There are two critical elements to aging well, keeping body fat off, and living independently, as long as possible:

1. Eating adequate protein.
2. Building and maintaining muscle mass.

We've spent all the live long days trying to lose fat.  How many of us have basically been trying to get "thinner" since we entered our 30's?  

Enough already.

Shift the focus to gaining muscle, and you'll be able to have your cake and eat it too, quite literally.  

You see, muscle is a hungry tissue.  It uses up a lot of calories throughout the day.  Even when we aren't exercising.   The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn throughout your day, and by default, the more fat you burn.

If we spend decades trying to eat less to lose body fat, the few short-lived bits of success we have, (if any), we tend to lose muscle as well as body fat as cut back on calories.  And this is the last thing we want.  

From our 30's on, we already lose a bit of muscle mass each decade.  This is called Sarcopenia.    Roughly 3-5% of our existing muscle just poof...disappears.  When we combine that with starving ourselves "skinny," our muscle mass takes a big hit.  And when we lose muscle mass, we burn fewer calories as we go through our daily activities.  

This sounds discouraging, right?  

Don't worry, we are able to combat this, and go on to live a strong, independent life.

Eat enough protein.  How much is enough?

• Active/athlete/heavy-duty exerciser?        1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.  So if I weigh 155 pounds, I'll try to eat 155 grams of protein each day.
• Somewhat active/like to hike/do yoga/go biking?   0.8 - 0.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight.
• Not very active/sit at a computer all day/don't exercise?   0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight will do ya.

(Side note:  This post is mostly about eating adequate protein and building muscle, but I can't ignore our other two macronutrients completely.  Eating enough calories isn't just about protein.  You want to eat about as many grams of carbs as you do protein, if not more, depending on your activity level, and about halve that to get how many grams of fats you need to eat per day.  More to come in a future post on these specifics.)
                                                         
Move your body.  Ideally, lift weights.  This will build up more muscle mass than most forms of exercise.  And don't fear, you won't "bulk up," I assure you. 

Don't have access to weights?  Walk.  Hike.  Bike.  Lift milk jugs.  Just let your muscles move and work for you.

***Bonus fact:
Our ligaments, tendons, connective tissues, cartilage and pretty much every other body part that has to do with moving well is also made up of protein, which means eating the proper amount for your age and activity level will also make you feel GOOD when you move.  Eating too little, on the other hand, will set these important tissues up for injury.

Let's get tactical.

What foods have protein in them?  Well, many foods do, but the foods that have primarily protein in them and just a little bit of fats and/or carbs are:

• meats such as beef, bison, venison, pork tenderloin, chicken
• greek yogurt
• cottage cheese
• beef jerky
• seafood such as shrimp, fish, crab, lobster, oysters, mussels
• eggs

If the idea of getting your body weight in grams of protein from straight up meat sounds daunting, you can use protein powders and collagen to help you out.  Make these supplemental, not the majority, of your protein intake each day.  Here are a few of my favorite brands:

• Thorne Whey Protein
• Ascent Native Fuel Whey Protein
• Thorne Vegan Pro Complex
• Ascent Plant Protein Powder
• Vital Proteins Chocolate Collagen
• Sprout Living Pea Protein

Stop simply existing.  Eat enough, lift weights, and THRIVE.

Hit me up if I can help with either. 

When we exercise, our muscles release a protein called myokines into the bloodstream.  This protein is also known as a "hope molecule," because it is said to act as a bit of an antidepressant.  The release of myokines can also improve overall brain function.

Each time our muscles contract, myokines, along with several other proteins in the body, are released.  There are hundreds of different myokines, and each comes with its own specific job.

Myokines have other cool functions as well.   They can...

• help turn white fat tissue into brown fat tissue (brown is the good kind!)  
• create an anti-inflammatory effect
• help prevent disease as a result of their anti-inflammatory properties
• one specific myokine, called Interleukin-15, helps us burn fat and use it as fuel

​
Bottom line?  Keep moving.  Keep lifting weights.  For better mental AND physical health.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to the goal of "leaning out."  

1.  Go into a calorie deficit to lose scale weight and body fat.

2.  Eat to add muscle and lose weight.

There are a bajillion factors to consider in each approach, so understand that I am speaking generally as I explain each.

Option 1: 
A calorie deficit means eating fewer calories than you currently average on a consistent basis in order to lose scale weight.  This route can move the scale in a positive way, but not usually your body composition (which is your fat mass versus your lean mass).  You see, we need calories in order to keep and/or build muscle.  This approach is often accompanied by inordinent amounts of cardio.  Cardio, my friends, does not create the lean physiques you're admiring on social media.  Weights do.

UPSIDES:

• This may be a necessary route for those whose excess body fat has caused a medical condition.  It can be very effective in this case, especially when guided by a nutrition expert.
  
• If you aren't an active person, this may also be a good route for you to lose scale weight, (but it does not address the necessary topic of keeping muscle mass as we age). 
• When done properly, consistently, and under guidance, this route can be faster than option 2.

DOWNSIDES: 

• You may lose muscle in a caloric deficit as you lose body fat, which is a concern, particularly for the 40 and up crowd. 
  
• This route often leads to impermanent results. Eventually, most people get tired of the caloric deficit and start adding in more food in an uninformed, unstructured manner, and the weight comes back.  And the cycle begins again...and again and again and again.  Who's been there? 
  
• Brain fog often ensues when calories are taken away.  Especially an extreme amount.  Your body is forced to slow every process down that uses energy (which is, well, all of them), and this includes your cognitive processes (forming thoughts, solving problems, etc).
  
• Calories are energy and energy is calories.  The less energy you eat, the less oomph you'll have for workouts and every day activities.  
  
• Your pooper will slow down a bit.  Like I said above, EVERY process in the body...
  
• Disordered eating can become a problem due to the hyper concentration on food (and/or not eating) all day, every day.  
• If calories are taken away in a drastic manner, you can experience hair loss, slower or no hormone production (especially when in a deep deficit for more than a month or two at a time), brittle hair and nails, and sometimes loss of your menstrual cycle if taken to the extreme.
  

Option 2:  
This option requires more patience, but WILL last longer.  It requires paying attention to your macronutrient intake to be sure that you're eating enough protein, carbs, and fats to gain muscle, and in turn lose body fat. Lifting weights; heavy weights, will amp up these results in a big way.

UPSIDES: 

• You get to eat!
  
• You have energy because you are eating ample energy/calories for your activity levels. 
  
• You will likely lose body fat right off the rip (especially if you really weren't paying attention to your macro intake previously) by simply paying attention to how much protein you're taking in, which is very commonly low among men and women alike. 
  
• Your brain stays sharp because your body is fueled in a healthy manner. 
  
• You gain muscle, which in turn burns more calories because muscle is a hungry tissue in the body!  It needs calories to just maintain, and especially to build, itself. 
  
• Your hormone production stays stable.
  
• You can eat treats now and again and not feel guilty, because, well first of all, you shouldn't feel guilty...it's your body, you eat what you want and no one gets to say a darn thing about it but you! ...But back to the point...you can eat a treat now and again because your hard-earned muscle is burning calories all the dang time and it'll burn that treat right off without a thought (when not done too excessively, of course).
• You'll have energy to work HARD, I mean HAAAARRRDD, and lift heavy at workouts, which in turn builds more muscle, burns more calories, and well, let's just say it...makes you feel like an empowered little baddie!
• Your hair, skin and nails will glow with all of the activity and food you're putting into your body.

DOWNSIDES:

• This option takes a hair more patience because growing muscle takes a hot minute.  Figuring out how to eat properly for YOU does as well.  That's when a good nutrition coach can come in handy.  
• You have to buy new clothes because of all of the fat you'll shed with your newly fueled and built muscle. :)

You can see I'm mildly biased toward option 2. See folks, I've been there.  I've depleted the crap out of my hormones, my energy, my everything by taking option 1 and also trying to work my tail off in the gym.  It worked quickly, but at a higher cost to my overall health than what it was worth.  Two years later, I finally normalized the functioning of my hormones, got a fantastic certification through Precision Nutrition (followed by a Master Coach cert through them as well), and made sure I understood what I did to myself so that I could teach others how to approach weight loss and health in a way that benefits them across the board, not just in the mirror and on the scale.  

I hope this has been helpful!  Stay tuned for more good good on nutrition and fitness.

To get to a healthy weight, focus on the metrics that matter:

✔️Average overall caloric intake
✔️Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals)
✔️Macronutrients (proteins/carbs/fats)
✔️Sleep
✔️Body fat
✔️Lean mass (muscle, bone, organs)
✔️Movement outside of workouts
✔️Intensity of workouts

Stop worrying about:

❌Scale weight
❌BCAA's
❌Pre-workout mixes
❌Supplements
❌Timing of food
❌Workout selfies
❌Low-carb
❌Keto
❌Intermittent fasting
❌Any other stupid diet

If the needle is not moving in your health journey, it might be time for an effort check.  Where are you putting the most effort forth?  The top list is where it's at.  These are the 100% guaranteed keys to success, no matter what your health goals are. 

The second list is full of fuss.   Some of those elements might give you a very small percentage of help, but not without FIRST BEING CONSISTENT WITH THE FIRST LIST.

Let's have a coffee and chat about your nutrition.

✔️Average overall caloric intake
The number of calories you consume determines your scale weight.  And day to day doesn't matter so much.  It's more about the weekly, even monthly caloric intake.  If you have a couple of "good days" where you hit the caloric intake that should get you to your health goals, but you have a long three day weekend of eating well under or over, this will effect your overall progress.  The body is cool, in that it stores energy, or calories.  So, when I look at a nutrition clients caloric intake, I'm looking first and foremost at their weekly average.  And then their monthly average.  These are the numbers that matter.  So if you're tracking caloric intake, pay attention to your averages over time.
  
✔️Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals)
The quality of your food is all about it's micronutrients; vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that keep you healthy.

✔️Macronutrients (proteins/carbs/fats)
Macronutrients determine your body composition (overall caloric intake does play a role in this as well).  Eating enough protein for your body weight and enough carbohydrates and fats, your energy makers, for your activity level will determine how much lean mass (bone, muscle, organs) you have versus body fat.

✔️Sleep
If you're not sleeping, you're not recovering at night.  Heard of "rest and digest"?  When you sleep, your body is doing a once over to recover all of the damage that may have been put on it that day, and working hard to digest your food.  Without sleep, metabolism will slow way the heck down.  And I don't just mean the digestion of your food;  I mean cellular regeneration, muscle recovery, immune functions, hormone production, and more.

✔️Body fat
As discussed above, your body composition (lean mass versus body fat), is determined by the macronutrient split in the foods you're eating each day.  If your body fat is too high or too low, your body will not be able to form its daily functions very efficiently, and similar effects as lack of sleep will show up, such as slower hormone production.  Sleep and mood are directly effected as well.  

✔️Lean mass (muscle, bone, organs)
Muscle is such a valuable tissue.  It uses up lots of calories, or energy, so the more we have, the more calories we're burning at any given time.  More muscle mass also allows us to work at a greater capacity during workouts, making them all the more effective.  W

We do begin to lose muscle tissue from our 30's on, so working toward maintaining it at that age and beyond is so important.  And it's never too late to start!  The more muscle mass we hold onto, the better we age.   And the longer we'll be able to take care of ourselves and avoid nursing homes or assisted living.  So lift.  Lift heavy.  And lift often.

✔️Movement outside of workouts
Also called NEAT (non - exercise activity thermogenesis), is responsible for roughly 10-20% of our caloric output (or calories burned) each day.  Roughly 2x as much as our workouts!  So getting up and moving your butt each day is important.  

NEAT is also imperative for the health of your joints, for blood flow, heart health; you name it.  Don't let your 1 hour workout be the most movement you get all day.  Take a short walk on your lunch break.  Stand at your desk.  Move and move often.  Your body will thank you!

✔️Intensity of workouts
You don't have to go full boar at each workout, but, don't just show up and hit autopilot either.  Growth and progress happen when you push your limits.  Skip the selfies and work hard.  Challenge yourself on the weights you're choosing.  Challenge your pace when doing metabolic conditioning, or cardio.  Get a little uncomfortable.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup Vital Proteins Chocolate Collagen or other chocolate protein powder
• 1/4 cup nut butter of choice
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Add cocoa powder, collagen/protein power, and sea salt to a medium sized bowl and whisk together.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula.  Batter will be a bit dry and thick (which will make it hold together well).
3. Form into balls about the size of a heaping tablespoon.  Batter will make about 10-12 balls.
4. Store in refrigerator.

MACRO BREAKDOWN:  (per ball)
Protein:  3 grams
Carbohydrates:  7 grams
Fat:  3 grams

**Curious about the tea I'm drinking here?  It's my go-to...Harney and Sons Hot Cinnamon Green Tea.  Do yourself a favor and just set it to your Amazon Subscribe and Save now. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cups Peanut Butter Chex
• 1/2 cup Dark Chocolate Chunks, 72% or higher
• 1/2 cup Peanut Butter or nut butter of  choice
• 6 scoops Vital Proteins Chocolate Collagen
• 4 tbsp PB Fit Powder
• Pinch of Sea Salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Put Peanut Butter Chex in a large bowl that has a lid to it. 
2. Melt the dark chocolate chunks in a small pot or microwave for 0:30 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until fully melted.
3. Add peanut butter to melted chocolate and stir.
4. Pour peanut butter and chocolate mixture over Chex in bowl.
5. Stir gently with a spatula.
6. Add 3 of the 6 scoops of Vital Proteins Chocolate Collagen and 2 of the 4 tbsp of PB Fit and stir gently with spatula.
7. Add the remaining collagen powder and PB Fit powder, and the pinch of salt, put lid on bowl, and shake until well blended.

Macro Breakdown:  (whole recipe)
Protein:  119 grams
Carbohydrates:  286 grams
Fats:  144 grams
Calories:  2,825

Per serving:  (1 cup)
Protein: 15 grams
Carbohydrates:  36 grams
Fats:  18 grams
Calories: 353

Food photography camera used:  Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Digital SLR Camera

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup Gluten Free Flour or All Purpose Flour (I use Namaste Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour, it bakes up beautifully)
• 1/2 cup Vital Proteins Collagen Chocolate Collagen
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup sugar or other granulated sweetener
• 1/3 cup milk of choice (I use unsweetened cashew milk)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp oil or butter (I used avocado oil)

​
INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine flour thru salt in a medium sized bowl.
2. In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk the egg thru oil.
3. Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients and gently stir just until combined.
4. Fill donut pan (muffin, or mini muffin pans work as well), 2/3 full with batter.  
5. Bake for 10-11 minutes.
6. Let cool for 5 minutes or so.
7. Enjoy!

Makes 6 donuts.

Macro Breakdown:  per donut
Protein:  6 grams
Carbohydrates:  21 grams
Fats:  6.5 grams

**If you want to make these as muffins or mini muffins instead, divide the following recipe macro TOTALS by however many muffins you get out of the batter.

Macro Totals:  for whole recipe
Proteins:  36 grams
Carbohydrates:  126 grams
Fats:  39 grams

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup nut butter of choice
• 1/2 cup  Honey or Maple Syrup
• 1/2 cup Gluten Free or All-Purpose Flour (I use Namaste Gluten Free Flour, it's the best I've found in 10 years of being gluten free.)
• 2 tbsp Vital Proteins Collagen, chocolate or regular
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice or cinnamon
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup 72% Dark Chocolate Chunks

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Stir everything but the dark chocolate chunks in a medium sized bowl.
2. Divide into 6 even balls.
3. Dust about 1 tbsp of flour onto your working surface.
4. Roll each ball into a 1" coil, pressing the ends together, and place into a donut pan or onto a cookie sheet.
5. Melt dark chocolate chunks in a saucepan or in the microwave 0:30 at a time, stirring in between, until they are melted enough to drizze. 
6. Drizzle chocolate over donuts with a spoon.  
7. Place in refrigerator or freezer for about 15 minutes.  
8. Store In refrigerator.
9. Makes roughly 6 donuts.

Macro Breakdown: per donut
WITH Drizzle:
Protein:  12 grams
Carbohydrates:  40 grams
Fats:  25 grams

WITHOUT Drizzle:
Protein:  11 grams
Carbohydrates:  35 grams
Fats:  21 grams

**You can also make these simply into balls rather than in donut form.  This will make about 12 balls.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 frozen bananas
• 3 scoops Vital Proteins Chocolate Collagen (or 30 grams of protein worth of your favorite flavored protein powder)
• 4 tbsp PB Fit Powder
• 1 tbsp Peanut Butter (or other nut butter of choice)
• 1 tbsp Dark or regular Cocoa Powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS: 

1. Freeze two ripe bananas about a day before you make the ice cream.
2. Throw all ingredients into a food processor. 
3. Process for about 0:30, then use a spatula to scrape ingredients off of the sides of the bowl, and process for about another 0:30, or until the bananas are all blended.  Don't over process, or it'll have a soupy consistency.
4. Enjoy!

MACRO BREAKDOWN:  This Is for the whole recipe.  You could easily eat just half of this, it's very rich!  
PROTEIN:  48 grams
CARBOHYDRATES:  65 grams
FATS:  13 grams

Want some protein powder suggestions?  Here are a few of my favorites.
Epic Pea Protein is great to add into smoothies with other ingredients in it to give it flavor.  Super clean with just one ingredient (just peas!) and takes on the flavor of whatever ingredients you add to it.  Not too chalky, like many plant based protein powders.

Ka'Chava is a fantastic meal replacement plant based protein, with healthy carbs and fats included.  The taste is fantastic!  All you need to do is shake it up with water or milk.  But you can add it to other smoothie ingredients as well for a really flavorful, calorie dense smoothie.

OWYN (only what you need) is a pre-mixed protein smoothie with all sorts of good micronutrients included thanks to their whole-foods based ingredients list.  Made with a pumpkin seed, flax, and pea protein blend, it's a complete protein that also gets you prebiotics and a Super Foods Greens Blend in every bottle.  Awesome as a quick grab and go smoothie any time of day.  It comes in a variety of flavors, but I'm pretty keen on the chocolate.