Conducting an energy audit can help identify factors influencing weight loss plateaus, such as untracked meals or low daily energy expenditure.
By addressing potential issues identified during the energy audit, coaches can develop targeted approaches to overcome weight loss plateaus, such as improving nutrition tracking or modifying cardio strategies.
When working with clients, prioritizing their experience, empathetic listening, and avoiding a tough love approach lead to long-term success and well-being.
Deep dives
Conducting an Energy Audit
When troubleshooting weight loss plateaus, it is important to conduct an energy audit to assess the client's calorie intake and energy expenditure. This involves having a detailed conversation with the client to gather information on their exercise modality, non-exercise activity, diet, and symptoms of low energy availability. By asking specific questions and actively listening, the coach can identify potential factors that may be influencing weight loss progress, such as untracked meals, inconsistent adherence, excessive cardio, or low daily energy expenditure. The energy audit helps rule out inaccurate tracking or estimation errors, allowing the coach to address the underlying issues and make appropriate adjustments.
Identifying Potential Issues
Based on the information gathered during the energy audit, the coach can identify potential issues affecting weight loss. For example, if there are untracked meals or frequent binges, the focus may be on accuracy of nutrition tracking and adherence. If cardio is the main weight loss strategy and progress stalls, it could be due to energy compensation, modality selection, or excessive hunger. On the other hand, if there is low cardio or no cardio and weight loss is stagnant, it may be necessary to increase daily energy expenditure through structured or unstructured physical activity. By identifying these potential issues, the coach can develop a targeted approach to overcome the weight loss plateau.
Addressing Challenges and Making Adjustments
Once potential issues are identified, the coach can address challenges and make appropriate adjustments to promote weight loss. This may involve improving accuracy in nutrition tracking, ensuring consistency in adherence, modifying the cardio approach, incorporating physical activity, or addressing symptoms of low energy availability. By tailoring the approach to the client's specific challenges, the coach can help break through the plateau and support continued progress towards weight loss goals.
Importance of Listening and Empathy in Client Interactions
When working with clients, it is crucial to prioritize their experience and perspective. Asking questions and actively listening with empathy and compassion are essential. It is important to avoid skepticism or assigning blame during client interactions. Utilizing a tough love approach is generally not recommended as it can be counterproductive. Instead, delivering truthful statements and feedback in a helpful and understanding manner enhances long-term client success and well-being.
Key Considerations in Energy Audit and Troubleshooting
During an energy audit, various factors must be assessed, such as strength training habits, cardio program, and potential metabolic adaptations. Understanding the energy expenditure during resistance exercise and identifying compensation is vital. The modality of cardio and potential exercise economy must be taken into account. Factors like sleep disruption, associated low physical activity, and altered hunger responses can impact energy balance. Following the energy audit, three potential approaches can be taken: maintenance phase to improve tracking consistency, adjustment of calorie target while addressing any issues, or considering diet breaks or reverse dieting. Additionally, it may be necessary to recalibrate expectations of ideal physique to align with sustainable lifestyles.
While we continue preparing to get our next season up and running, we’re replaying Episode 77, which is all about troubleshooting weight loss plateaus.
In this episode from the SBSPOD archive, Eric and Greg discuss topics including metabolic adaptation, energy compensation, and a long list of factors that may lead us to overestimate energy expenditure or underestimate energy intake. The discussion yields several practical, evidence-based tips for overcoming challenges and breaking through plateaus when pursuing a weight loss goal.
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