitness) to see the changes you’re longing for. 

The people who follow a meal plan have already aligned their beliefs. They have made a conscious (and subconscious) decision to make a change, and all they need is a bit of guidance to get them there. 

How to stop the struggle. 

When you believe that “the struggle is real,” it is real. 

When you “struggle your whole life” against something, you eventually value the struggle. You're always working towards the body, the health, and the weight you want without getting there. 

You believe in working hard. So you work hard.

You believe that achieving something worthwhile requires struggle. So you struggle. 

When I threaten to remove that struggle (by making your life easier with a meal plan and grocery shopping list), I threaten your entire being. 

And that’s scary.

Until you unravel that, you won’t make a permanent change. 

This is the one thing you need.

Here’s the rub…most of us won't get there on our own. 

You need support as you uncover each layer of this inner dialogue. In The 7-Day WINNERS Transformation, I call this Dump it, Change it, Sustain it.  Until you become aware of these underlying, limiting beliefs and change them, you won't sustain your change. You won't follow a simple meal plan designed to help you. 

It’s much easier to ignore your truth. 

THIS is the struggle that is real…looking in the mirror, recognizing your power and your self-worth. Recognizing that you are unstoppable. You are born to enjoy a life full of energy and fun! Everything you could ever imagine can be yours. That’s the struggle. It’s not the meal plan. 

My heart broke every time I promised that my meal plan and exercise routine were exactly what my client wanted. I was right. If they followed the plan, they would lose weight, be more energetic, and solve most of their underlying health issues. 

I couldn’t understand why clients would come in and ask me for meal plans and exercise routines, which I happily gave them, only to have them ignore the plans, forget the plans, or just not follow the plans. It drove me crazy. 

It took me a long time to understand that while I was giving them what they wanted, I wasn’t giving them what they needed. 

• They needed to do some deeper digging.
• They needed to recognize the real changes they wanted to make.
• They needed to embrace the power that would slay their excuses.  

I could have continued to hand out meal plans and workout routines, but I wasn’t helping them fix the real issues. And it just didn’t feel right.

• This is why I don’t write meal plans for my clients anymore. 
• This is why I moved my business online. 
• This is why I don’t post before and after pics. 

The work I do with my clients now helps them discover their underlying beliefs, change them, and move forward. As you work through all of this, I’m there for support, accountability and, really, to keep your feet to the fire (or your pen to your journal) to keep going deeper. 

Figuring it out is frustrating.

You probably believe that your weight or overall health is something separate. If you can just lose the weight, everything else will work itself out. It's not true.

I've seen it again and again. As you discover and change these beliefs, habits begin to change. Tasks that once seemed impossible become possible. 

But then, it becomes magic.

• The nutrition and fitness changes that you've been resisting now become habits.
• Excuses for not doing something become reasons to do something.
• Time seems to expand, so workouts get done.
• Tastes change, and healthier foods become a part of their regular routine. 
• Each day brings an opportunity to try something new instead of demanding they complete a task that they hate.

Is it all roses and rainbows? Nope. 

Working through all of this is an evolution. You discover a belief, work through it, and then uncover something deeper that needs working through. 

Does that mean you’ll work with me forever? Not necessarily. You can learn the skills and practices and do them on your own. 

Most of us don’t do this work on our own. 

Making internal changes to your beliefs so that you can change your habits and behavior is tough. It's an ongoing, ever-evolving change. Working with a coach is the only way I've found to consistently grow and transform these beliefs. 

Left on our own, most of us will turn away from this work because it's hard and it's scary. It's easy to keep trying new plans and programs that temporarily fix the problem.

If you've been struggling with your weight and health for years, it's time to create real change. Schedule a call with me. On the call, we will figure out if I am the right person to help you solve your weight-loss and health issues once and for all. If we are the right fit, you'll be invited to join The Women's Wellness Academy. If we're not the right fit, I'll make some suggestions and referrals as appropriate.