I commonly get questions like this:
“Should I increase my carbs to help with my performance”
“What do you think of the keto diet”
“I’m eating 190g of protein per day, is that too much”
In every example listed above the thing that’s missing is context. Without enough context I have no way of knowing what any of these people should do. It’s like going to the mechanic and saying “My car isn’t working, should I change the spark plug”? Without a proper needs analysis the mechanic will have no way of knowing what the issue is, and therefore any suggestion they make will be purely based on speculation.
As coaches and athletes, we can and should do better than speculation. So where do we start? Here is a non-exhaustive list of questions that will help clarify the objectives and subsequent intervention:
After reviewing the above list of questions it’s easy to see how much information was missing from the initial questions that were posed to me at the start of this email. Let’s take it one step further and run a hypothetical case study using some of the above questions.
6-7 but I’m usually pretty tired
A proper needs analysis is much more in-depth than this, but for simplicity's sake, we’ll stick to this. The primary objective of any nutrition intervention is adherence. And adherence is best accomplished when the changes we make have the largest impact on desirable outcomes while creating the least amount of friction in their daily life. The above example shows this particular individual has a poor track record with dieting, she is obese, lives a sedentary lifestyle, and is very stressed, and is sleep restricted. So, what are three things we can do immediately that are simple yet have a profound impact on the individual's weight loss goals and subsequently self-efficacy?
The above intervention is tailored to her goals and current lifestyle. But without all the information collected I would have no way of knowing what sort of intervention would be appropriate. I would also have no way of designing an effective progression model as her competency increases. A thorough needs analysis is critical in the development of an individualized nutrition intervention. It’s not enough to just collect the data. You really have to understand the person you’re working with, even if the person you’re coaching is yourself. Take an honest inventory of your lifestyle and all the variables that impact dietary adherence. Then you’ll have all the information you need to start, and course-correct along the way to your goals.
Good luck!
50% Complete
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.