The "Dichotomy" of 2 Nutrition Goals (What You Need To Know To Not Get Stuck)

What happens when you have 2 nutrition goals you need to juggle?

Can it be done? And what do you need to know? How do you go about it?

Today I want to explain the “dichotomy” of goals in nutrition, health and fitness and what you need to understand in order to not only be more effective, but also to help keep your mind at ease by being more understanding and realistic with your progress.

There is nothing wrong with having multiple goals (within reason and content, of course), but you need to know that there is a potential strategic difference between them that needs to be accounted for.

In this blog, I explain how to you need to look at your nutrition when trying to address 2 or more goals at the same time - especially when they are potentially conflicting in nature.

Let’s be real for a second here, it is highly likely you don’t just have 1 goal you are working on and in fact your nutrition journey may have multiple “faces”.

Most often we are dealing with 2 main goals we are trying to achieve and progress on. 

So what happens when you try and go for gold on both?

Depending on what the goals are, this is either a futile effort or simply a case of needing to ensure a strategic balancing act.

Truth is that for a number of common duo goals, there is a “dictotomy” you need to be aware of. Not that it means you are barking up the wrong tree, but more for perspective so you can get clearer in your approach and also have more realistic expectations on what progress will and should look like.

Let’s get into it now!

The “Dictotomy” of 2 Goals ExplaineD

There are a number of goals that require differing strategies to achieve and often these strategies can even be conflicting to some degree.

So when 2 or more of such goals are being attempted at once, there is a dichotomy of sorts going on, where one goal’s strategies moves you closer to that one goal but pulls you away from the other.

Here is a diagram I created to try illustrate this point but keep in mind it’s not quite a black and white as it makes it seem:

You’ll note, as you move further towards one goal with increased strategic intensity, you move further from the other. And in the middle is the balancing act zone where you would roughly want to be to progress on both goals. In other words, the zone of compromise where you can try and juggle both goals without impacting the other too much as to stall it. 

Now at face value this seems like a situation you can’t win and shouldn’t be in (and depending on the scenario and person in question, maybe it is). However, there is still a lot of nuance to be considered and as you can see above often you CAN juggle 2 “conflicting” goals as long as you understand the science and approach AND have realistic expectations.

The latter is the biggest issue as people will get discouraged because the results don’t mirror expectations when you are simply playing a slightly different, slowed down game.

Today I will use a very clear, common example to illustrate this but also show you a way forward and give hope. This is one that I even recently discussed and am working on with a client of mine.

The 2 goals are: weight loss and sports performance.

We know to lose weight we need a deficit. What is a deficit? Eating less than you need. What do you ideally need to push performance limits? Eating and fuelling more.

They contrast in some ways but that doesn’t mean both can’t be worked on. Just means you need to be realistic in terms of what extent each can be achieved as you juggle both.

In other words, you could strategise for weight loss but ensure you don’t go so aggressive in it as to then deviate away from performance progress too much. 

This is what I am working on with this client and we are moving the needle a little on each so that we see weight loss progress but at least maintain sporting performance doing something they love. 

Nonetheless, trying to do both will still mean that “technically” you will slow down each which is fine, as long as you expect this and don’t get discouraged. And even then the concession you are making may not be obvious anyway (technicality and perception are not always clear cut). 

So this is what I mean about understanding that sometimes you will be in a situation where there is more or less a “dichotomy” when you have 2+ goals you are working on.

However, this doesn’t automatically mean futility. You can get results with this as long as you do a balancing act and have realistic expectations to quash stress and negative impacts on the mindset.

Easier said than done, sure. But nutrition isn’t always easy. Even when it’s simple.

Recapping It!

Now you understand that it is not automatically a futile endeavour to chase 2 or more goals at once but instead one that just requires a little bit more planning, care, and strategy to do properly.

The “dichotomy” of 2 nutrition goals is simply a way for you to understand the science between conflicting pathways and how to mould them into one strategy to get you there balancing best of both worlds, in a way.

Importantly, it’s about having realistic expectations and understanding the need to implement a balancing act in terms of strategy. 

However, it is important to note this before we end too…that some goals for some people in some circumstances, are too conflicting to be viable in the way you would normally tackle them.

So sometimes you need to rethink and restructure your journey. And a Dietitian can help with this too, should that be something you are ready to do.

So if you need a hand doing this and the coaching to take you there…I am here to help. Just get in touch directly or email me at: [email protected] or complete my contact form. 

Then we can have a chat and see what we can do together and make sure we are a good fit before working together. 

Looking forward to taking out the guesswork and helping you “figure out this nutrition thing”. 

To your peak and with warm regards,

Sports Dietitian and Coach Aleksa

Brisbane Dietitian and Nutritionist