In today's episode, we're talking all about meal plans. To kick things off, Miguel explains the research behind meal plans (1:35). There are two main types of meal plans. On one hand, you have a rigid dietary restraint and that's the idea that you have a meal plan where you're either "on" or "off" with no in between. On the other, there's a flexible dietary restraint. This is where you understand that certain foods and calories can be switched out. So what are the benefits to having a meal plan? Probably the most important being that it provides you with structure. With structure comes the ability to reverse engineer your day (5:37). There are going to be moments throughout your day when you can't or don't have the time to think about food. For these times, you have two options. You can either eat a typical meal that you know you enjoy or you can plan out your food/macros the night before. While you're creating structure, you know that nutrition can be thought of as a dimmer switch. The goal is to track now, so you don't have to for the rest of your life (9:03).

Moving on, we discuss society's weight gain problem. If you follow Layne Norton, you've heard him say, "we don't have a weight loss problem, we have a weight gain problem" (13:57). People can diet and lose weight, we see that. The problem is when people stop dieting and go back to their old behaviors like not moving as much or not thinking about their cravings. Diets aren't some sort of a reset button. Something has to change in order for you to maintain your weight, new shape, etc. With that being said, the people that find success with dieting are those that incorporate their new behaviors into their life, for the rest of their life.

And now, to wrap this episode up, we touch on why we promote Flexible Dieting (19:55).

Show Notes/All Resources from Episode:

https://www.flexibledietinglifestyle.com/podcast-show-notes/

• Zach's Instagram @theflexibledietinglifestyle
• The Flexible Dieting Lifestyle website - https://www.flexibledietinglifestyle.com
• Miguel's Instagram @mblacutt 
• Miguel's website - https://miguelblacutt.com
• Miguel's coaching - http://revivestronger.com/online-coaching/