Compliance Level
How compliant do I need to be to see results?
Compliance to the program, basically how well you implement, the training and nutrition program design for you.
Motivation tends to be higher when starting a nutritional challenge, as excitement, can help compliance, in the early stages of making a change.
To see results, in a reasonable, biweekly to monthly period, 70-90% (or 100%) compliance level is recommended.
Let’s explore compliance level further, and break that down into meals, per day.
Most clients eat daily either 4, 5, or 6 meals per day.
Per week this means:
4 meals per day x 7 days = 28 meals per week
5 meals per day x 7 = 35 meals per week
6 meals per day x 7 = 42 meals per week
For 90% compliance (for the math let’s just use that one) how many ‘off plan opportunities’ can you have and still stay on track?
For this example, I will round the numbers.
90% compliance:
28 meals x (0.90 changed in to a decimal) = 25.2
28-25.2 = 2.8
95% compliance:
28 meals x 0.95 = 26.6
28 – 26.6 = 1.4 meals
85% compliance:
28 x 0.85 = 23.8
28-23.8 = 4.2
Here is the rest of the math, based on the number of meals, and compliance level.
| 85% compliance | 90 % compliance | 95% compliance | |
| 4 meals per day (28 meals per week) | 4 meals | 3 meals | 2 meals |
| 5 meals per day (35 meals per week) | 5 meals | 4 meals | 2 meals |
| 6 meals per day (42 meals per week) | 6 meals | 4 meals | 2 meals |
Let’s present this information from a different perspective.
Let me introduce, the use of ranges, meaning a low end to a high end of compliance, to see what is the range of compliance is required, to see results on a biweekly to monthly basis.
If the number landed in the middle of two numbers ie the first example —> Answer: 1.4
We would put between 1-2 meals.
In order to be on track at around a 90% compliance rate, depending on the number of meals you can have anywhere from 2-4 meals slightly off plan in order to be within a compliance level that is going to provide you with results on a weekly to biweekly basis.
| 85% compliance | 90 % compliance | 95% compliance | |
| 4 meals per day (28 meals per week) | 4-5 meals | 2-3 meals | 1-2 meals |
| 5 meals per day (35 meals per week) | 5-6 meals | 4-5 meals | 1-2 meals |
| 6 meals per day (42 meals per week) | 6-7 meals | 4-5 meals | 2-3 meals |
ON PLAN CONSIDERATIONS
On plan, is following the foods, that are listed on your nutritional plan, meal to meal, and day to day.
There are many alternatives, to each macronutrient, however the idea here, is that you are eating good quality foods, most of the time. We call these alternatives, or substitutions.
This just means, you are able to switch out, or substitute foods, for other healthy good quality foods, while remaining on plan.
These are called substitutions, not changes.
OFF PLAN CONSIDERATIONS
Any foods, that are not written on your plan (substitutions not included), is considered off plan.
If you add any foods, that are not listed on your plan, you are essentially off plan.
Food items, such as cookies, chips, muffins, crackers, extra helpings of foods, such as doubling your rice, or potato, or even proteins, can be might considered to be off plan.
There will be instances, in which some foods, might be limited, or avoided for a certain period of time, to enable you to get to your goals faster.
This is not a forever strategy, but a just for now choice, and then we can start adding foods back in once you reach your goal.
SUMMARY
Eating for your fat loss goals, presents a more positive perspective, vs restrictive perspective often mentioned when on a diet.
Use the 2-4 opportunities to add something extra your meals to help stay on track the other 7 days of the week, and still progress toward your goals in a timely manner.
Your nutritional plan, is not a diet, in the traditional sense of the work (unless you are competing, and thus you would be absolutely dieting).
They are just healthy eating plans, to get you to where you want to be, under some guidance, and structure.
It does not mean you will never eat pizza, or cookies, or alcohol, or even bread or potatoes and sour cream, but for now, we choose foods, that will get us to our goals, faster, while, minimizing the frequency of other foods, that might not be in line with our goals.
