When potential clients first reach out to me, they give me a 3 day food log. That allows me to see their habits, choices and sometimes portion sizes. Obviously it requires honesty on their part. Some are a little hesitant at first to admit the things they eat on a daily basis, but I make it clear that if I don't know, I can't help them.
One thing I notice with some of my clients is their source of food is sometimes pretty crappy. Now, a client not making body composition progress can be several different reasons. But many times we can make some good progress by simply changing the food sources.
Sure, many of my female clients don't get nearly enough protein, but protein sources are pretty limited to types of chicken, beef, pork, seafood, some dairy/eggs, protein powders and legumes. But carb sources are almost endless.... breads, potatoes, cereals, pastas, fruit and so much more.
When a client indicates their carb sources as chips and salsa and Goldfish, I don't even adjust the macros, we just change food sources. (If you've been following me for some time, you know I like to only change one variable at a time, so we know what changes had what effect.)
Here's a list of carb sources that I suggest. And while they aren't the be all end all, they are a good start. They allow us to have some clean sources and then slowly work back in some other options. (Remember, this isn't about eating "clean" 100% of the time, it's about choosing good options most of the time and learning how to have fun foods when you want)
Potatoes (red, white, sweet)
Rice (jasmine, basmati)
Oats
Squash
Banana/Apple
If we can utilize most of those for a few weeks, then we can slowly add in some other things like:
English muffin
Frozen waffles
Rice cakes
Pretzels
Pasta
We pay close attention to how things feel digestively as I find that some clients don't respond well to breads. That's why we stick with rice or potatoes. Keep in mind that there are other veggies that are carbohydrates, but I'm speaking of starchy carbs. While the list above doesn't look extensive, there are so many different ways to cook potatoes, rice and oats, so get a little creative!
In my next log, I'll tell a story about how a client of mine lost 10 pounds by simply cooking his own food.