What Level Eater Are You?

Any athlete or soldier I have ever worked with has wanted to be better. If we are working on something and they have a buddy or family member working on the same thing, they want to beat them. I will often use this strategy and drive to help my athletes and clients improve their eating habits too.

At Powell Performance, we use levels of eating to allow us to meet you where you are. This means that instead of telling the college athlete or young soldier to cook gourmet meals and have a stocked fridge, we instead meet them where they are in a cramped dorm room or barracks with a limited income.

We take this information and use it to create the best possible set-up for our clients to allow for success in whatever their goals are. A lot of our athletes are Level 1 eaters, mostly due to a lack of education - they’ve never lived on their own or cooked before and usually their living circumstances and access to food demand this level.

THIS IS NOT A BAD THING! The biggest reason we’ve created these levels is so you get the best plans and access for you! You can rest assure when we send you recipes, food ideas, snacks, etc. we are keeping in mind your limited storage and fridge space as well as your lifestyle (on the go to class, practice, out with friends, etc).

We also have plenty of adults and professionals who are Level 1 because they find it easier to eat on the go, have other people prep their meals, or eat out. Again, this is not an issue, just a different lifestyle and someone in this position would benefit much more from our 5 Ways To Manage Your Diet Away From Home and check out our Handout We made for one of our gyms we fuel, Will Bradley Sports Performance.

So, what is the difference between levels? The largest determining factors are the individual’s living situation, access to food, financial ability, nutritional maturity, and cooking skills. The recipes, or recommendations and information, will be chosen based on what level you are currently at with the goal of helping you be a better version of yourself and progress with you as you grow.

Level 2 – These individuals are a little more financially stable and have had some coaching or nutrition information to provide a base knowledge. Level 2 eaters have a slightly wider array of cooking skills and are more likely on average to comply with coaching and information. They also usually have better access to more cooking styles, equipment, and ways to prepare food. These individuals often prepare food ahead of time by Meal Prepping and are often living with other people who they either cook for or help with cooking.

Level 3 – Cooking is a common occurrence for these individuals. They follow coaching recommendations daily and are rarely eating something that doesn’t help them reach their goals. They have been coached for a longer period of time and their knowledge is quite extensive. They use coaching as a tool to reach specific goals and take it seriously. Level 3 eaters usually have a full assortment of meal prepping tools and abilities. These are very rare individuals and we only have a handful of athletes and clients at this level. At this point in their health and fitness journey, they are working to truly hone in on specific things to add in high level performance, recovery, and training. 

Common FAQ’s

 Can I progress from one level to another?

• Of course! As you improve your cooking skills, nutritional knowledge and maturity, and your compliance it is possible to improve and move up levels. Some people also have times when they need to go down a level because of life, work, or other circumstances and that is another easy fix.

 How did you come up with these levels?

• Trial and error. We learned from being coached ourselves and coaching others. Too many dietitians or coaches don’t meet you where you are and expect you to succeed by jumping in head-first. We’ve seen people fail because they have not improved their habits. When they are asked to create new habits without being met at their current abilities, it leads to lack of compliance and that often creates more self-doubt

 Can I meal prep or plan no matter what level I am?

• Of course! Our levels are broken down and allow for you to see what would be best for you. This way when you pick up the PP Cookbook or our “On the Go Snacks” hand out you know which options are easier based on levels and how to implement them!

Want to figure out your level and then have someone meet you where you currently struggle to start building great habits and skills to be successful? Click Here to talk with our Powell Performance staff.