Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 1

Copyright & Disclaimer

Copyright

Performance Nutrition Coach Level 1 Student Textbook is Copyright © CHFI IP Holdings Pty Ltd
2020, all rights reserved. This online e-resource and textbook was first published and distributed
November 2020 by CHFI IP Holdings Pty Ltd T/A Clean Health Fitness Institute.

No part of this textbook may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information or retrieval, without prior
permission in writing from the publisher. Under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act), a
maximum of 10 percent of the number of pages of the e-resource or chapter, whichever is the
greater, maybe photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided
that the educational institution, or the body that administers it has given a remuneration notice
to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.

Disclaimer

The content of this textbook is to serve as an educational resource of matters of interest in

relation to nutrition, training and overall personal training advice given under the scope of
practice as a legally certified and insured personal trainer through your national governing body.

It is not intended to be comprehensive to non-qualified fitness professionals and personal

trainers, nor does it constitute medical advice in any way. This textbook is a compilation of
research, ideas, concepts, ideologies, philosophies and opinions of the author, CHFI IP Holdings
Pty Ltd.

The author and its related entities will not be liable for any injuries, loss or damage that may arise
out of your improper use of, or reliance on, the content of this e-resource and textbook by you
personally or with any persons you teach these methodologies to. You accept sole responsibility
for the outcomes if you choose to adopt and/or use the systems, methods, ideas, concepts, and
opinions within the content of this e-resource and textbook.

Publisher

CHFI IP Holdings Pty Ltd

Level 11, 65 York Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, AUSTRALIA

www.cleanhealth.edu.au

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 Table of Contents

1. Foreword from Our Founder

2. About the Author & Co-Authors

3. About Clean Health Fitness Institute (CHFI)

4. Module 1: The Obesity Epidemic (CHPNC11)

5. Module 2: The Art of Nutrition Coaching (CHPNC12)

6. Module 3: The Fundamentals of Macronutrients (CHPNC13)

7. Module 4: Base Nutritional Program Design (CHPNC14)

8. Module 5: Understanding Popular Nutrition Systems (CHPNC15)

9. Module 6: The Art of Nutritional Periodization (CHPNC16)

10. Module 7: Understanding Micronutrients (CHPNC17)

11. Module 8: Building your Nutrition Coaching Business (CHPNC18)

12. Nutrition Templates

13. References

14. Notes

Certification
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 1. Foreword from Our Founder

Dear personal trainer,

At Clean Health Fitness Institute (CHFI), one of the very first things we try to impart on all of our
students is the importance of becoming a coach, instead of simply being a run-of-the-mill,
stereotypical personal trainer.

To do that, you will need to collect more tools in

your ‘toolbox’ to help make life-changing
transformations with your clients, no matter their
background or goal.

One of those tools is covered in the ‘Art of

Nutrition Coaching’, which involves prescribing
specific diet and lifestyle plans to your clients to
help optimize their health, wellbeing and results
during the other 23 hours of the day when they are
not in the gym!

Back when I was a personal trainer working in commercial gyms, providing the complete service of
a lifestyle, nutrition and training plan was a paramount point of difference to my ability to get life
changing results with all my clients.

As personal trainers at CHFI, our core company values have always revolved around our
three key pillars of life changing personal training which are:

All too often as personal trainers, we are taught that it is not appropriate to provide professional
advice as to what your client should do during the other 23 hours of the day when they are not in
the gym with you. Well, this is not entirely true, and it is quite a hindrance to the long-term
wellbeing and results of your client. Sure, if you have not done any evidence-based, formal study
in the field of nutrition, you should probably not be giving detailed dietary plans.

Now, with the advent of ongoing industry education programs such as ours, you have the
opportunity to get certified in this emerging area, which will only continue to grow. This is
especially important when it comes to helping clients in today’s era - optimizing results is not
enough! You need to be helping your clients create a high-performance lifestyle (HPL) to make
a lasting impact. In this pandemic COVID-19 environment, separating yourself from the pack in
any industry, especially the fitness industry, is crucial to building a successful business!

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 4
We originally created the Performance Nutrition Coach (PNC) certification in 2014, off the back
end of requests from countless personal trainers around the world. They wanted to learn the art
of getting industry-leading results in fat loss, hypertrophy and athletic performance, which we
were consistently achieving at our high-end boutique 1-on-1 personal training performance gyms.

We completed over 250,000 personal training sessions in those gyms between 2008 and 2017,
developing real world, repeatable systems, based on the science of nutrition.

So, we have learned a thing or two when it comes to the ‘Art of Nutrition Coaching’ and getting
world-leading results with the general fitness enthusiast all the way through to elite and Olympic
athletes.

Since then, we have taught over 10,000 fitness professionals around the world, in both
face-to-face and 100% online settings, the art of nutrition coaching exclusively through the PNC
program.

The PNC certification draws on all those years of experience we have had as personal trainers
ourselves and integrates that with the latest, cutting-edge science and research in the field of
nutrition and wholistic approaches to bring you what I can confidently say is the most in-depth
nutrition coaching certification in the world today.

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 5
 Our programs are made by trainers FOR trainers!

So, by now the million-dollar question you likely have is just how much time and money would this
save you compared to a traditional degree or diploma in dietetics or nutrition?

Here is a simple comparison below:

Option 1: University / College Qualified Option 2: Performance Nutrition Coach

Dietitian or Nutritionist Certification

- Time: 2-4 years full-time depending on qualification - Time: 16 hours / 2 days full-time
- Costs: Will range from $10,000-$100,000 depending - Costs: Range from $297 USD to $997 USD depending
on country and qualification on whether or not you just do the level 1 or all 3 levels
- Learning: Generally in person, not online and not a - Learning: Instant online learning access to our state
safe considering the current global COVID-19 of the art student platform upon payment
pandemic - Content: Highly practical, results driven with the
- Content: Highly academic, not practical and not latest science backing it. Designed to make
applicable to most clients you a coach, not a lecturer!
- Summary: High costs, lengthy time and not practical - Summary: Low cost, low time & completely practical
in 2020! from your own living room!

So, what are you waiting for? The choice is simple and the solution to upping your game as a PT is
right in front of you.

Make today the day you choose to take action and become an industry leading
Performance Nutrition Coach!

Daine McDonald / Founder

Clean Health Fitness Institute

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 2. About the Author
& Co-Authors

2.1 Primary Author: Stefan Ianev

Head of Research & Development, CHFI

Stefan Ianev is renowned as one of the world’s leading personal trainers and educators, with almost
two decades of fitness industry experience. His qualifications include a Diploma of Fitness,
Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science and a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology.

He is currently working on submitting his PhD

thesis proposal through the University of Sydney.
He plans to examine the relationship between
biochemical individuality and structuring tailored
and specific diet and training programs to maximize
human performance.

Stefan is the co-founder of the nutrition coaching

software iNutrition Pro and is a specialist in the
field of nutrition, body composition and
hypertrophy training. He has travelled the world
presenting for CHFI since 2014, lecturing
on nutrition and training to thousands of students.

He is an experienced bodybuilder and athlete himself, having won numerous natural bodybuilding
titles in Australia over the course of his career with the ANB.

Over his career Stefan has established himself as an internationally renowned health and fitness
expert, as well as an accomplished writer who contributed to numerous publications including
Women’s Health, Men’s Muscle and Fitness and many more.

Today, as our Head of Research and Development,

Stefan plays a pivotal role in the development of our
continuing education courses and ensuring that they
stay up to date with the latest scientific research.

For more information on Stefan, you can follow him

via the following channels:

www.stefanianev.com

@stefanianev

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 7
 2.2 Co-Author: George Siopis
Clinician Dietitian, Nutritionist & Molecular Biologist

George Siopis is a qualified Clinical Dietitian, Nutritionist, Molecular Biologist, Neuroscientist and
Australian Powerlifting record holder.

Having worked full-time for CHFI in 2013-2014 and again in 2019

as a lecturer and educator, he has worked as a personal trainer with a
range of clients, from the recreational gym user to elite level athletes.

He is known for setting clear goals with the clients and for
delivering best results. His athletes have been invited to
represent their countries at an international level and have
broken numerous national records in their disciplines.

His clinical experience spans conditions including metabolic

disorders, diabetes, heart disease and cancer, as well as
parenteral feeding and intensive care unit patients. His
ever-increasing hunger for knowledge as well as his curious
nature, prompted him to study and delve in diverse fields,
ranging from science to arts.

George completed a Bachelor of Science majoring in molecular biology and biochemistry as well as
an Honors in Neuroscience at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom (UK). He was awarded
the highest overall mark in the department, as well as receiving several prizes and scholarships
during his course, including the very competitive Gorton Hartman Prize for Excellence and the
Biochemistry Founder’s Prize for Written Exposition.

His research to dissect the mechanism of the biological clock resulted in the award of the
GlaxoSmithKline Foundation Prize for the Best Biochemistry Project.

George has also pursued research at the University of Cambridge in the UK and University of New
South Wales in Australia, supported by the very competitive Medical Research Council and
Laboratory of Molecular Biology scholarships.

Delving into the field of virology, structural biology and biophysics and working alongside Nobel
Laureates at so called ‘Nobel-prize-factory’ the MRC-LMB in Cambridge-UK, greatly shaped his way
of thinking and his approach for solving problems.

He also received the inaugural Miltenyi Biotec Award to conduct research in stem cell biology and
regenerative medicine. This research provided him with insight in the potential of stem cell
solutions to treat muscular dystrophies and other neurodegenerative diseases.

For more information on George, you can follow him via the following channels:

www.georgesiopis.com

@nutrigenius

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 2.3 Co-Author: Astrid Narajo
Clinician Dietitian & Nutritionist

Astrid Naranjo has a Master’s Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics Practice from Bond University
(Australia) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from the Central University of
Venezuela.

Astrid splits her time between creating and revising the course curriculum at CHFI, along with
working as a clinical dietitian in the Southport Private Hospital on the Gold coast for the past three
years and as an online Dietitian and Nutrition Consultant for the past eight years.

She is one of the higher profile nutritionists on social media today globally, with a following of over
40,000, where she posts daily informative and engaging content, along with weekly interviews that
include many high-profile names within the industry such as Alan Aragon, Eric Helms PhD,
Bret Contreras PhD, Bill Cambell PhD, Layne Norton PhD and many more.

Her nutrition specialties include diet design for metabolic syndrome, women’s health and polycystic
ovary syndrome (PCOS), fat loss and overall wellbeing.

For more information on Astrid, you can follow her via the following channels below:

www.cleanhealth.edu.au/coach/astrid-naranjo/

@antidiet_dietitian

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 2.4 Co-Author: Daine McDonald
Founder CHFI

Daine McDonald is the Founder and Managing Director of CHFI, which he established in 2008.

Today, he is purely involved in the commercial operations of the entire company, managing the
commercial strategy of the business alongside its senior leadership team. His goal is to ensure that
CHFI continues to fulfill its mission of raising the level of industry education for fitness
professionals around the world. However, before the CHFI business success, Daine was as a
personal trainer. He started in 2002 and quickly started to make a massive initial impact in the
fitness industry.

During a 12-year personal training career from 2002-2015, Daine coached Olympic medalists and
national and international champions in track cycling, raw powerlifting, natural fitness and sports
modeling, mogul skiing, and boxing. These elite athletes included such industry notables as Lauren
Simpson (WBFF Pro), Zoe Daly (IFBB Pro), Karrle McColloch (London Olympic Medalist in Track
Cycling) and many more.

Daine has also coached professional national rugby league and rugby union players alongside his
coaching of clients with various fitness goals, from the stay-at-home parent to the corporate CEOs.

In 2010 it was time for Daine to turn his passion for health, fitness, performance and success to
the education of other fitness professionals. He was a highly sought-after presenter and educator,
educating over 5000 personal trainers between 2010-2017 in workshops, seminars and
international industry events such as FILEX.

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As a personal trainer, Daine holds formal qualifications in human movement and nutritional
medicine, giving him a unique skill set that allows him to engage with clients using a
multidisciplinary approach. He found powerful inspiration and success early in his career through
the work of the late and legendary Charles Poliquin, who was the most influential mentor to Daine
throughout his personal training career.

Daine has well and truly established himself as an

internationally renowned health and fitness expert,
as well as an accomplished writer who has
contributed to numerous publications including
The Daily Telegraph, Sydney Morning Herald,
Huffington Post, GQ Magazine, Australian Women’s
Health & Fitness, Oxygen Magazine, The Australian
Biggest Loser Club, and Fitness First Magazine.

Daine is also a seasoned corporate health

presenter and educator who has presented for
numerous companies over the years.
Previous clients include HealthE Care, Australian
Air Express, and CHAMP Equity.

Outside of his career in the fitness industry, Daine resides in Sydney with his wife and six children.

For more information on Daine, you can follow him via the following channels:

www.dainemcdonald.com

@dainemcdonald

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 3. About Clean Health Fitness
Institute (CHFI)

Since 2008, Clean Health Fitness Institute (CHFI) has been regarded as Australia’s top fitness
industry educator and personal training organization.

We’ve certified over 20,000 personal trainers and fitness professionals in over 35 countries both
at our live events and more recently (since 2019) through our industry leading online e-learning
platform. We’ve developed a reputation as pioneers in the health and fitness industry worldwide!

CHFI was founded by personal trainer, industry legend, and

company Managing Director Daine McDonald as a personal
training organization focused on getting results based on
the science of lifestyle, nutrition, and training.

Our first high-end training studio was opened in 2012.

Over the next five years Daine and his team of industry
leading coaches facilitated over 100,000 training sessions
and developed a global reputation for results and excellence.
Overall Daine and his team of personal trainers facilitated over 200,000 sessions!

Over the years, we have been featured in numerous media publications and TV shows including the
Sydney Morning Herald, GQ Magazine, Men’s Muscle & Health, Men’s Fitness, Australian Women’s
Health & Fitness, Oxygen Magazine, and The Australian Biggest Loser Club.

We have also appeared in other publications and media channels such as Channel 9 with Kerri Anne,
Fitness First Magazine and Nine MSN’s Health and Well-Being. Our experts have presented at some
of the most significant health and fitness events in the world including FILEX, MEFIT Summit,
and the Australian Fitness Expo.
As featured in:

Today, CHFI is one of the world’s leading educators of fitness professionals and is 100% online as a
digital education business.

We stay true to our legacy of our course content being created by the trainers for the trainers.
That being said, we take great pride in teaching the latest scientifically based industry education
that combines real world ‘in the trenches’ experience to build leading personal trainers from around
the world!

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 4. Module 1: The Obesity Epidemic
(CHPNC11)

1.1: What You’ll Learn in This Module

What is obesity? There are two different ways to answer this question. One is clinical. You’ve
probably heard of the Body Mass Index (BMI), as a way to define someone as clinically obese.
Body fat measurements are another way to classify people into obese and not obese or simply
overweight.

Another way to look at obesity is from a historical perspective. We humans have a long and
complicated relationship with the food we eat. That relationship has evolved to what we see today:
an obesity epidemic that’s among the leading causes of morbidity in westernized nations today.

In this module, we cover both aspects of obesity. You will come away with not only a technical
understanding of what obesity is but also a sense for the implications of being obese and how we
as a society have reached the state we are in now.

This is an essential foundation for our study of nutrition. If there’s an area where we as coaches can
make the most significant impact on society, it’s in applying a deep understanding of nutrition to
this epidemic that is harming so many. Let’s get started!

1.2: The Definition of Obesity

The World Health Organization (WHO) gives us perhaps the most

straightforward and direct definition for what obesity is:

Overweight and obese are defined as abnormal or excessive

fat accumulation that presents a risk to health or an impaired
quality of life.

A key distinction of this definition is the impact of ‘abnormal or excessive fat’ on health.

Even though, statistically speaking, most of our prospective clients could stand to lose some fat,
the reason isn’t that fat itself is bad. After all, stored fat is just an evolutionary adaptation to the
cyclical availability of food to our ancestors. Body fat helped those ancestors store food when it
was plentiful, and to survive when it was not.

good to know

It’s only when excess body fat begins to negatively impact our health
and quality of life that it becomes a problem, and that is where we should
focus our attention when it comes to dealing with obesity (1).

Where this definition is a little lacking, however, is in its specificity. What is considered ‘abnormal’
or ‘excessive’? There are a couple of widely used methods to determine this.

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 Critical Concepts in Obesity

Body Mass Index (BMI)

The first critical concept we’ll cover in this course is Body Mass Index, otherwise known as
BMI.

BMI is calculated by taking a person’s weight in kilograms and dividing it by the square of their
height in meters.

The resulting BMI is then compared against a scale. Someone with a BMI of less than 18.5kg/m2
is classified as underweight. A BMI of 18.5 kg/m2 or higher, but less than 25 kg/m2 is classified as
normal. A BMI of 25 kg/m2 or higher, but less than 30 kg/m2 is classified as overweight, and a BMI
of 30 kg/m2 or higher is considered obese.

But what does this calculation really mean? Let’s take a look at it in a bit more detail.

Case Study Example Using BMI

Imagine we have two people, both 1.8 meters (5.9 feet) tall. If one weighs 80 kilograms
(about 176 pounds) and the other weighs 110 kilograms (about 242.5 pounds), we can see how
by holding the height constant, we will get a higher BMI with the heavier individual.

This makes sense as we’d expect someone higher on the BMI scale to be relatively more
overweight than someone lower on that scale. It works in the opposite way when it comes to
height. If we hold the weight constant, but increase the height, BMI goes down.

You’d expect someone 1.9 meters tall (about 6.2 feet) to be heavier than someone who is 1.6
meters tall (about 5.2 feet). If both of these people weigh the same, the shorter person is relatively
more overweight than the taller person when using the BMI as a reference.

You’re probably thinking to yourself, ‘So, is the BMI a useful tool?’ Or perhaps you’re thinking,
‘I’m very muscular and have low body fat, so according to BMI I am overweight’. These are fair
concerns but hear us out.

BMI was designed as a system for the general population. As a fitness professional you are not a
member of the general population. You care so much about your physical fitness that you’ve made
a career of it, after all. As an outlier to the average person in the general population, you’d expect
general systems like BMI to break down.

If we had to put our finger on one mistake we see coaches repeatedly make, it’s treating their
general population clients like themselves. The vast majority of people are not strong, muscular or
lean, and because they are the ‘vast majority of people’, chances are they are your future clients.
BMI is a perfectly fine tool for this group of people.

BMI can be a very useful tool for monitoring a

vast majority of general population clients – just
use it with a good understanding of its limitations.

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The second method for classifying obesity is by body fat percentage. Different governing bodies
draw the lines at different percentages, but we like to go by the American Council on Exercise or
ACE classification.

Body Fat Percentage

This method of classification is a little more palatable to us as fitness professionals as it answers

the criticism of classifying a big, lean muscular person as ‘overweight’ or ‘obese’, and it has
another advantage of taking into account the physiological differences between men and women.
We expect women to naturally carry more body fat due to their relatively higher estrogen levels and
we expect men to carry less fat naturally due to their relatively higher testosterone levels.

good to know

Body fat percentages can be broken down by sex across the

following five categories:

Survival: Essential fat is the minimum amount of fat needed for the
body to survive. For women, this is from 10 to 13%, and for men,
it’s 2 to 5%.

Athletic: An athletic woman is between 14 and 20% while an athletic

man is between 6 and 13%.

Fit & Healthy: A fit woman is between 21 and 24% while for a man,
it’s 14-17%.

Average: An average woman is 25 to 31% body fat, and an average

man is 12-24%.

Obese: Women above 32% and men above 25% body fat are
considered obese.

The challenge with this classification is to calculate body fat accurately. There’s no shortage of
methods to test body fat including the following:

- Bioimpedance

- Caliper Skinfolds

- Girth Measurements

- DEXA Scan

- Hydrostatic Weighing

- BodPod.

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 15
 Let’s break these down these Body Fat
Measurement Methods in more detail below!

good to know

- Bioimpedance
• Measures electrical resistance of the body to a small electrical current.
• FFM has less resistance to electrical current because it contains mostly water while fat
contains very little.
• Various models and equations exist that predict body composition based on electrical
resistance and other anthropometric data.

- Skinfold Calipers
• Body fat is calculated from an equation using the sum of anywhere from 3 to 7 or more
skinfold sites.
• Equations are typically based of hydrostatic weighing and assume a constant density of
FFM across individuals.
• The most commonly used equations are Jackson-Pollock (7-sites) and Durnin-Womersley
(4-sites).

- Girth Measurements

• Several equations exist that can predict body fat from girth measures.
• Equations are generally based of hip, waist and/or iliac circumference

- DEXA Scan

• Measures absorbance of X-rays to differentiate between fat, bone mineral and all
other fat free tissue.
• Originally used for determining bone density and now considered the “gold
standard” for assessing body composition.
• Accuracy can be affected by tissue thickness, hydration status, and estimation of
soft tissue composition in regions surrounding bone.

- Hydrostatic Weighing

• Measures total body volume from the amount of fluid displaced.

• Body density is then calculated by diving body mass by volume.
• Body fat is estimated from body density using an equation.

- Air Displacement Plethysmography (BOD-POD)

• Works in a similar manner to hydrostatic weighing but by displacing air instead

of water.
• Has higher error rates because results are affected by more variables such as facial
hair, body temperature, and moisture.

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The challenge here is that if you take any individual through all of these tests will get many
different results. To make matters worse, they all have their individual faults. Skinfolds require lots
of practice to get right, and you’re likely to get different results between different practitioners,
even if they’re both very skilled.

DEXA machines require regular and careful calibration, but you can’t always count on that being
done, and again, different machines can yield different results.

The ‘4-compartment model’ is the research gold standard when it comes to calculating body fat,
but that method is not readily available to most general population clients and even many elite level
athletes

good to know

Two-compartment model – Separates the body into fat mass (FM) and fat
free mass (FFM). Most estimation methods are based on the
two-compartment model. They make estimations about the hydration of
fat free mass which makes them highly inaccurate.

Three-compartment model – Separates the body into FM, total body

water (TBW), and fat free dry mass. Fairly close in accuracy to the
4-comparment model because it factors in the hydration of the fat free
mass which is the largest variable.

Four-compartment model – Separates the body into FM, TBW, bone

mineral mass (BMM), and protein. Uses several methods such as DEXA and
hydrostatic weight combined to estimate the various compartments.
Slightly more accurate than the 3-compartment model.

What about bioimpedance or the BodPod? Sure, they may be convenient, but again, different
machines yield different results, and changes in hydration and skin can have dramatic impacts on
readings.

So, what is a coach to do when it comes to determining their clients body fat percentage? Perhaps
the simplest thing to do is not to worry so much about the body fat percentage but instead, focus
on the body composition and health outcomes that the client desires.

What about bioimpedance or the BodPod? Sure, they may be convenient, but again, different
machines yield different results, and changes in hydration and skin can have dramatic impacts on
readings.

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So, what is a coach to do when it comes to determining their clients body fat percentage?
Perhaps the simplest thing to do is not to worry so much about the body fat percentage but
instead, focus on the body composition and health outcomes that the client desires.

For example, if a client says they want to fit their clothes better and have more energy to play with
their kids, it doesn’t matter what their body fat percentage says. All that matters is getting that
extra bit of fat off so they can live the life they want to live. Recognize that these classifications
are both useful and flawed.

Perhaps what is most useful is having a way to track and measure progress on a regular basis to
ensure that a client is progressing towards their goal. For this reason, we recommend using the
scale, girth measurements, and skinfolds because they provide objective feedback irrespective of
body fat percentage.

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 student notes

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 1.3: A Historical View of Obesity

Anatomically modern humans, that is to say, homosapiens, have been around for about 300,000
years. What about obesity? When did that start? The reality is that no one really knows exactly
when it started, but what we do know is that it probably started earlier than you might think!

Some of the earliest accounts of obesity start during the time of the Ancient Greeks, roughly 800
B.C. to 500 B.C. We find references in the writings of Hippocrates, known in the modern world for
the Hippocratic Oath that physicians take to ‘first do no harm’.

The bible speaks of Eglon, King of Moab as ‘a very fat man’, and the details therein on his
assassination make a point that he was indeed very, very fat. Falstaff, the fat knight, appears in the
works of Shakespeare. Indeed, overweight and obese people have existed throughout ancient and
modern history alike. But the challenge is that although we have some literary and historical
references to obesity, they are by far the minority account of the condition of people for the vast
majority of our history.

While there are no reliable statistics on obesity before the 19th century, we know that obesity grew
in prominence in the 18th century among the European aristocratic elite. But this was only a few
hundred years ago! How was obesity not an issue for our nearly 300,000-year history?

It all comes down to human progress!

Did you know that obesity only increased

in prevalence over the past few hundred years?

Obesity is fundamentally a disease of excess. Since our transition away from hunter-gatherer
subsistence to societies underpinned by steady agriculture, there has been rising levels of obesity.
The consistent availability of food coupled with the luxury to not work has made obesity a
possibility for society’s elites for as long as there has been ‘society’. Even our earliest known
accounts of obese people were elites within their society, including Eglon the King, and Falstaff the
Knight.

On top of all that, the 20th century offered a turning point. As the world grew richer, it also
developed technologies that dramatically increased food production. As you’d expect, more food
means lower prices, and lower prices mean excess consumption is an available option to more and
more people.

Technology has a compounding effect here. Not only does it make cheap food more readily
available, but it also makes work involve less – well - work. Cell phones, the internet, television, and
delivery option are all examples of how technological advances have made it possible for us to live
our lives quite literally without moving.

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 Today, it is so affordable to eat an excessive number
of calories that more people die from
obesity-related conditions than from malnutrition-related ones!

So, if technology is fundamentally the cause of our modern state of obesity, what has it done to
help us combat the problem?

All of the key scientific discoveries we’ve made with respect to how obesity happens have been
relatively recent. The role of the hypothalamus in regulating body fat was proposed in 1953.
The first bariatric surgery, that is, altering the stomach in some way so as to reduce food intake,
was performed in 1956.

Leptin, the satiety hormone, and one of the several hormones we will discuss in detail in this course
wasn’t discovered until 1994, and its antagonist, the hunger hormone ghrelin was first reported
on a few years later in 1999. Scientists continue to learn more about how metabolism works, and
emerging fields of study such as genetics and epigenetics are gaining traction in explaining how our
DNA and upbringing contribute to obesity.

Leptin: is the ‘satiety hormone’ or the hormone

that tells us we are full.
Ghrelin: is the ‘hunger hormone’ or the hormone
that tells us we are hungry.

The good news is that when it comes to the fundamentals of fat loss, the jury is in!
Energy balance, that is the relationship between the energy taken into the body and the energy that
is subsequently used by the body, is what leads to fat gain or loss. We will cover this in lots more
detail in subsequent modules of this book.

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 The state of obesity today is truly of epidemic proportions.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.6 billion adults, or
nearly 40% of the global adult population, were overweight as of 2016.

Of those 1.6 billion, 650 million were classified as obese.

This was up nearly three-fold since 1975. Sadly, the
trend is even worse for our children. Over the same
four decades, childhood and adolescent obesity
increased by ten-fold. In Australia, almost two-thirds
of adults are overweight, and one in four is obese.
For Aussie kids, 1 in four is overweight.

The good news is that we, as coaches, can help.

Through the pages of this book, you will get a
fundamental understanding of how energy balance
works, and how to leverage it to get your overweight
and obese clients to a healthy and sustainable level of body fat.

1.4: Implications of Obesity

According to the National Institutes of Health, obesity and overweight together are the second
leading cause of preventable death in the United States, close behind tobacco use (2).
An estimated 300,000 deaths per year are due to the obesity epidemic (3).

Obesity increases the risk of numerous health conditions including cardiovascular disease (CVD),
type 2 diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, cholesterol
gallstones, fatty liver, asthma, and certain forms of cancer including endometrial, breast, ovarian,
prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney and colon cancers.

Many of these health conditions can be linked to metabolic syndrome which is at the core of
obesity. Metabolic syndrome includes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around
the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels.

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If you do not make lifestyle changes to control your excess weight, you may develop insulin
resistance, which can cause your blood sugar levels to rise. Eventually, insulin resistance can lead
to type 2 diabetes. Insulin is the hormone released by your pancreas to control blood glucose levels.

High cholesterol and high blood pressure, which are both linked to obesity, can contribute to the
build-up of plaques in your arteries. These plaques can narrow and harden your arteries, which can
lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Excess energy intake leads to enlarged fat cells (adipocytes) which can cause impaired lipid
metabolism, altered adipocyte secretion, inflammation, and insulin resistance. Following this there
is an increase in systemic inflammation and accumulation of lipids, inflammation, and insulin
resistance in other organs such as the liver and muscles. This is illustrated in the graph below
adapted from Goossens & Blaak (4).

Figure: The changes to adipocytes during weight gain

Women with a waist measurement greater than

88cm or 35 inches or males with a waist measurement
greater than 102cm or 40 inches are at greater risk of
disease irrespective of their BMI.

Alternatively, the ideal waist-to-hip-ratio is less than 0.8 for

females and less than 0.9 for males.

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 1.5: Effectiveness of Weight Loss Interventions

Exercise and nutrition are both regarded as effective

interventions for promoting weight loss by national organizations
such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the Australian National Health
and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the American College of
Cardiology (ACC), American Heart Association (AHA), and the
British National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

As fitness professionals we tend to focus mainly on the exercise component, however, the body of
literature seems to suggest that the nutrition component may be even more important.

The following review conducted by Franz et al compared the effectiveness of different

weight loss interventions (13).

Figure: Comparison of weight loss interventions. Figure adapted from Franz et al (13).

As you can see from the figure, exercise alone yielded very little weight loss in the first six months,
and by the 12-month mark participants were back to their starting weight. Diet alone outperformed
exercise alone, while diet and exercise combined was significantly more effective than either alone.

The group that lost the most weight was actually the group on the very low-calorie diet. Those on
the very low-calorie diet lost more than 30kg in six months. The downside, however, was that they
were consuming less than 800 calories per day, which would have also resulted in significant
muscle loss, not just fat loss.

Additionally, the very low-calorie group also regained the most amount of weight and were not much
better off at the end. That is why at CHFI we do not promote extremely aggressive low energy diets.
They lead to less favorable body composition changes and are not sustainable long term.

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 Very low-calorie diets lead to less favorable body
composition changes and are not sustainable long term!

As you can see most of the weight loss in all the groups occurred within the first six months
followed by a complete or partial regain of lost weight within 36 months. In fact, some studies have
shown 95% of dieters will regain their lost weight within 1-5 years (14,15).

Some studies have shown 95% of dieters will regain

their lost weight within 1-5 years (14,15).

This highlights the importance of dietary adherence for long-term weight maintenance.
The challenge is not so much weight loss itself but keeping the weight off. That is why it is super
important that as a fitness professional you teach your clients long-term sustainable dietary habits
and strategies.

TIME TO TAKE YOUR MODULE 1 EXAM ONLINE!

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 student notes

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 26
 5. Module 2: The Art of Nutrition
Coaching (CHPNC12)

2.1: What You’ll Learn in This Module

The results you get as a coach fundamentally depend on one thing. What do you think that one
thing is? Is it creating an amazing and sustainable nutrition plan?

What about understanding the science of macronutrients and what macro split your client should
consume? Perhaps the superpower you’re after is being able to customize nutrition to the
individual? Well, those are all good things to have in your arsenal as a nutrition coach, but none of
them is quite fundamental.

The key to getting results as a nutrition coach

comes down to one thing: compliance.

good to know

Some key points to remember as a coach or personal trainer are:

- You can have an amazing nutrition plan, but if your client doesn’t
follow it, they won’t get a result.

- You can have a macro split to the gram, that is sure to give your
client success, but if they just end up eating what they want, it
won’t matter.

- You can create a nutrition plan that fits them like a glove, but if the
nutrition plan goes in one ear and out the other, the goal will not
be met.

- The key to being a good coach is getting your clients to change their
behavior. That is, you have to get them to comply!

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In this module, we will cover the art of nutrition coaching in depth with the learning outcome of you
being able to not just give clients the technical know-how, but can also coach them to get amazing,
life changing results as well!

Over the years, we here at CHFI have seen just about every approach imaginable…some good,
but many not so good! We will distill these down to the best tools you should implement in your
business, the same tools that we’ve implemented in ours.

By the end of this module, you’ll understand how to set your client up for success from the first
consultation through their first twelve weeks with you and beyond. Armed with the tools and
methods that follow, you’ll start getting results from your clients that other coaches can only
dream about.

Ready? So are we, so let’s go!

2.2: The Initial Consultation

They say first impressions are everything. Well, ‘they’ are right. But we’re talking about more than
your social media profiles here. The first impression you make with a client when they walk through
your door can make or break the relationship you form with them. That relationship must be strong if
you’re going to coach them to the result they are after. Be sure to have a plan!

CHFI Founder Daine McDonald has over the years

repeatedly stated to his coaching staff:

‘Spend more time at the beginning with your client,

so you spend less time at the end’.

This rings true especially when taking into considering the importance of the initial consultation.

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 good to know

There are three main objectives of the initial consultation:

- Collect as much information as you can about your client.

The reason why you have the opportunity to coach anyone is that
they think you’ll help them reach a goal they wouldn’t or couldn’t
reach on their own. To meet their expectations, you need
to understand who they are as a person. What are their goals?
What are their past attempts, and how did they go? You’ll need to go
deep and uncover anything and everything that might impact what
you recommend they do to get to their goals.

- Set goals. Again, your client is coming to see you to help them reach
a goal. The only way to know whether you’ve actually served that
purpose is by having clear goals against which to measure progress.

- Set clear expectations. Coaching is a two-way street of expectation.

The client has a problem they expect you as their coach to
help them solve, and you have a solution that you expect them as the
client to execute. Understanding the client’s goals sets their
expectations of you. You need to make sure that in the initial
consultation, you’re also making it crystal clear what they need to do
in order to reach their goals.

How you go about collecting information, setting goals, and setting expectations will have a
massive impact on how your client perceives you as a coach. Some thoughts for you to ponder are:

- Are you someone who is confident in their craft?

- Do you ask questions that show your interest in them as an individual?

- Will your client not only get a result from you but also learn how to carry those
results into the future sustainably?

- Will you be there for them when they fall or are you only after a quick buck?

Trust us when we say that getting this first interaction with your
client right is critical to the long-term success of the relationship.

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 student notes

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 30
 2.3: Be a Detective: Collect as Much Information as Possible

Why do people hire nutrition coaches?

Even if they don’t know the science behind it, most people understand the basics of energy
balance. Ask 10 people on the street ‘how do you lose weight?’, and nine out of 10 will eventually
conclude ‘eat less, exercise more’. They probably know what’s healthy and unhealthy, too.

Ask those same 10 people which is healthier, a thick juicy burger or a lean steak and veggies, the
vast majority of them will be able to work out that the steak is the better choice.

So, why do people hire nutrition coaches? It all comes down to behavior. Instinctively, everyone who
hires a coach to help them make a change in their life recognizes they need to change their
behavior in some way.

Whether they know what that change should be or not, they’re relying on the coach they hire to
guide them through the change in behavior, be it eating less, eating smarter, eating healthier,
or some combination of the three.

How then do you get people to change their behavior? You need to have an intimate understanding
of what’s creating the behavior that needs to change. You need to know what factors are holding
the client back. You need to know where the temptations that will take them off track are.
Basically, you have to be a detective.

good to know

ABCDEF Method of Assessment

So, what should you be on the lookout for? We like to use the ‘ABCDEF’
method of client assessment. That’s short for:

- Anthropometric assessment

- Biochemical assessment

- Clinical assessment

- Dietary assessment

- Exercise assessment

- Fotos (Photos).

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Let’s walk through what each of these means as well as cover some of the less obvious things you
should be looking for as you collect information under this model.

1. Anthropometric Assessment

First let’s look at performing an anthropometric assessment. These are the basic quantitative data
you’d expect any nutrition coach to collect: height, weight, girth, and body composition.

From this data, you can calculate things like BMI or assess body fat percentage against the body
fat scale we discussed in earlier. Collecting this information is
pretty straightforward, but there are a few subtleties the smart coach will take into consideration.

Let’s look at body composition as an example. As you already know, there are a
number of ways to calculate body fat, but none of them are perfect. If you use
skinfolds in your practice, think carefully about whether that’s the right tool to use with your client.
If you have a client who is 35% plus body fat, will you be able to get an accurate measure?

Depending on the nature of their body fat, it may be difficult to pull away from their lean tissue
underneath. In the worst case, some folds may be outside of the range of your calipers. In any case,
a person who is clearly obese probably doesn’t need to know a precise body fat percentage. Other
measures like girth and weight may be more useful here.

Also, don’t constrain yourself to body fat calculation formulas when it comes to using your calipers.
There are a number of methods that turn millimeters or inches of skin fold into an overall body fat
percentage. They all produce different numbers, so that should tell you something about just how
accurate they are.

Sometimes the better measure is to simply sum up the skin folds and track that.
Everyone who is after fat loss will want to see this total number go down, and
because it’s not expressed in terms of body fat percentage, there’s less of a reason for our clients
to get emotional about it.

If you run your practice online, you may feel at a disadvantage when it comes to this part of the
assessment, but that’s not actually the case. You have a unique
opportunity to gather additional information about how your client will comply once they start
training with you if you do this part correctly.

Give your client a detailed procedure or onboarding process on what to do. Explain in crystal clear
terms what you want them to measure, where you want them to measure it, how, and in what way
they should communicate it to you. It helps to have a shared online document, using a tool like
Dropbox or Google Drive so that they have a template to fill out.

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Test your instructions to make sure they are 100% clear, then give them to your new online client to
execute. If a client completes their self-anthropometric assessment with flying colors and on time,
guess what? You have a client who is obviously motivated, can follow directions and is likely to do
well with you online.

If they are unable to follow your clear instructions, fail to deliver the results on time, give you
excuses as to why this or that won’t work for them, or list any other troubles in completing the
assessment, then this might not be the ideal online client for you. At a minimum, you may need to
spend extra time with them when it comes to understanding and complying with the program you
set out for them.

2. Biochemical Assessment

Despite the vast amount of useful information, you can collect through just asking questions and
observing, nothing beats blood work to give you a deep and completely honest view of what’s going
on with a client’s health.

A client may say they eat a ‘well-balanced diet’ while their blood says they are deficient in key
vitamins and minerals. The client may say they have never used performance-enhancing drugs,
but their sex hormones as measured through blood work will tell the true story. Blood work is a
powerful tool to have in your arsenal when it comes to playing nutrition coach detective.

good to know

This is an in-depth topic, and could easily fill its own course, but some
simple things to look at initially are:

- Immune system markers (WBC’s) – will impact recovery from

training, can be indicative of micronutrient deficiencies etc.

- Liver enzymes (Hematology) – can be indicative of toxicity issues,

bile flow concerns etc.

- Red Blood Cell Magnesium – Used in over 300 biochemical reactions

in the human body, can be depleted with insulin resistance, stress,
lack of sleep etc.

- Red Blood Cell Zinc – Used in countless biochemical reactions in the

human body and can be related to immune system dysfunction,
recovery, androgen production, skin and hair issues and much more.

- OH Vitamin D3 – Chronically low across the western world due to

poor diet and lack of sunlight exposure, related to immunity,
detoxification, endocrine system imbalances and much more!

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As our focus is on nutrition, we do not biochemical assessment in more detail it in the scope of this
course, but it is still important for you as a nutrition coach to be aware of how useful it can be in
your practice.

We cover understanding and interpreting blood work in more detail in

Performance Nutrition Coach Level 3, for more information on that and
to pre-register click the link below!

Don’t feel like you have to know it all, though. If interpreting blood work isn’t in your skill set,
then refer out to a qualified health professional.

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 3. Clinical Assessment

This is where you learn the client’s overall health history past, family and current.

Questions to ask include and are not limited to the following:

- Do they have any conditions that might impact your programming or their
ability to comply?

- What’s their heart health history?

- Do they or have they ever suffered from high blood pressure?

- Do they have or have they ever had heart palpitations?

- Do they have a history of fainting or light headedness?

- What about their family medical history? (For example, if your client’s mother
developed high blood pressure in her 40s, you should be on the lookout for high
blood pressure in your client when she reaches her 40s.)

- What’s going on at home? Work? School?

What are their sources of stress, and what do they do to recover from
that stress?

Do they have kids or a partner and/or are they in a supportive relationship?

Does their job introduce potential barriers to healthy eating?

What’s their social support system like?

How often does your client go out to eat? To drink? To party?

Do they sleep properly?

What medications, if any, do they take?

All of these give you clues about the roadblocks that will get in the way. The more you know about
these roadblocks, the better you can plan for and avoid them.

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 4. Dietary Assessment

This one is crucial. Not only do you need to establish a clear baseline as your starting point, but you
also need to know whether this client has or can learn the discipline to start eating healthy. It starts
with a food diary.

At a minimum, you need your client to log 100% of everything they put in their mouth for three
typical days. Generally, we recommend keeping a log for at least two weekdays and one weekend.
When we say ‘everything’, we mean absolutely everything - meals, snacks, shakes, coffees, drinks,
candies, and even medication and water. There are a few things you will learn from this process:

- If your client gives you a three-day food log that says ‘breakfast, lunch, and
dinner’ three times, then you know they don’t have the knowledge or discipline
to track their food properly. They either don’t know role food plays in energy
balance, or they do know and don’t have the discipline to track food so as to
control energy balance properly. If on the other hand, your client gives you a
detailed list of each ingredient of each item of food they consumed down to the
gram, you know this client is starting from a relatively better place when
it comes to controlling their intake.

- By asking your client to track literally everything they eat, you will typically
pick up some things they either weren’t honest with you about or didn’t even
realize they’re eating. That full-fat coffee on the way to work, or the cookie with
their afternoon tea from the break room, or even the fat in the fish oil capsules
they take each night. These sources of hidden calories don’t really register when
we think of how much we had to eat because they don’t contribute to our overall
satiety, but they are calories nonetheless, and they must be taken into account
when building a nutrition plan that’s going to get results.

- While your client should tell you about their medications during the clinical
assessment, some may forget what they take. Having them write down
EVERYTHING they consume, including medication, will be sure to capture
anything that was missed elsewhere in the assessment.

A three-day food log is adequate to get a client started, but ideally, you would have a client track
their consumption using an app on an ongoing basis and share that data with you.

good to know

Apps like MyFitnessPal and Fat Secret are good options, however as a
CHFI student who has signed up to this course you get an exclusive,
free trial access to the iNutrition Pro software, the world’s leading
dietary program design software for fitness professionals.

Click the link below to activate your trial account today!

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 36
All of these products have large food databases that should make it easy for your clients to track
what they eat without having to do too much manual data entry. Food tracking apps aren’t perfect,
though. A number of factors can compound and skew your results. When a client is on a strict
protocol that requires absolutely nailing calories and macros, make sure they understand these
limitations.

Make sure they are careful to compare the nutritional values in the app versus what is on the
packet. Clients should also make sure to weigh and log food against the right items properly.
For example, 100g of raw chicken breast has less protein than 100g of cooked chicken breast
because water is lost during the cooking process. The weight of the cooked protein will also depend
on cooking methods. A medium-raw steak weighs a lot different to a Well-done steak!

Finally, as part of the dietary assessment, make sure you’re collecting information about your
client’s preferences and tolerances. Nothing will get a client off track faster than giving them a plan
where they are forced to eat foods they don’t like or that their gut doesn’t tolerate.

In closing, build your plan around these preferences and limitations, and you greatly increase the
chances your client will comply.

5. Exercise Assessment

You need to understand how much your client moves as this will be an important input to your
calculation of their daily caloric needs. Clients tend to under-estimate food intake however they
can easily overestimate their level of physical activity.

good to know

Don’t be afraid to ask for proof. If your client says they walk
10,000 steps a day, ask them to share their fitness tracker app data.

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If they say they do heavy resistance training three times a week, ask them for their workout logs,
or better yet, ask them about their training, questions such as the following:

- Do they have training videos to show you?

- Ask them to walk you through their last few sessions - get specific!

- Did they squat? Was it a high bar or low bar squat?

- How much weight for how many reps?

- How many sets?

- What were the rest periods?

- Was there any tempo applied?

A client who is truly lifting heavy three times a week will be able to answer these questions. On the
other hand, a client who goes to the gym on occasion to chat with their mates will give you nothing
but a blank stare. Get a copy of their training log, routine and review if they have one.

While it’s not in the scope of the Performance Nutrition Coach certification, this is also an
opportunity to perform a more thorough assessment of your client’s movement, strength,
and performance.

good to know

Be sure to check out our Performance PT Coach Level 1 Certification

if you’d like to learn how to effectively conduct physical assessments
that set a client up for success here at CHFI.

Click the link below to find out more!

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 6. Photos

Photos are the lifeblood of any transformation business, be it nutrition, fitness, or otherwise.
Transformation photos are the one thing that links every aspect of this business together.
Think about your typical client’s journey.

Most clients will start out looking like X, but they want to look like Y. They see pictures of person Y
on their Instagram and decide it’s time for a change. A quick Google search and they find you, their
new nutrition coach. You’re a smart coach, so you take a before photo during your initial
consultation.

After working through the client’s goals, you agree to a twelve-week program. You take regular
photos along the way. When your client loses motivation or ‘falls off the wagon’ you show them
their before photos and where they are today, the proof they need to believe they can make it
through to the end.

At the end of their twelve weeks, you take an epic final progress photo, and when placed next to the
before photo, a real transformation becomes evident. The client proudly posts it on their
social media tagging you, and next thing you know, their friends are DM’ing you and asking about
your coaching rates.

Before and After photos will build your business!

They spark inspiration and generate new leads, so make sure
you build them into your business from the first interaction.

To get the maximum value out of your photos, you need to ensure you have a system in place to
capture the best ones possible. The key is consistency. Consistent clothing, lighting, background,
camera height and angle are absolutely crucial.

Try to aim for a white background. Be sure to use the same camera as different cameras will render
a scene differently, and when we’re dealing with millimeters of difference from photo to photo that
change in rendition can make all the difference.

Not every client is going to feel comfortable stripping to their underwear to pose in front of you. An
alternative is always bathers or a crop top and underwear. If you have a client like this, remind them
of all of the photos they’ve seen of others who have gone down a similar journey.

Remind them of how motivating it was to see what’s possible with the right coaching. Ask them,
whether they would have embarked on this journey if not for having seen the progress of others?
It’s a small thing to ask that they pay it forward for the next person who will need that little bit of
extra motivation to make a change.

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Photo Guidelines

We recommend that progress photos should be taken every three to four weeks and it is important
that these are taken at the same time of day, in similar clothing (for example, tight workout
clothing, or underwear), and against a clear, white (or neutral) background, and ideally underneath a
light. If possible, have a helper take these photos for you.

good to know

When taking progress photos, please take them from three different
positions:

- From the front, arms in relaxed position

- From behind, arms in relaxed position

- From the side, with arms in relaxed position

These photos once taken can be uploaded directly to your client Dropbox folder or emailed to your
coach.

In closing, please ensure you follow the steps above because without them it is hard to ensure
maximal results throughout your program with us.

Progress photo examples:

Front Side Back Front Side Back

Instructions: Do Not:

1. From the front, arms in relaxed position 1. Place your hands above your head
2. From the side, with arms in relaxed position 2. Turn your palms facing outward
3. From behind, arms in relaxed position 3. Raise your arms in front in-line with eyesight

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 2.4. Setting Goals

Why do clients pay for coaches? What do they expect to get in return for their investment of
hundreds, or even thousands of dollars with you? Of course, they expect something.

You may be thinking to yourself: obviously fat loss! OK, sounds reasonable. How much fat do they
want to lose? One kilogram (2.2 pounds)? Five kilograms (11 pounds)? Twenty kilograms (44
pounds)?

When do they want to lose that fat? Before they turn 50? In time for a special event? Tomorrow?

What is the client willing to do to reach that level of fat loss? Is it enough to reach the goal?

You see, there’s a lot more to setting a fat loss goal than simply saying you want to lose fat.
If you want to set a real goal, you have to get SMART, and by SMART, we mean specifically that the
goal needs to be:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant &

Timely

If you’ve spent any time working for a big company, you’ve probably heard of SMART goals before.
There’s a good reason for this - they work! By making your goals SMART, you ensure everyone’s on
the same page and fully across what needs to be done to get there.

So, what is a SMART goal, specifically?

SMART goals must be… specific. The more specific, the better. If a client comes to you saying
they’d like to lose some weight, you have to get specific with questions like:

- How much weight?

- Does it matter if it is all fat or a combination of fat and lean tissue?

- Is it important to the client where the weight comes off?

- Does it need to be off the hips and thighs, or can it come from anywhere?

- Why does the weight need to come off?

- If the goal is to reach a certain size or shape, is weight loss really the goal?

- What if the goal is actually to reduce waist circumference?

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Clients at times get caught up in meaningless metrics when they define their goals, so you’re
asking them to get specific can really help them focus in on what is important to them. If you can
figure out what they are after, and we mean REALLY after, then you can tap into an emotional
reservoir of energy that will help motivate them and propel them through the program.

If you set a goal with the client that they don’t actually
care about, then you are wasting everybody’s time.

good to know

Setting SMART goals overview

- Be Specific

Being specific isn’t just about honing in on what the client actually wants. It also supports the rest
of our goal-setting journey. The next thing we need to make SMART goals is to ensure what we want
to achieve is measurable.

- Measure Progress

Obviously, if you don’t know what you’re measuring, i.e., the specific objective, then you can’t
measure it. But it goes further than that. Any meaningful goal is going to take some time to achieve.
Your client won’t enter your office with a body composition goal and walk out of it having achieved
it. It will take weeks, months or even years to get there, and the human brain simply isn’t tuned
to manage over long timelines like that.

Our brains want immediate satisfaction, so we need to ensure we’re programming in opportunities
to get that satisfaction as we go on our way toward achieving our goals. Making our goals
measurable means we can periodically check our progress against the endpoint. Hitting specific
milestones along the way become mini victories in and of themselves and help motivate the client
toward the end objective.

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If you expect the client to simply cross their fingers and hope in 12 weeks, they’ll have reached
their goal, you’re kidding yourself. If the Specific goal was based on having a smaller waist rather
than being at a particular weight then you need to take that into account and have regular waist
and hip measurements as part of their initial and follow up assessments.

- Be Realistic

The next element of a SMART goal is that it must be Attainable. This one should be straight forward.
There’s nothing smart about setting a goal that’s not attainable. This is a recipe for disappointment
and disaster.

This is another important reason why you need to understand specifically what your client wants
to achieve in their time with you. Your client may say that they want to lose 5kg of fat, but in their
mind, they may want to lose that fat from a very specific place, something that you as a coach
understand is not a realistic goal.

Likewise, if getting down to a 32’ waist in 12 weeks means losing 30kg of body fat, you may want
to revise the measurement or the timeline in order to make the target something that can actually
be attained. This is definitely not impossible, but you will need to pre-frame to the client the
workload involved, perhaps it is a 24-week process that requires ample time to diet and reverse
diet or several dieting cycles.

- Make it Count

Next, a SMART goal is Relevant. That is to say, it must matter to the goal setter. Setting a goal to
lose 10kg when 5 is all you really care about means you’re far less likely to do what it takes to reach
the 10kg in the first instance.

Making sure the goal is relevant is an easy way to get emotional buy-in on the steps it will take to
achieve the goal. This comes back to the client values. If they truly value health, fitness &
aesthetics they will be more likely to achieve it as it is relevant and important to them.
If their number one value is socializing and partying, then you/they may experience an uphill battle
to shift the weight.

- Hit the Goal in Time!

Finally, SMART goals must be timely. Failing to put time bounds on a goal is like not having a goal at
all. After all, if there’s no particular time when the goal must be achieved, then we have plenty of
time to undo any mistakes we make today. It’s a lot easier to say yes to that double cheeseburger
when you feel like you have unlimited time to get back on track.

Keeping things time bound also helps with other aspects of goal setting.

For example, setting a twelve-week goal forces the coach and client to think about what’s really
attainable in that period of time. We’re not talking reaching our life-long goal in just a few months
here. We’re talking about taking specific, measurable, attainable and relevant steps toward that
life-long goal, twelve weeks at a time. See what we did there?

At CHFI our general goals and standards for an initial 12-week transformation package are
0.5-1kg (1.1-2.2lbs) weight loss per week or 0.6-0.9% body fat drop per week
(7.2-10.8% over 12 weeks).

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 student Exercise!

student exercise!

Set yourself a SMART goal with your own training in the notes section.
Be specific and timely and most of all realistic with yourself.
As a personal trainer or fitness professional, your body is in many
respects your business so now is the item to optimize it!

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 44
 student notes

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 45
 2.5. Assessing Client Biofeedback

Once you have a SMART goal to work toward with a client, you need to ensure you get there.
After all, you are a coach, and coaches help drive the behavioral changes needed to get a client
from their current state to their desired state. What tools can you as a coach deploy to help get
your client to their goals?

First, you need to track your data!

For CHFI clients, this is 100% non-negotiable. In this context, we are talking about more than just
tracking calories through MyFitnessPal. However, we do believe strongly that for most clients, this
kind of tracking is an important first step toward holding a client accountable to their goals.
Instead, we are talking about tracking results.

The primary tool we use here is the Bio-Feedback system. In this system, we track all the key
markers of physical and mental health. This tracker comprises of five sections which are the
following:

- Physical Measurements
Whatever our goal, it is a SMART goal, and that means it is measurable.
That means we must track those measurements, be them body fat percentage,
weight, girth measurements, or dress size. Whatever it is, it is a number, and it
needs to be tracked.

- Lifestyle
These are factors covering things like energy and stress. Specifically, we track
sleep duration and quality, energy levels, libido and sources of stress.

- Nutrition
Here we want to understand not what the client has been eating, per se, but
rather have they been compliant, and how is their body handling the nutrition
we’re giving them. We ask questions around compliance with nutrition and
supplementation protocols, digestive health, and appetite.

- Training
Since most successful nutrition protocols include additional energy expenditure
through exercise, we want to make sure we’re tracking this as well. At CHFI,
we measure clients’ enthusiasm to their training sessions, energy levels and
compliance to steps targets.

- Notes
Lastly, we give clients the opportunity to share any additional details about
their program, good or bad, in a dedicated comments section.

Clients are required to fill out their bio-feedback form weekly, and we suggest you do the same.
Setting a specific time on a specific day makes everyone’s life easier. You can even set up a
recurring meeting invite on your calendar and invite your client to it, so they get a reminder every
week at the same time.

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 It is important to understand that biofeedback is no just a tracking tool. It is also a ‘get out of jail
free card’ for your clients should they ever get frustrated with their program. You see, human
perception is a funny thing. We don’t notice small changes, even the kinds that add up, and before
you know it, we can be frustrated that the last 500 grams of our goal are not budging.

Keeping weekly biofeedback ensures you have ample data to explain to your frustrated client just
how far they’ve come. Even if they completely fail to reach their measured goal, you will have been
tracking other relevant and useful metrics that you can bring to their attention.

Figure: Clean Health Biofeedback Tracker

For example, if they start their twelve weeks with you feeling horrible, having poor digestion, and no
energy, then finish their twelve weeks with you with all of those problems gone, but still with some
weight to lose, they are still ahead of where they started.

They may not have noticed just how much better off they are, but that’s why you track their
biofeedback regularly. Don’t be afraid to take this data out and use it to show just how much value
your client has gotten out of their time with you.

An example of the bio-feedback tracker can be found in the templates section, you can also
download it via the link below to use with your clients straight away!

click here to download

bio-feedback tracker

good to know

Second, you need a client compliance system. At CHFI, we have a

54-step compliance method that we implement with our coaches.
That’s right, 54 steps!

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Every week of a twelve-week program, our coaches have clear expectations of their clients, from
completing biofeedback on time to regular email contacts checking on subjective feedback to
taking regular progress photos. Having multiple touch points per week keeps the program you’ve
laid out at the front of your client’s mind.

If you go for weeks without contacting your client, they may very well forget they hired you in the
first instance. Setting a regular cadence of contact ensures they not only remember; they feel the
weight of someone looking after them.

Just like with any commitment we make, we’re more likely to keep it when others know about it and
follow up on it with us. Leveraging this bit of human psychology goes a long way toward helping your
clients reach their goals.

You’ll need to customize these to suit your practice, but we’ve included them here to give you a
head start and to make sure you don’t miss anything as you build the templates for your own
business.

An example of the client compliance system can be found in the templates section, and you can
also download it via the link below to use with your clients straight away!

click here to download

COMPLIANCE SYSTEm

2.6. Coaching the Individual

If we had to name one mistake we see coaches make over and over again with their clients, it’s
assuming that what worked for them not only can work for their clients but MUST work for their
clients. The reason why so many coaches make this mistake is that at one level, it’s true.
For example, negative energy balance induces fat loss. That’s just a fact of physics. It does not
follow, however, that any particular way of inducing a caloric deficit works the same for everyone.

Just because you got shredded on intermittent fasting and keto doesn’t mean the same thing is
going to happen for your client. There are a number of biological differences between individuals
that drive what works best for them. Take energy source, for instance.

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 Regardless of whether your client is an endomorph or
an ectomorph, have high body fat or are lean, their body will
have a specific rate of oxidation.

Those with higher rates tend to release and use energy more quickly than those with lower rates.
This difference links directly to how we set a client’s macronutrients. We want to match the
appropriate energy source with our client’s oxidation rate.

When a client has a high rate of oxidation, we give them slower-release energy sources like fats.
The higher complexity of fat molecules counterbalances the rapid rate at which these clients will
oxidize their energy sources.

The opposite goes for slow oxidizers. These clients need faster energy sources like carbs.
This is how we produce similar energy-releasing profiles in clients with different rates of oxidation
of nutrients. In both cases, if the energy source doesn’t suit the oxidation rate, the client will end
up feeling sluggish.

Some clients will have enough experience with their own metabolism to know whether they do best
on carbs or fats. For those that don’t, you’ll need to work this out yourself by looking at
bio-feedback results. If you put your client on a low carb plan and their training energy crashes and
never recovers, that’s a good clue they may be a slow oxidizer in need of carbohydrates to fuel their
workouts.

Keep in mind the differences aren’t just biological. Cultural considerations can heavily influence
what your client can and can’t do in pursuit of their body composition goals. Certain religions can’t
eat certain foods, for example.

Some cultures revere certain animals and would never consider adding them to their diet. Most
people have families where they are expected to eat a ‘normal’ diet, so you’re not going to get away
with chicken breast and broccoli for all of your clients.

There’s an easy way to avoid all of these pitfalls - ask questions. What does your client like to eat?
What can’t they eat? What do their family eat? Where do they shop and how often? What can they
afford? The smart and considerate coach will find a way to make a client’s constraints work with the
nutrition plan. Just make sure you ask.

Your best tool for gaining trust with your client is by not just telling them WHAT to do but rather
WHY to do it. Most coaches pull out their collection of cookie cutter plans every time they start
working with a new client. It doesn’t matter what the client’s particular needs are. They’re told to
just follow the plan.

Questions around ‘why’ are met with generic responses from the coach. There is no client
assessment, no customization and no accounting for individual needs. The way you win your client’s
trust is by teaching them. Teach them why what you’re prescribing will work. Teach them the
fundamentals of energy balance.

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Explain why you’ve made the decisions you’ve made for them, as an individual. Give them
confidence that you’ve heard their needs, desires and constraints, and that you’re going to give
them a tailor-made plan just for them. You’d be amazed how far a little empathy like this can go.

Discover whether or not your client is a moderator or abstainer. Can they successfully moderate to
having one square of chocolate per day or will they eat the entire block? Once you determine this
you will be able to formulate a plan with plenty of options without too many traps for
non-compliance.

As a CHFI certified Performance Nutrition Coach, you will have all of the knowledge
you need to confidently build customized, calorie and macro specific,
evidence-based nutrition plans catering to a variety of client needs and constraints.

You won’t be working with cookie cutter plans. You’ll understand the fundamental science behind
how metabolism works and how to manipulate it to get results for your clients. The key to getting
this right is to make sure you actually know who your client is, what they want, and that you put in a
system to ensure that you get there as a team.

Ask tons of questions, collect everything that might impact success, set SMART goals, and track
performance and compliance along the way. These are the keys to unlocking success for your
clients and for your nutrition coaching business.

TIME TO TAKE YOUR MODULE 2 EXAM ONLINE!

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 student notes

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 6. Module 3: The Fundamentals of
Macronutrients (CHPNC13)

3.1: What You’ll Learn in This Module

In this module, you will learn that all food is energy to the body.

There are two basic systems for measuring energy:

- Imperial System = Calories

Now the basic unit of measuring that energy, if you’re working with the Imperial system, is the
calorie, or in the context of food energy, the kilocalorie, written as kcal.

You may not have heard much about kilocalories, because in everyday conversation about food
energy, kilocalories get abbreviated to only calories. In this course, we’re always talking about food
energy when we talk about calories, so if we say, ‘100 calories’’, we mean specifically
‘100 kilocalories.

This is the most popular method of measuring energy globally and our preferred
choice here at CHFI.

- Metric System = Kilojoules

If you are working with the metric system, the joule is the fundamental unit. Again, when it comes to
food, we talk about kilojoules, written as KJ. There’s nothing too fancy about these units. They are
equivalent to each other with one kcal equaling 4.2kilojoules.

In the future sections on energy balance, we’ll explore the relationship between the energy we
consume as food, the energy we expend as exercise, and the energy we store as fat, but before we
get there, we first want to talk about the next most important factor when it comes to food,
macronutrients.

Macronutrients are the highest level of breakdown between different kinds of energy we take
into the body. Now there are five basic types which are the following:

- Fats

- Proteins

- Carbohydrates

- Fiber

- Alcohol

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 We measure macronutrients, or macros as they are often called, in grams, regardless of
whether we’re using the Imperial or metric measurement system.

Each gram of a particular macronutrient contains a specific amount of energy.

They are the following:

- 1 gram of fat = 9 calories

- 1 gram of protein = 4 calories

- 1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories

- 1 gram of fiber = 2 calories

- 1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories

That’s right: contrary to popular belief, both fiber and alcohol indeed have calories. In the United
States fiber is still included as part of total carbohydrates on food labels and is counted as four
calories per gram. In most other nations however, fiber is included separately from carbohydrates,
and is counted as two calories per gram.

As we’ll discuss in a later section of this module, those calories can be quite significant, and alcohol
especially is particularly insidious when it comes to losing fat.

Although it does not contain any calories,

water is also technically a macronutrient
because it is required in large quantities by
the body and will also be discussed.

Why do we start with a lower level, that being macronutrients, before we talk about the higher level
of calories?

The simple answer is that while creating a caloric deficit is indeed all it takes to lose fat, that caloric
deficit is heavily mediated by the composition of the calories we take in. Whether those calories
are fats, proteins, carbohydrates, fiber or alcohol is so consequential and can be a matter of life and
death in extreme cases, as we’ll discover.

The macronutrient composition of our diet has a massive impact on health, wellbeing, and our ability
to comply with a diet, whether it’s at our caloric baseline, a deficit or a surplus. Understanding how
macros interact with the body is crucial to understanding how to manipulate calories effectively,
so let’s look further into each to understand precisely how they work.

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 student notes

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 3.2: Understanding Protein

Let’s start with our favorite macronutrient, protein. Why is it our favorite? Protein forms the building
blocks of muscle, and muscle more than any other tissue in the body is what we want to optimize
for good health and body composition. Adequate consumption of protein along with resistance
training whilst we diet will prevent muscle catabolism.

First and foremost, protein is an essential macronutrient. What does that mean? Essential
nutrients are needed by the body to function normally but cannot produce on its own.

That means to live a healthy life, protein is a crucial part of our diet. If we don’t consume adequate
amounts of protein, our body will find protein elsewhere. Where can the body find protein if it can’t
produce it? Lean tissue!

That means muscle and organs. In a severe protein deficit, the body will start to break down muscle
to provide protein for other essential bodily functions. When it runs out of muscle, it will go after
organs, and when it runs out of organs, that will inevitably result in death.

Proteins are made of amino acids, the so-called ‘building blocks of life’.
There are 20 different amino acids used by the human body, and of those 20, you get the following
breakdown:

- Essential amino acids = 9

- Non-Essential amino acids = 11

Again, essential here means that the body cannot make them, so they must be ingested through
the diet.

good to know

The 9 essential amino acids are:

- Lysine - Leucine

- Isoleucine - Histidine

- Methionine - Phenylalanine

- Methionine - Tryptophan

- Valine

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The rest of the 11 amino acids in the human body can be synthesized, but the body doesn’t always
make enough for optimal functioning. For example, infants cannot produce enough arginine to
sustain their normal rapid growth in the first months and years of life, so they must take in extra
arginine through the diet.

good to know

The 11 non-essential amino acids are:

- Alanine - Arginine

- Asparagine - Aspartate

- Cysteine - Glutamic

- Glycine - Orthinine

- Proline - Serine

- Tyrosine

In adults, growth is substantially slower than for infants, so the body’s normal arginine production
capacity is sufficient. Arginine, therefore, goes from being essential in early life to non-essential in
adulthood.

Arginine would be classified as a ‘conditionally essential’ amino acid. The same can be said for
adults who are unable to create non-essential amino acids due to a biochemical or environmental
roadblock.

Amino acids are liberated from dietary protein through enzymatic reactions in the digestive system.
For this reason, having healthy levels of digestive enzymes is critical to proper protein absorption.

What does the body do with amino acids once they’re liberated from protein? It uses those amino
acids to make other proteins. These proteins perform any number of functions in the human body
from damage repair to immunity and hormone regulation.

Many whole foods, that is foods that haven’t been processed, contain protein.

Everything from meat to dairy, nuts, grains and even vegetables contain proteins. Not all of these
proteins are equivalent, however. Some proteins are of higher quality than others.

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What does it mean for one protein to be of a ‘higher quality’ than another?
There are a few different measures.

1. Bioavailable Value (BV)

The most common is a protein’s Bioavailable Value or its BV. This is the proportion of protein that is
useable by the body. Typical BV scales are normalized to whole eggs. Biological value measures pro-
tein quality by calculating the nitrogen used for tissue formation divided by the nitrogen absorbed
from food.

This product is multiplied by 100 and expressed as a percentage of nitrogen utilized. The biological
value provides a measurement of how efficient the body utilizes protein consumed in the diet. A
food with a high value correlates to a high supply of the essential amino acids.

Animal sources typically possess a higher biological value than vegetable sources due to the
vegetable source’s lack of one or more of the essential amino acids.

There are, however, some inherent problems with this rating system. The biological value does not
take into consideration several key factors that influence the digestion of protein and interaction
with other foods before absorption. The biological value also measures a protein’s maximal
potential quality and not its estimate at requirement levels.

That means a whole egg gets a value of 100%, and all other protein sources are a percentage of
that. The protein in an egg is used very efficiently by the human body, so very few protein sources
are actually better.

Whey proteins are a notable exception. Being a processed food, whey protein is a highly enriched
protein source, so it can have a much higher BV than egg which contains other substances that
must be discarded by the body. Other sources, such as grains like oats and wheat, are far less
efficient sources of protein.

BV does not take into consideration the amino acid profile of a given protein. It only considers what
proportion of the protein available in a protein source is used by the body.

In that sense, it only looks at one dimension of overall protein quality. You could have protein
sources with high BVs but that are lacking in essential amino acids. Being high BV doesn’t make
them ideal when this is the case. This is also a reason BV is not used as much these days.

2. Protein Digestibility Correct Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS)

The Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score, or PDCAAS, is perhaps a more useful measure
of protein quality. PDCAAS measures the amino acid profile of a protein versus an ideal source for
the human body, that is one that provides the right proportion of the various amino acids when
broken down through digestion.

A score of 1.0 is a perfect PDCAAS score. Here, the difference between egg and whey is less
apparent. Both contain 100% or more of the necessary amino acids for proper bodily function, so
both get the same score of 1.0. Grains, however, continue to show their inferiority to animal
sources using this scale.

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Since only the essential amino acids are responsible for triggering muscle protein synthesis
(MPS), vegan protein sources are inferior to animal proteins for improving body composition,
because they do not contain the full spectrum of essential amino acids.

As a result, vegan protein sources are considered incomplete. Vegan clients will need to educate
themselves on which vegan foods they will need to combine in order to obtain the full spectrum of
essential amino acids with each meal. They may also consider supplementing their meals with free
form amino acids.

Outside of supplementing incomplete protein sources, or training in fasted conditions, there are no
additional benefits to taking free form essential amino acids verses consuming whole food
sources.

While free form amino acids are more rapidly absorbed and cause a larger increase in MPS, studies
have shown that acute increases in MPS does not correlate well with chronic increases in
hypertrophy (16).

Anabolism is a function of both increased MPS and decreased muscle protein breakdown (MPB).
This is called net protein balance. If MPS exceeds MPB over a given period that will lead to the
accretion of new muscle protein. If MPB is greater than MPS that will lead to loss of lean muscle
tissue.

From this standpoint slower release proteins such as from whole food sources have been shown to
promote greater net protein balance than free form amino acids because they mitigate MPB to a far
greater degree (17).

One exception to this is elderly populations, which have been shown to have greater resistance to
MPS and may benefit from increased protein intake and/or faster digesting protein sources (18).

Even the elderly population, however, should still focus on consuming primarily slower digesting
whole food protein sources, which helps mitigate MPB and is also more beneficial for improving
satiety and blood sugar management.

When it comes to programming an effective diet for our clients, as we’ll learn in more detail in
future sections of this book, protein is the most essential macronutrient. The unique combination
of triggering muscle protein synthesis and increasing satiety makes it the master macro when
we’re eating for body composition outcomes.
Just remember, not all protein is created equally.

Paying close attention to the biological value and amino acid makeup of your various protein
sources is an important step in ensuring the body has all of the essential building blocks of healthy
muscle tissue.

One last factor is to ensure clients receive a complete array of amino acids by creating diversity in
the sources of protein you are consuming remembering that it only takes three months of
repetitive food consumption (eating chicken and broccoli for 12 weeks) to create an immune
response from our body.

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 student notes

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 3.3: Understanding Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are one of two primary fuel sources for the body. While all food is energy,
carbohydrates provide the most readily available form of energy in the human diet. The reason
behind this rests in the chemistry of carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are modules comprising solely of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. It is, for this
reason, you will often see carbohydrate abbreviated as ‘CHO’. Carbs are classified based on their
complexity.

The simplest carbs are known as monosaccharides. This includes fructose, the sugar found in
fruits, and glucose, the primary fuel source of the human body. Unsurprisingly, monosaccharides
are also known as ‘mono’ meaning one or single and saccharide meaning ‘sugar’.

Disaccharides, or ‘double sugars’ are the next level up in complexity. This includes sugars such as
lactose and sucrose, the sugar in dairy and table sugar, respectively. These ‘double sugars’ are
simply two ‘single sugars’ combined into one long chain.

And so, the hierarchy goes. Poly- and oligosaccharides combine even more monosaccharides into
special arrangements resulting in more complex forms of carbohydrates, including starches.

The fact that the carbs we eat are amalgamations of the more basic glucose that our body runs on
is the reason why carbohydrates are the most readily available energy source to the body.
The chemistry required to break down more complex saccharide molecules to glucose is relatively
easier than what it takes to convert fat into glucose.

Fat is easier still than protein.

This close relationship with the glucose that fuels our body makes carbohydrates a very important
macronutrient. Note we say that it’s important and not essential. Why is this?

The bottom line is that of the primary food-sourced macronutrients of protein, fat and
carbohydrate, carbs are the only one the body does not need to function. The human body is
capable of running on fat as an energy source. It is also smart enough to be able to turn proteins
into glucose through a process known as gluconeogenesis.

Being non-essential doesn’t

make carbs unimportant, though.

Carbs play several important roles in the body when it comes to energy production and muscle
hypertrophy. Many people will struggle to stay energized throughout their day, never mind during
their workouts, without carbs, and building muscle in the absence of carbohydrates, while possible,
is a very inefficient process.

Just like with proteins, carbohydrates are classified based on their impact on the human body.

There are two common measures for carbohydrates. Let’s take a look.

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 1. Glycemic Index, or GI

GI measures the relative impact on blood sugar levels of a given carb source against pure glucose.
A score of 100% means the measured carbohydrate becomes fuel in the blood as readily as does
glucose, the body’s natural fuel source.

Scores lower than 100% indicate that the fuel source is relatively slower than glucose. A score
lower than 55 indicates a food has a low glycemic index, while a score higher than 70 indicates that
a food has a high glycemic index. Foods that are between 55 and 70 have a moderate glycemic
index.

Generally speaking, the more complex a carbohydrate is, the slower it will be broken down into
glucose in the blood, and the lower the GI of that carb will be. A low glycemic diet has been shown to
promote greater weight loss and appetite control in insulin resistant individuals (19-21).

2. Glycemic Load or its GL score

This is a more comprehensive way of looking at how a carb will impact the body as it takes into
account not only how readily the carbohydrate elevates blood sugar levels, but also how much of
that carb is taken in.

Glycemic load is calculated by multiplying the glycemic index of a carb source by the number of
grams of carbs in that source, then dividing by 100. The higher the load, the more blood sugar we
should expect to see. This is important when managing blood sugar levels, especially for those
living with diabetes.

For example, an apple with a GI of 40

and a carb count of 16 grams would have a glycemic load
of 6.4. GL = (40 X 16) / 100 = 6.4

A glycemic load below 10 is considered low, a glycemic load between 11 and 19 is considered
medium, and a glycemic load above 20 is considered high.

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A more complex carbohydrate source may have a lower GI score, but due to the volume consumed,
may have a higher GL score, and it’s the total increase in blood sugar that someone who is actively
managing their blood sugar cares about. Conversely, some foods that are high on the GI scale like
carrots have a low GI load because the sheer amount of those foods you would need to eat to raise
blood sugar levels.

Not all carbohydrates are created equally. One particularly special class of carbs is fiber.

Calling fiber carbohydrates might confuse some. Much of the modern conventional wisdom around
fiber is that it’s not an energy source.

This has encouraged a ‘net carb’ approach to measuring carbohydrate intake. That is to exclude
fiber from carbohydrates when tracking macros. Let’s first explain what fiber is and what it does
and come back to whether the ‘net carb’ approach really makes sense.

Fibre serves a crucial role in keeping our digestive system healthy. It does this in a number of ways
via two different mechanisms:

1. Insoluble Fiber (IF)

IF is the indigestible portion of plants that we take in when eating food from plants, it does not
dissolve in water. Insoluble fibers travel to the intestine with very little change. Instead of being
digested, insoluble fibers increase bulk, soften stool, and shorten transit time through the gas-
tro-intestinal tract.

Because these fibers are not digested at all, the FDA estimates that insoluble fibers do not
contribute any calories. Gut bacteria also benefit from fiber.

In fact, fiber is the primary food source for many

gut bacteria found in the small and large intestine.

2. Soluble Fiber (SF)

SF the kind that dissolves in water, helps to slow the emptying of the stomach, contributing to
a sense of fullness. Further down the digestive tract, it plays a role in lowering cholesterol and in
regulating blood sugar levels.

Soluble fibers either absorb water and become gels or dissolve in water & reach the intestine where
they are digested by bacteria, soluble fibers produce short chain fatty acids (SCFA’s) that provide
your body energy.

The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that fibers fermented by bacteria
provide about 2 calories per gram of fiber.

It is this bacterial function that makes fiber’s status as a ‘calorie-free’ food questionable. While it’s
suspected that the caloric contribution of fiber is relatively low, it’s also quite certain that soluble
fiber does indeed contain calories. The simplest approach is to simply include the fiber in your
macronutrient calculations just like you would any other carbohydrate.

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Another type of indigestible carbohydrate, which functions kind of like a soluble fiber is
resistant starch.

Resistant starch has also been linked to many health benefits such as improved insulin sensitivity,
lower blood glucose levels, reduced appetite, and improved digestion (22,23).

There are four different types of resistant starch:

- Type one found in foods such as grains, seeds, and legumes, raw potatoes, and
green bananas.

- Type two is also found in foods such as grains, seeds, and legumes, raw
potatoes, and green bananas.

- Type three is formed when certain foods such as potatoes or rice are cooked
then cooled. The cooling process turns some of the digestible
starches into resistant starches.

- There is also type four resistant starch which is man-made.

3.4: Understanding Carbohydrates

Fat has gotten a bit of a bad reputation in modern food culture, but increasingly lay people are
coming to the understanding that fat is an essential part of a healthy diet. In fact, it can’t be
overstated just how essential it is. Human health depends on adequate dietary fat!

Fat is the second primary fuel source for the body. Recall from our conversation on carbohydrates
that carbs a chemically very close to the primary fuel source used by the body: glucose. In this
sense, carbs are a relatively short-term fuel source.

The chemical journey they take to be used by the body is pretty short. Fats, on the other hand, have
a relatively long journey. Fat is the primary mechanism for storing long term energy in the body.

good to know

Fats largely break down into two categories:

1. Saturated Fats

2. Unsaturated fats (With two sub-sections)

2.1 Monounsaturated

2.2 Polyunsaturated

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Unsaturated tending to come from animal sources and unsaturated fats tending to come from
plant and fish sources.

They’re easy to tell apart. At room temperature, saturated fats will be solid, like a stick of butter,
while unsaturated fats will be liquid, like a bottle of olive oil.

Generally speaking, unsaturated fats are healthier than saturated fats, but be careful not to take
this rule of thumb too far. Just because a food is high in saturated fat doesn’t mean it’s unhealthy.

Likewise, a food that is high in unsaturated fat isn’t necessarily healthy. Foods such as cheese and
red meat are high in saturated fat but can easily play a role in a healthy diet. Olive oil is understood
to be a very healthy source of unsaturated fat, but you probably wouldn’t want it to be your primary
fuel source!

Unsaturated fats have a couple of additional levels of classification that are worth going into.
Broadly, these liquid fats are split into monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Monounsaturated fats have a single carbon-to-carbon double bond in their molecular structure,
hence the ‘mono’ in their name. Good sources of monounsaturated fat include olive oil, peanut oil,
nuts and avocado. Increased consumption has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity, decrease
inflammation, improve blood lipid profile, and protect against cardiovascular disease (24).

Polyunsaturated fats get their name from having two or more double carbon bonds. Unlike the
monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats are essential fats and cannot be produced by the
body. They fall into two categories: omega-3 and omega-6. The three and the six denote where in
the chain the first double carbon bond appears. Both fats, as it turns out, are important to human
health.

Omega-3 fats tend to come from fish sources while omega-6 fats can be readily obtained through
vegetable oils like safflower, sunflower and walnut. Because omega-6 fats come from relatively
cheaper plant sources, they tend to be pervasive in the modern western diet of processed food.

The reality is that the human body needs a balance

of the two for optimal functioning. A healthy diet should target
a 1-to-1 ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats. Omega 6 has without question
major benefits: omega 6 deficiency will result in serious health problems.

A lower omega-6 to omega-3 ratio (2:1 or less) has been shown to decrease the risk of many
chronic diseases (25). It must be stressed, however, that omega 6 deficiency is extremely rare,
because the typical Western foods contain an abundance of omega 6 from corn oil, soybean oil,
safflower and sunflower oil, as well as from animal fats.

The Western diet is rich in omega 6, because the oils are cheap and stable. They prolong the shelf
life of processed foods, and the food industry therefore replaces more healthy fats and oils with
omega 6.

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In addition to saturated and unsaturated fats, there is a third type known as trans fats. This class of
fat occurs when hydrogen is added to unsaturated fat in such a way as to make what was
previously liquid a solid at room temperature. Although very small amounts of this kind of fat can be
found naturally, there are no naturally high sources of trans fats.

This largely human-made fat has been linked to a whole host of problems including negative
impacts to cholesterol, driving down the ‘good’ HDL, or high-density lipoprotein and driving up the
‘bad’ LDL, or low-density lipoprotein forms. It’s also linked to increased inflammation and negative
heart health outcomes (26).

When it comes to trans fats, the best approach is to simply avoid it in the diet. Generally, a fat on
an ingredient list listed as ‘hydrogenated’ is a trans-fat regardless if a vegetable oil is to follow the
word i.e.: Hydrogenated Canola oil.

There are a couple of additional ‘fat-like’ molecules worth exploring. One type consists of the sterol
molecules. These are tight ring structures that form the basis for cholesterol in the body.
Because of this, they are a necessary precursor to most hormones.

A second important fat-like substance are phospholipids.

They are similar in structure to fat but have one of the typical three fatty acids in its makeup
replaced by a phosphate group. These molecules are key components to the membranes of every
cell in our body, so they are critical to not only health but life itself.

But when we’re talking about fat in its most common form, as a macronutrient, we’re talking about
triglycerides. As the name implies, a triglyceride consists of three fatty acids linked together by a
glycerol.

The fatty acids are long chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms. When the bonds between the carbon
atoms in the chain are single, then you have a saturated fatty acid, and when a double bond appears
in the chain, you get an unsaturated fatty acid. Combine these to a glycerol, and you get saturated
and unsaturated fat!

Triglyceride is the form that fat takes in the blood and is also the form of fat that provides energy to
our cells. As you have learnt in the section on carbohydrates, these fat molecules are significantly
more complex to break down, and as a result, are less readily available to the body for immediate
use as energy.

But it is this complexity that makes fat an ideal long-term energy storage mechanism in the body.
Remember that gram for gram, fat has over two times the stored energy as carbohydrates, so this
makes it a very efficient way to store energy for use when food is scarce.

The exception to this is short and medium chain triglycerides which can diffuse directly through the
mitochondrial membrane and act as a short-term energy substrate like carbohydrates. Examples of
foods which contain short and medium chain triglycerides are butter and coconut oil respectively.

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 3.5: Understanding Alcohol

As much as your party-going friends would want you to deny it, alcohol is a macronutrient, and even
worse, it has calories. In fact, gram for gram, it is a relatively dense source of calories. As far as its
status in promoting health, there is no recommended amount of alcohol.

Likewise, the body has no biological use for it. There is nothing that the body can do better with
alcohol than without it. While our body has the ability to store the other macronutrients, protein in
muscle, fats in body fat, and carbohydrates as glycogen in the liver, our body has no ability to store
alcohol. As a result, the calories in alcohol are preferentially metabolized. That means when alco-
hol’s present, it’s the first fuel the body will use. This one feature alone is a good reason for your
clients to avoid it. There is no circumstance where you want to prevent the body from burning carbs
AND fats at the same time.

Plus, alcohol comes with a lot of negative side effects where body composition is concerned. It
reduces inhibition, making it harder to stick to a nutrition plan. It disrupts restorative sleep limiting
the body’s opportunity to repair and recover. Taken in extreme excess, its impact on motor function
can last long after the alcohol itself has been metabolized. Try training with a hangover, and you’ll
quickly see what we mean.

Of course, alcohol consumption is a reality of life, and most clients will have some kind of positive
relationship with it. As a nutrition coach, your job is to get your client’s safely and sustainably to
their goals. If alcohol is a part of your client’s life, it’s your role to take that into account and
program around it.

Of course, if your client is in the leadup to a competition or an important event such as their
wedding and wants to maximize their chances of looking their best, you’ll need to put your coach’s
hat on and help them set reasonable expectations. How important is placing the comp or looking
their best for that special event?

If it’s really important, then is it more important than having drinks with their friends? It’s up to you
to point out the trade-offs, but it’s up to them to decide what they really want.

The impact alcohol has on recovery and sports performance is complicated and depends on many
factors, including the timing of alcohol consumption post-exercise, recovery time required before
recommencing training/competition, injury status and dose of alcohol being consumed.

In general, acute alcohol consumption, at the levels often consumed by athletes, may negatively
alter normal endocrine function, blood flow and protein synthesis so that recovery from skeletal
muscle injury may be impaired.

Other factors related to recovery, such as rehydration and glycogen resynthesis, may be affected
to a lesser extent. Those responsible for the wellbeing of athletes, including the athlete
themselves, should carefully monitor habitual alcohol consumption so that the generic negative
health and social outcomes associated with heavy alcohol use are avoided.

Additionally, if clients are to consume alcohol after sport/exercise, a dose of 0.5 g/kg body weight
or less, has been shown not to have any negative impact on endocrine function, and may therefore
be recommended if alcohol is to be consumed during this period (27).

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 3.6: Understanding Water

Water comprises approximately 55% of body weight in an adult and is absolutely essential for
cellular homeostasis and life.

Water losses via skin can range anywhere from

0.3 liters per hour during sedentary conditions all the way
up to two liters per hour during high intensity activity. As a rule of thumb daily
water intake should beapproximately per calorie consumed, not including
additional water losses through exercise (28).

It has been shown that dehydration of even one to two percent can compromise physiological
function and performance.

According to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association position statement, athletes should
consume five to six hundred milliliters of water two to three hours before exercise, then continue
drinking two to three hundred milliliters every ten to twenty minutes before and during exercise.

Athletes competing in events lasting more than ninety minutes should also consume a
solution consisting of rapidly digestible carbohydrates and electrolytes (29).

TIME TO TAKE YOUR MODULE 3 EXAM ONLINE!

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 student notes

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 7. Module 4: Base Nutritional
Program Design (CHPNC14)

4.1: What You’ll Learn in This Module

The human metabolism is an amazing thing. Human beings are among the most metabolically
adaptable creatures on the planet. We’re able to efficiently extract a tremendous amount of energy
to power our relatively large bodies and very large brains from incredibly diverse energy sources.
Humans can be herbivores, omnivores or even carnivores.

We have an unlimited ability to store energy when it’s in abundance and live off of that energy
storage for weeks if we have to. We’ve evolved to have the ability to extract nutrition where other
animals gave up. For example, we have evolved the ability to process milk sugars and proteins into
adulthood, where other mammals stop consuming milk beyond childhood.

Metabolism is an area of continual research and discovery, so we have no hope of

comprehensively covering it here. Instead, we will focus on the elements of metabolism that will
impact you as a nutrition coach.

As it turns out, when you have a firm grasp on the fundamentals of metabolism: energy balance,
macronutrients, and hydration, you can get amazing results. It doesn’t take a PhD in human biology
to be a world-class nutrition coach!

In this module, we will cover those fundamentals. We’ll learn the basics of energy balance and use
this understanding as the basis for setting caloric deficits. We’ll then explore how to set
macronutrients to optimize the results we get once we’ve set target calories. Be it fat loss or
muscle gain, you will learn the methods behind the get world-class nutrition results here at CHFI.

We know you can’t wait, and neither can we, so let’s go!

4.2: Focusing on What Matters

Where should you focus your energy as a nutrition coach when it comes to body composition
outcomes. Ask 10 different people, and you’ll get as many different answers.

At some point in your fitness career, you’ve probably heard someone argue that it’s all about quality.
Eat as much as you like as long as you eat clean. Depending on when you entered the industry,
you may have heard people argue that dietary fat contributes to body fat, so you should avoid it
where possible.

A few years later and fat was OK. Then, carbs were the problem. Eat carbs, especially at night, and
you’re sure to pay for it around the waistline.

What about the anabolic window? Ever had a mate tell you your workout is wasted if you don’t eat
straight after? If you’ve been around the fitness industry for more than 15 minutes, you’ve
definitely run into someone who felt horrible on carbs, tried keto, and became convinced that keto
is ‘the best’ way to get shredded without feeling hungry.

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You run into these ideas because to some extent, they are true. Eat too much fat, you’ll get fat.
Eat too many carbs, you’ll get fat. Fail to provide the body adequate nutrition to recover trained
muscles, and they will not grow. Does Keto work? Yes, for some people, it’s amazing.

But despite having some degree of truth to them, they all miss the point. When it comes to
getting the maximum results out of our clients for the minimum effort, these tools are NOT your
go-to strategy.

We organize our approach to manipulating metabolism for body composition outcomes into a
hierarchy ranging from the most beneficial to the least, as evidence by the image below.

Step 1: Energy Balance is King (Results)

We start with the king of body composition: energy balance.

Energy balance is simply the difference between the energy we consume, or in other words, the
calories we put in our mouths, and the energy we expend, be it through breathing, fidgeting,
laughing or exercising. When more energy goes in than that which goes out, that means the energy
balance is positive, the extra energy that goes in but doesn’t get burnt has to go somewhere.

That ‘somewhere’ is body tissue, whether that be glycogen or fat. If we’re not careful, body fat will
be the main tissue that receives this excess energy. Likewise, when we expend more energy than
we consume, i.e., we put the body in a negative energy balance, the extra energy we’re burning must
come from somewhere.

Again, that ‘somewhere’ is a body tissue, and if we’re playing our cards right, it will be body fat and
not lean tissue.

Energy balance is the fundamental tool

for manipulating body weight.
In fact, it’s more than fundamental:
it is the main tool for manipulating weight.

It is physically impossible to gain weight in a negative energy balance, apart from increased fluid
retention Likewise, it is impossible to lose weight in a positive energy balance, apart from
decreased fluid retention This isn’t a question of human physiology. It’s a matter of physics!

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Step 2: Macronutrient Adjustments (Compliance)

The next tool in the hierarchy is macronutrient manipulation. If energy balance is the way we induce
weight loss or weight gain, then macronutrient manipulation is how we control the way a client feels
in the process.

This is an amazing tool to maximize compliance because at the end of the day, even if you write
up the most scientifically sound, evidence-based diet, if the client is not feeling a great vibe then
results will be lost!

The composition and timing of the macronutrients can also affect the composition of the weight
gained or lost. For example, it has been shown that a person can lose muscle tissue even in a
positive energy balance if sufficient protein is not consumed (30).

This is illustrated in the following graph adapted from Bray et al (30).

The finding from this study was that overfeeding on

moderate to high protein (1.8-3.0g/kg) was
associated with lean mass gain, compared to overfeeding
on low protein (~0.68g/kg), which was associated with
lean mass loss and body fat gain.

By setting fat, carbohydrates, and protein targets that suit our clients’ metabolisms and desired
outcomes, we can make or break their ability to comply with the energy balance we’ve set. It’s not
hard to imagine how this may be the case. Imagine we give you a moderate 15% deficit to help you
lose a few kilos of body fat.

Now, imagine we tell you your only source of calories can be fats. Ignoring the obvious physiological
issues that would result, you simply won’t enjoy a diet that’s 100% fat. The same feeling would
occur if you were on a diet that was 100% protein or 100% carbs. It doesn’t matter what the
energy balance is. You will hate life on this diet.

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The flip side of this is true, as well. Macros more than anything else determine how you feel when
you’re on a given calorie target. We will learn how to use this to our advantage in setting plans that
will not only get clients results but that they will enjoy along the way.

Step 3: Micronutrient Assessment (Optimize Health)

The third tool in the hierarchy is achieving sufficient micronutrient intake. Nearly every process in
the body relies on some vitamin or mineral, so ensuring we have adequate quantities of these
molecules in the body can go a long way toward ensuring those processes are running optimally.

This includes the creation of adenosine triphosphate, known as ATP, itself. ATP is the energy
currency of our body. Get the micronutrient balance in the body wrong, and you may inhibit
processes important to manipulating body composition. Excess intake of various micronutrients
can also be harmful.

Step 4: Meal Timing (Personal preference)

The fourth factor is meal timing. Intermittent fasting and regular feedings both have their benefits,
and when you take into account the needs and preferences of the individual client, you can use
meal timing to your advantage to drive compliance or enhance muscle protein synthesis.

Step 5: Supplementation (The final touch)

The last element in the hierarchy is supplementation. Supplements can be a great tool to help
manage constraints that would otherwise be out of your client’s control. Be it stress, sleep,
digestion, or some other problem keeping your client from their goals, supplements can be very
useful where lifestyle, diet and exercise are not enough to solve the problem.

Now, note that while we care about energy balance first and foremost, and we care about
supplementation the least, it doesn’t mean that supplements aren’t important or useful. It’s just
that when it comes to getting the maximum result for the minimum effort, setting the correct
energy balance and macronutrient target will get you way closer to your client’s goals than simply
taking a few supps.

The smart coach learns how each tool in this hierarchy can contribute to their client’s overall
success and wellbeing and learns when it’s appropriate to leverage each. It’s our goal to help you be
that smart coach.

4.3: Calculating Energy Requirements

Since energy balance is the biggest bang for the buck tool in our toolbox, let’s start with it.
When we consider how energy balance works, we realize we have a little bit of math to do.

On the left side, we have the calories we eat. Calculating calories isn’t without its own set of
challenges, but most people will have at their disposal the tools to determine this on their own.
Regular meal prep from whole foods, a good set of food scales, and a tracking app like MyFitnessPal
are all it takes to know how many calories you’re taking in, and to a very high degree of precision.

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The calories outside of that equation is a little murkier, though. We know that we expend calories in
a number of ways. First, there’s basic maintenance of cells and tissues. Then there are involuntary
movements that occur in our lungs and heart. The brain, liver and kidneys expend energy. And all of
that is before we’ve lifted a single finger. All movement takes energy, and really strenuous
movement takes a LOT of energy.

So, how do we calculate the total calories out? There are a few tools to know.

Step 1: Calculate Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

Calculating your true BMR is a pretty involved task involving special rooms designed to measure
precisely how much heat energy the body emits while it is at rest. It’s not for the faint of heart.
There’s an elaborate preparation procedure.

You have to go to a special lab capable of measuring you. You have to sit still for a very long time,
hours up to a day, while the measurement is being taken. Any deviation and the entire result is
thrown off. While knowing your true BMR is a handy thing to have, it’s out of reach for most of our
clients.

Another measure closely related to BMR is RMR or Resting Metabolic Rate. This measure is similar
to the Basal Metabolic Rate, but is a bit less involved, both in terms of preparation and duration of
the test. It can usually be conducted over a few hours, and because light activity is permitted, the
RMR will often show a higher metabolic rate.

Measuring RMR still requires special equipment, though. Most clients won’t have this information,
and if you don’t live near a city, it may not be very straightforward to obtain it.

All is not lost, however. As it turns out, your BMR correlates very predictably with lean body mass.
While there are many tools out there that you can use to calculate BMR rather than measure it, we
use the Katch-McArdle formula.

To calculate your BMR using this popular formula, simply take your lean body mass in kilograms,
multiply it by 21.6, then add 370. So, the equation would look like this:

BMR = LBM x 21.6 + 370

So, if you have a 100kg (220 pounds) client who is 30% body fat, that means they have 70kg (154
pounds) of lean body mass. Multiply 70 by 21.6 to get 1,512, then add 370 to get 1,882 calories.

In fact, a study by Wang et al found an almost perfect correlation between fat free mass and
resting or basal energy expenditure (31).

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Note that the prediction equation that they came up with is almost identical to the Katch-McArdle
formula that we use.

This method isn’t perfect, however if you recall from our earlier discussion, obtaining an accurate
body fat percentage can be a challenge, but it will suffice for our purposes as nutrition coaches.
It is still more accurate than any other estimation formula that uses parameters such as height,
weight, and age.

Step 2: Calculate Physical Activity Level (PAL)

PAL is a ratio calculated by dividing the total energy expenditure by basal metabolic rate.

For someone who is mostly inactive, their total energy expenditure won’t be significantly higher
than their BMR. On the other hand, an endurance athlete’s PAL could be two times their BMR or
more. PAL takes into account total activity, not just exercise, so all things being equal, someone
who works a desk job will have a lower PAL than someone who works a job where they’re on their
feet and moving all day.

Physical Activity Level is calculated using a range from as low as 1.2 for someone who is bedridden
to 2.4 for someone who is engaged in continuous strenuous activity.

Traditionally we have assigned the following norms to our clients based on the
recommendations from WHO (32):

Inactive 1.4: Low NEAT on non-training day

Inactive 1.6: High NEAT on non-training day

Moderately Active 1.7: Low NEAT on training day

Moderately Active 1.9: High NEAT on training day

Very Active 2.0: Low NEAT on twice per day training

Very Active 2.2: High NEAT on twice per day training

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Determining PAL is a bit of an art. You have to rely on the information your client gives you about
their daily activity level, and clients can easily misreport this information.

That isn’t to say you can’t make some determinations on your own, though. This is where our next
acronym comes into play. NEAT, or Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis is the energy we expend
above BMR but short of intentional exercise. Fidgeting, tapping your fingers or feet, bouncing in
your seat, moving around, using hand gestures when you speak for example. all contribute to NEAT.

When you meet a client, and they can’t sit still, they’re speaking rapidly, they’re getting their whole
body involved in what they’re doing and saying, then they probably have high NEAT. If they tell you
they work out three times a week, they will almost certainly have a higher PAL than another person
who also works out three times a week but has low NEAT.

Step 3: Calculate Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)

A simple way to look at

calculating TDEE is as follows:

TDEE = BMR x PAL

Case Study

Let’s say you have a 60kg female with a BMR of 1,600 calories
per day.

She is very inactive with a desk job and no current workout routine,
so we estimate her PAL to be 1.4.

That means her TDEE is 1,600 times 1.4, which equates to 2,240
calories per day.

This becomes the starting point for manipulating the energy intake
of this client for body composition outcomes.

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Calculating BMR using the Katch-McArdle formula, then multiplying it by a Physical Activity Level
to get TDEE is a pretty straightforward task, but if you find mathematics daunting, or you simply
want to streamline your calculations, consider using a tool that handles both for you.

good to know

A helpful tool as a nutrition coach, and the one we use with our clients at
CHFI is iNutrition Pro.

This online platform takes into account age, sex, weight, height, body fat
percentage and estimated activity level to calculate your TDEE for you.
It also enables you to set macro targets for each meal and automatically
calculates portion sizes for any foods you select.

Again, it’s not PERFECTLY accurate, but accurate enough to form the basis for manipulating the
energy expenditure side of the energy balance equation with our nutrition coaching clients.

Probably the biggest thing that can go wrong when calculating TDEE with your clients is getting
their activity levels wrong. As a coach, it’s your job to ask the right questions to get to the truth
of the matter. If your client says they work out three times a week, ask them to provide the
workout logs.

If they don’t log, ask them questions about their lifting they should be able to answer such as:

- What’s the program like?

How much weight are they moving?

How many reps?

How long are their workouts?

If your client gives you ranges, say between 2 and 4 times a week, ask them how many times they
trained THIS week. What about LAST week? Take the average, and that’s your number.

If there is any doubt, however, you’ll almost always want to err on the low side of this measure.
Most of your clients will ultimately end up in a caloric deficit, so it does you no good
overestimating their TDEE only to set them in a supposed deficit that ends up landing near their
actual TDEE had they been honest about their activity.

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Perhaps an even simpler method is to have them track their daily steps for a week and average it
out. Ten thousand steps per day corresponds to a moderate activity level or a PAL of 1.6 to 1.7.
As a rule of thumb over 12,000 steps per day could be considered extremely active especially if
they are doing 3-4 weight sessions per week on top of that!

good to know

Based on currently available evidence, the following preliminary indices

can be used to classify pedometer-determined physical activity in
healthy adults:

- <5000 steps/day may be used as a ‘sedentary lifestyle index’

- 5000-7499 steps/day is typical of daily activity excluding sports/

exercise and might be considered ‘low active’

- 7500-9999 likely includes some volitional activities (and/or

elevated occupational activity demands) and might be considered
‘somewhat active’

- > or=10000 steps/day indicates the point that should be used to

classify individuals as ‘active’. Individuals who take >12500 steps/
day are likely to be classified as ‘highly active’ (33).

The next thing that might go wrong is with determining your client’s body fat percentage. This can be
challenging, especially if your clients are online. If they have access to a DEXA facility, this isn’t a bad
option to get a starting point.

However, it is not very accurate for tracking changes over time due to changes in the hydration of fat free
mass that occur with weight loss. If they work with a PT who does pinch testing, this is an option too.
If that’s not an option for you and your client then consider using girth measurements. There are several
formulas available that can estimate body fat from girth measures.

The iNutrition Pro software that we mentioned earlier contains both skinfold and girth measurement
formulas for estimating body fat. A last option would be to use formulas that are based on height, age,
and weight.

Regardless, it’s important to take girth measurements so you can monitor progress, because visual
changes take longer to come about.

The fun and sometimes frustrating thing about working with nutrition is that the human metabolism is
incredibly adaptive. Whether you base your TDEE calculation on a PAL of 1.6 or 1.7 , or whether you use a
30% or 35% deficit, you will still get results as long as you’re in the results-inducing RANGE.

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There is no right answer, only ranges of effective answers. Getting comfortable making a gut call
on your client’s body fat percentage or activity level is a part of learning to be an effective coach.

Don’t get caught up in trying to find the right number to the second decimal place. It will do you
no good when it comes to getting results. Getting a confident grip on the fundamentals, now
that’s where you start to make a real impact on clients’ lives.

Step 4: Calculate Daily Energy Requirements (TDEE)

Once we have calculated TDEE it is time to link that into your client’s goal. Now this is the IMPORTANT part
and where most personal trainers, strength coaches and nutritionists get it wrong.

Setting the correct calories for

any client goal is a simple equation:

BMR x PAL = TDEE + (Surplus) or – (Deficit) DER =

CORRECT CALORIC TARGET FOR CLIENT GOAL!

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 student notes

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 4.4: Manipulating the Energy-in side of the Energy Balance Equation

Once we know a client’s TDEE and provided their energy input is equal to their predicted TDEE, their
weight will remain the same.

How do we know this? Again, physics comes into play. You can’t get something, i.e., body tissue, out
of nothing. If the energy going in is equal to the energy coming out, then there’s nothing left over to
build new tissues and the client would weigh the same, unless they were retaining extra body fluid

But we don’t usually have clients wanting to weigh the same. They typically want some kind of
intervention to either increase, or more often, decrease weight. To do this, we need to manipulate
energy balance.

Since we’re working with nutrition and metabolism, let’s focus on manipulating the input side of the
energy balance equation. How much do we need to add to or remove from our client’s TDEE? Let’s
look at the factors to consider.

1. Client Goal

Firstly, what is the client’s goal? If the goal is fat loss, then obviously we need to reduce energy
input to create a negative energy balance. Opposingly, if the goal is to gain weight and increase lean
body mass, we need to increase energy in to put them into a positive balance and therefore create
an energy surplus. How much? Well, that depends.

How much does your client have to gain or lose? If you have an obese client needing to lose ten or
more kilos, you should have a different starting approach than a client who just wants to get rid of a
few kilos.

See the following table for an overview chart we have used since 2008 with over 250,000 personal
training sessions.

Goal Target % TDEE

Rapid Fat Loss 40%-35% deficit

Steady Fat Loss 20%-15% deficit

Body Re-composition 10%-5% deficit

Steady Weight Gain (Hypertrophy) Baseline-10% surplus

Aggressive Weight Gain (Hypertrophy) >20% surplus

Table: Client goals and target % TDEE

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1. Rapid Fat Loss

In general, if rapid fat loss is the goal, you would set a deficit of 35 to 40% of their TDEE. That is to
say, if their TDEE is 2,500 calories per day, they should be eating 1,500 to 1,625 calories.

2. Steady Fat Loss

A deficit of 15 to 20% will produce a steadier pace of fat loss.

3. Body Re-composition

If body re-composition is the goal, that is reducing fat while also increasing muscle, the target
range is a 5 to 10% deficit.

4. Steady Weight Gain

For clients looking to achieve steady weight gain, they will need to be in a surplus of 5 to 10%.

5. Aggressive Weight Gain

While clients after aggressive weight gain would be at a 20% or higher surplus.

So where on this scale should we put our client? Again, there is no right answer, only a range of
effective answers. The best way to get comfortable with the system is to practice it, so let’s do
that!

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 Case Study

Meet Kate

Kate is your new client, and she is 33 years old, 165 centimeters
tall or five foot five.

Kate would like to lose some weight.

She works a desk job and goes to the gym 3 times a week.

She weighs 75kg. Kate’s done a recent DEXA scan and is

30% body fat.

What do you do?

OK, now that you’ve had a chance to work out a way forward, let’s walk through Kate’s situation.

First, we know that Kate wants to lose weight, and the only way to do that is to have a negative
energy balance, so we need to calculate her TDEE.

We don’t know her BMR, so we use the Katch-McArdle formula to estimate it. Using her weight
and body fat we can calculate her lean mass and plug that into the formula, which gives us
1504 calories. We then need to multiply by her activity level, so we need to estimate that as
well.

Kate says she works an office job, so that means by and large she lives a fairly sedentary life,
and she goes to the gym three times a week. Since we know she is otherwise sedentary
outside of the gym, on non-training days we can set her activity level to inactive which
corresponds to 1.4 on the PAL scale. On training days, we can set it a bit higher at 1.6.
That would give us 2106 and 2406 calories per day respectively.

Now, how do we set Kate’s calorie deficit? We don’t have a timeframe and we don’t even have a
target weight so how do we decide what deficit to apply to her TDEE? Again, there is no right
answer. There’s a range of effective answers. It will vary from client to client, situation to
situation.

First and foremost, you need to understand what the goal. In an ideal world, we would ask Kate
how much weight she wants to lose and by when. If she’s keen to lose quite a bit and fast, it
would justify exploring the aggressive side of the scale, say around 30 or 35%. If she’s more
about establishing a healthy ‘set and forget’ lifestyle, it will make sense to go more moderate,
say 15 to 20%.

Another factor that plays into your decision is Kate’s previous experience with weight loss.
Has she tried before and failed to lose weight? How long did she try before she gave up on
previous attempts?

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 If on her last diet she gave up after two weeks of seeing no results, that should tell you
something about the results she expects from you. Even if Kate says she’s happy to take
things slow and steady, her behavior says she wants to see results now.

You should be exploring the aggressive end of the spectrum and tracking things carefully so
you can show meaningful progress in those first two weeks and give her the motivation she
needs to complete the rest of the program with you.

We hope that this example gives you an appreciation for the art behind manipulating
metabolism for body composition. As we progress through the various nutrition systems in
this course and how you can periodize them for long term results, you will greatly expand your
options when designing an approach for your individual client.

The key to applying them is to recognize that there is never one single right answer. Some
coaches will find this frustrating as they seek to systematize their business, but we
encourage our coaches to look at the power this gives them to respond to their client’s unique
circumstances.

When you have options, it’s easier to work around your client’s constraints and preferences,
and the better you’re able to accommodate those constraints and preferences, the better the
results will be.

4.5: Determining Macronutrient Needs

Once you have a calorie target for your client, you need to determine what macros to allocate
those calories to. Remember that energy balance, that is calories in versus calories out, will
determine whether they lose weight or not.

The macronutrients will determine how they feel along the way, and the composition of the weight
they gain or lose We have to get both right if we want a successful outcome.

When setting macros, regardless of the desired outcome, we always start with protein.

Step 1: Set Protein Target

Protein is the master macronutrient in the CHFI approach to nutrition coaching because protein
intake most directly impacts body composition outcomes, immune function, and the thermic
effect of feeding. We already know that if we don’t eat enough protein, our body will turn on
muscle tissue and rob it of amino acids to perform other critical bodily functions, so we know
having too little protein is disastrous for body composition in the extreme case.

But the flip side is true as well. Taking in ample protein not only averts the breakdown of muscle
tissue, it actually promotes Muscle Protein Synthesis or MPS. If your goal is to increase the ratio of
lean tissue to fat tissue, then you have to pay special attention to protein.

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So how much protein should your clients consume?

This depends on what we’re trying to achieve. For clients looking to gain weight,
we target 1.4 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day.

That means for a 70kg (154 pounds) client eating in a caloric surplus, we would program anywhere
between 100 (0.22 pounds) and 140 grams (0.31 pounds) of protein per day.

That’s a pretty big range! You should take advantage of this range to cater your plan to your client’s
needs. If your client’s a vegan or is not accustomed to a high protein diet, you may want to keep
them on the lower end of that range.

If they find eating protein satiating and rewarding, then to help drive compliance, you will want them
on the higher end of the range. As mentioned previously, elderly individuals who are more resistant
to muscle protein synthesis should aim for the upper range or above.

What if your client is looking to lose weight?

In this instance, we suggest between 2.3 and 3.1 grams of protein per kilogram of Lean Body Mass.

This means that same 70kg individual with 15% body fat would be eating between 136 and 184.5
grams of protein per day.

Why the difference? It all comes down to muscle protein breakdown. Putting the body in a caloric
deficit results in catabolism, that is it forces the body to start breaking down tissue. Studies have
shown that a higher protein intake is more effective for offsetting muscle loss during a caloric
deficit (34,35).

We want the body to target fat for catabolism, and the best dietary intervention we have at our
disposal to encourage that is by giving the body ample protein. With sufficient protein available
through the diet, the body will be less inclined to break down muscle and will instead focus on
breaking down fat to make up the caloric difference in energy balance. This will also help to in-
crease the thermic effect of feeding known as TEF, protein is the most thermic macronutrient (36).

We can also have our clients spread protein intake out over the day, say in 30 to 40-gram doses
every 3 to 4 hours. This not only helps a client who may have issues with hunger throughout the day
stay full, but it also flips the switch on muscle protein synthesis more often throughout the day to
ensure we create the most anabolic environment for muscle as possible (37).

One last trick we like to employ here at CHFI is to have clients consume casein protein just
before bed. This slower digesting protein has been shown to promote a more favorable
anabolic response during the night by mitigating muscle protein breakdown (38).

Once you’ve calculated protein, you need to then calculate carbs and fats. Let’s start with carbs.

Step 2: Set Carbohydrate Target

When it comes to working with ‘general population’ clients, we don’t expect to get much
information about what primary energy source is going to work best for them.

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Most of these clients aren’t as in tune with their bodies and metabolisms as more advanced fitness
enthusiasts and competitors would be, so we have to rely on rules of thumb and general trends to
get us started rather than the detailed experience of our client.

For that reason, we tend to assess carbohydrate needs for a gen pop client based on their
somatotype.

You’re probably already familiar with somatotypes, but just in case, here’s a quick refresher.

There are three general classifications of body types: ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph.
Each of these body types is defined by a particular shape…

- Ectomorphs tend to be thin and rectangular

- Mesomorphs are more triangular in shape:

broad shouldered and narrow waisted

- Endomorphs tend to be rounder

Generally speaking, the ectomorph will have a high tolerance for carbs while the endomorph will
have a low tolerance. The mesomorph will tend to be in the middle. So, when we’re allocating
carbohydrates for a general population client who doesn’t have any information about their own
tolerance to carbohydrates, we will rely on their body shape allocating roughly:

- 40 to 60% of TDEE to the ectomorph

- 30 to 40% of TDEE to the mesomorph

- 20% or less to the endomorph

good to know

Of course, somatotype is not a perfect determinant of carbohydrate

tolerance. It’s not unheard of to have thin and rectangular ectomorph who
does better on fats, or a round endomorph who does better on carbs, but
these classifications are a good starting point in the absence of more
concrete information, and as you will learn in future parts of this book,
you’ll be adjusting your macros as you go in response to biofeedback and
body composition outcomes.

We are well aware that in recent years the use of somatotypes as a basis for making dietary
recommendations has come under heavy criticism from some in the evidence-based community,
with many authorities claiming it has no scientific backing.

However, there is plenty of evidence looking at metabolic efficiency which suggests that certain
individuals are more predisposed to being a particular body type, and that they may be more suited
to certain dietary strategies.

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For example, inefficient metabolic types, often referred to as spendthrift phenotypes in the
literature, have been shown to resist weight gain in response to overfeeding, while efficient or
thrifty metabolic types, have been shown to be much more susceptible to weight gain (39,40).
This appears to be related to a heightened compensatory NEAT response in those individuals that
resist weight gain.

In addition, there is other research which showing that some individuals have a higher expression
of mRNA and proteins involved in energy expenditure and lower expression of mRNA and proteins
involved in energy conservation. This was associated with higher muscle heat dissipation during
activity and increased sympathetic drive to the muscle (41).

That means, not only do some individuals have higher baseline NEAT levels, but they also have
decreased fuel economy of activity, meaning that they burn more energy for the same amount of
activity compared with their obesity prone counterparts.

These differences in metabolic efficiency appear to be related to mitochondrial coupling efficiency,

which refers to the efficiency with which dietary calories are converted to ATP (42,43).

Studies have shown that diet sensitive individuals, meaning those that lose more weight during
dietary interventions, have less tightly coupled mitochondrial, more type 1 oxidative muscle fibers,
greater oxidative capacity than diet resistant individuals (42). The gut microbiota is another factor
which seems to affect susceptibility to weight gain (44).

As you are beginning to see now, if we look at metabolic efficiency on a spectrum, a pure ectomorph
will fall on the inefficient end of the spectrum, whereas a pure endomorph would fall on the efficient
end of the spectrum. Most people, about 70% of the population would fall somewhere in the middle
of the spectrum.

That’s not to say an ectomorph can’t gain weight and become an endomorph, but it would be much
harder for them since they are less genetically predisposed to do so. Ectomorphs generally tend
to have a poor appetite anyway because they have higher baseline sympathetic nervous system
activity, so they usually tend to undereat to begin with.

Likewise, it is possible for an endomorph to get lean, but they are going to have a harder time doing
so because of their efficient metabolism. Endomorphs also generally do poorly on higher c
arbohydrates because they carry more body fat, which has been linked to increased insulin
resistance (45).

Several studies have shown that overweight or insulin resistant individuals do better on a lower
carbohydrate diet both in terms of body composition and hunger management (19,20,21,46).

We discuss metabolic efficiency in a lot more detail in the Performance Nutrition Coach
Level 2 Certification, which you can purchase via the link below!

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Step 3: Set Fats Target

As carbohydrates are not essential to survival like protein and fats are, we generally takes a ‘fats
first’ approach, where we set proteins as discussed above, then allocate a minimum of 0.8g of fats
per kilo of body weight to healthy fats, before setting the remaining number of calories to carbs.

The 0.8g of fats target comes from studies that have shown that when dietary fat is reduced below
20% of maintenance calories, it leads to a decrease in androgen levels (47). When you take 20% of
maintenance calories that roughly equates to 0.8g per kg.

Carbs are not essential to life, although they are very useful and beneficial to body composition
outcomes when derived from healthy sources and used intelligently in the diet especially when it
comes to hypertrophy or strength training.

Where we can get into trouble is with clients on aggressive calorie deficits. If we determine a client
should be on 1,500 calories, for example, we may simply run out of room for essential healthy fats.
Let’s walk through an example.

Case Study

John

John’s 27 years old and getting married to his high school

sweetheart in 10 weeks

He was pretty active as a kid playing multiple sports, but his

career in IT has gotten the best of him, and he has put on a
substantial amount of weight

You do an initial consultation and measure him at 1.6 meters tall,

100kg in total body weight and 35% body fat

John wants his wedding to be a new beginning for him and his
partner, so he wants to lose as much weight as possible

He’s tried in the past, but he recognizes he needs to see quick

results to stay motivated. He’s assured you he’s ready to put in
100% to get in the best shape he can in the next 10 weeks.

What’s the plan for John?

Step 1: Calculate BMR. At 100kg and 35% body fat, John only has 65kg of lean body mass.
We plug this into the Katch-McArdle formula and work out his BMR to be 1,774 calories.
(21.6 x 65) + 370 = 1,774 calories BMR.

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 Step 2: Calculate PAL. We know that John works in IT, so he probably spends the vast
majority of his day sitting at a computer. That means we would expect his physical activity
level to be pretty low.

Remember that when you’re working with ranges, you need to use the data you have to
flexibly apply the rules to the reality you’re faced with when working with clients.

We know that John’s all in on maximum fat loss for the next 10 weeks, so let’s err on the
side of underestimating his TDEE. We pick 1.4 for his PAL, basically a fully sedentary life.

Step 3: Calculate TDEE. We multiply his BMR times this PAL to get a TDEE of 2,128.
1,774 x 1.4 = 2483 calories TDEE

Step 4: Calculate DER. John has been honest with us and shared his past experience with
weight loss. He knows that in order to stick with something, he needs to see immediate
results, so we need to be aggressive on his caloric deficit to build as much initial
momentum as possible.

We can’t gradually work our way into a deficit. We need to come out guns blazing. We’ll be
learning how to periodize our approach over the full 10 weeks, but for our purposes here,
let’s set him at an initial deficit of 40%.

That leaves us just shy of 1500 calories per day.

Before we go on, you may be thinking to yourself that 1500 calories a day for a 100kg man
is way too little but bear with us here.

John has a lot of stored energy in the form of 35kg of body fat, and he’s bringing a fixed
deadline and a ton of motivation to the table. We need to take advantage of all of these
factors to get him the best result we can, and we know that as long as we are smart about
programming his macros and food choices, we will not negatively impact his health.

In fact, restricting calories in this way will probably do John’s body a lot of good in terms of
hormone function and gut health. Plus, such an aggressive deficit will produce rapid initial
results, and that’s what we need to keep John’s head in the game.

So, let’s now do John’s macros…

• We’ve got John in a deficit, so we need to increase his protein. Our guidelines are 2.3 to
3.1g per kg of lean body mass per day, so for John, that’s 149.5 to 201.5 grams of protein,
or 598 to 806 calories in protein alone!

• Generally, as a rule, when the goal is fat loss we stick to the higher end range of protein,
both for satiety and to increase the thermic effect of feeding, and when hypertrophy is
the goal, we stick closer to 2g as studies suggest there is no change in muscle protein
synthesis (MPS) between 2 and 3g protein per kilo of LBM. Next, we need to plan John’s
healthy fats to support hormonal health and cell function.

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 • Our prescription, in this case, is to reserve at least 20 to 30% of calories for fats. Initially
a lower carb diet has been shown to benefit compliance and satiety for greater fat loss.
For John, that’s 300 to 450 calories, or roughly 35 to 50 grams of fat per day.

• Although this is below the 0.8g per kg target, which is not optimal for hormonal levels, we
want to ensure John achieves his goal of losing as much weight as possible between now
and his wedding, and we also want to look after his gut health.

• That means we need to reserve enough carbs for him to get adequate micronutrients &
fiber into his diet. If we go toward the higher end of his protein requirement, so 3.1 grams
per kilogram of lean body mass, roughly 201.5 grams or 806 calories worth per day, and we
add 315 calories in the form of 35 grams of healthy fats, we’re left with 1,300 minus 806
minus 315 (1,121 total calories from protein & fats): roughly 179 calories, or 44.75 grams
of carbs per day.

• These will ideally come from fiber sources to ensure we are compliant to our 12-14g fiber
per 1000 calorie rule for digestive health (48). Think green leafy vegetables.

That leaves John’s initial macros at:

- 201.5 grams of protein

- 35 grams of fat

- 44.75 grams of carbs (inclusive of fiber)

As you can see, we ended up with only 12% of our calories coming from carbs taking the
‘fats first’ approach to allocating macronutrients for John, but we needed to do this to
ensure we get enough of the essential protein and fat that John needs for proper health.

When it comes to choosing where those fats should come from, we want them to be
healthy fats, not just fat for fat’s sake. That means we want a balance of fats. If your
client needs guidance on this, you’re best off advising they split their fat allocation equally
between monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated fats. Ideally with a bigger focus
on the monounsaturated fats (49).

In John’s case, that means about 11-12 grams of each per day. Trans fats, for reasons
we’ve already discussed, should be avoided altogether. When it comes to a prescription for
our polyunsaturated fats, we want as close to a 1-to-1 ratio between omega-6 and
omega-3 fatty acids, but if we can’t get it that balanced, we prefer it go no higher than
4 grams of omega-6 per 1 gram of omega-3, all while staying within the overall fat target.
Omega 3 will help to lower inflammation.

Our current lifestyle and food availability generally has us searching for Omega 3’s rather
than Omega 6’s as generally most foods contain Omega 6 especially if packaged as they
sustain shelf life at a cheaper price than omega 3’s. This is another reason we avoid a large
percentage of our diet coming from packaged foods.

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 It should go without saying here that we do not, by default, program in alcohol even though it is
a macronutrient. As we’ve already discussed, alcohol is neither essential nor beneficial to
the body, so it’s really counterproductive to our body composition objectives. This is
especially the case for a client like John.

Of course, we all live in the real world, and the real world is full of temptations and social
pressures. If your client is going to drink, there’s no point in being willfully ignorant to this
fact. Have an open and honest conversation with your client. How much do they drink? How
important is it to them? If they’re proposing to change their alcohol habits, have they
successfully done that in the past, and if so, what did it take?

Where alcohol is a necessity for your client, your best approach is to swap out a combination
of fats and carbs in order for John to still reach is fiber goals. Remember that a gram of alcohol
is near twice the caloric load as a gram of carbs, so you need to be mindful to trade alcohol
for carbs on a calorie-for-calorie basis, not on a gram-for-gram basis.

If you have a client like John, it’s your job to be real with him.

Let him know that losing ‘as much weight as possible’ in ten weeks and regularly consuming
alcohol aren’t compatible goals, so he needs to choose which is more important to him.

It may come across as harsh in the beginning, but setting realistic expectations is the
fundamental to SMART goal setting, and you’re better off dealing with these unreasonable
expectations at the beginning of your relationship than at the end when the results don’t come,
and your client is contemplating whether they’ve made a mistake hiring you in the first instance.

Remember, you have a tremendous amount of power in setting macronutrients. When it comes to
nutrition, everything is on a spectrum. Leverage the ranges available to you to maximize the
enjoyment of your program for your client, and by extension, the chances of their successfully
reaching their desired outcome. The macro split you chose for your client will have the power to
make or break success, so it is your duty as a coach to use that power responsibly and in the
service of your clients’ goals.

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 student Exercise!

student exercise!

Take one of your current clients (or yourself) and do the exact same
case study we just did with John. You can take notes in the notes
section so that you get a better understanding of this process
through practical application.

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 4.6: A Note on Hydration

We don’t often think about water and hydration when it comes to nutrition, but the bottom line is
that water is as essential, if not more essential than any other nutrient we take into the body.
You can last a month or more without food, but you’d be lucky to make it to a week without water.

Up to 60% of the adult body is made up of water, with about two-thirds of that water sitting inside
the cells in our body. The other third makes up the various fluids that move energy, nutrients and
waste products around the body: plasma and interstitial fluids primarily. Even your bones contain a
small amount of water.

Being so essential to life and health, it would be remiss of us not to give guidance to our nutrition
coaching clients on water intake.

Basic requirements are as follows…

- For a sedentary adult male are 2.9 liters per day

- For a sedentary female, 2.2 liters per day

- In addition to that, your clients should consume between 200 to 300 milliliters
every 10-20 minutes before and during exercise* (29)

*The amount depends heavily on how strenuous the activity is, prevailing conditions and the
needs of the individual client. In general, if your client is thirsty, they should consume water
to alleviate that thirst.

As a guide, every calorie we consume requires 1ml of water not including the fluids we use during
exercise or the fact we can lose up to a liter of water during our sleep (28).

How do you know if you’re client’s getting enough water? A good rule of thumb is to keep an eye on
the color of the urine. Now, we’re not suggesting you check your client’s urine yourself!

Instead, just advise them that the more color they see in their urine, the more water they should
consume. Ideally, their urine would be clear or near clear. Dark yellow and they are almost certainly
dehydrated and in need of more water.

When it comes to water sources, not all water is created equally! Ideally, your clients would be
consuming the vast majority of their water from non-caffeinated, non-alcoholic beverages, or
getting it through their food.

Both caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, which means they trigger the body to expel water through
the urine. This leads to a dehydrating effect on the body and is not ideal when we’re trying to
optimize health.

One final word about water: It’s a great tool to displace common sources of hidden calories. This is
especially useful for clients who aren’t big fans of tracking their calories. If you give your clients a
simple rule like ‘you can only drink water’ or ‘you can only drink water and one standard drink per day’,
you effectively knock out the potentially hundreds of calories hiding in their colas, juices, coffees
and shakes.

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 Giving your client something as simple as a
water prescription can do wonders for enhancing their health,
so don’t forget to set a target for your client when you
set their overall nutrition targets.

4.6: A Note on Hydration

Recall from your learnings on the hierarchy of potential interventions that meal timing is a relatively
low priority, but that doesn’t make it unimportant in our consideration of metabolism and how to get
the best results out of our clients.

Meal timing is a great tool we can use to help facilitate body composition outcomes and
compliance, so it’s worth spending a few moments reviewing our options.

Schools of thought on meal frequency run the gamut, but they largely fall into two camps.
The first promotes frequent eating throughout the day. They cite the numerous advantages to this
approach. Emotionally, getting to eat every two to three hours means the weight of feeling hungry
never really materializes.

For those that like to graze, this can be a great approach, especially when on a lower calorie diet.
More frequent eating also has the benefit of allowing more pulses of protein, thereby giving the
body more triggers for muscle protein synthesis. In theory, the more we can pulse this signal, the
better our anabolic response to training should be.

There is some evidence to suggest that consuming sufficient protein every three hours promotes a
greater anabolic response throughout the day versus consuming the same amount of protein over
fewer meals. Since MPS remains elevated for about three hours, there is no additional benefit to
consuming more frequent meals (37).

The other end of the spectrum argues for time-restricted eating. Various forms of intermittent
fasting have different feeding windows, but all have fasting periods of at least 16 hours.

This approach has quite a bit going for it as well. Restricting feeding to only a limited window during
the day makes it easier for some clients to live in a caloric deficit. They simply forego the possibility
of eating outside of the feeding window.

By restricting eating to no more than 8 hours a day, they only have a limited time to consume their
target calories, leading to a great sense of satiety. There is also good research suggesting a
number of health benefits to time restricted and fasted approaches to dieting.

These range from reduced inflammation to improved heart and gut health. In saying this,
most of the benefits of intermittent fasting may be directly related to caloric restriction.

No data exists to date to suggest that intermittent fasting is superior to continuous caloric
restriction when equated for calories. It is also important to note that females are more sensitive
to cortisol than males and generally don’t do as well as men during time-restricted eating or
intermittent fasting.

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Lastly, with time restricted feeding the anabolic window might just be too short to promote
maximum anabolism throughout the day, which also needs to be factored in if hypertrophy is the
main goal. The reason for that is because there is a cap on how much MPS you can stimulate in a
given sitting, and if you miss a window to stimulate MPS you can’t make up for it by consuming more
protein in another meal (18).

So, you may be thinking to yourself, ‘which one is better?’ Great question. Here’s a hint: the answer
starts with D.

That’s right. It depends!

Both approaches have their benefits, but it ultimately comes down to a client’s goals and personal
preference as to which benefits will be worth the costs. If your client feels good using a time
restricted approach, you’re almost certainly better off using a time restricted approach with them.

We generally recommend experimenting on yourself first to understand how the

different approaches feel before choosing which is best for your client.

Likewise, for clients who prefer greater meal frequency. It’s your job as a coach not to change what
your client prefers but rather to understand what works for them and to incorporate that knowledge
into a plan that gets them the best results with the least effort.

That means taking the time to understand what works for them and applying that creatively into
your plan or compromising the best plan you can offer with what they are prepared to do.

As you develop your nutrition coaching business, you may find yourself working with more
specialized populations. Athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and competitors are a bit different to the
general population both in terms of their goals and what they’re willing to sacrifice to get there.

If you’re working with a client who wants to get on stage for a bodybuilding comp, they’re probably
going to want to be in as anabolic a state as possible. That means you should be taking a more
frequent meal approach with them. It all comes down to balancing the goals of the client.

Regardless of whether your client is a professional athlete or a member of the general population,
it’s your job as a coach to get them to their goal. Use meal timing to that effect, and you’ll maximize
the results you get for your clients.

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 TIME TO TAKE YOUR MODULE 4 EXAM ONLINE!

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 student notes

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 8. Module 5: Understanding Popular
Nutrition Systems (CHPNC15)

5.1: What You’ll Learn in This Module

So far in this course, you’ve built your understanding of the obesity epidemic that is facing so many
of our prospective clients and you’ve learned the art of coaching them back to health.

Your prescription thus far has been in manipulating energy balance, the fundamental tool at your
disposal when it comes to managing body weight. You’ve learnt what each of the macronutrients
does and how to determine amounts for each as your client’s progress through their journey. It’s
now time to turn our attention to what to do after that initial phase.

The human body is an amazingly adaptive and dynamic system. Almost nothing about the human
body stays static for very long. Put your client in a caloric deficit, and while they’ll lose weight
initially, their progress will inevitably stall. After all, no one can stay in a caloric deficit forever.

The body will simply run out of fuel for life. Evolution has made the human body such that in the
face of declining energy input, it will do everything in its power to make do until more energy is
available. Thyroid function downregulates. NEAT declines. Energy for training dissipates.

Before you know it, what was once a caloric deficit is now our new baseline! As our client gets leaner
and leaner, these adaptations come faster and faster, so we need a dynamic approach to setting
caloric deficits to ensure we get the medium- and long-term success we’re after, not just a
short-term reduction in body fat.

In this module, we cover those strategies. We’ll teach you both the micro- and
macro-cycles we employ in our approach to periodization at CHFI.

You’ll learn the relative advantages and disadvantages of each and for which clients it makes the
most sense to employ them. You’ll also learn how to arrange macronutrients within these
micro- and macro-cycles to support health and body composition outcomes.

In short, what you’ll learn over the course of this module is how to put the building blocks you’ve
learned in the previous modules into the service of your client’s long-term goals.

So, grab a pen and some paper and let’s start building nutrition plans that get results!

5.2: Nutritional Systems, Microcycles and Macrocycles

Our first stop in this module will be a quick rundown of some vocabulary used in this module.
Three concepts, in particular, are important to understand.

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1. Nutrition Systems

You already know about setting a calorie target. This is the most fundamental part of a long-term
nutrition plan. But how do you allocate those calories once you’ve calculated the correct amount?
That’s where nutrition systems come into play.

Nutrition systems are simply a way of describing the macronutrient breakdown of calories per meal.
A nutrition system can define both the ratio of macronutrients to each other, that is what
percentage of carbs, fats and proteins should be included in each meal, as well as when those
macros should be consumed, for example, all day, around the workout period, or before bed.

You can think of the nutrition system as the smallest unit of a diet. It defines what we do for each
day and or the make-up and timing of the individual meals.

2. Microcycles

Next, we have microcycles, which define how we arrange calorie targets and the nutritional systems
that implement those targets over the course of several days up to two weeks.

For example, we may vary the total number of calories on a day-by-day basis in short 3 or 4-day
microcycles, with each day having a specific target number of calories and nutritional system
defining how to allocate macronutrients across those calories.

3. Macrocycles

Simply put, a macrocycle defines how we arrange the microcycles into weeks and months.

Each level of this programming hierarchy introduces a degree of complexity when it comes to
building advanced nutrition programs that get optimal results for clients. The levels include:

- Setting a calorie target

- Allocating nutrients to the calorie target with a nutrition system

- Varying the calories and nutrition system over several days within a microcycle

- Arranging the microcycles into weeks or months within a macrocycle.

There is a huge advantage here, though. By taking this approach, you can also be very adaptive,
something that a cookie-cutter plan cannot do. By understanding how your client’s going on a day to
day and week to week basis, you can vary the plan to getting them closer to their desired outcome.

The more you understand how to program at each level of this hierarchy, the easier it will be for you
to quickly alter course before things get off the rails.

So, with our roadmap set, let’s explore each level of the hierarchy and learn what our options are.
We’ll start with the nutrition systems.

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 good to know

There are eight nutrition systems we review in this course, namely:

- Keto

- Very Low Carb

- Low Carb

- Moderate Carb

- High Carb

- Carb Backloading

- Low Carb Backloading

- Isocaloric

Now let’s explore each in turn so that you are armed with more tools as an industry leading coach!

5.3: The Ketogenic Diet

If there was one nutrition system that gets the most attention in modern nutrition
conversations, it would be the ketogenic diet, or keto for short. Of all the nutrition
systems in common use today, it is the most divergent from the ‘balanced diet’
you’re taught we should all be eating as a kid.

Things that go against popular wisdom tend to get headlines, especially when they
actually work, so it’s understandable that keto would get so much attention.

The reality is that keto is just a tool. It is one of a number of systems that can help
our clients get to their goals. It is fantastic for some clients seeking some outcomes,
and horrendous for others. The key is to know when to use it to get its maximum
benefit.

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 The ketogenic diet is defined as a high fat,
moderate protein and very low carbohydrate diet.

Simply put Keto can be categorized as the following:

- Carbs are 50 grams or less

- Protein set at roughly 1.8-2 grams per kilogram of lean body mass.

Contrary to the beliefs of many, keto is not an ‘as much fat and protein as you can eat’ diet.

Keto derives its name from the metabolic state it is aimed to achieve in the body: ketosis.
Ketosis is a state where the body is no longer fueled primarily by glucose but rather by ketones
which are produced in the liver from stored fat in the body.

As long as blood sugar stays low, the liver will continue to convert body fat to ketones, and the
metabolism will stay in ketosis. Add even a little bit of sugar, though, and the liver will get the signal
that carbs are back and will instead switch over to the glucose/insulin pathway to get energy into
the body.

It is this ease with which the body flips from ketosis back to running on glucose that makes this
diet not an ‘as much fat and protein as you can eat’ diet. As it turns out, the body is so adaptable it
can turn one macro into another. In this case, we have to look out for a process called
gluconeogenesis.

Break this word down, and you’ll quickly understand the problem. ‘gluco’, means ‘glucose’, ‘neo’
means ‘new’ and genesis means ‘create’. Gluconeogenesis is the body’s adaptive response to too
much protein. It will turn the excess protein into glucose, and this glucose is enough to start
triggering insulin release from the liver, thereby shutting down ketosis.

Keto has a number of benefits that have driven its popularity of late. First and foremost, running
the body at a deficit fueled by fat and ketones seems to be more muscle sparring than running the
same deficit powering the body with glucose (50).

While the body is in ketosis, there is momentum behind using fats for fuel, so when the energy
intake falls below TDEE, the body is already primed to make up the difference through mobilizing and
oxidizing body fat rather than lean tissue. Such is not the case when the body is fueled by glucose.

Fats being a slower energy source than carbohydrates, keto works well various fasting approaches.
When well-adapted to running on fats, the body is able to produce ample energy even when food
intake is low. This means our clients are less likely to get super hungry during the fasting portion of
their cycle, so we get better compliance.

Another big benefit of ketosis is just how measurable and quantifiable it is.

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 There are numerous over-the-counter tools available to measure the level of ketones in the blood,
making it very easy for your client to track whether they’re in ketosis from day to day. This ease of
tracking and the habit of staying on top of your blood ketones can be very motivating for goal or
data-driven clients.

However, where a lot of people go wrong when following Keto diet is not monitoring calories once
they have effectively established ketosis. You can be in Ketosis and still gain body fat if you are not
in a deficit. While your body is more effective at burning fat while in ketosis, it is also more effective
at storing it. Energy balance is still king and must be adhered to!

Of course, with every approach, there are downsides as well. For clients who already have slow
energy oxidation rate, taking away all fast sources of energy, i.e., carbs, can leave them feeling
sluggish and unmotivated to train.

While keto is muscle-sparing in a deficit, this isn’t a useful benefit if there’s no energy left to train.
Without the training signal, the body loses its incentive to keep muscle around, so the
muscle-sparing effects of keto get overridden for these clients.

Some clients may develop micronutrient deficiencies while on keto. While carbohydrates are not
essential, many of the nutrients found in higher carb fruits and vegetables are. Taking these out of
the diet in pursuit of ketosis may necessitate supplementation beyond what a person who has a
more balanced diet would need.

Although the popularity of keto has dramatically increased the options available to clients looking
to live a normal social life while following a nutrition plan, it’s still significantly harder to find
keto-friendly options in restaurants and cafes, and even sometimes in the grocery store when our
clients are after a quick fix.

Plus, even options that are ostensibly keto-friendly often contain or are accompanied by hidden
carbs. Making careful diet choices and being well informed about what’s actually in many
commercially produced foods is essential to success on keto.

One final issue with keto is that for many clients, the transition from burning glucose to burning
ketones can be fairly uncomfortable. Symptoms range from general brain fog and difficulty
concentrating to feeling full-on flu-like symptoms. Some manage to avoid symptoms altogether.

Each person is different, and you’ll need to experiment with your client to learn what their
experience will be when transitioning to keto.

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 good to know

There are three things you can do to help accelerate the transition:

- First, ketosis only starts once glycogen has been depleted from the
liver and muscles, so strenuous physical activity in the absence of
carbs is a good way to help burn all of this off and get a jump start on
the process.

- Second, you can start ketosis faster by being more aggressive in

limiting carbs. Bringing carbohydrates down to 40, 30 or even 25
grams per day at the very beginning of the transition maximizes the
glycogen-depleting effects of training by preventing the body from
producing more from the diet.

- Finally, you can add exogenous ketones to help prepare the body’s
tissues to start running on the ketones that will eventually be
generated by the liver. This gives the brain and muscles a head start
on their cutover process, even before the liver is ready to produce
ketones on its own.

As we will see later in this module, sometimes you will want to pair keto with other nutritional
systems as part of a microcycle. This is completely achievable, but not for someone who struggles
to get into ketosis.

You can try to ketosis-accelerating strategies we’ve just outlined, and if they aren’t effective, you
will probably want to avoid micro cycling with ketosis.

Due to its muscle-sparing benefits, keto is a great option for those who are already fairly lean but
looking to get leaner without sacrificing lean body mass. Because it pairs nicely with fasting
approaches, it can also be very useful for higher body fat clients who have a lot of weight to lose,
especially if they are fast oxidizers who can sustain their energy levels and train effectively on fats
versus carbs. It’s not for everyone, though.

For those who struggle too much during the transition period, who don’t train well on fats, or who
for whatever reason need the flexibility to consume carbs in their diet, keto is not a great choice.

Luckily, we have a number of nutrition systems to choose from, so even if keto isn’t good for your
client, there are certainly other options that are.

One very big warning is that clients who have had their Gallbladder removed cannot create ample
bile to emulsify and metabolize fat and therefore should stick clear of Keto or consider
supplementing with something such as Ox Bile.

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 CLIENT CASE STUDY

Client: Navid

Goal: Reduce body fat whilst

maintain strength

Period: 6 weeks

Overview:

Here, our client Navid used a keto diet to help him drop those last few pounds of stubborn body
fat. Navid had found previously that when he started nearing single digit body fat his body would
become very resistant to further fat loss unless we significantly reduced his calories, which lead
to significant muscle and strength loss.

We found that with the keto diet we were able to offset the muscle loss he was experiencing on
before
an isocaloric non ketogenic low carb diet or an isocaloric low fat diet. This is where shifting the
body to using primarily fat for fuel, we can offset some or all of the muscle loss typically
associated with very low-calorie diets in leaner individuals.

before after

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 5.4: The Very Low Carb Diet

As the name implies the very low carb diet does allow for some carbohydrates, just not very many.
This is based around carbohydrates that are typically of the lower GI starchy type. These have a
much lower insulin response due to their slower conversion to blood glucose.

This has the dual benefit of stabilizing blood sugar levels, and hence energy throughout the day as
well as allowing those who have become insulin resistant due to poor diet and lifestyle, to
re-sensitize to the insulin signal.

Whereas with keto, we kept protein intake moderate, we set protein on the very
low carb diet to be fairly high at 3 to 3.4 grams per kilogram of lean body mass.

We do this for a couple of reasons…

- First, we want to create an environment that is conducive to muscle anabolism.

This is the case regardless of whether we’re trying to lose or gain weight.
In the case of weight loss, we want to preserve lean muscle while reducing body
fat. When in a surplus, we want to selectively partition nutrients to muscle
rather than fat. In both cases, ensuring protein is high plays an important role in
signaling muscle protein synthesis.

- Second, we don’t have the muscle-sparing effects of ketosis working for us

anymore. Since we are running the body off glucose, we need to leverage other
mechanisms to protect muscle should we go in a deficit.

- Third, we want to take protein higher because it is satiating, especially when in

a deficit. Since we’re not relying on ketosis on this nutrition system, we don’t
have to worry about gluconeogenesis and can afford to over consume proteins.

A common implementation of the very low carb diet is the ‘diet boot camp’.

This is a common meal plan designed as a first wave intervention for those suffering from
metabolic syndrome. For those who are significantly overweight from excessive body fat, a fairly
predictable set of symptoms start to arise…

- First, they tend to be insulin resistant due to having excess body fat (45).

- Second, although their satiety-signaling leptin tends to be high due to excessive

body fat, they have become insensitive to it due to over signaling, so they
struggle with satiety and managing their intake (51).

- Third, they often have micronutrient deficiencies due to inadequate dietary

intake of healthy fruits and vegetables. All three of these symptoms are directly
addressed by the diet boot camp. The structure is fairly simple.

Protein is set as per the 3 to 3.4 grams per kilogram of lean body mass
we’ve already discussed.

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Each meal consumed while on the diet boot camp has a good-sized portion of lean protein to help
with satiety. Then, we add lots of veggies, especially the leafy green variety.

Finally, we add an adequate amount of healthy fats. For someone suffering the consequences of
excess body fat, this is a diet where you almost can’t have too much. The health benefits received
from overeating protein and micronutrient-dense vegetables easily outweighs the slight elevation
in calories.

That is, if they’re able to overeat on this diet in the first instance! Most clients in this situation will
struggle to get enough protein and veggies in to overeat. Where before they struggled to feel
satisfied on nutritionally sparse food, the high fiber and protein of the diet boot camp quickly bulk
up the diet.

Plus, the added micronutrients help with everything from hormone & energy production to mood, so
they start to feel better as well.

For all these reasons, the very low carb diet is ideal for clients suffering from metabolic
syndrome, are high body fat, or who struggle with tracking, the simple ‘lean protein plus
heaps of veggies plus healthy fats’ approach of this plan makes it extremely easy to follow,
and the benefits gained from bringing fiber and micronutrient intake up to healthy levels will
leave your clients feeling better than they have in years.

On this plan we also allow one serving of low glycemic fruit, typically with the post workout shake,
and one serving of low to moderate GI starchy carbohydrates with the post workout meal.

The fruit provides fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, while the starchy carbohydrates
provides resistant starch, all of which improve health, digestion, and satiety.

Generally, clients with metabolic syndrome will need to stay on this type of plan for three to six
months before increasing their carbohydrate intake. Studies show that in the first three to six
months low carbohydrate diets lead to greater improvements in four out of five markers of
metabolic syndrome (52).

This is shown in the graph below adapted from Foster et al (52).

weight insulin tag HDL DBP
30

* *
20

10
% Change

-10
*
-20
*
-30
*
-40
low cho 6 mo Low cho 12 mo
high cho 6 mo high cho 12 mo

Figure: Percentage Change in Metabolic Syndrome Markers on Different CHO Diets

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The main benefit of this nutrition system over the keto diet, outside of having a better
micronutrient profile, is that is it more socially flexible. At this point there is not enough evidence
to conclude if a very low carbohydrate, high protein diet has the same anti-catabolic effects as a
ketogenic diet.

For more overweight clients this is probably not much of an issue since body fat is anti-catabolic in
lean muscle tissue. Therefore, a very low carb diet is probably a better suited option since it is less
restrictive.

Leaner individuals however may run into problems with overreliance on gluconeogenesis and may
end up sacrificing lean muscle. As such a ketogenic diet may be a better option for them.

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 CLIENT CASE STUDY

Client: Morgan

Goal: Body Recomposition

Period: 8 weeks

Overview:

Here, our client Morgan used the very low carb diet, she transitioned from an isocaloric diet into a
very low carb approach leading into her competition. Morgan is an efficient metabolic type, this
means that she can preserve calories well, effectively storing them for fuel.

This has its benefits but slows the rate of body fat loss and requires a more aggressive approach.
When in a bigger calorie deficit, the preservation of lean tissue is essential along with a healthy
hormonal profile. This why when removing calories from Morgan’s diet, they came out of total
carbohydrate intake.

before after

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 5.5: The Low Carb Diet

As you might have guessed, the low carb diet is similar to the very low carb diet, only we allow
slightly more carbs.

In both diets, we want to protect muscle, so we have the same high protein
target of 3 to 3.4 grams per kilogram of lean body mass.

The key difference comes in the carb amount. Whereas with the very low carb diet, we add only a
small amount of starchy carbs and fruit into the diet, on the low carb diet, we allow some higher GI
carbs, but we limit their consumption to the period just after training or in the evening. Night-time
carbs help us fall asleep by lowering cortisol and increasing serotonin, which converts to our sleep
hormone melatonin.

Why limit these carbs to the post-training window?

It all comes down to insulin and cortisol management. Recall that the higher the glycemic index of
a carbohydrate, the more it will spike blood sugar levels. This signals the release of insulin, which
causes the body’s tissues to take the glucose out of the blood and either use it or store it.

We typically employ low carb approaches for those who either don’t do well on carbs or have excess
body fat and their tissues no longer respond to the insulin signal. Whichever the case, we want to
make sure any carbs that are introduced into the body are used as effectively as possible.

Because insulin sensitivity is higher following a workout, this is the best time to introduce carbs
into the system for insulin resistant clients. Even though the increased insulin sensitivity will
persist for hours following a workout, until glycogen levels are replenished, the benefit of taking in
the carbs immediately after the workout is to suppress cortisol (53).

By suppressing cortisol as rapidly as possible post workout, we are to get the client out of a
catabolic state, which will help them recover faster. This is especially true for clients that train hard
and secrete a lot of cortisol. For the average Joe or Jane, it may not make that much of a difference.

Carbs in this approach should make up around 20% of total calories. What remains in the caloric
budget should be allocated to healthy fats.

‘What’s the point of adding carbs?’ you may be thinking. While the difference between very low carb
and low carb looks subtle on paper, that difference is pretty substantial when applied in the field.
Let’s explore the ways in which these two diets differ from your client’s perspective.

First, some clients simply need more carbs to train effectively. Remember, we can induce weight
loss on any macro split as long as we get calories in versus calories out correct, but our macro split
has everything to do with how the client will feel while on that calorie deficit, and some clients just
won’t do well on very low carb plans.

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You’ll know this is the case for your client when they tell you they can’t complete their workouts or
that their energy crashes in the middle of the day. There’s no point keeping these kinds of clients
away from carbs. We want them to have the energy they need to train effectively to preserve lean
tissue and increase energy expenditure.

Second, for some clients, managing stress while on very low carbohydrates can be a challenge.
Carbs help trigger the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps calm and relax the
nervous system (54).

For people who deal with constantly high stress, and for whom serotonin production is an issue,
adding even a small number of carbs can help them manage their stress better. This is especially
true post workout when cortisol levels are elevated.

Third, some clients have very strong emotional connections with certain kinds of foods.
For example, someone who can’t imagine life without fruit will struggle on a very low carb plan
where they can only consume fibrous or starchy carbs.

For these clients, targeting their love of fruit, especially high glycemic fruit like bananas, to the
training window lets them satisfy their cravings and puts the resulting carbs to their most effective
use.

You can get a lot of mileage out of this system with a wide variety of clients. It can serve in
conjunction with a micro- or macro-cycle in your broader program, and it works especially well for
fast oxidizers who do poorly on a lot of carbs.

Don’t underestimate the psychological benefits, though. If you have a client who simply doesn’t do
well on carbs, but would otherwise benefit from restricting their carbohydrate intake, then this is a
great system to use with them.

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 CLIENT CASE STUDY

Client: Dimitri

Goal: Reduce body fat

Period: 12 weeks

Overview:

Here, our client Dimitri used the low carb diet for the first 12 weeks of his transformation, losing
12kgs on 130g of carbohydrates per day. Dimitri has dieted before, so he knew that he preferred
to eat a low carb diet to ensure compliance was consistent throughout the whole transformation.

As you can see Dimitri carries a large portion of body fat in the central part of his body which can
correlate to having impaired insulin function.

before after

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 student notes

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 5.6: The Moderate Carb Diet

On the moderate carb system, we bring carbs up yet again, this time to somewhere between
30 and 40 percent of total calories.

We stick to primarily fibrous & starchy carb sources and continue to focus on higher GI carbs
around the training window either during or after training.

To make room for the additional carbs, we need to reduce the protein target, so rather than
the higher 3 to 3.4 grams per kilogram of lean body mass we saw with the low carb variations,
we target between 2.6 and 3 grams per kilogram of lean body mass when on the moderate
carb system. Fats, as usual, make up the difference.

A moderate carb approach having both ample carbohydrates and proteins is ideal for clients looking
to engage in a recomp phase, that is when they’re looking to simultaneously increase lean body
mass and reducing body fat. Typically, a client’s ability to recomp is directly related to their training
age.

The lower the training age, the easier it is for them to achieve both muscle hypertrophy and fat loss
at the same time. That makes this system ideal for clients who don’t have many years of training
under their belt, are keen to gain a bit of muscle and are tolerant of carbohydrates.

Another name for this nutrition system is the ‘Targeted Carb Diet’, because the majority of
carbohydrates are consumed around the workout window.

Typically, low to moderate GI carbs are consumed pre-training to promote stable blood sugars and
improve performance, high GI carbs are consumed during or immediately post training to suppress
cortisol and mitigate muscle protein breakdown and moderate GI carbs are consumed several hours
after training to top up glycogen stores.

Typically, about 3g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight is required to replenish glycogen stores
after a high-volume workout (55).

It is important to note that some people, typically fast oxidizers or those with insulin resistance,
may experience reactive hypoglycemia when consuming a large amount of carbohydrates,
which can impair workout performance (56).

Those individuals would be better of saving their carbohydrates for post workout, as per the low
carb plan.

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 CLIENT CASE STUDY

Client: Sophie

Goal: Body Recomposition

Period: 24 weeks

Overview:

Here, our client Sophie followed a moderate carb approach for 6 months in this time she achieved
total body recomposition by reducing body fat from 21% at 60 kilograms to 13% body fat at 54
kilograms. This method worked well for Sophie as it allowed for flexibility in her diet whilst she
maximized hypertrophy and performance.

Not only did Sophie substantially increase lean body mass but she dropped a significant amount
of body fat. Moderate carbs is an ideal system as it promotes a well-balanced diet and reduces
restriction as it is relatively easy for most clients to follow. Compliance is king when in a calorie
deficit and approach not only allows clients to maximize benefits of macronutrients but also
promotes a simplistic approach.

before after

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 student notes

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 5.7: The High Carb Diet

Sometimes you get clients who are already very lean and/or very tolerant of carbs. For these
clients, generally a high carb diet will work better regardless if they are in a fat loss or muscle
building phase.

The reason is that these clients generally have very good insulin sensitivity but also elevated
sympathetic nervous system activity. A higher carbohydrate intake throughout the day helps
manage cortisol levels better with these types of clients.

The high carb system takes the moderate carb system up another notch by sourcing
40 to 60 percent of total calories from carbs.

As with the moderate carb system, proteins are set at a moderate 2.6 to 3 grams per kilogram of
lean body mass. In order to meet this higher carb target, clients on this system need to consume
carbs with every meal. If you use this system with a negative energy balance, be careful not to let
fats drop too low.

At CHFI, we generally don’t drop fats below 0.8 grams per kilogram of total body weight, apart from
a few rare occasions as in the case study we presented earlier, because it has been shown to cause
reduced androgen levels (47).

If getting 60% of calories from carbs doesn’t allow you to have at least 0.8 grams per kilogram of
fats, then pull back the carbs to make room, otherwise, you risk hormone issues that will derail your
client’s progress.

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 CLIENT CASE STUDY

Client: Justin

Goal: Physique show

Period: 24 weeks

Overview:

Here, our client Justin followed a high carb diet throughout his whole entire prep, whilst being on a
25% surplus.

Justin is an inefficient metabolic type meaning the more calories Justin consumed, the more
energy he burned as his daily NEAT levels increased. With the primary goal being hypertrophy for a
bodybuilding show, Justin needed to consume high amounts of carbohydrates to drive
performance and fuel muscle growth.

Justin followed this approach for 6 months and in this time he increased lean body mass by 6
kilograms and got down to 8.2 percent body fat from a starting point of 13 percent.

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 student notes

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 5.8: The Carb Front Loading Diet

While it is true that the majority of individuals, about 70% of the population, will respond best to
a moderate carbohydrate diet, the timing of those carbohydrates can make a difference for some
people.

The literature is actually split right down the middle with some studies showing a benefit to
consuming more calories and carbohydrates earlier in the day, some studies showing a benefit to
consuming more calories and carbohydrates later in the day, and other studies showing no
difference. Basically, what that tells us is that everyone is different.

For a while this was something that really puzzled us because there was no real way of knowing if
someone would respond best to having more carbs earlier or later in the day without trial and error.

However, more recent research has provided some insight into why some people might respond
better to having more carbohydrates at certain times of the day.

It appears that this is related to an individual’s circadian timing or chronotype. For example, some
people are naturally early birds or early chronotypes which means they have early onset of
melatonin (around 7pm). Late chronotypes or night owls have late onset of melatonin (around 1am),
while neither-types have melatonin onset around 10pm.

Apart from regulating the sleep-wake cycle, melatonin has been shown to impair glucose tolerance
in about 50% of the population (57).

In susceptible individuals, eating the bulk of calories later in the day, when melatonin is elevated,
has been shown to increase the risk of obesity, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, inflammation, and
metabolic syndrome (58,59).

That is why for early bird types we generally recommend a carb front loading diet where the majority
of carbohydrates are consumed by lunchtime, and the last meal of the day is before 7pm.

Typically, because this is a variation of the moderate

carbohydrate diet, protein intake is set between
2.6 and 3g per kg of lean mass, and the rest of the calories will come from fats,
which will be consumed mainly with the last one to two meals of the day.

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 CLIENT CASE STUDY

Client: Megan

Goal: Reduce body fat whilst

maintain strength

Period: 12 weeks

Overview:

Here, our client Meg used a carb front loading diet to drop over 20lbs of body weight in 3 months.
Meg was naturally an early riser and she preferred training early in the morning, so a carb front
loading strategy naturally suited her circadian rhythm.

Not only did Meg lose over 20lbs and feel great on this diet plan, but as you can see from her
post-transformation photos, she was still maintaining the results 3 months later on more
calories. That highlights the importance of finding a dietary strategy that is well suited to each
client’s physiology and their dietary preferences.

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 student notes

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 5.9: The Carb Backloading Diet

For some clients, the inability to either fall asleep or manage stress are critical factors in their
previous failures with losing weight.

The challenge is, though, that for most clients we encounter in the general population,
we want to leverage lower carb systems to assist in improving insulin sensitivity. For clients
where carbs are essential to managing stress or sleep, we have the carb backloading diet
available to us.

In this system, carbs are only consumed at the end of the day. Proteins are set between 2.6
and 3 grams per kilogram of lean body mass.

Depending on the number of carbs allocated to the diet, carb meals will range from the one
just before bed up to every meal in the second half of the day. The idea is to keep blood sugar,
and therefore insulin, low throughout the day until we reach the point that we need to
introduce carbohydrates to induce serotonin and help manage the client’s stress levels down
to a manageable level.

Increasing serotonin helps improve sleep because it converts to Melatonin, our primary sleep
hormone. This is especially true for clients who find themselves too wired to fall asleep at
night unless they have some carbs in their diet.

Carb backloading is useful in more than just this particular cohort of people, however.
Many of your clients will be faced with the realities of family life. It won’t always be ideal for
mum to have her own special dinner while the rest of the family has something else.

Using a backloading diet as a way to integrate the overall nutrition system into the client’s
other obligations is a great way to reduce the friction to your plan, and reduced friction
means increased compliance.

A variation of this system that we have used with several clients in the past, is what we call
the modified carb backloading system. We generally use this approach with clients that train
early in the day.

Often times we have these clients consume one carb meal post training, then again with the
last meal of the day. As we have mentioned previously, having some carbs immediately post
training helps suppress cortisol levels and improve recovery, especially in highly stressed
clients.

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 CLIENT CASE STUDY

Client: Daine

Goal: Reduce body fat and

retain muscle

Period: 36 weeks

Overview:

Meet CHFI Founder Daine, father of 6 and CEO of CHFI and numerous other business interests.
On the left in 2019 he was 132kgs (291 pounds), on the right in 2020 he is 102kg’s (224
pounds).

On the left he had abused his body for the few years prior working to the core and focusing on
this business and not his health, to break this habit he used a carb-backloading approach to help
mitigate the stress response in his life dealing with the pressures of business and family, whilst
training 4-5 times per week, eating 3500-4000 calories and getting over 10,000 steps per day.

As a high achiever, over-analyzer and driven executive, the carb-backloading approach was
perfect for Daine to ensure he maintained compliance and stayed on track with healthy eating
habits
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 student notes

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 5.10: The Low Carb Backloading Diet

A variation on the carb backloading diet, the low carb backloading diet restricts carbs to the very
last meal of the day. The primary purpose of taking this approach is when carbs are an issue with
regards to health and body composition outcomes, say with someone who has metabolic
syndrome, but the client simply cannot get to sleep without carbs.

Studies have shown that lack of sleep can negatively affect performance, recovery,
inflammation, cognitive function, bone density, lean body mass, and body fat mass. [60,61].

To use this system, first, calculate protein consumption targeting between

3 and 3.4 grams per kilogram of body weight.

As with our low carb approach discussed earlier, we want to ensure an environment conducive
to preserving muscle when we take carbs low. From there, you can allocate one meal’s worth of
starchy carbs to the last meal of the day, and the rest of the diet is filled with healthy fats.

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 CLIENT CASE STUDY

Client: Justin

Goal: Reduce body fat

Period: 12 weeks

Overview:

Here, client Justin had a 12-week fat loss transformation with a CHFI coach.
As a big business owner Justin had poor lifestyle habits, he was highly stressed. Additionally,
Justin was a family man with little time for health and fitness.

The low carb back loading approach allowed Justin to improve his overall health, body
composition, and lifestyle by down regulating cortisol at night. Having carbs at night can help
improve overall sleep quality and recovery, resulting in increased energy and NEAT levels
throughout the day, and improved body composition.

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 student notes

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 5.11: The Isocaloric Diet

The isocaloric system may sound complicated, but it’s actually the most straightforward for general
population clients. In this system, your clients will consume their calories roughly evenly distributed
between proteins, carbs and fats.

Typical ratios range from:

- 40% protein, 30% carbs, 30% fats

- 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fats

You choose what you feel is right for your relevant client!

Being able to have an even blend of all of the macronutrients makes this system great for clients
who don’t like to restrict or partition their macronutrient at each meal. A lot of people don’t do well
having just carbs or fats with each meal.

Combining fats and carbs together gives them the optimal fuel mixture to keep them satiated until
their next meal.

A well-set energy intake with an isocaloric system can be great for fat loss or muscle building in
the vast majority of the general population as it’s an easy and familiar system to follow that only
forces the client to compromise on quantity of food.

All of their favorite foods are still in bounds as long as they’re healthy and are consumed within the
40:30:30 to 40:40:20 macro split.

When you find yourself using this system with your clients, don’t be afraid to challenge them to
increase carbs closer to workouts. For example, you may have them eat a 40:30:30 split on rest
days and a 40:40:20 split, with its higher level of carbohydrate, on a training day.

This may take a bit of experimentation to find out what works best for each client. Generally, the
less experienced the client the less you want to overcomplicate it.

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 CLIENT CASE STUDY

Client: Sheridan

Goal: Body Recomposition

Period: 12 weeks

Overview:

The isocaloric diet is the go-to method for most individuals as it is closer to how they normally
eat and it’s less restrictive. Meet Clean Health client Sheridan, who was in the navy and juggling
body recomposition goals with her career.

Sheridan had been on fairly low calories before coming to us, so first she had to reverse diet
before she could achieve a sustainable fat loss result. By following a reverse dieting protocol,
Sheridan increased her calories substantially over 5 phases of reverse dieting. The isocaloric diet
is well suited for reverse dieting because it ensures clients are consuming sufficient quantities
of all the macro and micronutrients.
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 5.12: Time Restricted Feeding

Timed restricted feeding is a form of intermittent fasting where the total daily calories are
consumed within a restrained time period throughout the day.

An example of time-restricted feeding is the 16/8 diet which involves

fasting for 16 hours each day and consuming all your meals
within an 8-hour eating window.

The main difference between time restricted feeding and other forms of intermittent fasting
such as the 5:2 diet or alternate day fasting, is that you still consume the same number of total
daily calories within your eating window as you would on a normal energy restricted diet, which is
typically around 70-80% of your maintenance calories.

With other forms of intermittent fasting such as the 5:2 diet or alternate day fasting you typically
only consume 25% of your maintenance calories on your fasting days and eat at maintenance on
the other days.

Typically, with a time restricted feeding regimen two to three meal per day are consumed within a
6-8 hour eating window. The composition and timing of the meal can vary. With early time restricted
feeding the last meal of the day is early afternoon. With late time restricted feeding the first meal
of the day is around lunchtime.

There have been serval studies in the last few years which have compared time restricted feeding
with a normal feeding pattern.

One study which looked at late time restricted feeding in resistance trained men found that
participants in the time restricted group lost slightly more body fat after 8 weeks compared with
the normal feeding group even though they consumed the same three meals for the day (62).

There was no difference in resting metabolic rate between groups. We can only speculate that the
extra body fat loss in the time restricted group was due to an increase non-resting energy
expenditure, which was not measured in the study. This is highly probable since acute fasting has
been shown increase norepinephrine (63,64).

Norepinephrine acts as both a stress hormone and an excitatory neurotransmitter. It is released

into the blood when the brain perceives that a stressful event has occurred.

It increases heart rate and blood pressure, triggers the release of glucose and fatty acids,
increases blood flow to skeletal muscle, reduces blood flow to the gastrointestinal system, and
inhibits voiding of the bladder and gastrointestinal motility.

Testosterone and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) decreased significantly in the time restricted
feeding group, although this did not seem to impact retention of lean body mass, mostly likely
because they were still within the physiological range.

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Another study on late time restricted feeding found that participants had a modest improvement in
fat loss by condensing their daily caloric intake into a single meal in the afternoon (65).
The researchers speculated that the change in body composition could be influenced by the effect
that eating patterns have on metabolic activity. However, when consuming 1 meal per day, the
subjects had a significant increase in hunger.

In another study subjects consuming a single large meal in the evening exhibited elevated fasting
glucose levels, and impaired morning glucose tolerance associated with a delayed insulin response,
during a 2-month diet period compared to those consuming 3 meals/day [66].

Therefore, this feeding strategy is not appropriate for everyone. The clients most likely to benefit
from this feeding strategy are busy individuals who are unable to eat until later in the day.
This style of eating may be more suitable for their lifestyle. Night owls or late chronotype may also
benefit from this style of eating because it is more aligned with their circadian timing.

Several studies have shown that early time restricted feeding can aid weight loss, however this
appears to be mostly mediated through reduced food intake (67,68).

Additionally, other studies have shown that early time restricted feeding can improve insulin
sensitivity, blood pressure, and oxidative stress, and may also increase autophagy and have
anti-aging effects in humans, irrespective or weight loss (69,70).

As with late time restricted feeding, this feeding pattern is not suitable for everyone, as some
people, particularly night owls or evening chronotypes, tend to have poor appetite and decreased
glucose tolerance in the morning, and may experience extreme hunger pains and struggle to fall
asleep in the evening.

This feeding pattern is more suitable for early chronotypes as it is more aligned with their circadian
timing.

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 CLIENT CASE STUDY

Client: Aaron

Goal: Hypertrophy

Period: 12 weeks

Overview:

Here our client Aaron used a time restricted feeding regiment which resulted in him losing 6%
body fat and gaining 5kg of lean mass in 3 months! Originally, we started Aaron on a regular
feeding pattern using an isocaloric macro split. However, after the first couple of weeks he was
finding it really challenging with his work commitments to fit in 5 meals a day. He was especially
struggling to get in his morning meals.

This is when we decided to switch him over to a time restricted feeding regimen where he would
have first meal at around lunchtime and condense his total daily calories into 3 meals. This setup
suited him much better and allowed him to more easily adhere to his diet plan.

Every second weekend (Friday to Sunday) we had Aaron do a 3-day refeed to offset any potential
negative metabolic adaptations and increase anabolism. This is what allowed him to increase
his muscle mass while also dropping body fat during this period. During the refeed period Aaron
would follow a regular feeding pattern and spread his caloric intake over 5 meals. Because this
was done over the weekend where he had more time, this did not interfere with his dietary
adherence. This is just one example of how you can blend different methods to suits your clients’
needs.
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 TIME TO TAKE YOUR MODULE 5 EXAM ONLINE!

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 student notes

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 9. Module 6: The Art of Nutritional
Periodization (CHPNC15)

6.1: What You’ll Learn in This Module

Why Periodize?

Whether you’re eating above or below your TDEE, there are both costs and benefits. When it comes
to manipulating body composition, nothing comes without its trade-offs, and understanding what
those trade-offs are, is essential to planning your long-term nutrition strategy.

This is why we periodize.

We don’t want to stay in any one place too long from a nutritional point of view. Each time we take a
step-in a given direction, we are forcing adaptations, and those adaptations exhibit diminishing as
opposed to accelerating returns. That means the longer we invoke a particular intervention,
the worse it works and the more negative adaptation we accumulate.

For example, if we’re looking to reduce body weight, we understand we need to create a negative
energy balance. This forces the body to rely on stored energy versus consumed energy to fuel its
activity, thereby reducing weight.

That’s a positive effect of underfeeding, as is increasing insulin and leptin sensitivity, and
decreasing systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. Restricting calories below baseline also
enhances detoxification pathways.

OK, so that all sounds like wonderful stuff, right? But as we know, you can’t be in a true caloric
deficit forever, or you’ll run out of stored energy to make up the difference.

Plus, the longer you stay in a caloric deficit, the more you attract the
negative side effects of prolonged underfeeding: You decrease the body’s
ability to build new muscle while at the same time triggering it to
accelerate muscle protein breakdown.

Thyroid function will start to downregulate, resulting in a lower metabolic rate. Energy and libido will
start to crash. Hunger and cravings will go out of control. The bottom line? You can’t diet forever.

The same goes for overfeeding. Putting the body into a caloric surplus increases muscle protein
synthesis and decreases muscle protein breakdown creating a double-win for muscular
hypertrophy. Recovery and energy go up, so we can train longer and harder. The body will upregulate
thyroid function to increase the speed of the metabolism. Sex hormone markers like libido will also
improve.

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But overeat too long and you start to accumulate some baggage. You start to store more excess
energy as fat, and your body will rely less on stored fat for energy. As body fat increases, so too
does leptin, and eventually over signaling this pathway will detune the satiety signal leading to out
of control eating.

That excessive eating will overstimulate the release of insulin, and insulin’s constant presence in
the blood will detune the body’s natural response to this hormone resulting in insulin resistance.
Inflammation and oxidative stress go up as does overall toxicity in the body. None of this is where
we want to be.

We periodize to maximize the benefit we get from over or underfeeding while minimizing the costs.
Spend too much time trying to get the benefits, and you will attract so much of the negatives that
it sets you back. Spend just the right amount of time in either state, or you can make progress
without accruing too much damage.

The thing with periodization, especially when we’re looking at what changes to make from day to
day and week to week, is that it’s different for every client. One client may do well on a particular
deficit for weeks while another adapts quickly and needs a change in days.

So, if this is the case… if it’s not straightforward and easily systematized to introduce short term
periodization, how do you go about making the day to day and week to week changes needed to
keep your clients benefiting from the nutrition intervention?

You have to pay attention to how your clients go.

Remember from previous learnings that we collect weekly biofeedback from our clients here at
CHFI, which we gave you access to earlier on in this course (Check template section).

We don’t collect that data for fun. It’s for exactly this purpose. We want to know on a week-to-week
basis how is our client going with the intervention we’ve set for them. If it’s not working, that is,
we’re not getting the change in scale weight we want or the client’s not feeling as well as we’d like,
we make a change.

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What are three key factors you should be paying attention to?

- First and foremost, you should be tracking the specific goal your client has set.
Typically, this will be a body composition goal, so weight and body fat
percentage are crucial. You also need to track their nutritional compliance.
If they’re not doing well on a particular approach, do you know for certain they
have properly implemented it? Not if you don’t see the food logs.

- Secondly, pay attention to their activity level as well. Are steps going up or
down? Do they look more or less energetic? These can be clues as to how they’re
metabolizing energy and may provide a signal that you need to make a change.
A miscalculation, lack of adherence to a diet, or decreasing NEAT levels are the
top reasons clients experience a plateau.

- Finally, how does the interventions you’ve programmed for your client work with
their personal taste? For most general population clients, if they’re not enjoying
the journey, they’re likely to quit.

Only athletes and competitors are typically willing to endure any amount of
‘suck’ you throw at them in pursuit of the outcome. For the vast majority of the
population, preference matters, so you should take this into account when
making adjustments.

This is where you really prove your value as a nutrition coach. Good coaches ask heaps of questions
and adjust their approach based on the information they get back. Bad coaches pull out a premade
template, email it to the client, and cross their fingers for a decent enough result.

Now, let’s now dive into the various microcyclical options available to us when it comes to
responsively adapting our nutrition intervention, to address short-term negative adaptations.

6.2: The Zig Zag Cycle

The Zig Zag Cycle, as the name implies, zigs and zags between different calorie targets, it is that
simple!

For example:

- For fat loss, you might have a client spend 3 days in an aggressive deficit
alternating with 1 day at maintenance or above.

- The reverse of this approach would be for lean muscle gain: alternating 3 days at
a caloric surplus with one day in a deficit.

Be sure to keep an eye on your average weekly deficit or surplus to ensure it makes sense for the
objective. For example, if you’re after aggressive fat loss, your ‘low’ days might be at 60% TDEE and
your ‘high’ days at 100% TDEE. Over a complete four-day microcycle, your average deficit would still
be 30%, just on the high end of aggressive fat loss.

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This approach is great for leaner clients as their bodies tend to adapt to caloric restriction quite
quickly. The reason why it’s so much harder to get from lean to very lean, than it is to get to simply
lean in the first instance, is exactly this tendency of a lean body to quickly adapt to interventions.
By implementing the zig zag cycle with leaner clients, you may be able to mitigate metabolic
adaptation and prolong their fat loss cycle.

The biggest challenge you’ll run into with this approach is overall compliance. Some clients will find
a challenge to stick with their ‘low’ days after a ‘high’ day. It’s important as a coach not to frame the
high days as ‘cheats. You don’t want your clients to look at the ‘high’ day as a reward or some
preferable alternative to the ‘low’ days.

It is simply a tool to maximize the value they get out of their three on days. Having said that,
for some clients the high days absolutely help them stay more compliant with the plan even if there
wasn’t any physiological benefit.

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 6.3: The Undulating Cycle

In the undulating model, we change our calorie target every day. One day will be up, and the next day
will be down, then back up.

Where the Zig Zag model has a 3-1 rhythm, the undulating module has a 1-1 rhythm.

Just as with the Zig Zag approach, you have to be mindful of your average deficit or surplus over the
course of the week.

If we were after aggressive fat loss, for example, this model wouldn’t really work. In order to create
an average deficit of 35 to 40%, our deficit days would have to be 70 to 80% if our ‘high’ days were
at baseline.

Instead, we might alternate 40% and baseline every day resulting in an average of 20%, a steady
rate of fat loss.

This approach is great for people who just can’t stand the idea of dieting over the long term.
Some clients can do anything, but their willpower only lasts a day or so. This microcycle is perfect
for those kinds of clients, and also for the clients who really enjoy day to day variety in mixing up
their diet.

6.4: The 5:2 Cycle

The 5:2 cycle is a variation of the Zig Zag cycle but instead doing 3 days low and 1 day high, you do 5
days low and 2 days high.

This is not to be confused with the 5:2 diet where you fast for two day per week and eat normally
the rest of the week. We will cover that a bit later when we look at intermittent fasting.

The main benefit of the 5:2 cycle over the Zig Zag cycle is that doing back-to-back refeed days may
offer more of a physiological benefit in terms of mitigating metabolic adaptations and sparing lean
muscle tissue, compared with a single day.

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A recent study compared the effects of continuous caloric restriction for 7 weeks with the 5:2
cycle (71).

The continuous group was placed in a 25% deficit per day while the refeed group did 5 days at 35%
deficit and 2 days at maintenance. The average weekly deficit for both groups was 25%.

On average, the refeed group retained more lean muscle mass and lost slightly more body fat.
They also had a slightly lower reduction in resting metabolic rate, although it wasn’t clinically
significant.

What was interesting about this study is that only half of the participants in the refeed group
responded positively to the intervention. The remaining participants responded similar to the
participants in the continuous group. So not everyone benefits equally from refeeding.

Outside of the physiological effects, refeeding may also offer some psychological benefits.
We particularly like the 5:2 cycle because it fits in well with most people’s weekly schedule.
Many people prefer to eat a bit less on the weekday so they can enjoy a bit more food and flexibility
on the weekends, on the other hand, some people find that refeeding breaks up their momentum
and makes it hard for them to get back on
example 5:2track.
cycleSo again,
for this
fatsystem
loss is not suitable for everybody.

100% 100%

65% 65% 65% 65% 65%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

6.5: The Cyclical Ketogenic Dietdays

(CKD)

Sometimes keto is just too hard on a client, even if they get amazing results from it. You may have
a client who quickly loses fat on keto, but just as quickly loses their training energy and starts to
falter on their bigger training sessions.

Or you may have a client who has no trouble complying with a keto diet during the week while the
family’s busy with school and work but struggles to comply during family time on the weekends.

Whatever the constraint, the cyclical ketogenic diet is a good

microcycle to use to help address these concerns.
The cyclical ketogenic diet typically cycles between 5-6 low
carbohydrate ketogenic days, and 1-2 high carbohydrate refeed days.

The purpose of the refeed days is to replenish muscle glycogen in order to maintain anaerobic
performance in the gym and mitigate reduction in metabolic rate. Typically, the calories on the high
carb days are at maintenance or above and carbs are set at 50-60% of total calories.

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When micro cycling with keto, it’s important to accelerate re-entry to ketosis when coming off
carbs. Recall from our conversation on the ketogenic diet that there are three primary methods:
intense training to deplete glycogen stores, aggressively reduced carbs to curtail glycogen
replenishment and exogenous ketones to prime the body to run off ketones rather than glucose.

Nailing this protocol is absolutely critical if you want to successfully microcycle between
ketosis and carbohydrate-based nutrition systems. Remember, ketosis is the easiest of the
nutrition systems to track, so if you want to employ this method with your clients, encourage them
to get a blood ketone meter, available at most pharmacies.

This will let them assess whether their re-entry protocol is working or not and will help inform you
whether this microcycle approach is useful for your client.

Keep in mind that there’s nothing magical about 5 to 6 days of keto, followed by 1 to 2 days of
carbs. In fact, for most people 5-6 days is not enough to properly adapt to ketosis unless using
exogenous ketones to fast track the process.

Maybe your client only needs a refeed once a fortnight or even once a month. Feel free to adapt the
system to the situation and try other combinations. 10, 14 or 21 are also possible options here.
If someone is staying in the keto phase for longer than 10 days is may be worth experimenting with
a 3-5 day refeed to give the metabolism a boost.

Example CKD for Fat Loss

100% 100%

65% 65% 65% 65% 65%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

days

6.6: Carb Cycling

Carb Cycling is a pretty common method that involves alternating between various carbohydrate
intakes throughout the week based on external factors like training.

The idea is to program higher carb days in conjunction with training days focused on priority body
parts. If you’re doing a daily undulating protocol in your training, you might prefer the hypertrophy or
functional hypertrophy days for higher carbs to optimize nutrient partitioning into muscle.

Non-priority training days would get moderate carbs, and rest or active recovery days would get low
carb protocols.

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This is a great system for athletes where maximizing performance is critical. By synchronizing
carbohydrate intake with carbohydrate demand, you ensure that there is little to no excess blood
sugar left to be taken up into fat storage, plus you provide more fuel when it’s needed.

If you have a client doing twice-a-day training, or with training splits that involve intensive full-body
training, these are great candidate workouts for higher carbs.

The one area where it’s easy to get a little mixed up with using this approach is for people who like
to train in the mornings. It won’t do your client much good to smash a bunch of starchy carbs at
5:30am as soon as they wake up then go smash their legs half an hour later.

Be sure to time carbohydrate intake with consideration to the time your clients train, not just the
days. If they train early, consider starting their high carb day the night before. Again, there’s nothing
special about a high carb day. It doesn’t have to start and end at midnight. Tailor the system to the
situation so you can get the maximum results and enjoyment out of the program for your clients.

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 6.7: The Davoodi Cycle

The Davoodi Cycle, so named because of the 2014 study Sayeed Davoodi published on the Calorie
Shifting Diet, takes advantage of the recovery from metabolic adaptation experienced when the
body is allowed a 3-day diet break every fortnight (72).

His study randomly assigned a group of 74 overweight and obese individuals to either a Calorie
Shifting Diet, that is 11 days of calorie restriction followed by a 3-day diet break, or a Calorie
Restriction diet where subjects were given a straight calorie deficit with no break.

At the end of the study, the Calorie Shifting Diet group experienced greater weight loss and
lower metabolic adaptation as measured through their basal metabolic rate than the straight
calorie restriction group.

This is shown is the graph below adapted from the Davoodi study (72).

Figure: RMR and Calorie Intake

A number of other advantages were observed as well: lower blood sugar and a lower sense of
hunger being two notable ones.

The study includes data on follow up with the participants and concluded that the higher BMR of
the Calorie Shifting Diet participants had translated into better-retained results after the dietary
intervention concluded.

This gives pretty compelling evidence in support of cyclical diet breaks, particularly where a client
has trouble with rapid or severe metabolic adaptation.

If you find your client has a very non-linear response curve to caloric deficits, that is the weight
loss comes on predictably at the beginning of a microcycle and quickly tapers off, then you should
consider employing the Davoodi cycle to periodically reset their metabolism. Don’t be afraid to play
with durations as well.

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You may find that your client only needs a break every three weeks. Each individual will be different
in their response, and it’s your job as a coach to find the solution that suits the individual client.

6.8: Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent Fasting, or IF, is a class of cycling protocols that involve alternating between periods
of fasting and feeding.

There are two broad categories:

- Traditional IF involves days where caloric intake is dramatically or even

completely restricted, for example at or below 25% of TDEE, on 2
non-consecutive days during the week with the remaining days being set at
maintenance.

- The other category is time restricted eating where all calories for the day are
consumed within a relatively short time window during the day ranging from as
little as 4 but typically no more than 8 hours.

IF has a number of benefits ranging from supporting gut health to improving longevity and
metabolism. It also pairs well with the ketogenic diet as when the body is in ketosis, it is able to
easily run-on stored energy rather than calories taken in through the diet.

For those who are well-adapted to keto, that can make it possible for them to train and be active
even whilst completely fasted.

Most of the benefits of IF are simply from caloric restriction. Studies show intermittent caloric
restriction does not provide any physiological benefits over continuous caloric restriction for
weight loss (73).

The main benefit for IF is that it suits some people’s lifestyle and schedule better. Some people
would simply prefer to take a big hit a couple of times per week, so they can eat relatively normal
the rest of the time. Unfortunately, IF isn’t good for everyone.

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Ectomorphs in particularly do not do well on this kind of diet. Their inefficient metabolisms need
intake constantly to fuel their training, so fasting can leave them with no energy or drive for
training. In addition, because ectomorphs typically oversecrete stress hormones, it can send them
into a very catabolic state.

IF differs from time-restricted eating as time restrictive eating allows for zero calories drinks,
bcaa’s or coffee to be consumed during the fasting window, while IF only allows for water
consumption during the fasting window.

6.9: Macrocycles

As we’ve discussed, microcycles can help us get the most out of our nutritional system
interventions by staving off metabolic adaptation. Microcycles can be very effective at this,
but unfortunately, no system lasts forever, and that’s where macrocycles come in.

Macrocycles are how you organize the days and weeks of microcycles into weeks, months and
sometimes years of programming.

Just like microcycles, macrocycles need to be responsive to the client’s needs and objectives,
but unlike microcycles, macrocycles are programmed over a longer time horizon which means they
can help us achieve multiple goals, say fat loss and muscle gain, over a longer period of time.

Let’s now walk through some of the more common systems and how to use them effectively in a
program!

6.10: Linear Periodization

Linear periodization should be familiar to anyone with a PT background.

It is the most fundamental way to make progress on strength, and as it turns out, it’s the
most fundamental way to achieve either muscle gain or fat loss from a nutritional system point of
view as well.

As the name suggestions, linear periodization slowly ramps up or down calories over time to
overcome the eventual metabolic adaptations our clients are likely to encounter along the way.

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 good to know

Client Goal: Fat Loss

Let’s say you have a fat loss client, a typical approach would be as follows:

- 20% deficit (80% of TDEE) for weeks 1 and 2

- then drop down to 25% (75% of TDEE) deficit for weeks 3 and 4

- followed by 30% (70% of TDEE) for weeks 5 to 6

- and finally, 35% (65% of TDEE) for weeks 6 to 8

Every two weeks, we drop the target weekly calories to ensure we’re overcoming any reduction
in overall metabolism that’s sure to come along for the ride as we spend more and more time in a
deficit.

The biggest advantage of this approach is that it’s dead simple. Start at one target deficit, then
incrementally work your way in a linear fashion from target to target. It’s also effective at
overcoming the inevitable metabolic adaptations that go along with fat loss. But, like all
interventions of this sort, it also has some downsides.

The biggest risk is severe depression of the metabolism. By pushing calories down fortnight after
fortnight, you’re sending a pretty clear signal to the body that it needs to slow things down in order
to protect itself from the stress of lower food intake.

The body will do everything in its power to reduce metabolic output as a result. Thyroid function will
downregulate. NEAT will reduce. Overall energy will reduce. Muscle proteins will start to break down.
For these reasons, you don’t want to run a linear cycle for more than 6 to 8 weeks straight.

Go much further than that, and you’ll create more of a problem than you’re solving, and potentially
delay further progress by weeks or months as you reverse diet your client out of the metabolic hole
you’ve helped them dig.

It’s best to pair this approach with a zig zag or Davoodi-style cycle to give the metabolism an
opportunity to recover every 3 to 11 days; but, even with this modification, you should think twice
before running fat loss too long in this mode.

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 good to know

Client Goal: Hypertrophy

You can also use linear periodization with hypertrophy clients, an example
would be as follows:

- You might start them at 100% of TDEE for weeks 1 and 2

- Then bump them up 5% to 105% of TDEE for weeks 2 and 3

- Then another 5% bump to 110% TDEE for weeks 5 to 6

- Before you bring them down to 80% for the last two weeks of the
cycle to offset any potential fat gain that may have occurred

This works well for relatively lean clients who respond well to carbs, but even these clients will
eventually run into their own bodies’ limits on hypertrophy and start to accumulate fat.

This is why, just as in fat loss clients, we don’t run this kind of scheme for very long, and we finish it
with a quick two weeks of fat loss as a way to reset the body’s ability to partition nutrients to
muscle rather than fat. The depth of the deficit or surplus will be unique to the specific client.

Again, you can pair this with the zig zag method, taking periodic breaks in the surplus to help
mitigate excessive fat gain, but you’ll want to pair the linear system with other approaches in this
module over the long term rather than relying on linear exclusively.

Client Goal: Reverse Dieting

The third application of linear periodization is for bringing clients who are already on very low
calories back up to a workable baseline.

This is known as reverse dieting, the process of slowly ramping someone’s metabolism back to a
normal baseline after it has been severely depressed by chronic undereating.

It’s not uncommon for clients to come to you with some degree of metabolic
dysfunction/adaptation. By sticking to an aggressive deficit for too long, the body has no choice
but to downregulate thyroid function thereby reducing basal metabolic rate, as well as dramatically
reducing energy expenditure for both exercise and NEAT. In severe cases, substantial muscle loss
occurs as well.

Sometimes clients who should have a TDEE of 1,800 or 2,000 calories find themselves on half that
amount and unable to work out why they’re no longer losing weight. The simple answer is that their
body has gone into energy conservation mode.

What once was a deficit has now become their new baseline and attempting to adjust calories
immediately back to normal will carry the same penalty as for a healthy person doubling their intake:
rapid rebound weight gain.

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Reverse dieting involves gradually increasing calories in a linear fashion from week to week and in
response to the client’s biofeedback. Depending on the client or situation, the increase could be as
little as 50 or as high as 200 calories per week. It takes careful monitoring and coaching to work out
the right amount.

The duration and increases in calories are also subject to the goal of the reverse diet. The amount
of weight you allow the client to gain (if any) is determined by the goal at hand. For an aggressive
reverse to rapidly restore hormonal health, allow a weight gain of up to 600g per week.

For a strict reverse to maintain body composition, allow no more than 200-300g of weight gain per
week. Bear in mind that most of the initial weight gain will be from glycogen and water, since for
every 1g of glycogen is stored with approximately 3g of water.

A moderate reverse would be halfway between the two allowing around 400g of weight gain per
week.

When working with reverse dieting clients, there are a few things you have to be on the lookout for.
Let’s take a look.

1. What is their true TDEE?

The first is you need to understand what their true TDEE is. If they’re at 70% of their target TDEE
and still losing, then they have a different starting point from someone who is at 70% of their
target TDEE and stuck.

The client who is stuck has a TDEE that is 30% lower than where it should be while the client who is
still losing is clearly in a deficit, so their starting point would be higher.

This is important as you don’t want your clients to suffer through a depressed metabolism a
moment longer than they need to. As listed above the rate of calorie increase and weight gain is
dependent upon the overarching goal and if the client intends to diet again or not.

If a client is fairly close to reaching their goal and their hormonal/biofeedback markers are still in
check, you may be able to diet them for a bit longer until they reach their goal, then reverse diet
them slowly, to mitigate potential fat gain.

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If they still have a long way to go and their calories are already fairly low, consider bringing them
out a bit more aggressively, then going into another fat loss phase. If their TDEE is truly higher than
their current level of eating, taking them back to their TDEE more aggressively will likely incur
minimal fat gain, and will save you those precious extra weeks of reverse dieting them to normal

2. What is their headspace like?

You also need to be aware of the psychology involved in a situation like this. Someone who is willing
to undereat to the point of having a severely depressed metabolism obviously really cares about
weight loss.

They may be genuinely afraid of eating more calories thinking that they’ll suddenly gain back all of
the fat they just suffered so much to get rid of.

You have to be straight with these clients. The best way to avoid rebound weight gain is to move
very slowly and methodically, and like anything, moving slowly takes patience and discipline, and
quite frankly, it can suck. This is when you would implement a strict reverse to control body
composition.

You have to be honest with them because the journey will be long and difficult, and you don’t want
to have them thinking it’s just a few weeks and they’ll be all better, only to find out it takes months
to get them to where they want to be. Be honest about the journey and set reasonable
expectations.

3. What are their expectations?

You may also need to shift their focus and expectations a bit. A reverse diet is like a hypertrophy
diet in the sense that you’re taking your client into a calorie surplus, at least until their metabolism
has recovered. The easiest way to accelerate your way through the reverse diet is to treat it like a
hypertrophy phase.

If you can, get your client excited about the prospect of putting on muscle. Yes, they may gain some
scale weight, but the added muscle they gain will help them strip away fat faster once their
metabolism is recovered, plus they’ll be in better-looking shape and feeling much better and
stronger at the end.

If you can get your client on board with this approach, you can help them get their mind of chasing a
number on the scale and instead chasing bigger numbers on the bar.

Before you know it, the small increases in food no longer induce anxiety, but rather the client will be
excited for them because they know they come with increased work capacity and better
performance in the gym.

Also remember that, biofeedback during a reverse diet is your best friend.

You’ll want to use it to fine-tune your approach. Sometimes, you’ll be able to accelerate. If you’re
client’s taking well to the increase in calories, they’re doing well in the gym, and they’re not gaining
any body fat, you might want to step on the gas a little so that they can get back to baseline and
therefore homeostasis sooner.

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On the other hand, if their metabolism is bit slower to recover, you may start to notice increases in
body fat. In these cases, you’ll need to manage energy balance so that their weight can stabilize.

It’s always better to train on more calories than to be sedentary on very few calories, so if your
client has been sedentary make small bumps in energy intake along with increases in energy
expenditure, such as increasing steps or LISS.

One final thing to be on the lookout for is your exercise selection during a reverse diet. You want
sufficient training stimulus to trigger muscle protein synthesis, but you don’t want to accumulate
too much stress as these clients have often already put their bodies through enough getting into
the state you find them in.

Work with your client to replace any high intensity cardio that they may be doing with steps, so that
you’re reducing the frequency and severity of stress, while still carefully managing the energy
output side of their energy balance to avoid fat gain.

Linear periodization is an incredibly versatile approach to macrocycles that can get you great
results for fat loss, muscle gain or metabolic recovery, but remember, no system lasts forever.

Remember to always keep an eye on biofeedback to ensure you’re progressing in the right direction
and take the feedback your clients give you seriously so that you get the most out of this approach.

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 CLIENT CASE STUDY

Client: Lauren Simpson

Goal: To compete in her first ever

bikini competition

Period: 48 weeks

Overview:

Lauren came to CHFI severely underweight, skinny-fat and malnourished on a 1000 calorie per
day diet and trained for 10 hours per week, with the majority of that work being aerobic based
activities and not weights.

Her initial goal was to step up on stage in a bikini competition, but before doing that we had to
‘reverse diet’ her out of her poor eating habits and lifestyle choices. So, we build up her baseline
calorie intake and get her body feeling good first, which in turn translated into looking good.
This was done through increasing weight training sessions with a lot of compound work,
decreasing aerobic activity and gradually increasing calories.

Having restored her metabolism and building muscle, we were able to focus on refining her
physique for two sports, powerlifting and WBFF bikini model using a structured approach as
outlined in the images below.

This allowed her to set some Australian, national records in the IPF 57kg raw powerlifting weight
division, whilst also obtaining her WBFF bikini pro card and placing 2 nd in the world
championships in this category as a dual sports national level athlete.

before after

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laurens’ 48 week journey

Week 1 - 12

weeks goal calories macro cardio program phase

c/p/f
1600 High Carb TD (-35% TDEE) 40/40/20 None Heavy-Light ACC
1400 Med Carb NTD (-42% TDEE) 30/40/30 System (Split Body
1-3 Hyp
1943 isocaloric Rest (-20% TDEE, 37.5/35/27.5 Parts)
final week BASELINE)
1849 High Carb TC (-25% TDEE) 50/35/15 None 8/6/4 Wave Load INT
4-6 Fun Hyp 1602 Isocaloric NTD (-35% TDEE) 32.5/42.5/25 + Modified
2465 Isocaloric Rest (BASELINE) 40/30/30 Strongman (Split
Body Parts
2252 High Carb LD (-10% TDEE) 52.5/32.5/15 None Modified ACC
2001 Low Carb UBD (-20% TDEE) 22.5/37.5/40 Advanced GBC +
7-9 Hyp 2502 High Carb Rest (BASELINE) 55/27.5/17.5 Shoulders Tri-Sets
(Total Body)

2412 High Carb LD (-5% TDEE) 55/35/10 None Modified Reg Park INT
2158 Carb BL (-15% TDEE) 25/35/40 Method (Split Body
10-12 Fun Hype
2665 Isocaloric Rest (+5% TDEE) 41.8/31.8/26.4 Parts)

Week 13 - 24

weeks goal calories macro cardio program phase

c/p/f
2285 High Carb LD (-10% TDEE) 52.5/32.5/15 None INT
2031 Low Carb UBD (-20% TDEE) 23.5/35/41.5 Advanced GVT
13-15 Hyp
2792 Isocaloric Rest (+10% TDEE) 42.5/25/32.5

2270 Med Carb LD (-20% TDEE) 35/30/35 None Giant Sets Single ACC
16-18 Fat Loss 1986 Low Carb UBD (-30% TDEE) 23.5/35/41.5 Body Parts +
2837 Isocaloric Rest (BASELINE) 42.5/25/32.5 Modified
Strongman

1986 High Carb LD (-30% TDEE) 50/35/15 HITT INT

1702 Low Carb UBD/HITT (-40% TDEE) 20/40/40 6-12-25 Agonist/
19-21 Hyp 2837 Isocaloric Rest (BASELINE) 42.5/25/32.5 Antagonist

Weeks 22-23: 1419 Med Carb TD (-50% TDEE) 25/50/25 HITT ACC
Weeks 22-23: 2553 Isocaloric Rest (-10% TDEE)
41.5/27.5/31 Glycogen
22-24 Depletion Weeks 24: 1135 Very Low Carb TD (-60% TDEE)
5/65/30
Depletion Single
Weeks 24: 2837 High Carb CU (BASELINE) Body Parts
60/25/15

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laurens’ 48 week journey continued

Week 25 - 36

weeks goal calories macro cardio program phase

c/p/f
2060 High Carb LD (-20% TDEE) 50/35/15 None Descending Rep ACC
1803 Low Carb UBD (-30% TDEE) 22.5/40/37.5 Agonist/
25-27 Fun Hyp
2060 Isocaloric Rest (-20% TDEE) 37.5/35/27.5
Antagonist

2189 Med Carb LD (-15% TDEE) 35/30/35 None 10x3 Agonist/ INT
1931 Low Carb UBD (-25% TDEE) 22.5/37.5/40 Antagonist
28-30 Strength
2575 Isocaloric Rest (BASELINE) 40/27.5/32.5

2446 High Carb LD (-5% TDEE) 55/30/15 None Omni Method 4-6 ACC
2318 Mod Carb UBD/HITT (-10% TDEE) 40/30/20 Agonist/
Antagonist
31-33 Fun Hyp 2704 Isocaloric Rest (+5% TDEE) 55/25/20

2575 Carb Backload LD (BASELINE) 27.5/27.5/45 None 3/2/1 Wave Load INT
2446 Carb Backload UPD (-5% TDEE) 25/30/45
34-36 Strength
2833 Isocaloric Rest (+10% TDEE) 42.5/25/32.5

Week 37 - 48

weeks goal calories macro cardio program phase

c/p/f
2704 High Carb LD (+5% TDEE) 55/30/15 None ACC
Double Method
2575 Low Carb UPD (BASELINE) 25/30/45
37-39 Fun Hyp Agonist/
2833 High Carb Rest (+10% TDEE) 57.5/25/17.5 Antagonist

2612 Med Carb LD (BASELINE) 35/30/35 None INT

40-42 Strength 2481 Low Carb UBD (-5% TDEE) 25/30/45 Pyramid Method
2742 Isocaloric Rest (+5% TDEE) 40/27.5/32.5 (4,3,2,1,1,2,3,4)

2919 High Carb Mon/Wed/Fri (BASELINE) 58/26/16 None ACC

Modified Super
2773 Carb Backload (+5% TDEE) 32.5/27.5/40
Accumulation
43-45 Fun Hyp 3211 Isocaloric Rest (+10% TDEE) 47.5/22.5/30 (Week 3 complete
2493 Med Carb Rest Week (BASELINE) 40/30/30 rest)

2384 High Carb (-10% TDEE) 55/30/15 None INT

2119 Low Carb (-20% TDEE)
27.5/37.5/35 PL Peaking
46-48 Strength 2649 Isocaloric Rest (BASELINE)
42.5/30/30
Specific

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 student Exercise!

student exercise!

In the notes section, create a linear periodization model

for a client whom you think would benefit from it.

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 153
 student notes

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 154
 6.11: Undulating Periodization

Like linear periodization, undulating periodization is a model you would have undoubtedly come
across if you’re a PT, especially if you are familiar with the work of the late and legendary Strength
Coach, Charles Poliquin, who popularized this method of periodization in the 1990’s and early
2000’s with his athletes.

By alternating between different calorie targets and nutritional systems, we can achieve dramatic
long-term results while avoiding many of the challenges with staying at one level or on one system
for too long. Let’s walk through an example to see what we mean.

Let’s say you have a fat loss client. One approach you can take with them is to split their 12-week
program into three 4-week phases, each phase consisting of three weeks at a moderate deficit
followed by a week at baseline.

Each four-week period represents an opportunity to fine-tune the deficit. If the client is losing too
slowly, you can increase it in one of the phases. If they’re adapting too quickly, you might lessen it.
It all comes down to the individual client’s experience in the program.

Client Goal: Fat Loss

The big benefit to this approach beyond its ability to delay and even reverse some of the negative
metabolic adaptations is that it dovetails nicely with a training protocol. If you wanted to focus on
strength gain during your client’s fat loss, you could program deloads every four weeks to coincide
with the higher caloric intake.

This gives the client the opportunity to recover not only metabolically, but also physically and
neurologically from very intense training.

You don’t have just to manipulate calories either. You could also manipulate Macronutrients.

For example, you could take the same program we’ve just outlined, but use a low carb approach
during the three-week training block and a moderate carb approach during the deload week.

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This is great for a client who functions better on fats, but who reaches a point of diminishing
returns in their training. The switch over to moderate carb during the deload week gives them a
chance to enhance recovery while the low carb approach for the other three weeks in each phase
promotes fat loss on the energy source that works best for them.

Client Goal: Hypertrophy

An undulating protocol works well for hypertrophy as well. For example, you could break a 12-week
program into two 6-week blocks, where the first 4 weeks in each block is focused on establishing a
caloric surplus, say 110%, and the last 2 weeks is at a caloric deficit like 80%.

The weeks at 110% allow for maximum hypertrophy while the 2 weeks in a deficit help burn off any
excess fat that has accumulated as a result. The net energy balance for a protocol like this works
out to zero, but if executed properly, the client will end up in a better state from a body composition
standpoint than being in a surplus the entire way through.

Again, you can vary this approach by undulating not only calories, but also the nutrition system.
In the case of hypertrophy, you’d want to focus your carb intake during periods where hypertrophy is
the focus i.e., the first 4 weeks of each 6-week block where calories are in surplus.

Switching to a low carb approach for the 2-week period where the client is in deficit helps increase
fat oxidation as well as re-sensitize muscle cells to insulin, to optimize nutrient partitioning once
carbs go back up in the next 4-week period.

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Client Goal: Body Recomposition

It’s also possible to use an undulating approach for recomposition. Say you split your 12-week into
alternating 2-3-week accumulation and intensification phases.

While we’re focused on more metabolic adaptations and a high volume of work in the accumulation
phase, you can have the client in a caloric deficit on a lower carb approach to facilitate fat loss.

While on the intensification phase, you could increase calories to baseline and introduce more
carbs to give the body maximum energy to super-compensate from the intense heavy lifting.

This cycle also works very well with a female’s menstrual cycle. Typically, during the first two weeks
of a female’s menstrual cycle, which is the follicular phase, this is the best time to increase calories
and carbohydrates and increase training intensity. During the next two weeks, which is the luteal
phase, is the best time to reduce calories and carbohydrates, and increase training density.

Example Undulating Cycle for Body Recomp or Female Menstrual Cycle

The sky is truly the limit when it comes to undulating protocols. These protocols are great for
introducing variety to your client’s eating plan, but more importantly, they’re very good at aligning
nutrition intervention to training intervention.

This lets the two work synergistically toward the client’s ultimate desired outcome, be it fat loss,
muscle gain or a combination of both!

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 student Exercise!

student exercise!

In the notes section, create an undulating periodization model for a

client whom you think would benefit from it.

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 158
 student notes

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 159
 6.12: Pyramid Periodization

Pyramid periodization is like putting two linear periodization schemes together, one going up, and
the other going down.

A classic use for such an approach is to follow a reverse diet with a fat loss phase.
Recall that reverse dieting someone brings them back to a normal TDEE after they have
suffered metabolic damage resulting from spending too long in a deficit.

The main frustration for these clients is that they often still have fat to lose, but they can’t lower
calories anymore as they’ve gone down too low already. They need to bring their calories back up
before they can take them down again and re-kick start fat loss.

All the advice regarding reverse dieting that was provided earlier in this module applies here, but for
the sake of simplicity, we can walk through a simple pyramid periodization approach here.

Client Goal: Fat Loss

Let’s say your client is eating at 60% of their target TDEE and no longer losing any fat. We would
slowly increment them to 70%, then 80%, then 90%, then 100% of their target TDEE over a period
of 8 weeks, being careful to monitor their progress and adjust accordingly.

Once we have them stable at a normal TDEE, we can then introduce a linear model to start initiating
fat loss again.

Be careful, though! Just as with the linear approach to fat loss, you don’t want to linearly progress
fat loss for longer than 6 to 8 weeks. Otherwise, you run the risk of digging your client back into
another metabolic hole and have to reverse diet them out again before they’re able to lose fat.

TIME TO TAKE YOUR MODULE 6 EXAM ONLINE!

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 student notes

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 10. Module 7: Understanding
Micronutrients (CHPNC17)

7.1: What You’ll Learn in This Module

good to know

When it comes to modifying nutrition for body composition, remember

that we have a hierarchy of interventions ranging from the most impactful
to the least.

- We’ve covered energy balance, by far the most important

intervention when it comes to changing weight.

- We’ve also covered macronutrients which are critical to selectively

growing or shrinking tissues and to making a caloric deficit or
surplus enjoyable for our clients.

- We’ve also covered meal timing. The last level of this hierarchy we
will cover in this course is micronutrients.

In this module, we will cover each of the essential vitamins and minerals that contribute to good
health.

We’ll explore common issues associated with these micronutrients, and where applicable, discuss
specific interventions you can implement with your clients to avoid deficiencies.

We’ll also cover another class of micronutrients, the vitamin-like substances that contribute
substantially to health.

By the end of this module, you will have a clear understanding of how these molecules contribute
to overall health and well-being and be prepared to make specific recommendations to your clients
based on their specific situation.

Let’s get started.

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 7.2: Micronutrients 101

A logical place for us to start our discussion here is to ponder the question ‘what are
micronutrients?’

Micronutrients are so called because they provide essential nutrition to the body, but they do so in
relatively small quantities. In comparison to macronutrients which also provide essential nutrition
to the body, but in larger quantities.

Where we talk about daily macronutrient requirements in the tens and hundreds of grams,
we talk about micronutrient requirements in the tens or hundreds of milligrams or
thousandths of a gram.

Every living thing needs micronutrients, but humans are a bit unique in their requirements.

While most plants and animals have evolved to live on very restricted diets, humans evolved on
very diverse diets. The implications for micronutrients are pretty dramatic.

Plants rely on a very small set of micronutrients to live a healthy life, whereas humans rely on
dozens to be healthy. Our having evolved with a diverse diet rich in a vast number of micronutrients
provided an evolutionary advantage that has now turned into a dietary requirement. For this reason,
no discussion about human health is complete without an exploration of micronutrients.

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 good to know

Micronutrients fundamentally break down into two categories:

- Vitamins are organic compounds for which the body has specific
requirements to maintain proper health and function. These
compounds are reactive and can break down in heat, air or an acid.
Humans require sufficient quantities of 13 specific vitamins for a
healthy metabolism. We’ll cover these later.

- Minerals are inorganic compounds that maintain their chemical

structure regardless of what they’re exposed to. There are 15
minerals that are critical to human health. We’ll also cover these
later in this module.

Vitamins further break down into two categories:

- Water-soluble vitamins readily dissolve in water and are absorbed

into tissues for immediate use. Because they dissolve in water,
excess water-soluble vitamins are regularly flushed out of the body
through urine. It is therefore unlikely to build up a toxic level of these
vitamins in the body.

- Fat-soluble vitamins only dissolve in fat and are readily stored in the
body in both adipose tissue and the liver. It’s not as easy for the body
to flush out excess fat-soluble vitamins, so overconsumption can
lead to toxic levels in the body.

Minerals also break down into two additional categories:

- The major minerals: calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorus,

potassium, sodium and Sulphur, are all needed in amounts greater
than 100mg. Most of these minerals function as electrolytes in the
body and are involved in neuronal signaling and cell integrity.
Because these minerals are involved in every single function of the
human body, our requirements of them are relatively high.

- The trace minerals: chromium, copper, fluoride, iodine, iron,

manganese, molybdenum, selenium, zinc, etc. are required in
amounts lower than 100mg. Some are essential, while others
are support body function.

There’s an additional class of vitamin-like molecules which we should also be

concerned with. Although not technically vitamins, they serve similar functions
and share characteristics with vitamins, primarily that they are chemically
reactive.

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Before moving onto the individual micronutrients, let’s briefly cover Daily Reference Intake
(DRI) ranges.

The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) is a system of nutrition recommendations from the Institute of
Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies (United States). It was introduced in 1997 in order to
broaden the existing guidelines known as Recommended Dietary Allowances. It provides reference
values for nutrition recommendations.

The Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) which is the daily intake that is estimated to meet
requirements in 50% of individuals.

The Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) or Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI) is the daily intake
level of a nutrient considered sufficient by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine
to meet the requirements of 97.5% of healthy individuals in each life-stage and sex group.

The Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL) is the highest level of daily nutrient consumption that is
considered to be safe for, and cause no side effects in, 97.5% of healthy individuals in each
life-stage and sex group. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has also established ULs
which do not always agree with U.S. ULs. For example, adult zinc UL is 40 mg in U.S. and 25 mg in
EFSA. It is also worth noting that for some micronutrients there is no currently established UL.

The No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) is the intake at level at which no adverse effects
have been observed, and the Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level (LOAEL) is the lowest intake
level at which adverse effects have been observed.

The ideal intake for each person will generally lie between the RDA and the UL for each
micronutrient.

Consistent intakes below the RDA or RNI places someone at risk of developing a micronutrient
deficiency, while consistent intakes above the UL increases the risk of toxicity. Between the UL
and NOAEL exists an uncertainty factor.

This is illustrated in the graph below adapted from Bruins et al (4).

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There are some more sophisticated nutrition software products on the market such as iNutrition
Pro which we have been using at CHFI since 2015, that can effectively track both macro and
micronutrient intakes.

This allows you to really customize your food choices and supplementation based on each client’s
specific needs!

Let’s now work our way through the list of these micronutrients and discover what each does in the
body…

7.3: Water Soluble Vitamins

Let’s start our exploration of the water-soluble vitamins with the B vitamin group.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)

This vitamin is very common in unprocessed grains. Unfortunately for the modern diet, where most
grains are heavily processed, naturally occurring thiamine is significantly reduced.

Often you find grain-based products like bread fortified with thiamine to make up for what’s lost
during processing. Thiamine is essential to glucose metabolism in the body, and as a result, it is
absolutely essential to a healthy metabolism.

A deficiency in Vitamin B1 can result in Beriberi, a disease that weakens muscles, and in extreme
cases, can cause complete heart failure.

Depletion of thiamine can also result in Wernicke encephalopathy, a set of neurological symptoms
including ophthalmospasms, a dysfunction of the muscles that move the eyes, ataxia, a disruption
of normal voluntary muscle contractions, and mental confusion (75).

Although much of the thiamine is removed from grains during processing, whole grains are abundant
in this vitamin, as are legumes, pork and fortified food products. This vitamin can also be
supplemented, although care should be taken not to blunt its bioavailability.

Some foods such as raw fish, shellfish, and foods high in tannic acid (commonly used as a flavoring
agent) and caffeic acid (found in coffee, wine and many fruits) contain enzymes or substances that
either degrade thiamine or reduce its absorption in the body.

The RDA for thiamine is 1.2mg per day.

Currently there is no established upper limit.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

Like the entire B vitamin group, riboflavin has an important role in healthy metabolism. It’s involved
in the breakdown of proteins, fats and carbohydrates for energy as well as oxygen transport
throughout the body. It also plays a significant role in eye health.

Riboflavin protects glutathione which is an important antioxidant in the eye, and a diet rich in B2 has
been shown to significantly reduce the risk of developing cataracts.

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B2 is involved in the conversion of other B vitamins into forms useful to the human body, and it
plays a critical role in iron absorption (76).

Deficiency of this vitamin is rare as it’s found in many common food sources ranging from eggs,
dairy and meat to green vegetables, mushrooms and almonds. Extremely restrictive diets can result
in low levels of riboflavin, so if your client has a history of this kind of eating, you may consider
diversifying their diet to include a source rich in riboflavin.

The RDA for riboflavin is 1.3mg per day.

Currently there is no established upper limit.

Vitamin B3 (Niacin)

Found in a wide variety of foods such as fortified cereals, tuna, turkey, pork, venison, sesame
seeds, ginger and tarragon, niacin is another critical metabolism vitamin involved in the breakdown
of carbohydrates, protein and fats.

It’s also involved in cell signaling and DNA repair and serves as a precursor to both NAD and NADP,
a vital cofactor found in all cells in the body.

Mild deficiencies, although uncommon in the developed world, may include symptoms such as
headache, nausea, skin and mouth lesions, and anemia.

Supplementation is rarely required due to how readily available it is in a healthy diet, although it
can be supplemented if needed. As a supplement, it’s most commonly used to lower cholesterol
and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, although if taken for these purposes, it’s important
to ensure supplementation with nicotinic acid, as the other common form nicotinamide, does not
have the same benefits.

The RDA for niacin is 16mg per day, and the upper limit is 35mg.

Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid)

Like the other B vitamins, B5 is involved in the conversion of carbs, proteins and fats into energy.
It’s also involved in the synthesis of coenzyme A, also known as CoA, critical to the process of
metabolizing fatty acids.

B5 gets its name from the Greek word ‘pantothen’ which means ‘everywhere’. True to its name,
vitamin B5 is found in nearly every food we eat. As a result, a deficiency of this B vitamin is very
rare.

The RDA for pantothenic acid is 5mg per day.

Currently there is no established upper limit.

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)

Pyridoxine is involved in the synthesis of carbohydrates, amino acids and lipids in the body making it
an important vitamin for a healthy metabolism. It’s commonly found in fruits, vegetables and whole
or fortified grains.

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Not getting sufficient quantities of this important vitamin can result in impaired neurological
function. Insufficiency is rarely a result of diet. More commonly, certain medications may cause
a deficiency in B6. Drugs such as isoniazid, cycloserine, hydralazine, penicillamine all deplete B6
which may require supplementation.

The RDA for vitamin B6 is 1.3mg per day, and the upper limit is 100mg.

Vitamin B7 (Biotin)

Biotin is important in energy metabolism in the body, however, so little is needed for healthy
functioning that most government agencies don’t even have a recommended minimum daily intake.

It is thought that biotin plays a role in healthy skin and nails making it a popular supplement and
additive to beauty products, although true deficiency is extremely rare (77).

One potential cause of biotin deficiency is the regular consumption of raw egg whites. Egg whites
contain a protein called avidin which effectively binds to biotin making it unavailable for other uses
in the body.

If your client is prone to consuming protein in this way and exhibits skin and nail issues, or if they
exhibit neurological symptoms such as depression, lethargy, hallucinations or numbness of the
extremities, it may be worth looking into a biotin supplement or another source of protein (78).

The RDA for biotin is 30 micrograms per day.

Currently there is no established upper limit.

Vitamin B9 (Folate)

In its natural form and folic acid when used as an additive or supplement. Folate is involved in a
number of critical functions in the body. It’s involved in the synthesis of DNA and RNA. It helps
produce new red blood cells.

It’s involved in both the growth and repair of tissues. It’s involved in the metabolism of amino acids
and assists in the production of sperm cells in men. For pregnant women, it’s vital to the
development of the growing fetus.

Failure to get enough folate can result in a kind of anemia that causes extreme fatigue, headaches,
pale skin and mouth sores. Deficiency is rare, however, as its present in many foods.
Fortified cereals, lentils and beans, green leafy vegetables and many fruits have lots of folate.

Due to single nucleotide polymorphisms in the MTHFR enzyme, some people have an impaired
ability to convert folic acid to its active form methyl folate.

As a result, these individuals should avoid high doses of folic acid as present in many fortified
foods and supplements and focus on obtaining folate from natural sources such as leafy green
veggies (79).

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The RDA for folate is 400 micrograms per day,
and the upper limit is 1000 micrograms.

Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)

Commonly found in meat, fish and eggs, vitamin B12 is involved in a number of critical functions
from the creation of new blood cells to the repair of body tissues and synthesis of DNA.

Similar to folate, a lack of B12 can lead to anemia and eventual nerve damage.

Dietary deficiency is uncommon among meat eaters, although a number of other factors can pre-
vent the absorption of B12, leading to a deficiency. Long term use of antacids, proton pump inhibi-
tors (or PPIs) and H2 blockers can all block absorption.

Vegans and some vegetarians should supplement with B12 as they lack the meat intake
needed to provide this vital vitamin in the diet.

The RDA for cobalamin is 2.4 micrograms per day.

Currently there is no established upper limit.

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

Nearly everyone knows something about vitamin C. You no doubt learned in grade school that its
critical to preventing scurvy. Your mother or grandmother probably told you to take vitamin C to
make sure you don’t catch a cold.

Yes, vitamin C does prevent and cure scurvy. The research on preventing the common cold is a little
less compelling, although there is good research that vitamin C will reduce the duration of a cold
once you have it (80).

As it turns out, vitamin C does much more than that, though. Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid,
is involved in tissue repair and is also involved in the enzymatic reactions that produce certain
neurotransmitters, the chemicals used by the neurons in your central nervous system to
communicate. Vitamin C is also a powerful antioxidant.

You often think of citrus fruits as the best sources for vitamin C, but there are other great
sources: potatoes, kiwis, and many other fruits and vegetables have high amounts. It is very
prevalent in the diet, and supplementation is easy and common, so deficiency is rare, but it is smart
to be on the lookout for severely restrictive diets which may incidentally exclude any significant
sources of vitamin C.

The RDA for vitamin C is 90mg per day, and the upper limit is 2000mg.

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Water-Soluble Vitamins Conclusion

The key things to remember with the water-soluble vitamins are twofold:

- First, the body does not store them. Instead, any excess
water-soluble vitamins are excreted in the urine. For this reason,
it’s important to get both adequate and regular doses of these
important vitamins through the diet. Where the diet prevents
adequate intake, supplementation is a must.

- Second, these vitamins are absolutely essential to metabolism.

Failure to take in adequate quantities can impair the body’s ability to
deal with certain macronutrients which will have severe con
sequences for energy production and overall health. This makes
these vitamins absolutely essential for any nutrition coach looking
to optimize a client’s body composition.

7.4: Fat-Soluble Vitamins

We’ll explore the fat-soluble vitamins just as we did the water-soluble ones: in alphabetical order.

Vitamin A (Retinol)

Vitamin A is a family of molecules that includes retinol, retinal, retinoic acid and provitamin A
carotenoids such as beta-carotene. It plays a number of important roles in the body ranging from
supporting the growth and development of tissues to immune system integrity and eye health.

Unsurprisingly, deficiency in vitamin A can lead to vision impairment and even total blindness.
Up to 500,000 children in developing countries each year suffer blindness due to a lack of
adequate vitamin A.

Other consequences of low vitamin A include increased risk of ear and urinary tract infections and
degradation of tooth enamel (81).

Deficiency in vitamin A is caused either by a lack of consumption in the diet or an inability to absorb
it once ingested. Low dietary intake of vitamin A is most commonly found in the developing world
and when food is scarce, although early weaning of babies from breast milk can also be a
contributing factor.

Low absorption, on the other hand, is typically caused by lipid metabolism dysfunction. When the
body is unable to break down and absorb fats, it also loses its ability to absorb the fat-soluble
vitamins that come along for the ride. Issues with bile production, chronic alcoholism and zinc
deficiency are common causes of malabsorption.

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Because vitamin A is fat soluble, excess quantities are stored rather than excreted. As a result,
excessive intake can lead to toxic levels with consequences ranging from carotenoderma, orange
discoloration of the skin, to nausea, headache, blurry vision, muscle and abdominal pain, weakness
and vomiting.

Vitamin A is available from both animal- and plant-based foods. Animal liver and oils derived from
liver, such as cod liver oil, are great sources, as are dairy products like ghee and butter. Vegetables
high in vitamin A include sweet potatoes, carrots and leafy greens. Interestingly, vitamin A is also
prevalent in cosmetics due to its support of skin health.

The RDA for vitamin A is 900 micrograms per day,

and the upper limit is 3000 micrograms.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a group of 5 compounds, named D1 to D5, that play a critical role in the absorption of
minerals such as magnesium, calcium and phosphate in the gut. For this reason, vitamin D is critical
for the healthy development of bones which rely on these minerals, particularly calcium, for their
development.

Of the vitamins we discuss in this course, vitamin D is a bit unique because it can be taken both
through the diet and synthesized in the body.

Skin, when exposed to natural sunlight, produces biologically inactive vitamin D which is then
converted through an enzymatic reaction with hydroxylate in the liver and kidneys to the active
form of vitamin D.

The fact that vitamin D is largely synthesized in the body in response to sun exposure, complicates
getting adequate quantities of this vitamin in our modern world.

A combination of increasing fear around sun exposure, cultural attitudes toward skin pigmentation
and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle lived indoors can leave some populations with inadequate
levels of this vital nutrient.

This is of particular concern for young children, where bones are still developing, and the elderly,
where bones are more vulnerable to demineralization and breakage.

These are also the populations who are most likely not to get adequate sun exposure. Vitamin D
deficiency has also been linked with an increased risk of viral infections, particularly HIV,
osteoporosis, and certain types of cancers (82).

There is also recent evidence as of August 2020 showing that efficiency of Vitamin D3 being
clinically used as an effective preventative measure for moderate to severe cases of COVID-19
(83).

Vitamin D isn’t as abundant in food as other vitamins. The best dietary sources are mushrooms,
fatty fish, and egg yolks. While it is widely available as a supplement, the easiest way to ensure
adequate vitamin D levels is sun exposure.

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The RDA for vitamin D is 15 micrograms per day, and the upper limit is 100 micrograms.

It is important to note that excessive vitamin D can contribute to increased calcium in the blood.
If elevated for very long periods of time, this can lead to other complications such as a build-up of
calcium in the kidneys forming kidney stones.

Vitamin E (D-Alpha-Tocopherol)

Vitamin E is a group of eight compounds that play an important role in cell signaling, gene
expression, and as an antioxidant in the body. Deficiency is rare, but where it does occur, there is an
increased risk of nerve damage and ataxia, a loss of control of motor function.

The most common cause of vitamin E deficiency is due to poor absorption, and like the other
fat-soluble vitamins, this is typically caused by an issue with lipid metabolism.

Oils derived from nuts and seeds are good sources of vitamin E: canola oil, sunflower oil, almond oil,
hazelnut oil, etc. Vitamin E is also common in many cosmetics, although the scientific evidence for
the effectiveness isn’t particularly strong. Typically, any diet with vegetable fats will have enough
vitamin E, so supplementation is rarely required.

Excessive vitamin E is uncommon, although if supplemented too heavily, can cause issues with
nausea, diarrhea, cramps, weakness and fatigue, headaches, and bruising or bleeding.

The RDA for vitamin E is 15mg per day, and the upper limit is 1000mg.

Vitamin K (Phytonadione)

Vitamin K plays an essential role in blood coagulation. Without it, humans would suffer
uncontrollable bleeding with even the slightest cut or puncture. It also plays a critical role in the
binding of calcium in bone.

Predictably, deficiencies in this vitamin show up in blood and bone disorders: anemia, bruising,
nosebleeds, bleeding from the gums, excessive menstrual bleeding, and weak bones.

Luckily, deficiency is rare, at least among adults. Infants are at higher risk for deficiency as are
those who have liver damage. As gut flora plays a key role in activating vitamin K, those with gut
issues can also have deficiencies.

Leafy greens are the best source of vitamin K, and absorption of this vitamin from these vegetables
can be enhanced by added fats such as butter or oil. Some fruits also contain high levels of vitamin
K, notably avocados, kiwifruit, and grapes.

Excess vitamin K typically isn’t a problem when taken at recommended levels. Those who should be
most conscious of their intake are those who have kidney or liver disease as excess vitamin K may
cause complications with the treatments for these illnesses.

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The RDA for vitamin K is 120 micrograms per day.
Currently there is no upper limit established.

Fat-Soluble Vitamin Conclusions

When it comes to the fat-soluble vitamins, the key thing to remember is that intake with adequate
fat, and healthy fat metabolism, are key to absorption.

Also keep in mind that because it takes the body longer to clear these vitamins, you run the risk of
complications from excessive levels. Stick to recommended intake levels, and you’re unlikely to run
into any problems.

7.5: Fat-Soluble Vitamins

There are two additional compounds worth knowing about when it comes to nutrition protocols for
overall health and body composition. Although not vitamins, strictly speaking, they function very
similarly to vitamins. Let’s cover them now.

Choline

Choline is a water-soluble vitamin-like nutrient. It plays a number of critical roles in the body
including supporting the structural integrity of cell membranes, cell membrane signaling, and the
synthesis of certain neurotransmitters.

Choline is a precursor to acetylcholine, one of the key neurotransmitters in the brain that plays a
critical role in memory and motor coordination.

Although deficiency is rare, some populations may be more susceptible than others.

Because one of the richest sources of choline is egg yolk, those who are allergic to eggs and don’t
get adequate choline from other sources like cruciferous vegetables, almonds or quinoa, may
develop a deficiency.

Inadequate choline has been linked to the development of fatty liver disease and an increased risk
of muscle damage (84).

Choline is also synthesized in the body, although not at levels that are adequate for optimal health.
It is therefore recommended that some choline be taken in as part of the diet.

The RDA for choline is 550mg per day, and the upper limit is 3500mg.

Coenzyme Q10 (Ubiquinone)

CoQ10 gets its name due to being found in all animals and nearly all bacteria, hence it is
‘ubiquitous’. It is fat soluble and involved in cellular energy production as well as serving as an
antioxidant throughout the body.

As humans are animals, too, we have the ability to synthesize CoQ10, although declines in levels
are observed with an increase in age and following treatment with statins.

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Meat, poultry, and fish are the best sources of CoQ10. Small amounts are present in nuts, grains,
and seeds, but typically not in high enough levels to make a significant impact on levels in the body.

Supplements are readily available and may make sense for elderly clients, those on statins, or
vegans and vegetarians who may get inadequate dietary supply.

It’s important to remember that just because something isn’t a formal vitamin or mineral, it doesn’t
mean it’s not crucial to health. As the science of nutrition progresses, it is expected we will
discover even more vitamin-like compounds that are beneficial or even essential to health.

As a nutrition coach, it’s in your interest to stay current on the literature and take advantage of
these discoveries with your clients to get the best results possible.

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 student notes

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 7.6: Major Minerals

As we learned earlier, minerals are the inorganic nutrients we need to sustain a healthy life.

There are 15 in total split across two groups: major minerals and trace elements.

Recall that our dietary requirements of major minerals are above 100mg per day whereas, for the
trace elements, we require less than 100mg per day.

We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so let’s quickly go through each of the 16 minerals crucial to
human health. We’ll start with the major minerals.

1. Calcium

Calcium is perhaps most well known as a critical mineral in the body, forming the bulk of the rigid
matrix of bone and teeth. Calcium plays a number of other roles in the body, however.

It’s involved muscle contractions, blood clotting, nerve impulse, regulating heart rate and
maintaining the balance of fluid within cells. Adequate calcium levels are essential to human health.

As a result, calcium deficiency has both short- and long-term consequences. Hypocalcemia, that
is low blood serum levels of calcium, can cause dysfunction in the nervous system leading to hand
and foot spasms, muscle and abdominal cramps and overly active reflexes.

Over the long term, calcium deficiency can lead to osteoporosis, when bones become weak and
brittle, or osteomalacia, a softening of the bones.

These issues can result from either a lack of calcium in the diet, as can be the case for those who
do not consume green vegetables or dairy, which are our primary dietary sources, or due to poor
absorption, as can happen when insufficient vitamin D is available.

While there is an abundance of calcium supplements available on the market, they are not all
created equal. The bioavailability of calcium is heavily dependent on the solubility of the salt it is
bound to. Calcium citrate, calcium malate and calcium lactate are the more highly bioavailable
varieties while calcium oxalate is much less so. It’s also critical to ensure vitamin D levels are
sufficient to facilitate absorption of calcium in the gut.

Excessively high serum calcium levels can lead to a condition called hypercalcemia where calcium
starts to accumulate in the soft tissues of the heart, blood vessels or kidneys.

The resulting calcification of these tissues leads to a cascade of dangerous health outcomes.
Typically, high serum calcium levels are not caused by excess consumption, but rather excess
absorption. Excessive secretion of parathyroid hormone, also known as PTH, or excessive intake of
vitamin D can both facilitate calcium absorption to an unhealthy level.

On a normal diet that includes dairy and leafy green vegetables, calcium is rarely an issue. It can
become more of an issue for those on restrictive diets that exclude these foods or in elderly
populations where a natural decline in bone calcium can be exacerbated by insufficient intake or
absorption.
The RDA for calcium is 1000mg per day, and the upper limit is 2500mg.

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2. Chloride

Chloride is an essential electrolyte that facilitates the transmission of nerve impulses as well as
maintaining fluid balance across cell membranes. The most common form of this mineral in the diet
is sodium chloride, otherwise known as table salt.

This makes it the single most common food additive.

When chloride is low, it is possible to experience hypochloremia which is a disruption in the

electrolyte balance in the body. It’s rare that this occurs as a result of inadequate intake. It’s much
more commonly seen in hospital settings, and especially with children undertaking diuretic therapy
or nasogastric tube suctioning.

Very watery diarrhea and vomiting are common symptoms.

The RDA for chloride is 2300mg per day, and the upper limit is 3600mg.

3. Magnesium

Magnesium is known to facilitate over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body as well as playing
critical roles in the synthesis of ATP, the most basic unit of cellular energy, and DNA and RNA, the
building blocks of life.

Deficiency in this essential mineral is actually fairly common with up to 15% of the world’s
population either taking inadequate quantities in the diet or insufficiently absorbing the
magnesium they do take in.

Alcoholism is also associated with magnesium deficiency. Alcohol causes the body to rapidly
excrete magnesium through the urine before it’s had a chance to be absorbed in the gut. Chronic
consumption of alcohol, therefore, makes it harder for the body to absorb sufficient quantities.

Because magnesium is involved in so many bodily processes, it can be difficult at times to det
ermine whether an actual deficiency is present based purely on symptoms.

Symptoms can range from nausea and vomiting to weakness, numbness, muscle cramps,
personality changes and even abnormal heart rhythms. On the other hand, overdosing on
magnesium is difficult.

The body readily clears unabsorbed magnesium in the urine, and excess absorbed magnesium is
cleared through the bowel. Typically, the most that will happen from excessive magnesium intake is
loose stools, so when a deficiency is suspected, there’s little risk to trying supplementation to test
whether symptoms abate.

The best natural sources of magnesium are green leafy vegetables, nuts and grains.

The RDA for magnesium is 420mg per day.

There is no set upper limit for magnesium from food intake, however the upper limit for
supplemental magnesium is 350mg per day and exceeding that dose may cause loose stools.
Magnesium in the form of aspartate, citrate, lactate, and chloride is absorbed more completely and
is more bioavailable than magnesium oxide and magnesium sulfate.

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4. Phosphorus

Phosphorus forms an integral part of cell membranes in the form of phospholipids and in bones and
teeth in the form of calcium phosphate. It also plays a key role in protein synthesis within the body.

Phosphorus tends to be found in foods that contain protein: meat and dairy in particular, but also
soy and other high protein plants. Because of this, a deficiency in this mineral is very rare. As long
as one gets adequate protein and calcium in their diet, it’s very unlikely they will have a phosphorus
deficiency.

The RDA for phosphorus is 700mg per day, and the upper limit is 400mg.

5. Potassium

We often think of potassium’s role in nerve transmissions. It’s not uncommon for people to
recommend a banana, a food naturally high in potassium, as an antidote to cramping after a long
workout.

Potassium serves other important roles in the body, however. It’s involved in maintaining fluid and
electrolyte balance across cell membranes. It’s also involved in gastrointestinal motility and
glucose metabolism.

Although many people do not consume the recommended amount of potassium, this is rarely a
sufficient cause for potassium deficiency. Instead, low intake becomes an issue when the body
loses fluids rapidly, such as during severe diarrhea.

Excessive potassium consumption, on the other hand, can have severe consequences, including
arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat. In the worst case, this disruption to the heartbeat can be fatal.

Potassium is easy to get through the diet. Most fruits, vegetables, meat and fish provide an ample
supply of potassium. A diet rich in whole foods is typically all that is required to maintain healthy
levels.

The RDA for potassium is 4700mg per day. Currently there is no established upper limit.

It is very unlikely excess intake will occur from dietary sources alone, however, one must be very
careful with taking potassium supplements for the reasons mentioned before. It is for this reason;
potassium is not available as an over-the-counter supplement in many nations around the globe.

6. Sodium

Sodium is often considered to be an unhealthy mineral due to its overconsumption in the United
States and the associated high rates of hypertension. However, sodium is an essential mineral that
is vital in regulating blood volume and blood pressure as well as playing a key role in normal muscle
and nerve functioning.

Deficiency is rare as sodium in the form of sodium chloride is the world’s most common food
additive. Sodium is also naturally found in most plants, and by extension, in most fruits and
vegetables.

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It is possible to have too much sodium in the blood, however. This can lead to elevated blood
pressure, a strong feeling of thirst, and if unaddressed, mental confusion, muscle twitches, and
seizures.

The RDA for sodium is 1500mg per day, and the upper limit is 2300mg.

Hard training endurance athletes may require an additional 500-1000mg per day because
they excrete a lot of sodium through their sweat.

7. Sulphur

Sulphur serves a vast array of functions in the human body. It’s involved in the production of keratin,
which is critical to healthy hair and nails. It’s required to produce insulin, making it critical in glucose
metabolism.

Sulphur is involved in the synthesis of collagen, the substance that gives skin its structure. It’s also
critical in the production of some amino acids and is a part of glutathione, a critical antioxidant.

Dietary sources of sulfur include meat, dairy, eggs, onions, peas and cruciferous vegetables.
Sulphur deficiency in healthy balanced diets is uncommon, although relatively few scientific studies
have explored Sulphur deficiency in humans.

There is no RDA for sulfur. One must ensure they are consuming sufficient protein in their diet
which includes sulfur containing amino acids such as methionine, cysteine, and taurine.

7.7: Trace Elements

With the major minerals sorted, let’s now look at the trace elements, those minerals with daily
requirements of less than 100mg.

8. Chromium

Chromium is not regarded as an essential nutrient and is in fact not even recognized as a nutrient
by all health authorities. It is however, known by the governments of the US, Australia and
New Zealand, to be effective in increasing the action of insulin.

That said, it’s not yet established that you can be deficient in chromium as its action is only
complementary, not essential.

Chromium has historically been associated with its toxicity, but this is only in its hexavalent
variety which is commonly found in paints and dyes. When found in food, chromium takes the
trivalent form.

Chromium is found in various plant and animal products, but its levels are not well established by
health authorities and are heavily dependent on the soil conditions from which the food originates.

The RDA for chromium is 35 micrograms per day. Currently there is no upper limit established.

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9. Copper

Copper, along with iron, is an essential mineral in the formation of new red blood cells in the body.
It’s also involved in numerous other systems: it’s involved in the immune response, it promotes
healing and tissue repair, and it serves as an antioxidant. Copper also plays a role in cellular
respiration.

When copper levels are too low, anemia-like symptoms can result as can issues with tissue growth
and repair, immunity, and issues with the metabolism of carbohydrates.

Excess copper intake is rare, although some studies link elevated levels of copper to Alzheimer’s
Disease (85).

Copper is most abundant in offal, oysters, spirulina, shiitake mushrooms, nuts, seeds and leafy
greens.

The RDA for copper is 900 micrograms per day, and the upper limit is 10000 micrograms.

10. Fluoride

Fluoride is most commonly associated with its role in dental and bone health and is commonly
added to municipal water supplies due to this public health benefit. However, despite this, fluoride
is not essential to human health.

Although most commonly found in drinking water, fluoride can also be found in black tea, raisins,
wine, potatoes, lamb and carrots. In developed countries, deficiency is uncommon, and
supplementation is not necessary.

The RDA for fluoride is 4mg per day, and the upper limit is 10mg.

11. Iodine

Iodine is critical to normal thyroid function. Iodine’s role in the key growth-regulating thyroid
hormones thyroxine and triiodothyronine is so significant that their common names, T3 and T4
respectively, are based on the number of iodine atoms present in them.

A deficiency in iodine will lead to a decrease in the production of these two critical metabolism
hormones creating a cascade of negative metabolic issues.

Iodine is typically taken in sufficient quantity through iodine-enriched salts, although with the
popularity of other forms of salt, iodine deficiency is possible for those on restrictive diets even in
the west.

For those who do not consume iodized salt, they should add foods rich in iodine to avoid the
negative effects of hypothyroidism. Seaweed, cod, dairy, shrimp, tuna, eggs and prunes are all rich
in iodine.

The RDA for iodine is 150 micrograms per day, and the upper limit is 1100 micrograms.

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12. Iron

Iron is an essential element used in the production of red blood cells. Its primary role in the blood is
as hemoglobin, the component of blood responsible for oxygen transport. Since up to 70% of the
body’s iron is present in the blood, blood loss is the most common pathway by which iron is
depleted in the body.

Combine this with inadequate dietary intake and severe anemia can result. Iron also plays a role in
the production of some neurotransmitters, energy metabolism and immunity.

The body has no effective mechanism to excrete excess iron, so iron levels in the body are
regulated through uptake instead. The body has the ability to store significant amounts of iron, so
deficiency typically only results from prolonged underconsumption of foods rich in this essential
element.

That said, mild iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world.

Dietary iron can be found primarily in red meat, oysters, and other meats. For vegans and
vegetarians, lentils, beans and leafy vegetables are good options.

Excess iron is uncommon due to the body’s careful regulation of its uptake. Where it does happen,
it’s typically due to genetic disorders that dysregulate natural iron uptake. The protocols for
addressing these uptake issues are extremely complex and require medical intervention.

The RDA for iron is 18mg per day, and the upper limit is 45mg.

13. Manganese

This essential mineral is an important cofactor for many enzymatic reactions in the body. It also
plays an important role in phase 1 liver detoxification. When levels are too low, there may be
resulting impairment to growth, reproductive function and glucose metabolism.

Primary sources for manganese are beans, legumes, nuts, whole grains and dark chocolate.

Take caution when supplementing with manganese as at high levels,

it’s neurotoxic leading to damage to the dopamine receptors of neurons
leading to Parkinson’s Disease-like symptoms (86).

Manganese can appear in a number of different forms in various supplements, so it’s important to
keep an eye out and ensure dosages are carefully observed.

The RDA for manganese is 2.3mg per day, and the upper limit is 11mg.

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13. Manganese

This essential mineral is an important cofactor for many enzymatic reactions in the body. It also
plays an important role in phase 1 liver detoxification. When levels are too low, there may be
resulting impairment to growth, reproductive function and glucose metabolism.

Primary sources for manganese are beans, legumes, nuts, whole grains and dark chocolate.

Take caution when supplementing with manganese as at high levels,

it’s neurotoxic leading to damage to the dopamine receptors of
neurons leading to Parkinson’s Disease-like symptoms (86).

Manganese can appear in a number of different forms in various supplements, so it’s important to
keep an eye out and ensure dosages are carefully observed.

The RDA for manganese is 2.3mg per day, and the upper limit is 11mg.

14. Molybdenum

This essential nutrient found in pork, lamb, beef, green beans, eggs, sunflower seeds and lentils is
involved in detoxification and sulfur metabolism.

It also plays a key role in four known enzymes: sulfite oxidase, aldehyde oxidase, xanthine oxidase
and mitochondrial amidoxime reducing component or mARC for short. Its role in handling sulfites is
perhaps the most important when it comes to diet, and when molybdenum is too low in the body,
consumption of sulphites can become problematic.

As molybdenum is only required in very small amounts, it’s very rare to be deficient.
Supplementation should only be undertaken with care.

Although studies involving toxicity in humans is limited, associations between high molybdenum
intake and acute psychosis with visual and auditory hallucinations have been reported (87).

The RDA for molybdenum is 45 micrograms per day, and the upper limit is 2000 micrograms.

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15. Selenium

This essential mineral is found primarily in nuts, seeds and mushrooms, and serves as an important
cofactor in antioxidant enzymes and overall immunity. It’s also involved in both male and female
fertility, enhancing sperm motility and reducing the risk of miscarriage.

Selenium is an effective treatment for Hashimoto’s disease, where the body’s immune system
attacks the thyroid as if it were foreign. It’s also effective as a treatment for mercury toxicity.

Selenosis can result when selenium levels are too high. Symptoms include a garlic odor in the
breath, gastrointestinal disorders, hair loss, fatigue, irritability and neurological damage. In the
extreme, liver cirrhosis and even death are possible.

The RDA for selenium is 55 micrograms per day, and the upper limit is 400 micrograms.

16. Zinc

Zinc is involved in over 100 enzymatic reactions in the body. It plays an important role in
reproduction, gene expression, apoptosis and cellular regeneration, as well as synaptic plasticity.
Zinc is also a key enabler of our sense of taste and smell.

Zinc is most crucial during periods of rapid growth, such as during infancy.

Food sources of zinc include raw oysters, beef, beans, crab, wild rice, peas and some nuts. It’s worth
noting that the form of zinc found in plants demonstrates lower overall bioavailability, so
vegetarians and vegans are advised to increase their total zinc consumption.

Signs that you may be deficient in zinc include a loss of appetite, anemia, taking a long time to heal,
diarrhea and slowed cognition. In infants and young children, below-average growth rates can also
be a sign that this vital nutrient is low.

good to know

In addition, zinc is essential to preserving natural tissue barriers such as

the respiratory epithelium, preventing pathogen entry, for a balanced
function of the immune system and the redox system. Zinc deficiency is
therefore a probable factor for predisposing individuals to infection and
detrimental progression of COVID-19 (88).

Interestingly, most of the risk groups described for COVID-19 are at the same time groups that
were associated with zinc deficiency (88). Because of its direct antiviral properties, it can be
assumed that zinc administration is beneficial for most of the population, especially those with
suboptimal zinc status.

Excess zinc may impair copper absorption, and there is evidence it may contribute to the formation
of kidney stones, although this is only based on observational studies (89).

The RDA for zinc is 11mg per day, and the upper limit is 40mg.

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Conclusion

When we started our conversation on micronutrients, we discovered that as a consequence of the

diversity of foods that fueled human evolution, we have among the most complex dietary
requirements of all living creatures.

We hope now, after looking at the vast array of vitamins and minerals required for healthy
metabolism that you have an appreciation for just how wonderfully complex human metabolism is.
Do not fear, however. A detailed understanding of each of these micronutrients isn’t required to get
great results with your clients.

The key to understand is that the human body works best on a diverse diet. That means high-quality
proteins from a diversity of sources, both plant and animal, and ample fruits and vegetables. The
more diverse the diet, the less likely any dysfunction resulting from micronutrient deficiency will
occur.

While in an ideal world we would be able to attain all the micronutrients we need from diet alone,
and that should be our first priority, in today’s modern society, with our depleted soil, this is all but
impossible to achieve.

In fact, one recent study reviewed four of the most popular diets on the market including South
Beach, Atkins, DASH, and Best Life, and found that they all failed to meet the RDA for all 27
essential micronutrients. The best of the lot was the Best Life diet which only reached 55%
sufficiency, and the worst was the South Beach diet which only reached 22% sufficiency (90).

They went on to calculate how many calories it would take from each respective diet to reach
100% sufficiency for all 27 essential micronutrients. It was starting to find that it ranged from
18800 all the way up to 37500 calories per day! A target that would be impossible to reach without
the aid of supplementation (90).

Because of this study and others, which have shown that micronutrient deficiencies are quite
prevalent amongst the population, on August 31st, 2002 the American Medical Association
reversed their long-standing anti-vitamin policy by stating.

‘The Journal of the American Medical Association

today is advising all adults to take at least
one multivitamin pill each day.’

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While the temptation will be there to skip straight to supplements, we hope that in having studied
this course, you have an appreciation for the value of encouraging your clients to consume natural
whole food sources of nutrition first and foremost, then supplementing where they may be
deficient.

At the very least we recommend having each of your clients take a high-quality multivitamin/mineral
supplement each day.

In closing, you should be careful with giving therapeutic doses of any isolated micronutrients,
unless you are tracking their micronutrient intake through lab tests or with an automated software
like iNutrition Pro that alerts you to any surplus or deficiency levels instantly, that is the best
pathway to overall health!

TIME TO TAKE YOUR MODULE 7 EXAM ONLINE!

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 student notes

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 11. Module 8: Building Your Nutrition
Coaching Business (CHPNC18)

8.1: What You’ll Learn in This Module

So far, we have learned all about how to write effective diets plans for your clients based on their
goals and specific needs. That is extremely important because as we have already discussed,
exercise alone is quite ineffective, and basic dietary guidelines just won’t cut it.

Getting results is the cornerstone your personal training, nutrition or strength coach business and
implementing effective nutritional strategies as you have learned here is at the heart of getting
results with your clients on a consistent and reproducible basis.

However, equally if not more important is being able to get new clients and being able to sell your
services. You can be the best nutrition coach in the world but if you don’t have any clients
because you don’t know how to package and sell your services, you won’t have a platform on which
to demonstrate your abilities.

We have seen plenty of coaches over the years assume that because they are very knowledgeable
in their field that will automatically translate to more business and investing in and learning more
about sales and marketing is sleazy and gimmicky.

Because of that attitude, these coaches usually fail to build the business they desire and get
surpassed by other less knowledgeable coaches.

Of course, knowing your craft is very important because that will lead to a sustainable business in
the long run. If you can get people in the door but can’t provide a service which gets results on a
consistent basis, your business will not be sustainable. But you still need to be able to get people in
the door…so both are equally important.

And that is what the focus of this module is about. How to get more clients through the door so
you can provide the best possible service and they can get the best possible results. You will learn
how to package and sell your services in a way that maximizes your hourly rate while still delivering
massive value to your clients!

So, are you ready to get started?

8.2: Success in Sales

We must start off this module with the most important element for your success which is your
mindset. How you view sales will largely impact how well you do at it. It all starts with shifting your
mindset!

When most people think about sales something along the lines of the image below pops up in their
mind… the sleezy conman used car salesman that we typically see in the movies.

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Firstly, nothing can be further from the truth, and secondly, as long as you view sales in that way
you will never be successful at it. If you are worried about what people think of you or how you come
across rather than how you can best serve them, no one is going to buy from you.

Sales is simply the process of guiding someone to make the best possible decision
by asking the right questions. It is not about lying to them, deceiving them, or bombarding
them with your products features or talking about how good your product is.

Your product or service may or may not be right for them and you have to be ok with either.
That changes everything.

When you approach the sales process from the place of you are just there to have a conversation
with someone to see if your product or service is right for them, that takes all the pressure off
because you don’t have to worry about closing them. It becomes more about them and less about
you.

People will open up and trust you more when they can sense you are more concerned about helping
them rather than getting the sale. People will only buy from someone they trust.

From our experience, in the coaching industry, your level of success in sales is ultimately
determined by two things…

1. How much you yourself value the service or product you are selling

A coach will generally only be comfortable asking a potential client to invest what they themselves
would invest in their product or service. It is no coincidence that the best coaches in the world all
invest a lot of time and money in upskilling themselves.

As a result, they have no problem in charging premium rates for their services because they place a
high value on themselves and their service. Personal trainers who do not invest back in themselves
are generally not comfortable charging premium rates because they lack the confidence in their
abilities.

2. How genuinely interested you are in the person you are serving and providing an optimal
solution for their challenge

There is a saying that goes ‘No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care’.
If all you see is dollar signs or you are only concerned about closing the sale you will not develop the
trust of the potential client.

Remember, people will only buy from someone they like and trust. That is why trainers who get into
the field simply for the money don’t make it in the long run.

If you want to make it in this field in the long term you need to be invested both in yourself and the
service you are offering, and your potential clients.

People who get in the industry for the wrong reasons i.e., because they see it as a way to make a
quick buck but are not interested in investing in themselves or helping their clients often don’t last
long. That is why the turnover ratio in this industry is so high.

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So, if you genuinely believe in the product or service you are selling, and you are genuinely
interested in working with and helping people, you have nothing to worry about because you have all
the ingredients you need to succeed. You just need to shift your mindset and make the sales
process more about your potential clients and less about you.

When you walk into a sales consult have the frame of mind that you are there to provide a solution
for someone’s problem rather than trying to close them. Your product or service may or may not be
right for them. Either is ok. It is completely unrealistic, and it just puts unnecessary pressure on you
to think that you have to close everyone.

You can’t work with everyone and even if you could, you wouldn’t want to. You need to be prepared
to turn down potential clients if they are not right for you.

Legendary Strength Coach, and arguably one of the most financially successful
fitness professionals of the last few decades, the late Charles Poliquin once said,
‘You are known for the contracts you turn down not the contracts you accept’.

Set a standard for the type of clients you want to work with and stand by that. During a sales
process you are screening your potential clients as much as they are screening you.

That changes the whole dynamic of the relationship because now you are the one asking the
questions instead of doing all the talking, and you are making the potential client pre-qualify
themselves for you. In an interview the interviewer is the once asking all the questions and they are
in control. The interviewee is the one doing all the talking. Be the interviewer not the interviewee.

Soon we are going to teach exactly what questions to ask to find out if a potential client is the right
fit for you and if your product or service is right for them.

8.3: Why People Buy

Before we move on it is important to understand the real reason why someone would buy a product
or a service from you. If you just try to sell them on the features of your product or service instead
of solving their problem, you are going to struggle charging premium rates. That’s what amateur
salesmen do.

Believe it or not, your potential clients don’t actually care about personal training, a training
program, or a diet plan. That is just a means to an end. What they are really concerned about is
getting a result!

Good coaches focus on what result the client wants to achieve rather than their product or service.
That is why you should never give out complimentary training sessions to try and convert
potential clients. By doing so you are focusing on the features of the product and service instead of
the result.

Instead, it is much better to book in a free consultation with a potential to find out more about their
goals and the type of results they would like to achieve. When you focus on the results rather than
the product or service, you can sell at a higher price point because people place a higher value on
that. That’s what good salesmen do.

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But you can even take it a step further than that. What’s even more important than focusing on the
result you might be asking? Well, if you think about it the result someone wants to achieve is still
a means to an end. It’s a means goal rather than the end goal. The end goal of every result is the
feeling or emotion that a person wants to experience when they achieve that result.

For example, if someone wants to lose weight, why do they want to lose weight? How does that
benefit them exactly? Typically, it will make them feel better and help improve their confidence,
so they don’t have to be embarrassed of their body or be afraid to take their shirt off in public.

That is the real outcome. That is the real reason why someone would hire a coach, and why they
would want to achieve a particular result. This is called the clients underlying motive and that is
what great salesmen focus on. When you focus on the underlying motive you can sell at the highest
price point because that is what people value the most.

We are going to teach you exactly what questions to ask in order to find out your clients underlying
motive in a moment. However, before we move on to that, it is also important to understand the
reasons why someone would not buy from you.

There are two main reasons a potential client won’t buy from you:

- They do NOT value enough the outcome of the product or service you are selling

If a person genuinely does not value enough the outcome of the product or service
you are offering, there is not much you can do about that. People will spend their time
effort, and money on things that they value most. For things that they don’t value as
much, they will come up with a whole bunch of excuses.

Some people may think that they want to lose weight and be healthy, but if their
behaviors and actions demonstrate otherwise, that’s more likely a fantasy rather than
a true goal. Usually, these people just value other things more and will come up with all
sorts of excuses about time and money on why they can’t commit to coaching.

Usually with these individuals it is very hard to uncover their underlying motive
because either they don’t have one, or it is not compelling enough to get them to take
action.

This would be an instance to recognize that these clients are not right for you, and you
should not put any pressure on yourself or them to try and close them. Simply move
on and keep your energy and enthusiasm high so you can best serve the people that
really want and value your services.

- They are not convinced your product or service will work for them

The other reason that would stop someone buying from you is if they don’t believe
your product or service will work for them. Usually, these individuals have tried many
things in the past, and often spent lots of time and money, and nothing has worked
for them.

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 Unlike those individuals that don’t value your service, these individuals you can have
more influence over, if you genuinely believe that you can help them. Where most
trainers go wrong here is by talking too much about the features of their product or
service to try and convince the client why it will work for them.

As we mentioned previously, your clients don’t really care about what program they
do as long as it gets them the result they are after. In this instance, the best way to
build credibility and get these potential clients to trust you is by telling stories about
past clients that have been through a similar journey, someone that they can relate
to.

We will talk more about this later, but this is one of the main reasons you want to pick
a niche market rather than trying to work with everyone. If you have a track record
with a particular niche, you can share their stories and gain more credibility with those
type of clients.

8.4: Building Rapport

Before moving on to the sales process, there is one more thing we need to cover. Here we are
quickly going to talk about how to build rapport with potential clients. Building rapport with potential
clients is very important because if you are out of sync with them, they are not going to be
eceptive and open up to you.

Have you ever met someone and though to yourself ‘this is person is nice but some reason I just
don’t seem to click with them’? That’s because you were most likely not in rapport or out of sync
with that person. We tend to open up more and relate to people we perceive as similar to ourselves.

There are two ways you can improve rapport with someone…

1. Mirroring and matching

Mirroring and matching is an NLP technique which involves mimicking someone’s body language and
the tone, pitch, and volume of their voice. Most of the time this is something we naturally tend to
do subconsciously when we are interacting with someone.

For example, notice that the way you engage with your co-workers is not the same way as you
engage with your partner, or your friends, or your family. When we communicate with someone, we
usually meet them at their level so that we are in rapport. But sometimes when this doesn’t happen,
and when we are not in rapport with someone, we find it hard to connect with them.

For example, if you are naturally quiet and reserved, you will often find people who are loud and
outspoken as obnoxious. On the other hand, if you are naturally more outspoken or outgoing, you will
find people who are quiet and reserved as boring or uptight.

Therefore, when you are interacting with different types of clients you will need to adapt your
personality so that you are more in sync with them. Don’t put on a persona you think people want to
see, but rather, speak to them in a way that they can relate to.

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2. Asking Questions

If you did nothing more in a sales consult but just ask more questions, you would still be a lot more
successful than the person who spends most of their time talking about the features of their
product or service. The features of your product may be important to you, but remember, the only
thing that your potential clients care about is the end result.

Who is the one person everybody loves to talk about the most? You guessed it…it’s themselves.
When you ask more questions and get people talking about themselves, they will open up to you a
lot more.

In fact, some our business mentors have recommended asking a minimum of 16 questions in a
sales consult in order to gain someone’s trust and to build rapport.

We are going to teach you exactly which questions to ask in order to elicit the right emotional
response from your potential clients in the next part.

For now, we just want you to understand how following these two simple steps of mirroring and
matching and asking more questions will make the sales process a lot more effective because it
will help you build rapport with potential clients and get them to open up to you more. That way,
when you go through the sales process with them and ask the right questions, they trust you more
and in turn will be more open and honest.

8.5: The Sales Process

Now that we have gotten all the preliminary stuff out of the way, it is time to delve deep into the
sales process. A successful sales process is about asking the right questions to lead a potential
client to make an informed buying decision. It’s about making the potential client tell you what they
want, not telling them what they need.

Remember, no one likes being sold to, but everyone loves to BUY!
All buying decision are based on emotion not logic!

You have to find out what the client’s pain is them offer them a solution which is your product or
service. Your product or service must serve as the bridge between where they are and where they
want to be. If you ask the right questions during the sales process a lot of the potential objections
that may come up later can be eliminated

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 good to know

Our founder Daine McDonald has broken down the sales process into
5 key steps, as someone who has personally completed millions of dollars
in personal training sales over his career he knows a thing or two!

We call this the DM 5-Step Sales System

Each of the 5 steps must be executed effectively in order to convert your

prospects of potential clients into paying clients. The 5 steps in the DM
system are the following:

- Curiosity Stage

- Conduct Needs Analysis

- Provide the Solution

- Close the Deal

- Objection Handling.

Let’s take a look at each of these steps in a little bit more detail.

1.Curiosity Stage

The curiosity stage occurs the first time you have contact with a potential client. This stage can
make or break the entire sales process.

When you first talk to a potential client, and everyone is either a potential client or knows someone
who is a potential client, never talk about your product or service. Remember, no one wants to buy
personal training. Instead talk about the people you work with and the kind of results you create.
The more specific you are the better.

For example, if you are out at a social gathering and somebody asks you what you do for living, if you
answer ‘I am personal trainer’ as most personal trainers do, you have just commoditized yourself.

You are now like every other ‘me too’ personal trainer out there. However, if you answer something
along the lines of ‘I specialize in weight loss for post-menopausal women’ or whatever your niche
market is, now you will make much more of an impression, because the person you are talking to
most likely knows someone who fits that description.

Likewise, if a client approaches you out on the gym floor and asks how much you charge, if you give
them your rate then and there, you have just commoditized yourself again, and that prospect will
make a buying decision purely on money.

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Instead, you want to take control of the conversation by introducing yourself and asking what
specifically they want to achieve. The moment you start asking the questions, you are now in
control.

Once you find out what exactly they want to achieve your response should be something along the
lines of ‘Great! That’s exactly what I specialize in. I’m busy right now, but how about we book in a
time to have a chat about how we can potentially work together to help you achieve that’.

There are several things to note about that response. Let’s take a look.

- Firstly, you are confirming you understood what they want and that is something
you can help them with.

- Secondly, even if you are not busy, say you are busy and book in the consult for
a later time. This shows that your time is valuable, it gives you some time to
prepare because you are not caught off guard, and it also pre-qualifies the
prospect to see if they are serious before you invest any more of your
time in them.

You have a much higher likelihood of converting someone when you book in consult as opposed to
meeting them on the gym floor for the first time. Lastly, notice the choice of words when you say,
‘potentially work together’. This takes the pressure of both sides because it doesn’t commit you or
them to anything.

Assuming the prospect or potential client agrees to book in for a consult, before you book a time,
ask if they are the key decision maker when it comes to making financial arrangements. You could
say something along the lines of ‘I know it’s a little early in the conversation, but assuming we were
to work together, are you the key decision maker when it comes to making financial arrangements
or do you need to check in with someone else?’

If they are not the key decision maker, ask if the key decision maker can also attend the consult
with them. This will potentially save you a lot of time and eliminate the objection of ‘I have to ask my
partner’ at the end of the consult. The other benefit is that you also get the opportunity to convert
their partner as a client.

2. Conduct Needs Analysis

The needs analysis is the meat and potatoes of the sales process. This step usually takes 20-30
minutes once you have booked in a potential client for a sales consult.

This is where you will ask the key questions that will arouse an emotional response and tell a lot of
stories to build trust and credibility. If you spend too much time talking about the features of your
product or service, you will kill the sale. This is the single biggest mistake most amateur salesman
make.

Remember, all buying decisions are based on emotions not logic. If you try to appeal too much
to someone’s logic or spend too much time focusing on the process they will not be emotionally
invested.

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There are several key questions you should ask during the need’s analysis. Each of these questions
is designed to arouse a specific emotional response and take the client potential through an
emotional journey.

1. The first question you want to ask is ‘What would you like?’

This question is simply about asking the prospect what result they would like to achieve. Ideally it
should be state in the positive and it should be as specific as possible.

For example, if someone says they want to lose weight, how much weight do they want to lose?
Where do they want to lose the weight from? How do they want to look? Ask them to imagine
themselves achieving that result. If they can see themselves having it, it becomes more real in
their mind.

2. The next question you want to ask is ‘What would having that do for you?’

This question is very important because it shifts the focus from the result to the outcome. You may
have to ask this question several times to get to the core of it.

If you feel uncomfortable asking this question multiple times because it feels like you are probing
just say to the prospect ‘The reason I am asking is because it is very important that you get clear on
why you want to achieve this result.

From our experience when people are not very clear on why they want to achieve their goal, they
often give up and quit.’

3. The next question is ‘When would you like to achieve this goal by?’

Putting a timeline on a goal makes it feel more real and it creates some urgency. If there is no
deadline people will often keep on postponing their goal or say things like ‘I’ll start tomorrow’ or
‘This week is a write off, I’ll start again next week’.

4. The next question is ‘How long have you been thinking about this?’

This is a great question, and it can really help push a sale over the line, especially for prospects that
have been thinking about their goal for a long time. Often at the end of a sales consult when you
ask someone to make a decision they will respond with ‘I need to think about it’.

If this prospect has already told you that they’ve been thinking about this for a long time, you can
respond with something like ‘ You told me previously that you have already been thinking about this
a long time.

Don’t you think it’s time to take action now? Don’t you agree that thinking about it more is not going
to get you the result?’ Notice that the response is in the form of questions. You are not telling them,
but you are making them tell you that now is the time to take action.

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5. The next question is ‘What is it like for you now?’

This question is important because it gets the client to experience the contrast between where
they are at now, and where they want to be. If there is no contrast or tension between someone’s
current reality and where they want to be, there is going to be nothing pulling them towards their
goal.

We need to be realistic about where we are now so we can be inspired to take the action to get us
to our goal.

6. The next question is ‘What would it cost you if you did not address this?’

This question is important because it gets people to see the downside of not taking action now.
People often see personal training as an unnecessary expense, but often they don’t think about the
time, money, effort, and pain that they can save in the long run by investing in a personal trainer.

You need make people see you as an investment rather than as an expense. That will increase the
value of your services.

7. The last question you want to ask is ‘What would it be worth to you if you could have a
solution now?’

This question will allow you to pre-qualify your prospects and see how much value they place on
achieving their goal.

This is useful when it comes to presenting your packages later because it will give you a better idea
if you should target them with your high-end or low-end packages, or if they are not a right fit for you
at all.

3. Provide the Solution

Once you have gone through the preliminary questions and taken your prospect through an
emotional journey of experiencing the end result then comparing that with where they are at now,
the next step is to provide a solution.

Yes, that is correct. You are actually going to provide them with a solution during the
sales consult.

Whether a prospect buys from you or not they need to walk away from the consult feeling like they
got a lot of value out of it. That is because if you can show them upfront that you can provide them
with value before they even buy anything form you, they are more likely to buy. Or, if they are not
ready to buy right now, they may come back at a later point, or they may refer someone to you.

Start by asking them what they have tried in the past to overcome their challenge. We usually ask if
they have tried personal training in the past, and if so, what that experience was like for them.
This is useful so you can get a bit of an idea of what they can do differently this time around so that
they can achieve the result they are after.

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After they tell what they have tried in the past to solve their problem, congratulate them on what
they have done well, even if it is just for making the effort. This is very important because if you
start critiquing them straight away without giving them any credit first, they are going to put a wall
up. Once you have congratulated them, you can proceed to educate them on what they could do
better.

When you are educating your prospects on what they can do better don’t get bogged down with the
details but instead focus on a few key things you have identified.

Some of the most common things that we normally see includes:

Not tracking their food intake

Restricting calories for too long and their metabolism has adapted to a
lower intake

Eating very strict on the weekdays then blowing out on the weekends

Not training consistently

Training too much.

You just want to give them enough to point them in the right direction and help them understand
why what they were doing wasn’t working. The most important thing is to show that you can help
them.

Even when you tell people what they need to do, about 80% of them will still want to work with you
because most people prefer someone to show them how to do it and walk the, through the process,
rather than trying to figure it out for themselves.

4. Close the Deal

Once you have educated your prospect on what they can do better, the next step is to present
them with some options on how you can work together to help them achieve their goal.

You have already given them a general outline of what they need to do, but as we mentioned
previously, most people would rather pay someone to coach them through the process.
That’s because most people have a lot of self-doubt, and the main reason they want to work with a
coach is to help them overcome that.

We are going to talk a lot more about how to set up you packages in the next part, but as quick
primer, never present them more that 3 and ideally 2 options at a time. The simpler you make their
decision the more likely they are to act on it.

Always present the most expensive option first, if for no other reason than to freak them out,
so they can breathe a sigh of relief when they see the other less expensive option.
Typically, about 10% of the population will take the most expensive option, about 10% will take the
cheapest option, and about 80% of people will take the middle option. That’s why we like to have
the last option on a separate page, and only present that option as a backup.

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 good to know

An example sales package might be as follows:

- Option 1:
12 weeks x 4 sessions per week with inclusive lifestyle,
nutrition, and training plan = $2000

- Option 2:
12 weeks x 2 sessions per week with inclusive lifestyle,
nutrition, and training plan = $1100

Take a moment to go through each of the options and explain the difference but do not spend too
much time here.

Remember, the more time you spend on the process, the more you take the prospect out of their
emotional state. The value is not in the process but in the result that you can help them achieve.

Once you have gone through the options there are two way you can try and close the sale. The first
is what we call the direct approach option. This is where you direct a prospect to the option which
you feel would be most suitable for them, based on pre-qualifying them during the sales process.

For example, if someone indicated that budget wasn’t a concern for them and they want the best
results possible, you would direct them to your most expensive package. The second way to close
out the sale is called the alternate option approach. This is where you ask the client which option
would suit them best.

Whether you use the direct or the alternate option approach, once you have presented that option
just shut your mouth and wait for the prospect to respond. At the this point you just need to be
direct and ask for the sale.

You should have already asked all the questions you need to ask, and if you genuinely feel that you
can help the prospect and you would be a good match working together, then just ask for the sale.
This is where a lot of salespeople start fluffing around too much and mess it up because they are
too afraid to ask for the sale.

If you continue talking past a certain point and try to oversell, you will create doubt in the prospects
mind. Let them tell you where they are at see if any objections come up.

5. Objection Handling

Once you have presented your packages to a prospect and asked for the sale, it is not uncommon
for some objections to come up. An objection is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s actually a sign of
interest.

It’s also a sign that a concern has not been addressed. You will need to investigate further and ask
more questions to find out what exactly is stopping the potential client from moving forward.
What they tell you initially is rarely ever the real issue.

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Whenever addressing any objection, the first thing you should always do is acknowledge the
objection. By doing so the prospect will let their guard down because you are agreeing with them
and they will feel less threatened. You are working with them to help overcome their concerns
rather than challenging them on it.

Now, let’s take a look at some of the most common objections that typically come up in a sales
meeting and how to tackle them.

Objection 1: I need to think about it

We have already talked a bit about this one. The biggest underlying concern with these individuals
is that they are always overthinking things because they are too afraid to take action.

If someone has already indicated that they have been thinking about it for a while, this is the time
to urge them to take action. Let them know that if they hire you to be their coach, you are going to
push them to take action, and that action starts right now with taking that first step.

For a lot of people that little push will get the over the line, and they will begin to appreciate what
you can do for them by getting them to take action where they have been previously stuck.

However, a good number of people, usually people who are very analytical or tend to overthink
things, will not be able to make a decision on the spot. In that case, ask them what specifically they
need to think about, let them know that you will send them a recap of what was discussed in the
meeting and any additional information they asked for, and ask when they can give you a decision
by.

It is very important that you commit them to date and time where you will follow up with them.
This is called booking a meeting from a meeting. When you book a time, and you contact them at
that time you are being professional. If you just call them randomly to follow up, you are pestering
them.

With face-to-face personal training clients, we usually take it a step further and tentatively book
in their training times to reserve those slots for them, should they choose to sign up. We find this
follow-up approach helps convert at least 50% of ‘think about it’ types that otherwise would not
have converted.

Objection 2: I have to ask my partner

We have already touched on this objection as well. The best course of action here is to eliminate
this objection upfront by asking if they are the key decision maker when it comes to making
financial arrangements. If they are not, ask if they can have the key decision maker attend the
meeting with them. Most often this is their partner.

If that is not possible, and this objection does come up in the sales consult, do the same as with
the ‘think about it’ prospects. Send them a recap of what was discussed in the meeting and any
additional information that they can discuss with their partner and ask when they can give you a
decision by. Then go ahead and book a time to follow up, and even better tentatively book in their
training slots.

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Objection 3: I want to try on my own first

This is another common objection. After the sales consult the prospect may feel as though they
got enough information to go out and try it on their own first. There is nothing wrong with that as
often times these prospects end up coming back and working with you anyway.

Consider that even in clinically supervised dietary studies dropout rates have been reported to be
as high as 21% within the first month and 57% within the first 6 months (91).

The dropout rates for non-supervised, self-guided weight loss attempts would be even higher.
One of the main predictors of dropping out was shown to be the initial response.

You also have to consider that even in those who do manage to lose weight initially, a very large
percentage will gain the weight back, and one to two thirds or people will gain back more weight
than they lost (92).

In fact, weight regain has been linked to the number of dieting attempts. In other words, each failed
diet attempt increases the likely hood of regaining more weight than you started with.

You need to ask these prospects, is saving a couple of grand upfront worth it for them to risk
spiraling down that dark pathway. It is much better to invest in a good coach initially and learn how
to lay the down foundation and habits to sustain the weight loss in the long term.

Objection 4: I can’t afford it

Another common objection that we often hear is ‘I would love to, but I can’t afford it’. More often
than not, what these prospects are actually saying is that they do not place enough value on your
service to invest the kind of money you are asking.

Remember, people spend their time, effort, and money on things that they value most. That same
person that is telling you that they can’t afford your services most likely drives a luxury car, eats
out every day, or has sent their children to a private school, because that’s what they value most.

That is why it’s important to ask, ‘What would what it cost you if you didn’t address this?’.
That gets people thinking about the time, effort, and money it could cost them if they didn’t do
anything about it, or they tried doing it on their own.

Another thing you could try here that has worked successfully for us in the past is to help these
prospects see where they are spending their money right now and make some suggestions on
where they can cut down or save.

For example, a lot of prospects spend money each day on eating out, drinking alcohol, and even
smoking cigarettes. These behaviors are not only not conductive to helping them reach their goal,
but they are also expensive. Some prospects spend a ridiculous amount of money on supplements
each month, yet they are pissing their money away because most supplements don’t work,
especially when you have a crappy diet.

As you can see, most of these objections can be overcome by asking the right questions and
addressing the real concern. Now, there are going to be some instances where people do genuinely
value your services, but they are unable to afford it, especially your high-end packages. We will talk
more about negotiating and scaling your services shortly.

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 student Exercise!

student exercise!

Role play the DM 5-step sales process with family and friends,
get some honest feedback and start to use the system to provide a
solution to the potential client’s problem!

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 student notes

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 202
 8.6: Packaging Your Services

Now we are going to teach you about how to structure your packages to maximize conversions and
increase your hourly rate. The mistake most personal trainers make here is charging per session,
often offering a discount when a client purchases multiple sessions in bulk.

We strongly advice against this. Charging per session is the quickest way to commoditize yourself.
It gives clients the experience of working with a lawyer because it takes the focus away from the
results and makes it about your time.

Instead, what we recommend is that you package all your services and products into programs.
When you package your services and products into programs it creates the experience that you are
you are delivering a lot more value, and it takes the focus away from your hourly rate.

It can seem expensive to clients when you are charging over $100 per session or as in the case of
some of our top coaches over $200 per session. However, what most people overlook when you
charge per session is all the back-end work that goes into planning your sessions, writing programs,
writing diet plans, responding to client emails and messages etc.

From our experience, the number of hours a trainer does on the gym floor typically doubles when
you factor in all the back-end work. So, if you normally charge $100 per session, your hourly rate
would be more like $50 per hour.

This is why when you package your services into programs, and you list all the services and
products a client will receive at an all-inclusive price, that takes the focus away from the session
rate. It also takes the focus away from doing a set number of sessions and makes it about how
much time it will take for the client to achieve the result they are after.

We typically recommend working with clients for a minimum of 3 months because that is the
minimum time frame it takes to see any appreciable results. However, on average most clients will
require between 6 to 9 months to achieve the result they are after, in a sustainable manner.

If a potential client approaches you on the gym floor and asks how much you charge per session,
tell them that you do not charge per session, and that your clients typically work with you for 3
months or longer, until they achieve the results they are after.

If someone insists on a price before they commit to booking the initial consult with you, let them
know the price range for a 3-month package and ask if that is within their budget. You can also do
that if your books are quite full already, to pre-qualify potential clients before they come in for the
initial consult. This can save you the time of sitting down with someone that can’t afford your
services.

We typically recommend that you have two main packages, a premium and a basic package, and a
backup option that you present on another page. Typically, the backup option will be online training
or nutrition coaching.

When determining how much to charge and what to include in your packages, there are several
things you need to consider. Let’s check them out now.

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1. Your Target Market

First is your target market. You need to get clear on who your ideal client is and what kind of results
can you help them achieve. The more specific you are the better. Most personal trainers try and
work with everyone because they believe that will help them get more clients.

However, when you are known for being a specialist in something, you will attract more of those
clients and you can charge premium rates verse being a jack of all trades. As the saying goes
‘You can be a big fish in small pond or a small fish in a big pond’.

2. Your Types of Services

Next you need to list all the services you offer. For example, training, nutrition, skinfold testing,
online training, group training, massage, ART, NLP, hypnosis etc. If you have additional skills and
services that you can offer, list them in your packages as it increases the perceived value of your
services.

3. Your Types of Products

Outside of your services, you may have additional products that you can include in your packages to
increase the perceived value even further.

This could include things like supplements or a discount on supplements, gym gear with your logo,
drink bottles, books, DVDs, iNutrition Pro, online training or diet guides, members forum etc.
Adding in things like this to your packages can really differentiate you from other trainers.

4. Your Pricing Structure

How much you charge for your services is going to depend on several factors such as your target
market, geographical location, experience level, and the type of services you will be providing.
As a rule of thumb, you should either charge very little and service more clients, such as with group
training, or you should charge a premium rate and work with fewer clients. If you stay in the middle,
you will have a lot more competition because are competing with everyone else.

Of course, if you are just starting out you are going to need to get a bit of experience behind you and
have a track record before you can charge premium rates. We recommend charging market rate at
the beginning and filling up your books by way of client referrals.

Once your books are full you should start pushing up your rates. We recommend increasing your
rate 20% for all new clients and 10% for existing clients. Following this process, if you continue to
increase your rates annually, you will double your rate within 5 years,

As far as your packages, we recommend pricing your basic package roughly half the price of your
premium package, and your back up option roughly half the price of your basic package.

Typically for the premium package we recommend 4 personal training sessions per week, while for
the basic package we recommend 2 personal training sessions per week. Both should include
nutrition. For the backup option we recommend online coaching or a nutrition only package. If you
only do online coaching, you can have your premium option as training and nutrition combined, and
your basic option as training or nutrition only.

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For each package add up total billable hours and package it up into one all-inclusive price paid
3-months upfront or on a weekly direct debit.

Typically, for an upfront payment you would give about 10% discount. This ensures that you get all
the money upfront and that the client is committed. However, we prefer to have most our clients on
direct debit because it gives you more consistent cash flow and better client retention.
Anytime you can automate the payment and people don’t have to think about it, it makes the
process a lot smoother.

good to know

Below is an example of how you can structure your personal training

packages if you normally charge $100 per session.

OPTION 1: PLATINUM PROGRAM OPTION 2: Gold PROGRAM

Initial Consultation Initial Consultation

Structural Assessment Structural Assessment

Personalized Training Program Personalized Training Program

Personalized Nutrition Plan Personalized Nutrition Plan

4 x Weekly Personal Training Sessions 2 x Weekly Personal Training Sessions

Weekly Skinfolds Assessment Fortnightly Skinfolds Assessment

Ongoing Program and Nutrition Adjustments Ongoing Program and Nutrition Adjustments

Unlimited phone and Email Support Unlimited phone and Email Support

iNutrition Pro App iNutrition Pro App

Option 1: $3888 for 3-months upfront (10% discount) Option 1: $2160 for 3-months upfront (10% discount)
Option 2: $360 per week on direct debit Option 2: $200 per week on direct debit

This is just a hypothetical example but notice how even though you are still charging $100 per
session for the basic package, or $90 per session for the premium package (10% discount),
the perceived value is a lot higher because of all the other things listed on there, which normally get
overlooked.

In essence, the clients are getting their training and nutrition plans for free.

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 good to know

For the online training option, you could use something like below:

ONLINE PERSONAL TRAINING

Initial Zoom / Skype Consultation

Personalized Training Program

Personalized Nutrition Plan

Weekly Check In (Biofeedback document)

Ongoing Program and Nutrition Adjustments

Unlimited phone and Email Support

Ongoing Program and Nutrition Adjustments

iNutrition Pro App

Option 1: $1080 for 3-months upfront (10% discount)

Option 2: $100 per week on direct debit

For online coaching you would typically charge per week what you normally charge for a single
session. Here your actual hourly rate increases substantially because you are now charging for the
training and nutrition plans.

That’s why we don’t recommend offering a personal training package with only one session per
week. Because you could easily charge the same amount for an online package and work half the
time.

In our business model if someone wants to do face to face PT, they need to do a minimum of two
sessions per week, unless they have been with us for more than 3 months.

Of course, there are times we make exceptions based on an individual’s circumstances, however,
for the most part, you should present your prospects with limited options and negotiate
customized packages only if that need arises. We will talk more about negotiation next.

8.7: Negotiating

As we mentioned earlier, there are instances where your standard packages might not meet the
needs of your prospect, or your prospect genuinely may not be able to afford your services.
This is where the art of negotiating comes in.

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Negotiation is about coming to a compromise that is mutually beneficial for both parties. If you
have to compromise so much that you compromise your standards, not only is that is that unfair to
you, but it is also unfair to the other party because you will become resentful towards them, and you
will not provide the best service possible.

That will reflect poorly on you as a coach and you could miss out on referral opportunities.
There are two basic rules to negotiation…

1. Before reducing your price try to add value by giving away things for free.

You can away give free sessions, or supplements, or other products and services that you offer.
By not lowering your price you are not devaluing your service and it anchors the prospect at a higher
price point. This works especially well when a prospect is not yet fully convinced that your product
or service will work for them, or they cannot justify paying a premium rate because they haven’t
experienced the product or service.

That is why free trials or discounted trials are popular with subscription services. When people get
to experience the product or service risk free, if they are happy with the results, they will continue
using the product or service and paying full price. That’s why most gyms offer an introductory
discounted personal training package.

We prefer to sign on clients to a 12-week package with a 2-weeks discounted trial period. If after
the 2-weeks trail period the client is not satisfied with the results, they are under no further
obligation to continue. We prefer this model because two weeks gives you a bit more time to
develop a relationship with the client and to see some results.

2. When you do someone a favor, ask for a favor in return.

For some prospects giving away free sessions or products or giving them a discounted trail is not
an option, because even if they wanted to, they could not sustain your normal rates on going.

For these prospects, if you do agree to discounting your rate, you should ask for a favor in return.
They need to appreciate that you don’t normally do this, and that you are making an exception for
them. In return you should ask for a referral or a testimony.

Remember, you need to feel like this is worth your time and energy otherwise you will be doing a
disservice to both yourself and the potential client.

This works well for prospects that you are confident will have a great transformation and you can
use their testimony in your marketing. Or those that have a big social media following if they are
open to promoting you.

We recommend giving these clients are probationary period, and if they are not doing the work,
either booting them or pushing them up to full rate. We have had some of our best transformations
come from clients that were on discounted packages because they worked extra hard to prove
themselves.

At the end of the day business is all about a fair exchange of value between two individuals. It is
important for you to provide the best possible service and value to your clients while also being
equally well compensated for your efforts. That is what will lead to a profitable, fulfilling, and
sustainable personal training business in the long term.

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 TIME TO TAKE YOUR MODULE 8 EXAM ONLINE!

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 208
 student notes

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 209
 12. Nutrition Templates

1. Biofeedback

Click here to download the template

Find an example of the Biofeedback template below

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 210
 2. 54 point in-person client experience

Click here to download the template

CLIENT NAME:
# WEEK 1 TASK Y / N NOTES

1 1 Conduct CHFI initial consult in assessment

room with new client
2 1 Conduct 1/5 body comp assessment using
the CHFI body comp template
3 1 Take front, side and back photos of the
client in the designated area
4 1 Prescribe minumum 2 supplements at
reception post initial consultation
5 1 Ensure client is booked in the correct times
ongoing with reception
6 1 Create new client file on iNutrition Pro and
ensure client gets email
7 1 Create 1/4 client nutrition plan for client This must be done within 48 hours maximum of
from CHFI template or iNutrition Pro assessment
8 1 Create 1/3 client training plan for client from This must be done within 48 hours maximum of
CHFI training systems templates assessment
9 1 Create new client Dropbox file with nutrition,
training, media and misc sections
10 1 Email client dropbox link so that they can
access their client data ongoing
11 1 Upload relevant body comp, photos and
plans into relevant client folders
12 1 Email client directly overview of first Ensure they confirm receipt of the program
nutrition & training phase, where it is and any questions
and ask for confirmation
13 1 Conduct 20 minute client debrief Set expectations, go through weekly bio-
before first session in person feedback document etc
WEEK 2 TASK Y/ N NOTES
14 2 Ensure client has completed bio- For previous week, this is done online on
feedback document by Monday their dropbox file
12:00pm
15 2 Review client feedback document Or worst case, discuss in person. Writing
and provide guidance to client via always better
email

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 WEEK 3 TASK Y / N NOTES
16 3 Ensure client has completed bio-
feedback document by Monday
12:00pm
17 3 Review client feedback document Or worst case, discuss in person. Writing
and provide guidance to client via always better
email
18 3 Conduct 2/5 body comp assess-
ment before first session of the
week using CHFI body comp tem-
plate
19 3 Take front, side and back photos of In essence this is done 14-16 days into
the client in the designated area plan, so post bootcamp etc
20 3 Update client dropbox with body
comp data and new photos
21 3 Create 2/4 client nutrition plan This must be done within 48 hours maxi-
based on new body comp results mum of assessment
using iNutrition Pro
22 3 Email client recap of second body Ensure you get confirmation and respond
comp assessment and revised nutri- to any questions from client
tion plan
WEEK 4 TASK Y / N NOTES
23 4 Ensure client has completed bio-
feedback document by Monday
12:00pm
24 4 Review client feedback document Or worst case, discuss in person. Writing
and provide guidance to client via always better
email
25 4 Create 2/3 client training plan and This gives them time to get head around
upload to client dropbox by Friday first session following Monday
12:00pm
26 4 Notify client of second training Ensures customer experience has no holes
phase and confirm it’s receipt imme-
diately after uploading it
WEEK 5 TASK Y / N NOTES
27 5 Ensure client has completed bio-
feedback document by Monday
12:00pm
28 5 Review client feedback document Or worst case, discuss in person. Writing
and provide guidance to client via always better
email

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 212
 WEEK 6 TASK Y / N NOTES
29 6 Ensure client has completed bio-
feedback document by Monday
12:00pm
30 6 Review client feedback document
and provide guidance to client via
email
31 6 Conduct 3/5 body comp assess-
ment before first session of the
week
32 6 Take front, side and back photos of
the client in the designated area
33 6 Update client dropbox with body
comp data and new photos
34 6 Create 3/4 client nutrition plan
based on new body comp results
using iNutrition Pro
35 6 Email client recap of third body comp
assessment and revised nutrition
plan
WEEK 7 TASK Y / N NOTES
36 7 Ensure client has completed bio-
feedback document by Monday
12:00pm
37 7 Review client feedback document Or worst case, discuss in person. Writing
and provide guidance to client via always better
email
WEEK 8 TASK Y / N NOTES
38 8 Ensure client has completed bio-
feedback document by Monday
12:00pm
39 8 Review client feedback document
and provide guidance to client via
email
40 8 Create 3/3 client training plan and This gives them time to get head around
upload to client dropbox by Friday first session following Monday
12:00pm
41 8 Notify client of third training phase Ensures customer experience has no holes
and confirm it’s receipt immediately
after uploading it
42 8 Confirm client resign process to Form must be submitted to admin and
qualify for coach comission split completely done by the coach
43 8 Prescribe further 1-2 supplements Client should be on 3-4 now
at reception post new plan

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 213
 WEEK 9 TASK Y/N NOTES
44 9 Ensure client has completed bio-
feedback document by Monday
12:00pm
45 9 Review client feedback document
and provide guidance to client via
email
46 9 Conduct 4/5 body comp assess-
ment before first session of the
week
47 9 Take front, side and back photos of
the client in the designated area
48 9 Update client dropbox with body
comp data and new photos
49 9 Revise client nutrition plan based on
new body comp results using iNutri-
tion Pro
50 9 Email client recap of fourth body
comp assessment and revised nutri-
tion plan
WEEK 10 TASK Y/N NOTES
51 10 Ensure client has completed bio-
feedback document by Monday
12:00pm
52 10 Review client feedback document Or worst case, discuss in person. Writing
and provide guidance to client via always better
email
53 10 Conduct 20 minute in person client Set the tone, demand results
debrief for final phase goal setting
(Their after photo)
WEEK 11 TASK Y/N NOTES
54 11 Ensure client has completed bio-
feedback document by Monday
12:00pm
55 11 Review client feedback document
and provide guidance to client via
email
56 11 Conduct 20 minute client debrief
before first session in person

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 214
 3. 54-point online client experience

Click here to download the template

CLIENT
NAME:
# WEEK 1 TASK Y/N NOTES
1 1 Conduct 1/4 45 minute consult via Zoom (This is
initial) with new client
2 1 Ensure Zoom meeting is recorded for uploading
into client dropbox post consult
3 1 Request front, side and back photos of the cli-
ent, along with weight, waist, hips and chest girth
measurements
4 1 Prescribe post workout shake, and / or client
supplement if needed
5 1 Ensure client is booked in the correct times
ongoing with reception
6 1 Create new client file on iNutrition Pro and en-
sure client gets email
7 1 Create 1/4 client nutrition plan for client from This must be done within 48 hours maximum of
CHFI template or iNutrition Pro assessment
8 1 Create 1/3 client training plan for client from This must be done within 48 hours maximum of
CHFI training systems templates assessment
9 1 Create new client Dropbox file with nutrition,
training, media and misc sections
10 1 Email client dropbox link so that they can access You must get confirmation of this
their client data ongoing
11 1 Upload Zoom meeting, relevant body comp, pho-
tos and plans into relevant client folders
12 1 Email client directly overview of first nutrition & Ensure they confirm receipt of the program and any
training phase, where it is and ask for confirma- questions
tion
WEEK 2 TASK Y/N NOTES
13 2 Ensure client has completed biofeedback docu- For previous week, this is done online on their dropbox
ment by Monday 12:00pm file
14 2 Review client feedback document and pro-
vide guidance to client via email no later than
Wednesday

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 215
 WEEK 3 TASK Y/N NOTES
15 3 Ensure client has completed biofeedback docu-
ment by Monday 12:00pm
16 3 Review client feedback document and pro-
vide guidance to client via email no later than
Wednesday
17 3 Request front, side and back photos of the cli-
ent, along with weight, waist, hips and chest girth
measurements
18 3 Create 2/4 client nutrition plan based on new This must be done within 48 hours maximum of assess-
body comp results using iNutrition Pro ment
19 3 Email client recap of revised nutrition plan and Ensure you get confirmation and respond to any ques-
get confirmation tions from client
WEEK 4 TASK Y/N NOTES
20 4 Ensure client has completed biofeedback docu-
ment by Monday 12:00pm
21 4 Create 2/3 client training plan and upload to This gives them time to get head around first session
client dropbox to discuss in Zoom following Monday
22 4 Notify client of second training phase and con- Ensures customer experience has no holes
firm it’s receipt immediately after uploading it
23 4 Conduct 2/4 20 minute Zoom meeting and en-
sure it is recorded and uploaded to dropbox post
consult
WEEK 5 TASK Y/N NOTES
24 5 Ensure client has completed biofeedback docu-
ment by Monday 12:00pm
25 5 Review client feedback document and pro-
vide guidance to client via email no later than
Wednesday
WEEK 6 TASK Y/N NOTES
26 6 Ensure client has completed biofeedback docu-
ment by Monday 12:00pm
27 6 Review client feedback document and pro-
vide guidance to client via email no later than
Wednesday
28 6 Request front, side and back photos of the cli-
ent, along with weight, waist, hips and chest girth
measurements
29 6 Create 3/4 client nutrition plan based on new
body comp results using iNutrition Pro
30 6 Email client recap of revised nutrition plan and
get confirmation

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 216
 WEEK 7 TASK Y/N NOTES

31 7 Ensure client has completed biofeedback docu-

ment by Monday 12:00pm
32 7 Review client feedback document and pro-
vide guidance to client via email no later than
Wednesday
WEEK 8 TASK Y/N NOTES
33 8 Ensure client has completed biofeedback docu-
ment by Monday 12:00pm
34 8 Create 3/3 client training plan and upload to
client dropbox to discuss in Zoom
35 8 Notify client of third training phase and confirm This gives them time to get head around first session
it’s receipt immediately after uploading it following Monday
36 8 Conduct 3/4 20 minute Zoom meeting and en- Ensures customer experience has no holes
sure it is recorded and uploaded to dropbox post
consult
37 8 Confirm client resign process to qualify for coach Form must be submitted to admin and completely done
comission split by the coach
WEEK 9 TASK Y/N NOTES
38 9 Ensure client has completed biofeedback docu-
ment by Monday 12:00pm
39 9 Review client feedback document and pro-
vide guidance to client via email no later than
Wednesday
40 9 Request front, side and back photos of the cli-
ent, along with weight, waist, hips and chest girth
measurements
41 9 Create 4/4 client nutrition plan based on new
body comp results using iNutrition Pro
42 9 Email client recap of revised nutrition plan and
get confirmation
WEEK 10 TASK Y/N NOTES
43 10 Ensure client has completed biofeedback docu-
ment by Monday 12:00pm
44 10 Review client feedback document and pro-
vide guidance to client via email no later than
Wednesday
45 10 Email client debrief for final phase goal setting Set the tone, demand results
(Their after photo)
WEEK 11 TASK Y/N NOTES
46 11 Ensure client has completed biofeedback docu-
ment by Monday 12:00pm
47 11 Review client feedback document and provide
guidance to client via email
48 11 Conduct 20 minute client debrief before first
session in person

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 217
 WEEK 12 TASK Y/N NOTES
49 12 Ensure client has completed biofeedback docu-
ment by Monday 12:00pm
50 12 Review client feedback document and pro-
vide guidance to client via email no later than
Wednesday
51 12 Request front, side and back photos of the cli- Before final session of this week, not first
ent, along with weight, waist, hips and chest girth
measurements
52 12 Update client dropbox with body comp data and
new photos
53 12 Conduct 4/4 20 minute Zoom meeting and en-
sure it is recorded and uploaded to dropbox post
consult
54 12 Email client recap of entire program, results etc
and explain their progression into next coaching
block

Performance Nutrition Coach L1 - textbook Copyright CHFI IP Holdings PTY LTD 2020 218
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