RXing your diet - The Box Framework
Let’s be honest, anyone can get hold of a meal plan online, but blindly following something like this will only get you so far.
Do you:
- Want to get better at competitive fitness
- Want to get stronger
- Want to get fitter
- Want to look better naked….. (Let’s be honest)
Then learn how.
It sounds obvious but a small investment of time to understand how to do the above is what ultimately leads to long-term change.
And results.
Do you understand: -
- How much you should be eating for your goals?
- Why we need to balance fats, proteins and carbs for -
- How to combine performance and body composition?
- Why you don’t need these types of foods..... Coconut oil in your coffee!!!
- How to fuel the type of training you’re doing?
- What supplements work and which don’t?
I know it’s cheesy but understanding the why’s is what WILL get you better at competitive fitness, enable you to compete at higher level, be able to squat double your BW or look great in your speedos.
But where to start.
Like anything, whether it’s an instrument, maths, poker, olympic lifting or whatever you choose, the initial learning curve is the hardest part. It take time to understand what you should be doing, it’s frustrating, you have your 'forget this' moments and it takes a little patience and persistence before finally coming together.
This is why at Box we follow a simple framework that easily enables you to scale up your diet, whether you're completely new to nutrition or a competitive athlete who wants to do what it takes to compete at the highest level.
OK so what's the framework.
Level 1 - The habit based approach
One of the fundamentals of the Box Programme is to understand the Box Basics, or a selection of habits that build the foundations of a better diet.
If you struggle with tracking, or still find it difficult to grasp the ins and outs of what good nutrition is, these simple habits enable you focus on one or two things at one given time. As you begin to tick off these habits, your diet begins to take shape.
Level 2 - Scaling up your diet
Once you have a grasp of the core habits of the Box framework, it's time to track.
Do you HAVE to track kcals and macronutrients to see results? No, but it’s like a speedometer on a car, you don't need it to avoid breaking the speed limit, but if you keep getting speeding tickets it maybe worth looking at the dashboard a little more often! (thank Myolean fitness for that one).
Nobody wants to count kcals and macros but after a few weeks practice, reading a few articles and actually paying attention to what you’re eating, the whole process becomes easier and eventually autonomous.
The steps -
Work out and record your numbers (kcals and macros)
Track what you eat
Record your performance (lifts, times, energy levels), recovery and physical changes
Adjust your food based on the above
Level 3 - Intuitive eating
After tracking your food and performance for a few weeks, you will begin to get a better grasp of how much you are eating and how much you should be eating. You will also hopefully begin to figure out your personal nutrition strategies based around training and competition. Once you believe you are beginning to see change following this approach, it is time to start moving away from tracking and becoming more intuitive with what you eat. This enables you to better adjust your eating in accordance to your own body cues, rather than blindly following a set number or figures.
Steps to level 3
Give yourself a day off each week where you do not track, whilst roughly following the same eating pattern as you have been
Learn to listen to body cues like hunger and tiredness, whilst making notes of how you feel in the gym
Base your eating on actual physical requirements rather than emotions or situations
If you’re looking to RX your diet and find out more about our approach, then sign up to our FREE online nutrition course on building your diet by clicking on the image below:
