Tips to Maximize Your Nutrition Coaching Results
You, awesome person, have made the enlightened decision to take control of your health and optimize your nutrition! And because you know that teamwork makes the dream work, you’re collaborating with a great nutritionist who feels like a good fit – Yay, you!
Now that you’re ready to dive in to this transformative experience, here are some tips for getting the most out of your journey:
Show up.
Now that you’ve committed, be like Luke Danes – All In.
(C’mon … Gilmore Girls??)
Incorporating new food skills and behaviors takes time and practice. Addressing the root causes of your health challenges is deep work. Your goals are important, and your nutritionist has scheduled your sessions in service of your progress toward those goals. Trust that process. Showing up for yourself, consistently and from a place non-judgement, gives you the best shot at making lasting change.
Be present.
This may be one of the only hours in your life that is All About You! Give yourself the time and space you deserve. While eating and drinking may be perfectly appropriate* during your nutrition session, chasing after kids/pets, taking external phone calls, or answering emails that flash across your screen (there’s a way to silence those, btw) are distractions from the work, and more importantly, are a disservice to yourself.
*While I approve of – even encourage – eating during nutrition sessions, this might be a good thing to discuss with your practitioner first.
Be as open and transparent as possible.
A great client-nutritionist partnership isn’t “Eat this, don’t do that, see ya next week”. Depending on your goals, challenges, and overall health, nutrition counseling can get reeeeally personal on things like childhood memories, previous illnesses or injuries, period stuff, and more. Oh, and the subject of poop will definitely come up!
My hope for clients is that our sessions feel like a safe, non-judgmental place to explore deeply-held beliefs about food, health, your body, and your relationship to all the above
Read your session notes. (Please. I’m begging over here.)
I love that so many of my clients actively take notes during our appointments! It’s also still so, so important that they consult the session notes I send them. In addition to outlining food recommendations to address specific health needs, practitioner notes often detail precise dosing and instructions for supplements and herbs, mind-body practices, and other tips to keep you focused on your “Why” and satisfied with your progress.
Speak up if something isn’t working.
Maybe you’re experiencing a negative reaction to a new supplement – but you’re not totally sure it’s the new supplement. Or maybe your nutritionist has told you that eating lots more broccoli would be great for you – but you hate broccoli. Or all your efforts to exercise/meditate/sleep more aren’t working, but you just chalk it up to another failed attempt.
It's ok to express frustration to your nutritionist! Your insights are important. Functional nutrition is so powerful, because there are so many ways to get to your goals. Your practitioner can choose another supplement, recommend different foods, and has many different lifestyle practices to help you achieve your goals.
Remember -- this is a partnership, and the best partnerships rely on good communication.
Also, speak up when things are going well.
Maybe meal planning is finally clicking into place for you, or a new supplement has really made a difference in how you’re feeling – awesome! This is important feedback for your nutritionist, and can provide direction for continued growth.
As much as we love celebrating your progress, it’s even more important to recognize your own efforts, and allow that momentum to carry you forward.
Do the work.
Every meal, every glass of water, every mindful choice – they’re all components of the bigger picture. Implement the recommended changes as you can, as soon as you can, and as consistently as you can, so we really see if what we’re doing is working, or if we need to change course.
Henry Ford (and a bunch of other influential people) said something like, “If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got”. Habits don’t change overnight, but with the support of your nutritionist, change is gonna come!
About The Author
Stephanie Thompson is a New Orleans-based functional nutrition consultant who specializes in helping people alleviate frustrating (often mysterious) health symptoms with dietary guidance, targeted nutrients, and lifestyle modifications. She digs deep into the biochemical pathways and interconnected organ systems to find the root causes of her clients' issues for specific and sustainable relief!
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