For many, transitioning to flexible dieting is like learning a whole new skill. It takes patience, practice, and some trial and error. Below are our top tips for first-time flexible dieters to keep in mind.

Be Patient

Goals are a culmination of hard work over time, and although its easy to be both excited and anxious to see progress, things don't happen overnight. The first few weeks are and an adjustment for both your body and your habits. Focus on taking things one day at a time.

Make a Plan

Planning your day of eating is an invaluable tool for new members. Not only does having a plan for the day ensure that you're going to be on track for your target and not end up with mish-mash of macros at the end of the night but it allows you to make well informed adjustments to your eating. If you find you're consistently hungry at a certain time of day or are left with a midnight feast, having your day planned out allows you to pace your eating more appropriately.

Prep Your Meals

Life is busy and some days you don't have the energy for macro Tetris. Execute your plan by carving out a few hours twice a week to grocery shop and prepare the foods you need for the week. Even if you don't cook everything, having foods weighed and labelled can speed up dinner on a hectic night. Taking a few extra moments when you have them to spare can make a huge difference in how easy it is to stay on target.

Keep it Simple

Macro hacks and protein baking are great, but sticking to basics at the beginning keeps it simple. It's temping to try to recreate complex multi-ingredient recipes but until you get more familiar with tracking it's easier to build your day using whole foods.

Learn from Road-bumps

You're going to make mistakes, and that's okay. Situations will arise that may not be handled ideally, but there is a lot to take away from tough situations and curve balls. Trial and error are excellent teachers so identify what you handled well, what aspects you wish you had been more prepared for and reflect on some strategies for next time. Take this as an opportunity to talk things over with your coach to have a solid plan in place the next time it arises.

Connect with Your Peers

Your coach is there to support you both in terms of the technical aspect of the program and to help you work through a plan to succeed, but the beautiful part of being on our team is that you have more than 1500 other people to get support and learn from. Since flexible dieting relies a lot of figuring out what works for you, being able to have multiple voices of advice is a huge advantage.

There are so many lessons to be learned during your first month tracking macros, but these are the few we found most helpful. What do you wish you knew? What advice would you share with a new team member? We'd love to hear your words of wisdom- comment below!