No matter your goal — building strength, losing fat, improving athletic performance, feeling better in your body — what you eat matters. A lot.
So why don’t we hand out meal plans? Why don’t we spend more time telling you exactly what to eat?
The short answer: because we shouldn’t.
The long answer: because nutrition is complicated, emotional, and deeply personal. And if we’re going to support you the right way, handing you a one-size-fits-all plan just isn’t it.
Food Is More Than Macros
Food isn’t just fuel. It’s family. It’s memories. It’s celebration, comfort, grief, and tradition.
Food can be tied up with control, identity, shame, and self-worth. Conversations about food are rarely neutral — they’re shaped by how we grew up, our health history, our culture, trauma, stress, and a thousand other factors.
When we think about nutrition solely as “protein, carbs, and fats,” we miss the bigger picture. And when we pretend that food choices happen in a vacuum, without emotions, context, or history attached, we risk doing more harm than good.
Around 75% of women report disordered eating behaviors. If you’ve seen the recent social media trend, “Most Unhinged Things I Have Done to Lose Weight,” you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Having a difficult relationship with food is far more common than we think. And it’s not just women. Athletes, especially in aesthetic or weight-class sports (like gymnastics, wrestling, or bodybuilding), are at even higher risk.
When nutritional advice gets thrown around casually — without nuance, without sensitivity, without understanding someone’s history, it can trigger, shame, or reinforce unhealthy patterns. We never want to be part of that.
Staying In Our Lane (And Why It Matters)
As personal trainers, it is our job to help you move better, feel stronger, and train smarter. We’ve studied biomechanics, anatomy, and physiology in depth. Have we picked up a ton of knowledge about nutrition along the way? Of course. But most state laws and certifying bodies are crystal clear — personal trainers cannot and should not prescribe individualized meal plans, diagnose nutritional deficiencies, or recommend supplements for health conditions.
It’s not just about legality — it’s about ethics. It’s about staying in our scope of practice to protect your health and well-being.
Who You Should Talk to About Nutrition
One of the best decisions I ever made for my own health was working with a registered dietitian (RD).
Not a “nutritionist.” Not an influencer selling meal plans. A licensed healthcare professional.
Registered dietitians:
Complete accredited undergraduate and graduate coursework in nutrition
Complete 1,000+ supervised clinical hours
Pass a national exam
Maintain ongoing continuing education to stay licensed
They’re the only professionals legally allowed to create individualized meal plans for medical, health, or performance goals.
If you want help managing your nutrition, healing your relationship with food, supporting a health condition, or optimizing for a specific performance outcome — that’s who you should see.
And if you ever want a referral, we are more than happy to connect you with an RD who specializes in your goals.
What We Will Do Instead
While we won’t prescribe meal plans, that doesn’t mean we leave you hanging.
Here’s how we support you within our lane:
Encourage healthy habits: things like eating enough protein, hydrating, getting fiber, and listening to hunger and fullness cues
Offer general education: about fueling for workouts, supporting recovery, and building sustainable routines
Create a positive environment: one where food isn’t moralized (no “good” or “bad” foods) and where we celebrate strength, resilience, and self-respect
Work alongside dietitians: when more targeted support is needed
Ultimately, our goal is to empower you — not control you. To create a space where you can move better, feel better, and build a healthier relationship with your body.
Without shame. Without rigid rules. Without fear.