L1 Evergreen v2

Nutritional Coaching Institute
Level 1
Basic Applied Nutritional Coach
Orientation
Written by Andrew Garritson and Jason Phillips
In memoriam of Travis James Zipper
Curriculum Overview – The Big Picture
Continuing Education
Core Certification Courses (Non-Certification Courses)
• Level 1: Bridging science with an extremely effective Continuing Education - VAULT
connection-based coaching system that will lend a high
level of confidence to nutrition coaches! - New masterclasses every month
• Mindset Specialist: Understanding why people just can’t with different topics
seem to get out of their own way is a cornerstone of a
successful coaching practice. Learn strategies on how to - Research Reviews to stay ahead
effectively get difficult clients “unstuck” while maximizing
your ability to keep clients for longer while getting results.
of trends
• Hormone Specialist: Help clients identify and solve - Searchable Index to solve
hormonal issues rooted in nutritional causes using our problems
unique system!
• Level 2: Dive deeper into developing an understanding - 1:1 office hours with instructors
on how to interpret basic lab work and implementing
advanced dieting protocols, and more!
Intended Course Outcomes
By the end of this course, you should…
- Understand basic coaching concepts
- Effective communication strategies
- Effective client file management
- NCI’s unique connection-based model
- Understand basic applied nutritional science
- Energy balance and how to make appropriate recommendations based on your client’s goals
- Fluid balance and appropriate recommendations based on your client’s activity levels
- Appropriate recommendations for times to optimize nutrient delivery
- The unique role that supplements play in filling nutritional gap
- Be able to give a basic nutritional recommendation to help clients achieve their goals
- Effectively recommend generally appropriate nutrient intakes
- Identify how to plan for sustainable long-term client success
- Be able to assess the nutritional status of your prospective and current clients
- Understand disparity of current macro and micronutrient intake with optimal intakes
How We Get to There?
Alignment on ground rules:
1. Show Up
2. Participate Fully
3. Pull the course towards you and find the golden nugget(s)
Course Resources – Help Before You Need It
• Facebook Community
• Nutritional Coaching Graduates and Attendees Group: access to leverage the
collective knowledge of 2,000+ NCI graduates
• Cohort Group: access to bounce ideas or get support from those of you who
are also going through the Cohort
• Education Staff:
• Nutritional Education Manager
• Educational Contributor
• Educational Contributor
• AG Head of Education
Course Outline
• Section 1: Lifestyle Coaching • Section 8: Hydration and Fluid
• Section 2: The Art of Coaching Balance
• Section 3: The Intake and Client • Section 9: Micros - Minerals
Obstacles • Section 10: Micros - Vitamins
• Section 4: Energy Balance & • Section 11: Supplementation
Systems • Section 12: Digestion Essentials
• Section 5: Macros - Protein • Section 13: Dieting Methods
• Section 6: Macros – Carbs & Fats • Section 14: Overview of Coaching
• Section 7: Planning and Systems
Periodization
Steps for Certification: Final Coaching Project
1. Find 2 Guinea Pigs (and 1 classmate) by end of Week 2
2. Complete intakes and preliminary assessments and start coaching
begin by the end of Week 3
3. Record the process using the Guinea Pig Management Booklet
during your 12-weeks of coaching with each guinea pig
4. Complete Final Coaching Project Template and email it to
education@ncicertifications.com
5. Make any revisions if necessary and you’re officially certified!
• NOTE: the grading process may take up to 4 weeks to get back after
submitting
• Follow up after that point is appropriate
Section Recap
• This course is intended to teach you the basics around coaching
nutrition
• Ground Rules
1. Show Up
3. Pull the course towards you
• Final coaching project required for certification
• If you don’t intend to seek certification, feel free to consume the information
for enjoyment J
Section 1
Too Stressed for Sex:

Balancing Lifestyle to Maximize
Neuroendocrine Function
Reflection(s) and Realization(s)
• Pre-Content Reflection
• Last Week’s Action Items:
• Set your schedule
• Content Calls
• Coaching Project Check-Ins
• Reflect on what you want to get from your next 16 weeks
• Ground Rules:
1. Show Up
3. Find the golden nugget
Context….
Section Overview
• After this section, you should…
1. Understand the role that stress plays in maintaining health
2. Understand how stress moderates the balance between sex and stress
hormones via the nervous system
3. Be able to identify basic life stressors
4. Be able to coach individuals on to implement basic coping mechanisms that

are aligned with their goals
Defining “Stress”
• How do YOU define “stress?”
• How do your clients define “stress?”
• Can you have too much stress? Not enough?
• Eustress vs Distress
• 4 types of categories of wellness and stress:
• Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual/existential
• Why is this general concept so important to understand?
• General Adaptation Syndrome and Supercompensation theory
• Balancing just the right amount of “doing” for optimal results
Stress and Key Players
• “Understand how it’s supposed to work so you can recognize when it’s not”
Stressors = stimulus that body must organize and resist to maintain balance, aka
homeostasis
• Allostasis concept
Old anatomical model = separate approach
• Helpful in understanding how individual systems work
• Not ideal for looking at creative and integrative solutions
• I.e. Cardiovascular system looks at blood flow, and digestive system looks at food breakdown and
absorption
NEW anatomical model = integrated approach
• Better for examining system-wide influences on neighbors and creating individualized
solutions
• Neuroendocrine system = combination of the Nervous System AND Endocrine system
• HPA Axis
• Autonomic Nervous System
The Endocrine System Applied
Hormones
• The appropriate “balance” and ratio of various hormones are predictive of
how good people feel
• Primary Sex Hormones
• Testosterone
• Estrogen
• Stress Hormones
• Cortisol
• Important ratios to consider
• Sex hormones vs stress hormones
It’s All About BALANCE
Stress is regulated by complex feedback loops
• Nervous system senses incoming information and communicates to

keep the system “balanced” and optimized for your environmental
perception
• 2 Branches of the nervous system help turn stress response on/off

• Sympathetic Nervous System
• Fight, flight, or freeze
• Parasympathetic Nervous System
• Feed and breed, or rest and digest
Sympathetic Nervous System Response
• The “Gist”
• Brain senses threat, signals to adrenal glands to produce stress hormones
(cortisol) which then primes the nervous and muscular systems for conflict
• Cortisol is the hormone most associated with stress

• Stops blood flow to tissues not essential for conflict resolution
• Increases alertness, heightens senses
• Mobilizes energy stores to have substrates ready to make energy quickly
• Basically a “low power anaerobic mode”
Parasympathetic Nervous System Response
• The “Gist”
• Functions to conserve the body’s natural activity and relaxes the body once
the emergency has passed
• Helps the body rebuild after the exposure to stress
• Sex hormones are the hormones most commonly associated with
stress
• Testosterone
• Estrogens
Rest and Digest Fight, Flight or Freeze e
^
Parasympathetic activation Sympathetic activation
- “Building/Storage” mode - “Usage” mode
- Insulin
Sex hormones Stress hormones
- Testosterone - Cortisol
- Estrogen - Adrenaline
Which branch of the ANS is more
important…?
BOTH! Stress + Recovery = GROWTH
• General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
• 3 Phases
• Alarm
• Resistance
• Exhaustion
• Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands (SAID)

Application: Coping Strategies
Maladaptive coping leads to negative outcomes associated with
deteriorating health and/or are deemed socially unacceptable
• Drug or excessive alcohol use
• Excessive sedentary
• Withdrawing
• Catastrophizing
• Avoiding
• Inappropriate nutritional restriction
Adaptive coping leads to positive outcomes associated with improved health that are
socially acceptable and ultimately aligned with progressing towards the goal
• Cognitive restructuring
• Distraction
• Meditation
• Thought stopping
• Cultivating a positive and supportive environment
• Journaling
• Finding the humor in the situation
• Breathing techniques
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Appropriate levels of physical activity
AVATAR – Beth
Beth is a 48-year old that is a group fitness instructor that is looking to change her career and is
interested in doing remote nutrition coaching. She has recently purchased a nutritional education
certification and is trying to build her business simultaneously which maintaining a household of her
husband, two children, and 2 dogs. She has prided herself on being super healthy and extremely
active for decades and admits that some of her “value” is derived from her being extremely fit. She
has some gastrointestinal issues and seems “high-strung” with a rapid cadence of speaking and
seems to struggle with maintaining a clear train of thought. She thinks that nutrition coaching will
help her feel more confident during her career transition.
What is your coaching impression?

• Red flags?
• Coaching concerns
Where do you think she should start?
Section 1 Recap
• The body is hardwired to prioritize survival and the body responds by using a system
adapted from generations designed to maximize immediate survival odds with
appropriate vigilance and threat mitigation
• Stress allows us to become more alert and vigilant in the presence of a threat, however
chronic stress is often associated with a host of health issues including hormonal
adaptations, decreased ability to think clearly, poor socioemotional health, etc
• Balancing stress is an essential element of helping clients progress
• Too much stress can lead to the system breaking down and necessitates increased support
• Too little stress can lead to a lack of substantial progress and necessitates increased challenges
• Understanding how your client’s lifestyle is contributing to their overall stress load, their
typical maladaptive coping mechanisms, and how to redirect their behaviors to better
aligned with health and wellness is a cornerstone of effective coaching
• If you want to learn more about hormones and the deleterious long-term health effects
of chronic stress, check out our Hormone Specialist Certification!
Reflection and Action Items
Comment what golden nuggets you got from watching this section and
how you plan to apply the information between now and watching the
next section!
• Actions Items Before Beginning the Next Week:

1. Set your calendars to reflect the two strongly encouraged appointments:
watching your L1 content modules and attending your L1 support calls!
2. Watch this video one more time before starting the next module
3. Start a “Continuing Education” notes section on your phone where you keep
all the interesting facts and knowledge for future reference in one place
Section 2
The Art of Coaching: Building

Context and Balancing Tradeoffs
• Ground Rules:
1. Show Up
1. Set your calendars to reflect the two strongly encouraged calls: content and
coaching calls
2. Review the video from your content all one more time before the next
content call
3. Start a “Continuing Education” notes section on your phone where you keep
all the interesting facts and knowledge for future reference in one place
Section Overview
1. How to upgrade client awareness, clarity of goals, and subsequent

successful execution of the plan through tradeoffs and contrast coaching
2. Have a basic understanding of what is normal and how to understand

biofeedback
3. Understand basic and generalized coaching progressions and regressions
4. Start to understand what is expected of effective, entry-level coaching

Trade-Offs and Creating Perspective
“You can have anything you want, but you can’t have it all at the same
time.”
• What is the BIG picture?
• WHAT are you focused on?

• “What is focal is causal.” – Robert Cialidini
• Growth (Surplus) vs Decay (Deficit) vs Maintenance (Net-Net)

Triangle of Awareness
Aesthetics
Performance Longevity
Goal Setting
Establishes the idea of what your client is attempting to achieve
• Where have they been?
• Where do they want to go?
• What are the potential obstacles?
• Are they ready to go to WAR?

Intro to Sequencing and Planning
If we can’t do it all at the same time, how do we get there…?
• Incrementalism: the belief in or advocacy for changes by degrees; gradualism

• 1% is the standard
• Establish the coach-client feedback loop

Contrast Coaching: Fostering Progress AND Autonomy
Contrast coaching: a coaching method leveraging extremes to clarify the

desired outcomes and necessary processes often used to guide the
development of client awareness
• Make a recommendation
• Review the client experience
• Did they do it or not?
• How was the experience either way?
• Reinforce positive or clarify negative effects
• Align on intended direction
• Have client create 3 positive and possible action items
• Client gets to choose their path
Steering with Biofeedback
The importance of “Norms”
• Common is not necessarily normal
• The ”average” person today…

• Drinking 20oz of water
• 25.8% of people engaged in drinking >4 drinks / sitting in last 30 days
• Averages of 6.8 hrs of sleep
• 40% get < 6 hours
• Drinks 165 mg of caffeine / day (1.5 cup of coffee)
• Eats <10g of fiber
• They “should be…”

• Drinking enough water (0.5 x BWT = recommended water intake in ounces)
• Sleeping 8 hours (+ 1 hour for every hour of activity)
• 15g of fiber / 1,000 Cals
• >3 BM’s /week
It’s NOT normal, now what…?
Why is it important for nutrition coaches to understand what is “normal?”
• To help create direction with coaching!
• Coaching Progressions / Regressions
• Essential to gather more information / initial data
• Excessive deficits / surpluses
• Duration and severity
• Process refinement
• GREAT things take time
• Gradual changes to allow body to ”catch up”
• Start with your “best guess” then refine the process once your assumptions are answered
• 3-10% changes week over week
• Pick one variable to manipulate each week
• 3-10% changes week over week
Steering with Biofeedback
Biofeedback: data that is used to measures key body functions and is used in
health coaching to determine if the body is responding positively or
negatively to their current lifestyle
S-leep
H-unger
R-ecovery
E-nergy
D-igestion
S-tress
Other subjective pieces of biofeedback?
Objective pieces of biofeedback?
Feedback and Coaching: The Client Check-In
Weekly check-in methods
• Zoom calls or Facetime
• Marco Polo
• Loom videos
• Email
• Text
Collect information / establish trends – Shared analysis WITH client

• How did it go?
• What went well?
• What didn’t go as well as you would have liked?
• What were some obstacles you came up against?
• What are some actions that can reduce the effects of those obstacles?
• What do you think you need to support your successful accomplishment of your weekly micro
goal(s)?
• What do you think you should implement to make 1-2 steps towards your goal this next week?
Practical Application: Avatar
Identify the red flags and form a coaching impression for the following
avatar
• What are the red flags?

• Stressors?
• Limitations?
• Alignment between current lifestyle and goal?
• How will these limitations hinder progress?

• What is missing?
• Are they ready to go to WAR for their goals?
Heather is a 38 year old female that is 5’7 and weighs 202 lbs. Her initial goal is to lose
weight, and she thinks she would like to get to 160 lbs.
After chatting with her a little longer, she admits that she would also like to be able to sit
with less pain and to having some hip pain. She has been seeing a physical therapist for
two weeks, but admits that she isn’t doing her homework that she has assigned. She
reports doing no other activity / exercise.
Her family has a history of high cholesterol, diabetes, and leukemia and that she herself is
on Lipitor. She takes glucosamine, CoQ10, garlic pills, flaxseed oil, and a multivitamin on
more days than not.
She says her work stress as a data analyst is generally moderate, depending on the season.
She says she’s most stressed in the spring between mid-February and late-April. She shares
that she gets about 6 hours of sleep and doesn’t wake up feeling rested.
She says that her current nutritional habits looks like she eats a lot of salads, occasionally
falling off the wagon, and makes it a point to tell you she stays away from fish. Her
questionnaire reveals she has potential high blood sugar and high cortisol levels.
Section 2 Recap
• Great things take time and patience is an essential skill to practice as
both coach and client
• The triangle of performance is a great tool to use contrast coaching to
help clients understand they can’t do everything at once
• Coaching calls should be completed regularly to continue to build the
coach-client relationship and gather feedback
• Achieving goals is as simple as staying aligned on the goals with
appropriate behaviors and monitoring changes
• If you want more information on the psychology of coaching, check
out our Mindset Specialist Certification!
• Add anything that you want to find easily in the future to your Continuing
Education notes on your phone
• Actions Items for Next Week:

1. Plan your work, and work your plan. Make sure your calendar is set for when you’re going
to finish the next section of your level 1 course!
2. Review the content at least 1 more time and add relevant facts / figures to your Continuing
Education notes section
3. Formulate a coaching impression for your avatar including red flags and coaching concerns
4. Think through and create a goal-setting form / sheet that helps you gather all the
information you feel you need for future coaching conversations using a platform you are
most comfortable with, i.e. google forms, Microsoft Word, hand-written, etc
5. Identify 2-5 potential people that you can coach during the guinea pig process across the
next 12 weeks as you will be expected to do a basic intake and start coaching alongside the
next section
Section 3
Identifying Obstacles with the

Client Intake and Client Files
• Ground Rules:
1. Show Up

1. Plan your work, and work your plan. Make sure your calendar is set for when you’re going to
finish the next section of your level 1 course!
2. Review the content at least 1 more time and add relevant facts / figures to your Continuing
Education notes section
3. Formulate a coaching impression for your avatar including red flags and coaching concerns
4. Think through and create a goal-setting form / sheet that helps you gather all the information
you feel you need for future coaching conversations using a platform you are most comfortable
with, i.e. google forms, Microsoft Word, hand-written, etc
5. Identify 2-5 potential people that you can coach during the guinea pig process across the next
12 weeks as you will be expected to do a basic intake and start coaching alongside the next
section
Section Overview
1. Understand the basic elements of identifying obstacles through the intake
process
2. Have an idea of how to create a basic intake form
3. Be able to form a coaching impression based on a completed intake form
4. Understand how to conduct a basic consultation

The Client Life Span
No awareness / stuck with problem
Marketing – external messaging
Advertising and internal messaging
Inquiry / consultation
Fulfillment
Exit and hopefully successful completion of plan

Consultative Process
• Understand the client’s goal and motivation
• Intrinsic vs extrinsic
• Identify client’s “unique” problems
• Red flags / coaching concerns
• Mindset
• Environmental factors
• Tactical/strategic factors
• Offer unique solution
• Goal setting process
• Align
• Desired end-state
• Potential obstacles
• Generally successful strategies
• Convert prospect into client
• Execute plan
• Refine process
• Collect referrals
Consultative Process: The Intake
The intake is designed to give you knowledge of client’s level of
awareness and potential obstacles in your journey
• Completed before or after
• Dependent on time constraints and general branding
• If before, <3 mins to fill out
• If after, <15 mins to fill out
7 general sections:
1. Age / Height / Weight
2. Daily Schedule and Activity
3. Current Workout Routine
4. Injury History
5. Current Supplementation / Medications
6. Dieting History
7. Food Preferences and Allergies
8. Food Recall
9. Detailed Goal(s)
10. Other section
How to Deliver the Intake:
• In-person / verbally
• Pre-consultation
• Consultation
• Electronically
• Google Forms
• Jot forms
• Typeform
• Printed and scanned document
Coaching Impressions and Obstacles
Coaching impressions = potential obstacles
• Other considerations
• How do these obstacles need to be best negotiated?
• PURELY based on client’s perception
Creating The Tentative Plan
1. Start with the end in mind
2. Break down the big picture goal into 3-5 smaller goals, aka micro-
goals
3. Identify what behaviors are most aligned with successfully
completing the established micro-goals
4. Identify clear entry and exit points for each goal
5. Identify supporting strategies for each behavior
6. Confirm the plan with the client
7. Focus on one micro-goal
Form a coaching impression:
• Stressors?
• Limitations?
Katie is a 29-year old former collegiate softball athlete who is looking to be the best
possible version of herself. She has been working out her entire life but has never
woke up feeling good and wants working out and feeling good to be a lifestyle for
her that is unconscious.
She claims to eat healthy and does orange theory fitness 5-6 times a week before
work at 5a, on top of cycling and running. She is putting lots of work into fitness
and feels she should be fit, which to her means that she’s leaner.
Katie currently uses her weight as an indicator and feels like she is a failure if she is
not losing weight. She says that she knows she is not a naturally thin person and
has struggled with balancing food, fitness, and her social life. Katie claims that
people’s opinions don’t matter, but does admit to feeling anxious a good bit but
never externalizes it.
She claims that she has a moderate level of energy and typically sleeps 5 hours
each night for as long as she can remember.
Section 3 Recap
• The intake process can be used to great effect to identify potential
obstacles
• Creating the framework of the plan can help to greatly improve
efficiency towards a goal once you know where you’re going and
what is in the way
• If you want more information on how to set up the business elements
of coaching, email mastery@ncicertifications.com for info on our
Mastery Foundations course!

1. Plan your work and work your plan
2. Complete your avatar exercise (coaching impression with coaching obstacles)
3. Complete a consultation with your guinea pigs before starting the next section
4. Explain the concepts covered today to a loved one or even on social media to really
own it before delivering it to your guinea pigs
5. Review the content from this section one more time before starting the next
section
Section 4
Energy Balance and Energy

Systems
• Ground Rules:
1. Show Up

3. Complete a consultation with your guinea pigs before starting the next section
section
Section Overview
After this section, you should…
1. Understand the applied science of how the body produces energy

• What is a Calorie?
• Total Daily Energy Expenditure
2. Understand how to identify optimal client energy needs

Food: Energy Sources and Building Blocks
Calorie: the amount of energy we gain from consuming food
- 1 kilocalorie(1 Cal) = 0.9 Watts/hr = 11.3 lumens = 4.184 kilojoules
Different categories of foods carry different Caloric loads

How Do We Use Food?
Total Daily Energy Expenditure, aka “TDEE” is the total amount of
energy needed to maintain homeostasis
• Passive Elements are the energy expenditure requirements imposed
by unconscious or internal systems and requires NO additional work
1. Resting Metabolic Rate = ~70%

• Affected by lean body mass, weather, dieting history, and genetics
2. Thermic Effect of Feeding = ~5-10%

• Fat = 0-3%
• Carbohydrates = 5-10%
• Protein = 20-30%
How Do We Use Food?
Total Daily Energy Expenditure, aka “TDEE” is the total amount of
energy needed to maintain homeostasis
• Active Elements are the elements of energy expenditure that make
up all energy requirements derived from movement
1. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis = ~15%

• Walking, tapping foot, blinking, typing, etc
• Mainly considered to be aerobic
2. Exercise Activity Thermogenesis = ~5%

• Mainly considered to be anaerobic
How Do We Use Food?
How Do We Generate More Energy…?
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) provides energy to power majority of
activities in the body’s cells and each cell has a small storage capacity
• 3 Methods of producing
1. ATP-PC System, aka Phosphagen
2. Glycolytic System, aka Anaerobic
3. Oxidative System, aka Aerobic
• All 3 work continuously at varying degrees to ensure energy demands
are met as best as possible
Phosphagen System uses creatine phosphate to create ATP for
extremely short-duration activities like a 1RM or when switching
“gears” when passing someone in a race
• Lasts 3-12 seconds

• Produces ATP very quickly
• Does NOT produce many total ATP
• Uses creatine phosphate stored in skeletal muscles
Anaerobic System uses glucose and its stored form, glycogen, to power
high-output and short-duration activities such as a 400m sprint
• Lasts 15 seconds – 3 minutes

• Produces ATP relatively quickly
• Does NOT produce many total ATP (32 molecules)
• Primarily uses carbohydrates, glucose, and glycogen stored in skeletal
muscles
Aerobic System uses oxygen to create ATP for longer duration activities
like a 5k and is also the primary energy system used while sedentary
• Lasts 2+ minutes
• Produces ATP more slowly
• Produces most total ATP (324 molecules)
• Primarily uses stored fats and intramuscular fats as fuel source, but
well as glucose
Energy Balance:
What We Use We Must Replace
Energy Balance is defined as the state achieved when the energy intake equals
energy expenditure
• Energy cannot be destroyed or created, only converted or transferred
• Energy surplus occurs when consuming an excess of what is needed for

maintenance
• Energy deficit occurs when energy consumption is less than what maintenance
requires
• Energy maintenance occurs when energy consumption = energy output

Energy Balance:
Calculating optimal energy needs helps determine an ideal Caloric intake and helps
us get an idea of current health status of client
• Formulas used to calculate vary depending on client population
• 8 potential formulas: Mifflin-St. Joer, Cunningham, Owen, Mueller, De Lorenzo,

Ten Haaf, Tinsley
• Harris Benedict Formula to find BMR be used for sake of consistency

• MEN: BMR = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age in years) + 5
• WOMEN: BMR = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age in years) – 161
Energy Balance:
Energy Balance:
Activity Multipliers – add the two below and then multiply the BMR to determine estimated TDEE /
maintenance
Lifestyle Factors
0.6 - Sedentary (desk job, very little standing or walking needed during the day)
0.7 - Light Activity (some standing and walking during day to day activities and job)
0.8 - Moderate Activity (You spend a good portion of the day on your feet during your job and activities)
0.9 - High Activity (You spend virtually all day on your feet and rarely sit down)
1.0 - Extreme Activity (You work a heavy labor job)
Exercise Factors
0.55 - Sedentary (You don’t exercise)
0.65 - Light Exercise (You do some walking and aerobic activity a few days per week)
0.75 - Moderate Exercise (You do multiple days per week of exercise, some resistance training)
0.85 - Intense Exercise (You TRAIN HARD at least 5 days per week)
0.95 - Extreme Exercise (You train intensely over 2 hours per day, virtually every day)
Energy Balance:
How to calculate IDEAL Caloric prescription:
1. Assess client diet history
2. Collect information on recent intake habits
• 7 day tracking
• 3 day tracking = 2 week days + 1 weekend day
• 3 day recall
3. Calculate BMR using HB formula
4. Multiply BMR by activity level to find estimated TDEE
5. Identify gap of ideal Rx and current intake
6. Make changes as discussed in Section 2 – The Art of Coaching
Using Biofeedback
Energy Balance:
Metabolic Adaptation occurs when systems become accustomed to
repetitive energy intakes and is a form of “maintenance”
• Allows person to adapt to their intake preferences and lifestyle

Form a coaching impression under the heading on your avatar
homework sheet and answer the following questions:
• Stressors?
• Limitations?
• What is their ideal maintenance Caloric load?
• What is their current estimated caloric load?
• What is their initial Caloric recommendation?
John is a 30-year old male that is 5’9 and weighs 183 lbs. He comes to you
looking to lose weight, and has “carried around this innertube around his
gut” since college.
He works a high-stress job that he admits to not enjoying. When asked about
his activity, he claims that he has followed a bro workout plan his buddy
created for him in a spreadsheet and has never followed any kind of
nutritional plan.
He has worked from home since COVID and claims that he isn’t as active as
he would like. He wants to lose weight before an upcoming beach trip so he
can look good in the pictures and fit in his clothes better.
He is willing to do anything to get there.
Section 4 Recap
• Understanding how the body uses energy is a cornerstone of helping
clients lose bodyfat
• The total daily energy expenditure consists of both active and non-
active energy components
• We must pair the appropriate fuel sources with the appropriate
energy systems when considering prescriptions
• While there are many formulas used to calculate Caloric needs,
sticking with the Harris Benedict formula is going to be a good way to
gauge an initial prescription

4. Practice giving a caloric prescription with your clients/guinea pigs before you move
into the next section
5. Document your coaching call into your Guinea Pig Tracker
section
Section 5
Intro to
Macronutrients and Protein

• Ground Rules:
1. Show Up

2. Explain the concepts covered today to a loved one or even on social media to really own it
before delivering it to your guinea pigs
4. Practice giving a caloric prescription with your clients/guinea pigs before you move into the
next section
5. Document your coaching call into your Guinea Pig Tracker
6. Review the content from this section one more time before starting the next section
Section Overview
1. Understand why macronutrients are important
2. Get the gist of how protein works in the body
3. Understand the concept of bioavailability
4. Understand how amino acids function
5. Understand how to make an effective protein recommendation
Nutrients 101
Nutrient: a substance that provides nourishment essential for growth
and maintenance of life
• Macronutrient: a type of food needed in large amounts in the diet
• Protein: maintain the content, structures, and function while providing for
growth and special needs
• Carbohydrate: major energy sources that support body metabolism
• Fat: provides readily available and stored energy, aids with structure and function
of cell membranes, precursor for cell signaling molecules, and helps with fat-
soluble vitamin absorption
• Micronutrient: nutrients needed in very small amounts
• Vitamins: organic substances needed for normal cell function, growth,
and development
• Minerals: inorganic elements the body needs to grow and develop normally
Deficiencies 101
Malnutrition: a condition that
results from a nutrient deficiency
or overconsumption
• Body struggles to function

normally in the absence of
resources
• How do you keep the lights on…?

What is Protein…?
Muscle Protein Synthesis: metabolic
process of incorporating amino acids
into skeletal muscle proteins
• The physiological process of building
muscle
• Body can only supramaximally store
10g of amino acids / day
Protein: organic compounds that are

important in structural components of
the body such as muscle, hair, collagen,
enzymes, antibodies, etc
• made up of large molecules consisting
of 1 or more chains of amino acids
How Much is TOO much…?
Deficiency Symptoms Excessive Intake Symptoms

1. Edema, aka swelling 1. Bad breath
2. Fatty liver 2. Dehydration
3. Skin, hair, and nail problems 3. Constipation
4. Loss of muscle mass 4. Bloating
5. Increased frailty 5. Dyspepsia, aka Indigestion
6. Stunted growth 6. Weight gain
7. Increased severity of infections
8. Decreased food satiety
What are Amino Acids…?
Amino Acids (aka building blocks of proteins): molecules
that combine to form proteins
• Digestive process
• Transported to liver during digestion to be used
OR
• Converted into fat and stored in adipose tissue OR undergo
gluconeogenesis
• Used to
• Repair damaged tissues
• Synthesize hormones
• Synthesize neurotransmitters
• Found in
• Most foods, but to varying degrees
• Meat and fish hold high concentrations
• Vegetables and plants hold lower concentrations
• Come together to make peptides (2-50 linked amino
acids)
Types of Amino Acids
3 Types of Amino Acids:
• Essential amino acids
• NOT made in the body and are required in the diet
• Non-essential amino acids
• Can be made from other essential amino acids without having to consume
• Conditionally essential amino acids
• Unable to be made in the body during during periods of illness or stress
Amino Acids
9 Essential Amino Acids Non-Essential Amino Acids

1. Histidine 1. Alanine
2. Isoleucine 2. Arginine
3. Leucine 3. Asparagine
4. Lysine 4. Aspartic Acid
5. Methionine 5. Cysteine
6. Phenylalanine 6. Glutamic Acid
7. Threonine 7. Glutamine
8. Tryptophan 8. Glycine
9. Valine 9. Proline
10. Serine
11. Tyrosine
Amino Acids
Conditionally Essential Amino Acids: Produced in the body under
particular situations
1. Arginine
2. Cysteine
3. Glutamine
4. Glycine
5. Proline
6. Tyrosine
Amino Acids and Protein Sources
Complete Proteins: contains all 9 essential amino acids
• Sources include all animal-based sources:
• Meat
• Dairy
• Eggs
Incomplete Proteins: does not contain all 9 essential amino acids

• Sources include most plant-based sources:
• Nuts, seeds
• Beans, peas, and lentils
• Whole grains and rice
• Vegetables
• Complimentary proteins provide missing amino acids

Protein Quantity Recommendations
0.8 g/kg/bw/day – RDA to avoid “deficiency”
1.2-1.8 g/kg/bw/day – endurance athletes
1.4-1.7 up to 3.7 g/kg/bw/day – strength athletes
2.0 g/kg/bw/day – generally considered safe in healthy populations, but may

come at expense of carb intake
3.0 g/kg/bw/day
• Considered “high” intake; generally okay if no medical conditions exist
Protein Timing Recommendations
Post-Training intakes should seek to induce increased synthesis /
optimize training adaptations
• Generally optimal ingestion ~ 1.6-1.7 g/kg/day
• 0.4 g/kg post training
• Include 8-10g of essential amino acids and >3g of leucine and repeat every 3-
4 hours
• 0.4 g/kg during meals
• 0.6 g/kg prior to bed to increase synthesis during the night
Practical Application:
Coaching Impression and Perfect Scenario Prescriptions
Coaching Impressions Nutritional Recommendations

1. What does the client say they want and 1. What is their maintenance calorie?
what do you think they really want? • What is their current estimated RMR and
activity multiplier?
• What does this individual need to be in a
deficit or surplus to achieve their goal?
2. What are the red flags / road blocks? • Why are you recommending this intake?
• Stressors?
• Limitations?
2. What is their ideal protein intake?
• What is the first step to make progress
towards the ideal protein intake?
• What supporting reasons do you have for
3. How will these obstacles / limitations making this recommendation?
hinder progress?
Heather is a 38 year old female that is 5’7 and weighs 202 lbs. Her initial goal is to lose
weight, and she thinks she would like to get to 160 lbs.
After chatting with her a little longer, she admits that she would also like to be able to sit
with less pain and to having some hip pain. She has been seeing a physical therapist for
two weeks, but admits that she isn’t doing her homework that she has assigned. She
reports doing no other activity / exercise.
Her family has a history of high cholesterol, diabetes, and leukemia and that she herself is
on Lipitor. She takes glucosamine, CoQ10, garlic pills, flaxseed oil, and a multivitamin on
more days than not.
She says her work stress as a data analyst is generally moderate, depending on the season.
She says she’s most stressed in the spring between mid-February and late-April. She shares
that she gets about 6 hours of sleep and doesn’t wake up feeling rested.
She says that her current nutritional habits looks like she eats a lot of salads, occasionally
falling off the wagon, and makes it a point to tell you she stays away from fish. Her
questionnaire reveals she has potential high blood sugar and high cortisol levels.
Section 5 Recap
• Macronutrients are needed in larger quantities to provide fuel and raw material that help
maintain structure and function of various tissues and bodily systems
• Protein is essential for creating most tissues, hormones, enzymes, and almost every
other type of cell
• Bioavailability is the degree to which something can be broken down and used by the
body
• The 21 amino acids are broken down from external protein sources and internal pools of
amino acids to be reconstituted into various cells or chemicals
• Maintaining appropriate amounts of amino acids contents and thus protein stores occurs
by balancing synthesis with degradation, aka protein turnover
• Increased amino acid concentrations from either ingestion or protein-sparing events can
lead to increased stored amino acids and potentially hypertrophic effects
• Decreased amino acid concentrations from either insufficient ingestion or increased rates
of degradation can lead to a depletion of amino acid stores and potentially atrophy

1. Plan your work and work your plan – what gets scheduled gets done!
3. Complete your avatar exercise (coaching impression and nutritional
recommendations)
4. IF appropriate, give an ideal protein prescription with a plan on how to get that
number to your clients/guinea pigs before you move into the next section
5. Document this week’s coaching call into your Guinea Pig Tracker
section
Section 6
Intro to Energy:
Carbs and Fats
• Ground Rules:
1. Show Up

3. Complete your avatar exercise (coaching impression and nutritional recommendations)
4. IF appropriate, give an ideal protein prescription with a plan on how to get that number to
your clients/guinea pigs before you move into the next section
Section Overview
1. Understand the basics of primary energy substrates
2. Be able to explain the basic function of carbohydrates and fats to clients
3. Be able to make appropriate energy recommendations for clients

Nutrients Review
Macronutrients – necessary in larger amounts to sustain life
• Protein
• Carbs
• Fats
• Water
Micronutrients – necessary in smaller quantities to maintain biological
functions
• Vitamins
• Minerals
Energy Substrates
Carbohydrates (aka, “Carbs”) – and
of a large group of organic
compounds occurring in food that
includes sugars, starches, and
cellulose
• Broken down and circulated as
glucose
• Regulated by insulin, aka the storage
hormone
• Passed through the liver and stored
as glycogen in the liver and muscles
• Muscles can store 300-600g of
glycogen
• Liver can store 80-110g of glycogen
Energy Substrates
Types of Carbohydrates
• Sugar, aka simple carbohydrates
• Includes kinds of sugars found in fruits,
vegetables, and milk
• Starches
• Made up of multiple chains of simple
carbohydrates strung together
• Considered more “complex” and simple
carbohydrates / sugars
• Fiber
• Body can’t break this complex carbohydrate down
• 2 types
• Insoluble
• Soluble
• Helpful in lowering cholesterol, feeling full,
alleviating constipation, etc
Carbs 101
Glycemic Index – a value used to
measure how much specific foods
increase blood sugar levels per 50g
• High glycemic index tendency to
be associated with higher insulin
response
• Low glycemic index lower insulin
response
Glycemic Load - a value used to

measure how much specific foods
increase blood sugar levels per
serving size
Carbohydrates Intake Recommendations
Considerations:
• Activities of daily living (ADLs) / energy demands
• Glucose tolerance / usage
• Consider insulin sensitivity / resistance
• Nutrient timing
• Glycogen repletion after exhaustive bouts
Recommendation Options:
• 15g fiber / 1,000 Cals
AND
• Activity-based recommendations
• <20g/day (ketogenic) to 13 g/kg/day (ultra endurance
athlete)
OR
• AMDR suggests from 45-65%
• NOTE: The more the anaerobic demands, the higher the
carbohydrate recommendation can be without health
concerns
Fat 101
Dietary Fats (aka, “Fats”) – any chemical compounds that
come from fatty acids and most often refers to triglycerides
and are found in oils and animal fatty tissues
• 3 types include phospholipids, triacylglycerols, and
cholesterols
• Circulating bound to blood proteins as free fatty acids or
freely in the plasma
• Stored in the muscles, liver, or adipose tissue
Basic Functions:
• Acts as an energy source
• Aids with hormonal production
• Helps maintain cell membrane integrity
• Supports the nervous system
• Provides essential fatty acids (Linoleic acid, aka omega-6
groups, and alpha-linoleic acid, aka omega-3 groups)
Fat 101
Types of Fats:
• Saturated Fats – most commonly derived
from animal sources
• Primary dietary cholesterol source
• Solid at room temperature
• Unsaturated Fats – most commonly found

in nuts/seeds, oils, and oily fish
• Omega-3 – anti-inflammatory effects, help
to dilate blood vessels, decrease systemic
inflammation, and potentially decrease pain
• Omega-6 - pro-inflammatory effects via
eicosanoids, cause blood clotting, and can
increase pain responses to help recover
from injuries
• Transfats – fatty acids created in an
industrial process that adds hydrogen to
vegetable oils to make them more solid
Fat Intake Recommendations
Considerations
• Training / status
• Less anaerobic demands better suited to
higher fat intake
• Ultimately calories is king with body comp
• Hormonal status
• Reductions in production may necessitate
higher cholesterol intake
Recommendations
• 0.5-1.5g / kg / day
OR
• AMDR 20-70%
Putting It All Together
Example for an aesthetic athlete (aka bodybuilder) in their competitive
off-season
Section 6 Recap
• Carbs and fats are the preferred energy sources of the body and make up 85-95%
of energy expenditure
• Carbs are favorable for activity energy sources and are stored as glycogen in
limited amounts inside the muscles and liver
• Glycogen levels are meticulously regulated by the liver
• Fats are favorable for sustained energy sources and the body has enough energy
to complete 31 marathons!
• Fats are stored in adipose tissue as energy stores, in muscles as intramuscular
triacylglycerols, circulate in the bloodstream bound to albumin, or in the plasma
• Creating macronutrient prescriptions should consider ADLs to determine
appropriate overall caloric prescriptions, adequate amounts of protein to
maintain structural integrity, adequate amounts of carbohydrates to maintain
appropriate glucose levels, and adequate amounts of dietary fat to maintain
resting energy expenditure and hormone synthesis

1. What does the client say they want and 1. What is their maintenance calorie?
what do you think they really want? • What is their current estimated RMR and
activity multiplier?
• What does this individual need to be in a
deficit or surplus to achieve their goal?
2. What are the red flags / road blocks? • Why are you recommending this intake?
• Stressors?
• Limitations?
2. What is their ideal protein intake?
• What is the first step to make progress
towards the ideal protein intake?
3. How will these obstacles / limitations making this recommendation?
hinder progress?
• What is missing? 3. What is their ideal carb/fat intake?
• Are they ready to go to WAR for their goals? • What is the first step to make progress
towards the ideal energy substrate intake?
making this recommendation?
Brian is 44 year-old male that is 5’9 and weighs 196 lbs.
He is looking to get dialed in for ski season and in shape for a mountain
bike race in September.
He trains regularly, sleeps 8 hours / night, has moderate energy that is
higher in the morning.
He admits to having high stress due to his job in sales and his divorce
where he has his kids 50% of the time.
He admits to eating like an a-hole and eats fast food 5x/week as he
constantly travels.
He has been training / exercising since being a junior in high school.
• Add anything that you want to find easily in the future to your Continuing Education
notes on your phone

4. IF appropriate, give an ideal energy substrate (carb/fat) prescription with a plan on
how to get that number to your clients/guinea pigs before you move into the next
section
Section 7
Planning, Periodization, and

Putting Big Picture in
Perspective
Ground Rules:
1. Show Up
Last Week’s Action Items:

2. Explain the concepts covered today to a loved one or even on social media to really own it before
delivering it to your guinea pigs
4. IF appropriate, give an ideal energy substrate (carb/fat) prescription with a plan on how to get that
number to your clients/guinea pigs before you move into the next section
Section Overview
1. Understand the foundational principles of long-term nutritional planning
2. Be able to create a long-term nutritional plan that considers the client’s

obstacles and aligns the client’s goal with their initial nutritional status
What is Periodization?
Periodization – to divide into periods
• Practice of dividing training into specific
cycles, with each cycle targeting a specific
physiological adaptation
4 phases:
1. Heavy performance demand
2. Restoration of homeostasis
3. Building reserves and buffers for
anticipated demands + low stress
general skill acquisition
4. Focus on adopting skills necessary for
the next specific performance demands
Post-Season, aka “No Time”
• Goal of this phase is physical restoration
• May entail GI health prioritization and / or stress
reduction to optimize hormone production
• Need for better self-care practices
• Self-care practices will allow clients to have an
effective baseline to better understand
themselves, their bodies, and their motivations
• Emphasis of this phase is self-care, restoration,
and regeneration
• May include a brief shift from carbohydrates to
fats, focus on food quality,
• Will need to reduce stressors that may be
blocking adaptation
• Coaching people to healthy norms so their bodies
will respond to the future diet appropriately
• “Stop kicking the dog”
• Norms include sleep, hydration, stress
management, and basic food behaviors /
relationship
• Client mindset should be to feel
as good as possible
• Deals with relationship with food
here, i.e food is a tool, not
something to fear
• Essential to establish buy-in with
positive psychological momentum
• May span 4-12 weeks, but fully
dependent on previous stress
imposed
• Majority of coaching
conversations revolve around
“what is normal?” and “how to
manage your environment”
• Norms help determine the severity
of recovery needs
• General categories of self-care:
1. Sleep
2. Nutrition
3. Stress Management
• Skills are generally low in complexity
and client experience variable amounts
of stress as they work on developing
consciousness
• Sleep – getting adequate and restful sleep
• Sleep hygiene practices
• Nutrition – learning how to interpret body
communications
• Biofeedback
• Food quality and choices
• Hydration
• Stress management – becoming aware of
stressors and common coping mechanisms
• Setting schedules and boundaries
• Physical activity management (based on
biofeedback)
• Communication
• Feedback loop
• Client ability to deliver appropriate feedback
Off-Season, aka “Slow Time”
• Goal of this season is improving
“weaknesses”
• Once basic “home base” is set,
begin to build metabolic reserves to
keep them healthy while dieting
• Emphasis on activity and nutrition skill
acquisition, to increasing BMR / LBM
• Activity and training requirements will
be crucial to long-term sustainability
• Client mindset should be to “learn
new skills” and “prepare for the
siege”
• Low complexity, low stress, high
consciousness
• Exposure to energy balance
Off-Season, aka “Slow Time”
• Majority of coaching conversations
revolve around “how to make you
resistant to future stress?”
• Looking at past behaviors, attitudes, and
obstacles
• Skills analysis and acquisition
• Working on skills in isolation
• Skills are generally moderate in

complexity and client experience
challenging amounts of stress as they
work on resilience
• Activity – strength AND/OR cardio training
• Nutrition – introduction to individual
macronutrients, translating food to
individual macronutrients, establishing
basic go-to food choices, eating out,
general supplementation
Pre-Season, aka “Show Time”
• Goal of this phase is to prepare for
the upcoming performance
demands
• Emphasizes specific stress exposure
• Introducing effective dieting skills in
more varied formats
• Clients in this phase are moderately
self-aware and able to deliver
higher quality feedback
• Discuss specific energy

balance/deficits/surpluses concept
during this season
Pre-Season, aka “Show Time”
• Majority of coaching conversations
revolve around “how to put skills
together?” and “how to translate
this to real life situations?”
• Looking at past behaviors, attitudes,
and obstacles
• Skills analysis
• Skills are generally higher in
complexity and client experience
challenging amounts of stress as
they work on putting it all together
• Training – strength AND cardio training
• Nutrition – multiple macronutrient
strategies, macronutrient
manipulation, specialty
supplementation
In-Season, aka “Go-Time”
• Goal of this season is to execute
skills at a high level to satisfy
performance demands
• This is the time to bring all the
skills developed to bear
• Big drive towards the desired
outcome
In-Season, aka “Go-Time”
• Majority of coaching conversations revolve around “how did it go?”
and “what do you need to support your performance?”
• Supporting client autonomy
• Guiding the thought process
• Assessing for gaps in performance to work on integrating skills
• Managing stress loads
• Skills are complex and client experience higher amounts of stress as
execute the play
• Training – strength AND cardio training
• Nutrition – dieting breaks, micronutrient status

1. What does the client say they want and 1. What is the big picture / long-term plan?
what do you think they really want? • What season are they currently in?
• What is the big goal, and the 3-5 micro goals you’ll
achieve along the way? How can you periodize that?
• Use page 1 of the Guinea Pig Management book
2. What are the red flags / road blocks? as a resource to guide your thought process
• Stressors? 2. What is their maintenance calorie?
• Limitations? • What is their current estimated RMR and activity
• Alignment between current lifestyle and goal? multiplier?
• What does this individual need to be in a deficit or
surplus to achieve their goal?
• Why are you recommending this intake?
3. How will these obstacles / limitations 3. What is their ideal protein intake?
hinder progress? • What is the first step to make progress towards the
• What is missing? ideal protein intake?
• Are they ready to go to WAR for their goals? • What supporting reasons do you have for making
this recommendation?
4. What is their ideal carb/fat intake?
• What is the first step to make progress towards the
ideal energy substrate intake?
• What supporting reasons do you have for making
this recommendation?
Brian is 44 year-old male that is 5’9 and weighs 196 lbs.
He is looking to get dialed in for ski season and in shape for a mountain
bike race in September.
He trains regularly, sleeps 8 hours / night, has moderate energy that is
higher in the morning.
He admits to having high stress due to his job in sales and his divorce
where he has his kids 50% of the time.
He admits to eating like an a-hole and eats fast food 5x/week as he
constantly travels.
He has been training / exercising since being a junior in high school.
Section 7 Recap
• The post-season phase of periodization is intended to be a period of restoration
and recovery, with an emphasis on self-care skills
• The off-season phase of periodization is focused on creating a reservoir of
resilience to better tolerate the upcoming performance demands and allow skill
development in a low-stress setting and simplistic environments for practice
• The pre-season phase of periodization is where clients begin to contend directly
with their obstacles with the skills they have accumulated that are directly related
to their goal and effective execution of all necessary skills in the upcoming
performance-intensive season with a modest increase in stress and complexity
• The in-season phase of periodization is a performance-intensive season during
which all of the previous skills are brought to bear to create winning outcomes
and is typically considered the highest stress period
• Add anything that you want to find easily in the future to your Continuing Education notes on
your phone

4. You should be close to the 1-month mark with your GP. Use this as an opportunity to check in
with their goals discuss a long-term periodized plan with them by breaking their main goal
down into 3-5 micro goals using the periodization frameworks
5. Update the bottom part of sheet 1 in the Guinea Pig Tracker to show us your periodized plan
Section 8
Hydration and Fluid Balance

• Ground Rules:
1. Show Up

4. You should be close to the 1-month mark with your GP. Use this as an opportunity to check in
with their goals discuss a long-term periodized plan with them by breaking their main goal
down into 3-5 micro goals using the periodization frameworks
5. Update the bottom part of sheet 1 in the Guinea Pig Tracker to show us your periodized plan
Section 8 Overview
1. Understand the basic physiology of fluid balance
2. Be able to identify signs and symptoms of dehydration and hyperhydration
3. Be able to explain the concept of fluid balance to your clients
4. Be able to create a fluid balance improvement plan

Fluids are Important Because…?
Fluid Balance: the act of maintaining balance between intake and output of fluid to ensure optimal cell
function / performance readiness
• Water makes up 45-75% of weight
Functions as…
• Lubricant for joints and tissues.
• Shock absorber
• Building material
• Solvent
Helps to…
• Regulate body temperature
• Transport nutrients
• Remove waste products
• Maintain fluid balance
• Maintain blood pressure
How Do We Gain / Lose Fluid?
We lose fluid via: We gain fluid via:

• Urinating • Beverages (~60%)
• Sweating • Food (~40%)
• Breathing
• Vomiting
• Feces
• Bleeding
Why is Fluid Balance Important?
Dehydration: the loss of more fluids than consumed to the degree that the body’s
basic functions are negatively affected
• 3 days without water = dead
Mild Dehydration (-2 to 3% of BWT) Severe Dehydration (- >5% BWT)
• Thirst •Not peeing or having very dark
• Dry or sticky mouth yellow pee
• Not peeing very much •Very dry skin
• Dark yellow pee •Feeling dizzy
• Dry, cool skin •Rapid heartbeat
• Headache •Rapid breathing
•Sunken eyes
• Muscle cramps
•Sleepiness, lack of energy,
confusion or irritability
•Fainting
How the Body Balances Fluid
Different mechanisms work together to in
an effort regulate fluid in the body via the
kidneys and are regulated via tightly
controlled feedback loops
• Anti-Diuretic Hormone (ADH, tied to urine
production and ultimately more of this is
linked to less urine production)
• Aldosterone (prevents salt and fluid loss
and increases blood volume while
excreting potassium)
• Too much sodium detected triggers thirst
• Too little sodium triggers ADH production to
reduce circulating fluid and increase
concentration of sodium
• Consume water slowly to avoid excessive
increases in water excretion before it can
find it’s way into the cells
• Water follows sodium
• Always trying to establish electrolyte
balance
How the Body Balances Fluid
Types of beverages
• Hypotonic, aka cell swelling
solutions
• Higher levels of sodium in cells pulls
water to into cells and causes them to
swell and possibly burst
• Circulatory overload
• Hypertonic, aka cell shriveling
solutions, aka too much electrolytes
in the beverage
• Higher levels of sodium in beverage
and blood cause water to be pulled
out of cells and shrink
• Edema
How to Balance Fluids
Fluid Recommendations
• Based on food consumption: 1L / 1,000 Cals
• Based on weight balance: 50% of Bodyweight + 20oz for every lb lost from activity
• Avoid distilled water due to its complete lack of electrolytes and strong potential
to dehydrate clients
• Drink water to replenish what is lost
• All sources of fluids count towards intake
• Ensure appropriate intake of electrolytes
• Sodium
• Potassium
• Magnesium
• Calcium
Section 8 Practical Application: Avatar
• Form a coaching impression
• Red flags?
• Coaching concerns regarding red flags?
• Potential obstacles?
• Create a long-term/big picture plan
• Where is he now in his periodization cycle?
• How can you coach John to reach his optimal intakes?
• Create a long-term plan for achieving his goals that includes a framework of breaking down the big
goal into 3-5 smaller goals, aka phases, and what you think you’ll need to do to achieve those
micro-goals
• Write an “optimal” prescription for each phase of periodization, i.e. what is needed to
achieve the surplus, deficit, or performance outcomes (depending on goal)
• Include lifestyle recommendations (see section 1)
• Include macronutrient recommendations (see sections 4-6)
• Include fluid balance recommendations (see section 8)
John is a 30-year old male that is 5’9 and weighs 183 lbs. He comes to you
looking to lose weight, and has “carried around this innertube around his
gut” since college.
He works a high-stress job that he admits to not enjoying. When asked about
his activity, he claims that he has followed a bro workout plan his buddy
created for him in a spreadsheet and has never followed any kind of
nutritional plan.
He has worked from home since COVID and claims that he isn’t as active as
he would like. He wants to lose weight before an upcoming beach trip so he
can look good in the pictures and fit in his clothes better.
He is willing to do anything to get there.
Section 8 Recap
• Fluid balance is the concept of maintaining adequate levels of fluid through
manipulation of fluid intake and electrolyte balance
• Fluid follows electrolyte concentrations and makes balancing electrolytes with
fluid important to maintain healthy cells
• Hypertonic solutions can help to increase fluid retention in the body
• Hypotonic solutions can help to decrease fluid retention in the body
• Excessive consumption of these hypotonic beverages will result in producing
more urea and may can lead to dehydration
• Dehydration is linked to decreased performance, cognition, and severe health
complications
• Ideal fluid consumption recommendations hover around 50% of your client’s
bodyweight (in lbs) in ounces each day + 5 ounces for every 15 mins of activity
• Add anything you want to reference in the future to your continuing education note

4. Discuss a fluid balance recommendation with your clients / GPs this week
Section 9
Micronutrients: Minerals
• Ground Rules:
1. Show Up

4. Discuss a fluid balance recommendation with your clients / GPs this week
Micronutrients: Minerals Overview
1. Understand the role minerals play in health
2. Be able to identify signs and symptoms of inadequate mineral intakes
3. Be able to identify signs and symptoms of excessive mineral intakes
4. Be able to identify the micronutrient status of a prospective client

Essential Terms
1. Dietary Reference Intake (DRI): new standards for nutrient recommendations that can
be used to plan and assess diets for healthy people; umbrella for following terms
2. Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR): the range of intake for a
specific energy source that is associated with reduced risk of chronic disease and
provides essential nutrients
3. Estimated Average Requirement (EAR): a nutrient intake that is estimated to meet the
requirement of half of the healthy individuals in a group
4. Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA): the daily dietary intake level that is
sufficient meet the nutrient requirement of 97 to 98% of all healthy people in a group
5. Adequate Intake (AI): a value used when a RDA can't be determined; recommended
daily intake level based on an observed or experimentally determined guess of
nutrient intake for a group of healthy people
6. Tolerable Upper Limit (UL): highest level of daily nutrient intake that is likely to pose
no risks of adverse health effects to almost all individuals in the general population
Minerals 101
Minerals: elements on earth and in
food that bodies need to develop and
function normally
• Does NOT change as it is digested
and used
2 Types of Minerals:
• Macrominerals – amounts of
>100mg / day
• Microminerals – amounts of
<100mg / day
Categories of Minerals
Macrominerals Microminerals
• Calcium • Chromium
• Chloride • Cobalt
• Magnesium • Copper
• Fluorine
• Potassium • Iodine
• Phosphorous • Iron
• Sodium • Manganese
• Sulfur • Molybdenum
• Selenium
• Zinc
Macrominerals - Calcium
Helps… Your recommended dosage is an Adequate Intake
• Promote bone/teeth formation • 1,000 mg
• With muscle contractions
• With nerve transmissions Too little can lead to…
• Regulate enzyme activity • Osteoporosis/brittle bones
• Impaired muscle contraction/cramps
Can be found in…
• Dairy Too MUCH can lead to…
• Egg yolks • Not absorbing trace minerals
• Beans • Kidney stones and soft tissue calcification
• Peas • Cardiac Arrythmias
• Dark green vegetables • Constipation
• Cauliflower
Macrominerals - Chloride
Helps… Your recommended dosage is an Adequate
• With nerve conduction Intake
• Promote HCL acid formation in stomach • 2,300 mg
Can be found in… Too little can lead to…

• Meat / Fish • Convulsions
• Bread
• Canned Foods Too MUCH can lead to…
• Table Salt • Hypertension or high blood pressure
• Milk
• Beans
Macrominerals - Magnesium
Helps… Your recommended dosage is an RDA
• Promotes protein synthesis • Males: 420 mg
• Form ATPases • Females: 320 mg
• Promotes metalloenzymes, which
influence mitochondria function, etc Too little can lead to…
• Regulate hemoglobin on RBC’s • Muscle weakness or tremors
• Apathy or fatigue
Can be found in… • Cramps
• Seafood
• Nuts or whole-grain products Too MUCH can lead to…
• Green leafy vegetables or fruit • Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• Milk or yogurt
Macrominerals - Potassium
• Promotes cell membrane function Intake
• 4,700 mg
• Nerve impulse generation
• Muscle contraction
Too little can lead to…
• Acid-base balance
• Hypokalemia
• Apathy or loss of appetite
Can be found in…
• Meat or fish • Muscle cramps or irregular heart beat
• Milk or yogurt
• Vegetables or fruit Too MUCH can lead to…
• Hyperkalemia
• Bread
• Cardiac arrythmia
• Cardia failure
Macrominerals - Phosphorous
Helps… Your recommended dosage is an
• Promotes bone formation Adequate Intake
• Buffer in muscle contraction • 700 mg
• As a component of ATP, PCr, NADP,
DNA, RNA, and cell membranes Too little can lead to…
• Brittle bones or osteoporosis
Can be found in… • Muscle weakness or cramps
• Meat, eggs, or fish
• Milk or cheese Too MUCH can lead to…
• Beans, peas, or whole-grain products • Impaired iron, zinc, or copper
• Soft drinks absorption
• Impaired calcium metabolism
Macrominerals - Sodium
• Promote blood volume homeostasis Intake
• 1,500 mg
• Nerve impulse generation and muscle
contractions
• Acid-base balance Too little can lead to…
• Hyponatremia or dizziness
Can be found in… • Seizures or coma
• Meat or fish • Nausea or vomiting
• Pickles or canned food • Loss of appetite
• Table salt or sauces
• Bread Too MUCH can lead to…
• Hypertension
• Nausea
Macrominerals - Sulfur
• Acid-base balance Adequate Intake
• Liver function • None

• Fish or grass-fed beef • Unknown and unlikely
• Eggs or free-range poultry
Too MUCH can lead to…
• No known symptoms
Categories of Minerals
Macrominerals Microminerals
• Calcium • Chromium
• Chloride • Cobalt
• Magnesium • Copper
• Fluorine
• Potassium • Iodine
• Phosphorous • Iron
• Sodium • Manganese
• Sulfur • Molybdenum
• Selenium
• Zinc
Hands On Micronutrient Resource Sheet
Overview
Set up Cronometer
Minerals Practical Application
• Red flags?
• Review their food log for any glaring nutrients (Cals, macros, and/or micros) that seem missing on
a regular basis
• Where are they now in their periodization cycle?
• How can you coach this person to reach their optimal intakes?
• Create a long-term plan for achieving their goals that includes a framework of breaking down the
big goal into 3-5 smaller goals, aka phases, and what you think they will need to do to achieve
those micro-goals
Heather is a 38 year old female that is 5’7 and weighs 202 lbs. Her initial goal is to lose weight, and she thinks she
would like to get to 160 lbs.
After chatting with her a little longer, she admits that she would also like to be able to sit with less pain and to
having some hip pain. She has been seeing a physical therapist for two weeks, but admits that she isn’t doing her
homework that she has assigned. She reports doing no other activity / exercise.
Her family has a history of high cholesterol, diabetes, and leukemia and that she herself is on Lipitor. She takes
glucosamine, CoQ10, garlic pills, flaxseed oil, and a multivitamin on more days than not.
She says her work stress as a data analyst is generally moderate, depending on the season. She says she’s most
stressed in the spring between mid-February and late-April. She shares that she gets about 6 hours of sleep and
doesn’t wake up feeling rested.
She says that her current nutritional habits looks like she eats a lot of salads, occasionally falling off the wagon,
and makes it a point to tell you she stays away from fish. Her questionnaire reveals she has potential high blood
sugar and high cortisol levels.
Micronutrient and Mineral Recap
• Understanding the terms of adequate intake, RDA, tolerable upper limits can help
you better understand nutrition labels and optimize recommendations for clients
• Micronutrients include both inorganic substances that aren’t changed during
digestion (minerals) and organic substances that help facilitate various chemical
reactions (vitamins)
• Vitamin and mineral intakes are correlated with energy intake, with 4,780
Calories being adequate for athletes to gain enough micronutrients without
supplementation
• Groups that are at risk for micronutrient deficiencies are those trying to lose
weight or training frequently and consuming low-energy diets
• Macrominerals are those needed in higher amounts (more than 1g), while
microminerals are needed in smaller amounts (less than 1g)
• Review the Minerals Quick Sheet that we created for you in the course resources

4. Set up your Cronometer account
5. Track your own food in Cronometer for a few days and identify any mineral deficiencies you may have
6. Explore the idea of tracking in Cronometer with your clients. Some may not be ready, some may be
curious so use your judgement in giving this recommendation
Section 9
Micronutrients: Vitamins
• Ground Rules:
1. Show Up

4. Track your own food in Cronometer for a few days and identify any nutrient deficiencies you may have
5. Explore the idea of tracking in Cronometer with your clients. Some may not be ready, some may be
curious so use your judgement in giving this recommendation
Micronutrients: Vitamins Overview
1. Understand the role vitamins play in health
2. Be able to identify signs and symptoms of inadequate vitamins intakes
3. Be able to identify signs and symptoms of excessive vitamins intakes
4. Be able to identify a complete micronutrient status of a prospective client

Key Terms
• Vitamins – organic compounds that are essential for specific metabolic reactions in the body and
for promoting normal growth and development; deficiencies inhibit body function and repair
• Free Radicals – a molecule produced in the mitochondria that is highly reactive and directly target
lipid membrane structures, causing membrane instability, increased permeability, and oxidative
damage to enzyme and DNA proteins
• Antioxidants – artificial or natural substances that may prevent or delay some types of cell
damage by protecting cells from damaging free radicals
• Heme – a precursor to hemoglobin, which is necessary to bind oxygen in the bloodstream
• Enzymes – proteins that act as biological catalysts and help to activate or accelerate chemical
reactions, converting substrates/materials into products
• Coenzymes – a substance that works with an enzyme to initiate or help the function of an enzyme
• Fat-soluble vitamins –vitamins that are absorbed along with fats in the diet and are stored in the
body’s fatty tissue and liver, which are easily stored in fat upon absorption
• Water-soluble vitamins – vitamins that can dissolve in water, which are easily washed out and not
easily stored
Vitamins
Fat-Soluble Water-Soluble
• Vitamin A • Vitamin B1
• Vitamin D • Vitamin B2
• Vitamin E • Vitamin B3
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin K • Vitamin B12
• Folic Acid
• Biotin
• Pantothenic
Acid
• Vitamin C
Fat-Soluble Vitamins – Vitamin A
• Maintain skin tissue, mucous membranes, and • Males: 0.9 mg
visual colors in the eyes
• Females: 0.7 mg
• Promote bone development and immune function
Can be found in…
• Night blindness
• Eggs, fish, or liver
• Infections or impaired wound healing
• Dairy products or margarine
• Impaired growth
• Dark green leafy vegetables or carrots
• Oranges, tomatoes
• Nausea or headaches
• Fatigue, joint pain, or peeling skin
• Abnormal fetal development
Fat-Soluble Vitamins – Vitamin D
• Increase calcium absorption in the gut Intake
• 15 micrograms
• Promote bone formation
• Muscle and immune function
Can be found in… • Weak bones
• Suboptimal muscle function
• Eggs, fish, or liver
• Fortified dairy products • Increased susceptibility to infections
• Oils
• Sunlight on 40% of skin >15 mins Too MUCH can lead to…
• Nausea or loss of appetite
• Joint pain or irritability
• Calcification of soft tissues
Fat-Soluble Vitamins – Vitamin E
• Defend against free radicals Adequate Intake
• Protect cell membranes • 15 mg

• Eggs or liver • Anemia
• Whole grain cereals • Destruction of red blood cells
• Vegetable or seed oils
• Margarine or butter Too MUCH can lead to…
• Headaches, fatigue, or diarrhea
Fat-Soluble Vitamins – Vitamin K
• Form blood-clotting factors Adequate Intake
• Males: 120 micrograms
Can be found in… • Females: 90 micrograms
• Eggs or liver
• Green leafy vegetables Too little can lead to…
• Cheese or butter • Bleeding or hemorrhaging
• Intestines made by bacteria
• Vomiting or blood clots
Vitamins
Fat-Soluble Water-Soluble
• Vitamin A • Vitamin B1
• Vitamin D • Vitamin B2
• Vitamin E • Vitamin B3
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin K • Vitamin B12
• Folic Acid
• Biotin
• Pantothenic
Acid
• Vitamin C
Water-Soluble Vitamins – Vitamin B1
(Thiamine)
• Promote carbohydrate metabolism • Males: 1.2 mg
• Central nervous system function • Females: 1.1 mg

• Pork, ham, or liver • Loss of appetite
• Nuts, legumes, or potatoes • Apathy or depression
• Fortified breads or whole-grain cereals • Pain in calf muscles
• Beriberi impacting both cardiovascular or nervous
systems

• None
(Riboflavin)
• Promote carbohydrate and fat oxidation Intake
• Maintain healthy skin • Males: 1.3 mg
• Females: 1.1 mg
Can be found in…
• Meat, liver, or eggs Too little can lead to…
• Green leafy vegetables • Dermatitis
• Dairy products • Lip or tongue sores
• Beans • Damage to corneas

• None
Water-Soluble Vitamins – Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
• Promote anaerobic glycolysis, carbohydrate and fat oxidation, • Males: 16 mg
and fat synthesis
• Females: 14 mg
• Maintain healthy skin

Can be found in…
• Weakness or loss of appetite
• Meat, liver, poultry, or fish
• Skin lesions
• Whole-grain cereal
• Gut or skin problems
• Nuts or lentils
• Pellagra (Mental disturbance + dermatitis + diarrhea)
• Made in the body via tryptophan

• Headaches or nausea
• Skin irritation
• Liver damage or inhibited lipolysis
(Pyridoxine)
• Promote protein metabolism, Adequate Intake
formation of hemoglobin and red • 1.3 mg
blood cells, glycogenolysis, and
gluconeogenesis
Can be found in… • Irritability
• Meat, liver, poultry, or fish • Convulsions or anemia
• Nuts, whole-grain cereal, or potatoes • Tongue sores or dermatitis
• Legumes or green leafy vegetables
• Dairy products or bananas Too MUCH can lead to…
• Nausea or vomiting
(Cobalamin)
• Promote formation of both red and Adequate Intake
white blood cells • 2.4 micrograms
• Maintains nerve, gut, and skin tissues
Can be found in… • Pernicious anemia
• Meat, fish, shellfish, or poultry • Fatigue, nerve damage, or paralysis
• Liver or eggs • Infection
• Dairy products or fortified breakfast
cereals Too MUCH can lead to…
• None
Water-Soluble Vitamins – Vitamin C
• As an antioxidant • Males: 90 mg
• Promote collagen formation, connective tissue • Females: 75 mg
development, catecholamine and steroid synthesis,
and iron absorption
Can be found in… • Weakness
• Citrus fruits or strawberries • Bleeding gums, slow wound healing, or infections
• Green leafy vegetables, peppers, or broccoli • Anemia or scurvy
• Potatoes
• Diarrhea
• Kidney stones
• Iron overload
Vitamins Practical Application
• Red flags?
a regular basis. Can any of their symptoms or complaints be explained by a nutritional deficiency?
those micro-goals
Vitamins Application: Avatar Intake
Jennifer is a 36-year old female that wants to lose weight. She weighs 215.6 lbs and wants to get down to 160
lbs.
She tells you she has tried to lose weight several times in the past and was unsuccessful each time. She works as
a freshly graduated doctor at a local hospital.
She says that her work days are “crazy busy” and normally doesn’t eat until after her shift is over. She feels very
stressed on how to pay back her student loans and is picking up extra shifts at work to make more money. She
doesn’t have a significant other and would eventually like to get back to dating now that she’s done with school.
She admits to having a sweet tooth, has occasional bloating, and has several foods that she knows bother her
stomach. Jennifer also tells you that she is plant-based and doesn’t eat protein due to her religion.
What should she do and how can you help her?

Vitamins Application: Avatar Intake
Micronutrient and Vitamin Recap
• Vitamins are organic compounds that are needed in small quantities in the
diet and are essential for metabolic reactions and normal growth and
development
• Vitamins play an important role in regulating metabolism by acting as
reusable coenzymes in carbohydrates, fats, and protein metabolism
• Water soluble vitamins are involved in mitochondrial energy metabolism
• Antioxidants may play an important role in defense against free radical
damage
• Review the Vitamins Quick Sheet that we created for you in the course
resources

4. Track your own food in Cronometer for a few days and identify any vitamin deficiencies
you may have
5. Have a friend or family member do a food recall / Cronometer check with you to see
how their micronutrient intake is looking
Section 11
Supplementation
• Ground Rules:
1. Show Up

4. Track your own food in Cronometer for a few days and identify any vitamin deficiencies you may have
5. Have a friend or family member do a food recall / Cronometer check with you to see how their
micronutrient intake is looking
Supplementation Overview
After today, you should…
• Understand the supplement verification process
• Know how to identify if a supplement is safe and effective
• Know how to conduct your own independent research when looking

up effective supplements
What Are Supplements?
Supplement: something that completes or makes an addition
• Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994
• FDA defines supplement as a product that is intended to supplement the diet and
contains a “dietary ingredient”
• Supplements are classified as food products (not drugs) and doesn’t require
registration with FDA unless making a claim about the product
• 30-Day Time frame to register
• Most dietary ingredients are grandfathered in due to long history of safe use
• New Dietary Ingredients are anything created and marketed after October 15, 1994
• When might it be appropriate to add supplement to a nutrition plan?

• When might it be INappropriate to add a supplement?
Supplement Efficacy
Supplement Efficacy: the likelihood
the supplement will produce the
desired and/or promised result
How do I know if a supplement is

going to be effective…?
• Will require some independent
research
• Research process modeling
1. Pick a search platform, i.e. Google
Scholar, PubMed, Elvesier, etc
2. Search for meta-analyses or
systematic reviews on desired
supplement
3. Look for specific populations and
outcomes
Supplement Safety
Manufacturing monitoring
practices are adopted by high-
quality supplement companies to
certify their products only contain
what is on the label
• Informed Choice
• NSF International
• GMP (Good Manufacturing
Practices)
Supported Supplements
• Creatine helps to maintain ATP
availability during maximal effort
anaerobic sprint-type exercise by
shuttling ATP production sites
with usage sites
• Supports muscle accretion
• Loading protocol: 0.3 g/kg/day for
5-7 days
• Maintenance of 3-10g / day
sufficient, dependent on size
• Essential amino acids (EAAs) are
amino acids that the body cannot
make on its own and thus relies on
consumption to maintain
appropriate amino acid levels
• Evidence supports 6-12g of EAAs while
fasted, prior to and after resistance
training will increase muscle protein
synthesis
• Leucine is the EAA most strongly
associated with increases in muscle
protein synthesis
• Best practice is to consume 20-30g of
protein containing at least 2-3g of
leucine and 5g of EAAs before and
after resistance training
• Protein is a structural building block for the structures of the body
and require continuous consumption to maintain a positive protein
turnover
• Several subcategory of protein supplements include plant-based, milk, egg,
and collagen
• Plant sources include soy, wheat, pea proteins and can provide a way to intake adequate
amounts of protein
• Egg protein can also be a good source for restricted diets
• Milk proteins can be the cheapest source with great bioavailability
• Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS)
• Muscle-building endeavors are best supported in the range of 1.4-2.0
g/kg/day
Supplement Practical Application
• Red flags?
those micro-goals
• Include lifestyle recommendations and supporting reasons for each(see section 1)
• Include macronutrient recommendations and supporting reasons for each (see sections 4-6)
• Include fluid balance recommendations and supporting reasons for each (see section 8)
• Include supplement recommendations and supporting reasons for each (see section 11)
Practical Application
Gina
29, 5’4, Female, 135 lbs
Wants to feel more comfortable with herself and improve her endurance
Works as a financial analyst / professional creeper project manager
managing 60 people while working 60-90 hours / week
Swam in high school, does no resistance training, and has dabbled in
megaformer pilates and yoga
She admits to getting an average of 4 hours of sleep a night, with occasional
all-nighters for work and tries to catch up on sleep during the weekend
Supplementation Recap
• Supplements can help fill gaps in nutritional profiles by creating easy
to follow regimens that address any deficiencies
• Few supplements have irrefutable evidence to support their
effectiveness
• Certifications like “GMP” can help determine the quality of the
product through third-party testing and manufacturing quality checks
• Weighing cost vs intended benefit should be one of the main
considerations for supplementation recommendations

4. Research your top 3 favorite (or most confusing) supplements
5. Discuss nutrient gaps and what supplements you think may benefit your clients
Section 12
Digestion
• Ground Rules:
1. Show Up

4. Research your top 3 favorite (or most confusing) supplements
5. Discuss nutrient gaps and what supplements you think may benefit your clients
Digestion Overview
1. Understand the phases of digestion
2. Understand and be able to leverage the concept of food hygiene
3. Understand how to use stool to have more informed conversations about

digestive health with your clients
What is Digestion?
Digestion: the process of breaking down food by mechanical and
enzymatic action in the alimentary canal into substances that can be
used by the body
Occurs in 3 phases:
1. Cephalic
2. Gastric
3. Intestinal
Phase 1: Cephalic
• Digestion is a top-down process
• Cerebral cortex is stimulated by sight,
smell, and thought of food, resulting
in gastric secretion
• Thinking about food is first phase of
digestion
• Heightens senses enable finding food
• Mouth mechanically breaks down
food into smaller particles
• Increases surface area for chemical
breakdown in stomach
• If food isn’t chewed appropriately,
chemical digestion can’t occur as
effectively
Phase 2: Gastric
• Food now has travelled to
stomach where it will remain for
3-4 hours
• Passage time depends on type of
food
• Fats will trigger more CCK, which
slows gastric emptying to allow
proper emulsification
• Foods are churned and mixed with
enzymes in preparation for
absorption in the small intestine
Phase 3: Intestinal
• Food then passes into the
duodenum from the stomach,
where the acidic contents are
neutralized with bicarbonate
• This is to ensure the intestinal tract
isn’t burned from the acidic contents
• The small intestine proceeds to
absorb nutrients through its lining
• The large intestine serves to
reabsorb fluid used to aid in the
digestive process prior to waste
leaving the body
How to Assess and Improve Digestion?
Assess digestion through asking
about:
• Behavior
• Food hygiene
• HOW food is consumed
• Mostly related to environmental stimuli
• Biology
• Stool
• Indicates how the internal systems are
functioning to break down and absorb
nutrients
How to Assess and Improve Digestion?
Stomach or Large Intestine Symptoms
Small Intestine Symptoms • Excessive, foul-smelling gas
• Bloating after meals • Lower abdominal bloating
• Experience heartburn or • Constipation OR diarrhea
using antacids • History of antibiotic use
• Excessive belching or
burping
• Sensitive to a number of
foods, i.e. running to
bathroom
Food Hygiene
• Eat slowly
• This will allow more food to get broken
down from a mechanical and chemical
process
• Spend some time thinking and
smelling food
• This will prime your stomach to secrete
more stomach acid as it prepares for the
yummy meal you’re about to put down
your gullet
• Eat in an undistracted environment
• This will help you understand your body’s
hunger and satiety cues to signal when
you’re full
• Make eating a social event
• Who doesn’t love friends? But this WILL
help you slow down and enjoy your meal,
which will help you stress less and have
better digestion J
Stool as an Assessment Tool
• Ask to understand what digestive
tract may be saying
• Need more / less fiber?
• More water?
• Chronic stress disrupting digestion?
• Bristol Stool Chart can as reference
• It’s only weird if you make it weird

Digestion Practical Application
• Red flags?
those micro-goals
• Write an “optimal” prescription for each phase of periodization, i.e. what is needed to achieve the
surplus, deficit, or performance outcomes (depending on goal)
Digestion Practical Application
Jack 44
5’10, Male, 175 lbs
Wants to feel better – always feels tired and run down
Has had digestive symptoms for 8 years – bloating and slight nausea,
has tried minor diet tweaks without success and is currently not doing
anything, has “become used to it”
Works as a CFO for a medical device company and averages between
65-85 hours /week
Lifts weights 7 days / week, usually in a circuit style with strength
training for an hour and then 20 minutes of sprinting and conditioning
immediately after it
He admits to getting an average of 5 hours of sleep a night

4. Explore tracking your own digestive symptoms for a few days and see what you notice
5. Have a conversation about digestion with your clients / GPs
Digestion Recap
• Digestion is a top-down process and starts with the brain and mouth,
proceeds to the stomach, and finally the intestines
• Assessing digestion can be done asking questions around intake, aka
food hygiene and output, aka stool
• Food hygiene practices are easy to implement and serve as a great
foundation during the early part of the coaching relationship without
the added complexity of measuring food
• Stool can provide insight into the nature of the GI tract and even what
nutrients you may want to recommend
Section 13
Exploring Dieting Methods

W13 Reflection(s) and Realization(s)
• Ground Rules:
1. Show Up

4. Explore tracking your own digestive symptoms for a few days and see what you notice
5. Have a conversation about digestion with your clients / GPs
Dieting Methods Overview
After today, you should…
• Understand what the concepts of diet culture
• Understand what makes a diet effective
• Understand metabolic adaptations
• Understand how to implement a reverse diet

What is a Diet?
Diet: food and drink regularly provided and
consumed, habitual nourishment
• Typically designed to manipulate energy balance
towards more energy output vs intake
When might it be appropriate to implement a diet?

• Weight change goal
• Novelty
When might it be inappropriate to implement a diet?

• Diet Culture
• Disordered eating history
• Metabolically adapted
Which Diet is Best…?
Recent mainstream weight loss diets
• Weight Watchers
• Paleo
• Intermittent Fasting
• Keto
Which makes the most sense…?

• Depends on desired outcome and associated
suspected mechanisms
• Ultimately whatever works and is
SUSTAINABLE
SHOW evidence
• Get on pubmed and find 1 research article
(systematic review or meta-analysis) that
supports your opinion
Principles of an Effective Diet
1. Effectiveness
• Energy balance
• Nutrient density
2. Progressive in nature
• Requires client monitoring (objective
and subjective)
• Variable manipulation based on
feedback
• What metrics are you using to
measure success?
3. Sustainability
• Is this something the client can
execute effectively and regularly?
4. Exit Strategy
• How will you transition the client from
a deficit or surplus into maintenance?
What Happens When a Diet Goes “Wrong?”
• SAID
• Hardwired for survival
• Must spare resources during periods
of extended scarcity
• Enter metabolic adaptation….

• Extended periods of dieting create a
“scarce environment”
• Body decreases TDEE elements of
RMR, NEAT, and AT
• BMR may decrease by ~15%
• NEAT may decrease by up to 500
Cals/day
How to Course Correct?
Reverse Diet: a method of dieting intended
to raise your metabolism by slowly and
strategically increasing daily food intake
• Basically, restore metabolism
• Effective for post-diet, yo-yo dieters
2 Methods
1. Longer, slow approach to ideal
maintenance
• 10-20% initial Caloric increase (dependent
on degree of deficit)
• 1-3% changes every 10-12 days
2. Quick restoration to ideal maintenance
• Jumps straight to maintenance
• Caution: DON’T FORGET YOUR MICROS
Dieting Methods Recap
• Diet culture is a system of beliefs that idealizes weight loss (and possibly fat shaming)
• Most weight loss dieting methods are generally grounded in the principles of weight
manipulation and caloric deficits
• The current literature is unequivocal that the only item that matters for weight
manipulation are being in a caloric surplus or deficit
• Diets manipulate various variables to elicit the same outcomes, which leaves the choice
of method up to the collaborative relationship between the coach and client
• The most effective diets are comprised of both quantity (caloric-density) and quality
(nutrient-density) components
• Metabolic adaptation is the process of the body decreasing its resting caloric expenditure
to spare resources during periods of extended scarcity
• Reverse dieting can be used as a simple method to help reduce the physiological effects
of metabolic adaptation
Dieting Methods Practical Application #13
Buffy, female, 43, 185.4#, 5’4
Wants to be the best version of herself
Has 5 grown kids
Works a high stress job, has her own consulting business and travels frequently, also working on a PhD
Active since 8 y/o, lots of endurance sports, had a trainer for 1 year, enjoys yoga and swimming, dislikes lifting
Right shoulder had “impingement syndrome” and low back hurts from a flywheel class
Had bulimia for 8 years off and on
Gets 8 hours of sleep / night
Drinks ~40oz of coffee / day, it’s comfortable and a habit
Been sober for 6.5 years
Had leukemia and subsequent treatment; has asthma, taken Zoloft for 12 years, and has taken ibuprofen daily
for 5 years; gallbladder removed 20 years ago
Says she frequently has cravings for sweets and carbs, and sweets after meals, with also feeling fatigued after
meals
W13 Reflection and Action Items
• Add anything you want to reference in the future to your continuing
education note
• Actions Items for End of Course:

2. Explain the concepts covered today to a loved one or even on social
media to really own it before delivering it to your guinea pigs
3. Complete your avatar exercise (coaching impression and nutritional
recommendations)
4. Complete your Level 1 Final Project write up and email it to us at
education@ncicertifications.com
End of Course Recommended Resources
• Independent Analysis on Supplements & Nutrition | Examine.com
• ExRx.net : Home

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Nutritional Coaching Institute

Too Stressed for Sex:

1. Understand the role that stress plays in maintaining health

3. Be able to identify basic life stressors

4. Be able to coach individuals on to implement basic coping mechanisms that

• Nervous system senses incoming information and communicates to

• 2 Branches of the nervous system help turn stress response on/off

• Cortisol is the hormone most associated with stress

• Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands (SAID)

What is your coaching impression?

• Actions Items Before Beginning the Next Week:

The Art of Coaching: Building

1. How to upgrade client awareness, clarity of goals, and subsequent

2. Have a basic understanding of what is normal and how to understand

3. Understand basic and generalized coaching progressions and regressions

4. Start to understand what is expected of effective, entry-level coaching

• What is the BIG picture?

• WHAT are you focused on?

• Growth (Surplus) vs Decay (Deficit) vs Maintenance (Net-Net)

• Where have they been?

• Where do they want to go?

• What are the potential obstacles?

• Are they ready to go to WAR?

• Incrementalism: the belief in or advocacy for changes by degrees; gradualism

• Establish the coach-client feedback loop

Contrast coaching: a coaching method leveraging extremes to clarify the

• The ”average” person today…

• They “should be…”

Collect information / establish trends – Shared analysis WITH client

• What are the red flags?

• How will these limitations hinder progress?

• Actions Items for Next Week:

Identifying Obstacles with the

• Last Week’s Action Items:

2. Have an idea of how to create a basic intake form

3. Be able to form a coaching impression based on a completed intake form

4. Understand how to conduct a basic consultation

Marketing – external messaging

Advertising and internal messaging

Exit and hopefully successful completion of plan

• Actions Items for Next Week:

Energy Balance and Energy

• Last Week’s Action Items:

1. Understand the applied science of how the body produces energy

2. Understand how to identify optimal client energy needs

Different categories of foods carry different Caloric loads

1. Resting Metabolic Rate = ~70%

2. Thermic Effect of Feeding = ~5-10%

1. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis = ~15%

2. Exercise Activity Thermogenesis = ~5%

• Lasts 3-12 seconds

• Lasts 15 seconds – 3 minutes

• Energy cannot be destroyed or created, only converted or transferred

• Energy surplus occurs when consuming an excess of what is needed for

• Energy maintenance occurs when energy consumption = energy output

• Formulas used to calculate vary depending on client population

• 8 potential formulas: Mifflin-St. Joer, Cunningham, Owen, Mueller, De Lorenzo,

• Harris Benedict Formula to find BMR be used for sake of consistency

• Allows person to adapt to their intake preferences and lifestyle

• Actions Items for Next Week:

Macronutrients and Protein

• Last Week’s Action Items:

• Body struggles to function

• How do you keep the lights on…?