Stop Playing Macro Tetris: What These 6 Nutrition Coaches Do Differently

If I’ve learned one thing after coaching CrossFit for 15 years, it’s that getting people to show up at the gym is the easy part. 

• Getting them to change their diet, however, often felt like an insurmountable challenge. 

One thing that seems to make the challenge less daunting, however, is when they find the right nutrition coach.

But how do you go about finding the right coach and the approach that’s going to work for you long-term? After all, nutrition isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation. It’s personal, and what works for one person might leave another feeling sluggish, underfed, or overwhelmed. 

• And with so many nutrition coaching companies available today, navigating the space can feel like a workout in itself. 

So, we did some of the legwork for you and spoke with six different nutrition coaches in the CrossFit space to find out what each one of them is all about:

CBG Nutrition

Founded by Yale University graduate and longtime CrossFit enthusiast Justin Romaire, CBG (Consistency Breeds Growth) is best known for not promoting macro tracking.  

• Instead, Romaire and his team of coaches craft personalized Blueprints for each individual based on their goals, schedule, and priorities to “make it simpler for the client,” Romaire said. He added that the Blueprint offers a framework for the client regarding when and what they should eat in a way that fits their life.

The idea with the Blueprint is similar to going to a CrossFit gym, where you show up and don’t need to think about what to do, because the workout is all planned out for you on the whiteboard.

• In this sense, CBG is the “done for you nutrition model so that people are not playing Tetris on their MyFitnessPal app trying to figure out every little thing they need to eat throughout the day,” Romaire said. 

The second big component of CBG is the focus on “relationship-based coaching methodology,” Romaire said. 

• When you’re a CBG client, you get “real-time attention” through daily text support, which Romaire said is one of the biggest keys to “building habits around your most common struggles.”

Furthermore, CBG clients engage in video calls with their personal coach to foster a stronger connection and trust, a practice Romaire noted enhances the likelihood of implementing their coach’s recommendations.

Finally, CBG believes in educating clients, so they learn not just what they’re doing, but also why they’re doing it.

• “This helps clients and athletes create the behaviour change necessary, and gives our coaches the ability to go deeper into the client’s lifestyle to be able to provide something a lot more predictable.”

While most of CBG’s clients are lifestyle-focused, they also work with many CrossFit Games athletes, including James Sprague, Anikha Greer, Bethany Flores, Chandler and Jessi Smith, Haley Adams, and Danielle Brandon.

Tactic Functional Nutrition

Tactic Functional Nutrition was founded by CrossFit Games athletes and partners Meredith Root and Alex Parker, who say their approach has “evolved over the years into a balanced, inclusive, no-nonsense, whole-person approach to nutrition and wellness.”

• “We find the biggest barriers for most people are not directly related to the specifics of nutrition, macro targets, or a lack of information, but sustainability and longevity in the process,” Root said.

Thus, what they focus on is breaking down the “complexity” of nutrition and fitness to help people “apply effective concepts into their lifestyle, rather than working their lifestyle around a very difficult approach to nutrition,” Parker explained, adding that each client gets two or three check-ins from their coach each week after they’re through the onboarding process.

Their ultimate goal for their clients is to be the last nutrition company a person works with, “which is why we leverage education to build confidence and autonomy in the clients we serve,” Parker said.

• “We make it our mission to be a positive and non-intimidating voice in an overcrowded and intimidating space,” Root added. 

NutritionRx

NutritionRx was founded by Jennifer Broxterman, a Registered Dietitian and former Canada East Regional athlete with nearly 20 years of experience in coaching nutrition.

Today, Broxterman’s NutritionRx is a successful, multi-six-figure nutrition business that emphasizes behavior change psychology to develop healthy habits and uses gamification “to help clients actually follow through,” she explained, adding that one of her goals is to make nutrition “fun, deeply personal, and highly effective.”

• NutritionRx clients have the freedom to book sessions with Broxterman and her team “on their terms,” as Broxterman believes in “high-touch, human moments that build deep trust,” said Broxterman, who also owns Prosper Nutrition Coaching, which offers a nutrition coaching certification.

Early on in the relationship, this means clients might choose to meet with their coach weekly or bi-weekly, but “over time the cadence naturally tapers off to every few weeks or every few months,” as needed, she explained. 

During their sessions, they dig into not only food choices and nutrition habits, but also life issues, such as family demands, stress levels, setting healthy boundaries, sleep, body image issues etc, “because this is about deep health, not just hitting macro targets on a spreadsheet,” she explained. 

Broxterman’s ultimate goal: To help people build healthier relationships with food, so they can live healthy lives, not just for a few months, but for life.

Training Think Tank

Training Think Tank’s in-house nutrition coach is Tracy Tucker, who uses a client-focused approach to coaching.

• This means meeting each individual where they’re at “and together, we create a game plan that aligns with their life, values, and goals,” Tucker said. “They’re in the driver’s seat. I’m just helping navigate, ensuring we’re moving along safely and sustainably.”

She added, “I recognize that I’m not just working with bodies. I’m working with people and their health. That perspective grounds everything I do…My goal is never to be a crutch; I want to be a tool in their tool belt, the kind they feel confident with and know they can count on whenever they need it.”

Training Think Tank offers their clients a variety of services, depending on the client’s needs, ranging from weekly and bi-weekly phone calls, to monthly calls with weekly text support.  And while there is no long-term commitment, Tucker recommends giving the process at least three months.

Tucker’s ultimate goal for every client is to become a stronger version of themselves.

• “Whether that means learning how to fuel performance, improving body image, or building more confidence around food, I want each person to walk away feeling empowered, heard, and truly supported,” she said.

Tucker added: “Coaching is about way more than macros; it’s about changing people’s lives for the better.”

OptimizeMe Nutrition

EC Synkowski’s OptimizeMe Nutrition is best known for its 800g Challenge, which encourages people to consume 800 grams of fruits and vegetables daily, emphasizing addition over restriction.

Getting enough fruits and vegetables is one of the pillars in Synkowski’s Three Pillars Method. The other two are focusing on adequate protein intake, “and then we round out your diet to the right number of calories for your goals,” she said. 

• “At each state, there is a huge range for food preferences and individual needs, all the while recognizing the body doesn’t need perfect macros every day. This gives the diet flexibility…Compared to the uber restrictive diets we have all tried—no this, no that—to the hyper precise diets that have us playing nutrition Tetris every day, my Three Pillars Method is truly a sustainable approach for clients to reach their body composition, health, and fitness goals,” she explained. 

Synkowski’s ultimate goal for her clients is not only to teach them how to align their diet with their goals, but to “actually enjoy it” and to be able to do it on their own, she said.

• “The goal is that [once they finish her 10-week program] they don’t need me, or any other coach. I love empowering clients to be able to shut out the junk science that saturates social media, and give them the tools to reach their goals.”

Nutrition Strategies

For Mallory Lawson, a Registered Dietitian, Diabetes Care Specialist, and founder of Nutrition Strategies, it’s all about taking an individualized approach with each client.

Lawson, who works with elite athletes, lifestyle athletes, and clients with chronic diseases, also emphasizes “nutrition timing,” as this is a major key to regulating blood sugars and maximizing recovery, she explained.

One of her main goals when working with her clients is to teach them “how to best feed themselves and their families, whether it’s sports performance, chronic health conditions, or weight loss,” said Lawson, who currently works with CrossFit Games athletes Chris Ibarra and Olivia Kerstetter.

• “It doesn’t have to be expensive, but education and knowledge can change the trajectory of individuals and families,” she added. 

The Big Picture

While their methods may vary, Romaire, Root, Parker, Broxterman, Tucker, Synkowski, and Lawson agree: Effective nutrition coaching extends well beyond meal plans and macros. 

• Instead, nutrition coaching is most successful when it’s individualized and “deeply personal,” as Broxterman put it.

So if you’re seeking a nutrition coach to help you succeed in the long run, it’s important to find one who considers your individual needs instead of just giving you a set of numbers. 

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Featured Image: @nutrition_rx / Instagram