2. Make Use Of Technology

The easy access to fitness apps and software has made tracking food or maintaining a food log a much easier process.

Many health or fitness apps even allow you and your clients to track progress over time, which can be motivating as one can clearly see the results of their efforts.

Personal trainer software like FitBudd comes with a meal planning and scheduling feature along with an in-built food database. This makes it very convenient for personal trainers like yourself to chart out your clients meal plans. It gets easier for the clients also to check what they are supposed to eat that day and log in their consumption in just a few clicks. Since you can track calories, fat, weight, etc, this detailed information allows you to understand your clients eating patterns, what they are able to follow and what they don't like, what foods are suited to their body and what aren't, and much more.

"I recommend that my clients use the log in their daily meals in my fitness app (built with FitBudd) to track their food intake," says certified personal trainer Mike Arsenault. "It's a great way to stay on top of things and make sure they meet desired results."

💡 DID YOU KNOW?

The FitBudd client app comes with a barcode scanning feature that enables clients to scan and find alternative foods with similar nutritional values.

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3. Get Your Clients Involved

Clients find calorie counting or weight tracking a tedious and boring process. Because of daily fluctuations in the readings, they might lose motivation at various points as they don't see the striking results they may be expecting.

To keep your clients motivated and engaged, make sure to involve your clients in the food tracking process. It will help them take accountability of their eating habits and make them more likely to stick with the program.

"I have my clients track their food for a week," says certified personal trainer Holly Rilinger. "At the end of the week, we sit down together and go over their diet. I help them identify areas where they can improve, such as eating more vegetables, cutting back on processed foods, or suggesting them alternate snacks to munch on ."

4. Set Realistic Goals

When tracking food or calories, it's essential to set realistic goals.

If the goal is too restrictive, your clients are more likely to give up and abandon the whole process.

"I ask my clients to set a goal of tracking their food intake for two weeks," says certified personal trainer Tara Stiles. "This is a short enough time frame that they're likely to stick with it, but long enough that they can start to see some results."

So work actively with your clients to develop a meal plan that considers their individual needs and lifestyle.
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5. Be Flexible

Flexibility is vital when it comes to food tracking.

There will be times when your clients won't be able to stick to their plan perfectly. That's okay! The important thing is that they don't give up altogether.

If they slip up, encourage them to get back on track and continue working towards their goals. This may require you to tweak certain foods, make changes in portion sizes, and reset the next milestone, among other changes.