The Truth About Flexible Dieting

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Flexible dieting is thrown around like it's the ultimate answer to dieting for everyone if it fits your macros . But is it really flexible ? In today's episode , we'll look at what the evidence actually tells us about flexible dieting and I guarantee I'm going to give you plenty to think about . Shift work can be brutal , but it doesn't have to be . Welcome to a healthy shift . My name is Roger Sutherland , certified Nutritionist , veteran Law Enforcement Officer and 24-7 Shift Worker for almost four decades . Through this podcast , I aim to educate shift workers , using evidence-based methods , to not only survive the rigours of shift work but thrive . My goal is to empower shift workers to improve their health and wellbeing so they have more energy to do the things they love . Enjoy today's show . Hello , and welcome back to another episode of a healthy shift , the podcast . I welcome you and I sincerely thank you for listening to this episode .

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In this podcast , we're going to look deep into the evidence-based strategies for thriving in shift work environments . I'm your host , roger Sutherland , and today we are tackling a topic that's going significant popularity in the health and wellness community flexible dieting . But here's the catch . We're going to discuss why , in reality , it's not as flexible as it claims to be . Look out Rog .

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Now , before we delve into the specifics , let's define what flexible dieting is At its core . Flexible dieting is a dietary approach that focuses on meeting daily macronutrient targets protein , carbohydrates and fats rather than on a specific food choice . Now proponents will argue with me that it allows for greater food freedom and flexibility as long as the overall macronutrient goals are met . But is this true To some extent ? But wait , there is actually more to it . So let's take a closer look at this concept . While it may sound appealing on the surface , there's plenty of misconceptions surrounding flexible dieting that I'm here to address . This will be controversial , but I do want to say I've certainly been down the road of if it fits your macros and macro tracking . So let's just address a few of them . First , number one flexible dieting involves tracking food in an app such as MyFitnessPal or Chronometer or Macro . First , to be clear , I'm not raining down on tracking food , because personally I believe that everyone at some stage should track their intake for a period of time , just to learn the caloric density of foods and also to literally learn what a protein is , what a carbohydrate is and what a fat is . These are all really important macronutrients for health and it's important for us to understand why we need them and in what quantities we actually need them . It's important , but is it flexible to track everything you eat ? Would you call that flexible ?

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Now , one of the biggest problems that coaches have with tracking clients is their inability to cope off plan . They go out for a night at a friend's house , they go out with their partner to a restaurant . They just can't cope , and coaches are left to spend an enormous amount of time talking to clients and creating resources to support them , going out and off plan to help them and stop them freaking out . Or they just don't go out because they can't control what they're reading Now . Is that flexible dieting ? Then , if they do go out , eat well , drink alcohol they then call it a cheat meal . What even is a cheat meal ? Who are you cheating on ? It's just food . That's number one .

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Number two flexible dieting promotes unhealthy food choices . One of the primary criticisms of flexible dieting is that it may lead to the prioritization of highly processed and calorically dense foods , simply because they fit within one's macro nutrient targets . Oh yay , this donut fits within my macros . Psychologically , it becomes incredibly tempting to just fit foods into your macros and show people I'm eating a donut or I'm having a cream bun and not to think about what will fuel the body , and this ends up becoming a driving force . Is this flexible Now ? This approach neglects the importance of nutrient density and can contribute to deficiencies in essential vitamins , minerals and , in particular , fiber , and these are all vital to our shift working health .

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Flexible number three flexible dieting ignores the psychological aspect of eating . Food is not just fuel . It is also deeply ingrained with emotion , cultural tradition and social experiences , and flexible dieting's emphasis on strict macro nutrient targets can lead to a really disordered relationship with food , which can foster feelings of guilt and anxiety when deviating from our predetermined macros . Attending events functions eating out , literally just as I discussed earlier . Number four flexible dieting also overlooks individual differences . We are all unique individuals with varying nutritional needs , preferences and also metabolic responses to different foods . Now , while flexible dieting provides a framework for macro nutrient tracking , it fails to account for these individual differences , potentially leading to suboptimal results and frustrations . Are you going to call this flexible ?

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Number five pre-preparing containers of food , chicken , broccoli and rice and a few nuts to hit the macros , and then taking it with you and eating that when my fitness pal tells you to , and then having treats quote unquote to quote balance it to be flexible . Is that flexible ? Now , I know I take it to an extreme when I say chicken , broccoli and rice and a few nuts , but you know there are many people out there that are literally doing chicken , broccoli and rice and a few nuts . You know who they are . Number six eating that meal that you've scheduled into your my fitness pal and eating it at the time that my fitness pal has it scheduled . Regardless , are you hungry or are you not ? Is that flexible ? Like you get to lunch , if it wasn't enough , all you're going to think about is oh my God , when's the next meal , when's my next snack ? You start scrolling through my fitness pal to see what it is and when . What have you scheduled what it is ? And be restricted to nothing until my fitness pal tells you that you can actually have it . Is that flexible ? And the time that you spent thinking about what to eat and what fits into macros is that flexible ? It all sounds to me like a lot of inconvenience and rules , and in my book that is not flexible . But what do you think ? Have I given you something there to think about ? So if flexible dieting isn't the answer .

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What should we , as shift workers , focus on instead ? Now , the key lies in us adopting a balanced and sustainable approach to nutrition that prioritizes whole nutrients , dense foods , while allowing for flexibility and enjoyment . Now , this means that we , as shift workers , we need to incorporate a variety of fruits and vegetables . We need lean proteins , like poultry , fish , red meat , we need all of those whole grains and healthy fats , such as extra virgin olive oil , nuts , and also what else is like fish fatty fish as well into your diet , while also indulging in occasional treats . And mindfully , now , I'm not saying that you can't . What I am saying is is it flexible while you are literally doing one thing , or Not ? Like ? This is really important that we look at it Like , if we're doing flexible dieting and we're tracking everything and putting it into our my Fitness Pell , do you consider that that is actually flexible ?

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Now , why we diet comes from a very complicated place . We all know where it comes from , it's body image , and while the theory of thermodynamics are the facts as in calories , in calories out , which is also known as a calorie deficit there are many , many complications on how we actually reach that . Now , tracking food is one way where we can be rigid and actually discipline ourselves to do that , but that's a rule and that doesn't work long term in most people's place , because no one wants to track food forever and you will find that your Fitspo that you're watching online will not be literally tracking their food 24 , seven , forever , 365 days a year . It just doesn't work that way . So , improving your relationship with food while the theory of flexible dieting and 80-20 eating 80% nutritious food , 20% soul food eating appears to address that , I have now flagged with you things that perhaps only complicate things even further Now improving your body image and building a positive body image , which is not the opposite .

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Positive body image is not literally looking at yourself and going , hey , girl , you look fantastic . It's not that . It's appreciating our body for what our body is actually doing for us in walking , talking , smelling , feeling and actually recovering us from illness , etc . Etc . Poor body image is where we stand in front of the mirror and we pinch body fat and no one gains anything from that . This improves how we feel about ourselves and the long term effect of this is that we care for our body and not try and punish it all the time .

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Now . Disordered eating behaviors restrict to binge where a poor weigh-in in the morning can trigger a disordered day of eating by restricting food to punish yourself , licking lettuce leaves and losing weight , to only end up having a monster episode now in the evening of overeating . And how much does that ring true to us ? Do we need to weigh in daily ? Do we need to take before and after picks ? Do we need to do before and after measures ? Should we really be speaking to ourselves like that ? And my question to you would be is all this really flexible ? As shift workers , it's crucial for us to fuel our bodies with the right nutrients to support our demanding schedules and optimize our overall health and well-being . It are falling for the allure of some quick fix dietary approach . Let's try and shift our focus towards nourishing our body with foods that truly support our energy levels , our immune function and our mental clarity .

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And before you reach for food , write these three questions down and run through these in your mind before you actually get to the stage where you eat . And the first question is am I really hungry ? Did this hunger come on like rude hunger suddenly , or was it polite hunger and came on slowly ? Rude hunger is an emotional response to something . Question yourself what happened before this . Why have I suddenly got hungry ? Will an apple do Any , for an apple won't do . You're not hungry because if you were hungry , you would eat an apple . That's the first question . Am I really hungry ? What is going to nourish my body Is the next . Sure , you can have the doughnut and it will give you a dopamine hit and you'll feel fantastic , but you know as well as I do that you'll be eating again in no time . So we need to question what is going to nourish my body , and this is where education around proteins and fibres and carbohydrates and fats will really help you to learn what is going to nourish your body , and this is where being coached by a person like myself will really help you around this .

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Question number three is how much do I need to satisfy myself ? This doesn't mean that at the start of the week you weigh out this meal and have this meal , and then the next day you have the same amount . You know as well as I do that one day you can be exceptionally hungry and the next day you can be just not that hungry at all . So why would you eat the same amount every single day ? And it's something that we really need to check in with and think about , because majority of us literally lose touch with our hunger and satiety by tracking and stressing and worrying about food . These three questions am I really hungry , what is going to nourish my body and how much do I need to satisfy myself Can literally be enough to stop you in your tracks and help you to make a mindful decision , instead of mindlessly eating or eating something from a container that you prepared four days ago and are now only eating because my fitness pal told you it's time .

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As a seasoned veteran of almost 40 years and also a certified nutritionist , I can help you with all of this . I know if it fits your macros , flexible dieting doesn't work for 99% of shift workers and it doesn't work because we literally do not have the time or the energy to think about it . You have already got decision fatigue . You are already physically fatigue . The last thing you want to be doing is sitting there on your couch with your my fitness pal and entering foods that you are going to be eating in five days time .

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Come on , let's get serious . I can help you through all of this . That is literally what I do . I have one to one coaching positions open where I will help you to navigate all of this by building habits and routines and gaining more and more confidence in yourself and around eating and with your relationship with food . I will give you more energy to thrive and not just survive while working shift work . Surely you , as a shift worker , want more energy to do the things that you love outside of your shift working life , with your family and your friends . You don't want to be stuck in just crawling from one shift to the next . You need a life outside of it .

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Well , that wraps up today's episode of a healthy shift , and I hope that you found this episode on flexible dieting informative and very thought provoking . If you got any value out of it , please share it with your friends . Get them to listen to it . If you think you've got a friend that may be a little disordered in this way , pass it on to them to stop them and get them to actually think about whether flexible dieting really is flexible dieting . If you got any value out of the show , please just go ahead and rate it and if you've got the time , just give it a minute and just review it for me so that when somebody else comes across it , they get to hear the same value of evidence based nutrition instead of what you're being fed by a lot of fit spores .

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In the world today , there is no one size fits all approach and it is essential to prioritise your health and balance above everything else . Now , fellow shift workers , your health , and , in particular , your physical health , is an absolute non-negotiable . It's the foundation that allows you to excel in your career and enjoy life beyond the workplace . Remember this is about having more energy to do the things that you love outside of your shift working life . By taking these evidence based steps , you won't just be surviving , you'll be thriving .

Support and Commitment on Wellbeing

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Keep pushing forward and remember I'm here to support you every step of the way . Stay committed to nourishing your body and prioritising your wellbeing and , as always , please remember to be patient and kind to yourself as you navigate the challenges of shift work and prioritise your mental health and wellbeing . Thank you for listening . If you enjoyed this episode , be sure to subscribe so you get notified whenever a new episode is released . It would also be ever so helpful if you could leave a rating and review on the app you're currently listening on . If you want to know more about me or work with me , you can go to Ahealthyshiftcom . I'll catch you on the next one .