THE LIFESTYLE ENTREPRENEUR

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Protein Power

I’ve been an entrepreneur in the fitness industry continuously since June 2009.

That’s coming on 15 years in the space, and while I haven’t been actively running one of my companies since the end of 2020, I remain close to the space as a board member, an enthusiast who likes to stay on the leading edge of trends, and a business coach who embodies the lifestyle I recommend to the entrepreneurs I work with.

One thing I can say for sure after living in the space for 15 years - the industry is filled with bad information, hucksters, and opportunism at it’s worst.

The standard in the industry is to prey on our fears, ignorance, and insecurities, to get us to commit our dollars to the next thing that is sure to make us finally lose weight, or finally get shredded.

The nutrition side of things is as bad as it gets - supplements, pills, meal replacements, fads, hacks, and an endless slew of products to make you fitter and lose weight faster.

The majority of products and services exist to solve one main problem for us - we don’t want to put in the work.

Getting healthy is very difficult in the modern age, but it’s also very simple.

And unfortunately the simple answer for 99% of people is:

• eat whole unprocessed foods only

• move your body frequently throughout the day

• lift heavy things and max your heartrate out a few times a week

• stretch and move your body the way it’s meant to move

• get enough sleep

That’s it - do exactly the above and you’ll be in amazing shape, perform well at work,feel good, have great sex, and feel pretty amazing most of the time.

This is also impossible to do for about 90% of the population.

Knowing this is true, and wanting to help, is one reason I entered the fitness industry, and why I’m still gravitated to it.

People need help.

And information, processes, tools that make it easier for them to comply with the above are something I’m passionate about.

My fitness programs I’ve developed over the years aim to make it more efficient and more sticky for people, so they have better results out of their 1 hour a day they devote to fitness - simple.

And that’s why I LOVE the relatively new-to-mainstream recommendation of 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.

This recommendation is not new in fitness circles, it’s been around as long as I can remember.

But it’s new to the average person.

And I love it. Here’s why, along with how to actually execute it.

Why dietary recommendations are wrong

The USDA recommended protein amounts vary by age but average .36 grams per pound of bodyweight.

For a 44 year old man like me, they recommend 7 ounces of protein per day, or 60 grams of protein. Here’s where you can plug your information and get a plan.

I didn’t know the recomendations before writing this, so I assumed they’d be lower than what I’d recomend.

But wow, are you fucking kidding me?

That recommendation is so low I wouldn’t even recommend it for a sedentary person.

Let alone someone who exercises regularly and lifts weights - which should be 100% of us.

I was going to make an eloquent argument why the USDA recommendation is lower than it should be, but it’s so ridiculously low I’ll just say - don’t ever listen to the government about what to eat or how to care for our bodies.

If you need a little bit of argument to believe me, here are a couple:

1. 78% of americans are obese - so whatever our recommendations are can’t be trusted. They produce sick, obese people

2. All government recommendations are based on epidemiological averages. And because the average american is fat and sedentary, the protein recommendations are going to be much lower than for active people trying to maximize their performance (you)

OK but isn’t 1gram per pound a little high?

We can all agree the US recommendation is ridiculous, I hope.

But going all the way to 1 gram per pound seems a bit high, no?

No, here’s why.

The perfect amount of protein is different for every person and also different during their life and activity stages.

It’s impossible to know the right amount for you, other than strict trial and error.

This kind of trial and error is recomended - but if you’re just starting out, our have any doubt, we need a simple guideline to follow.

Remember - this stuff is simple but not easy. So we need Stupid Simple.

And 1 gram per pound is stupid simple.

Without any specific knoweldge about ourselves, then we overshoot on protein to find our optimal amounts over time.

Why protein? Because that’s the best macronutrient to go over on

Why is protein the best to go over?

All the macronutrients are important, but going over in protein is the way to go, here’s a few reasons:

• Builds Muscle: Essential for muscle repair and growth.

• Increases Satiety: Helps you feel full longer, aiding in weight management.

• Boosts Metabolism: Higher thermic effect compared to fats and carbs.

• Supports Body Functions: Crucial for hormones, enzymes, and immune function.

• Preserves Muscle Mass: Important during weight loss to maintain lean muscle.

• Improves Body Composition: Can lead to a leaner physique with less fat.

• Strengthens Bones: Plays a role in bone density and health.

The above reasons all make protein the best macro to always focus on getting the most of.

The other reason is simplicity.

Detailed macro programs, diets, restrictions, etc, all always fail people. Over and over again.

The simplest answer is almost always the answer, so simply getting enough protein will solve the issues of 80% of people.

Add on top of that the requirement that it’s all through whole, unprocessed foods, and you basically have the perfect nutrition program.

What about the too much argument? My answer to that is - this recommendation is only too much for sedentary people who don’t strength train.

But all people should move their bodies as much as possible, and have a consistent strength training program - 100% of people.

So I say - become the person who requires 1 gram of protein a day.

Also pretty simple, right?

Ok I believe you, how do I do it?

Once you buy into this recomendation, you may find it quite difficult to actually hit these numbers at first.

Don’t despair - this is because you’re not used to it and it requires change - and change is hard.

Here’s a few ways I recommend going about hitting your protein numbers:

1. Measure - you can’t know without measuring. After a while you can probably eyeball things and get close, but at first you must measure to get an accurate read and calibration of eating enough. I use the Lose It app, I love it because you can add your own recipes of things you eat regularly, and after a week’s worth of setup it’s super easy to use

2. Front load your protein - skipping breakfast may be great, but not when you’re learning to eat enough protein. One egg = 12g of protein, those are your best friend. Also ignoring traditional meal breakdowns is useful here. Like steak? Eat it for breakfast

3. Supplement with high quality protein powder - Real food is higher quality than protein powder, but this is one area I choose convenience. And if I get 25-40g from powder per day, that’s only 17.8% of my protein which I’m ok with

4. Build the perfect smoothie - this is where my protein powder comes in. Smoothies are one of my favorite foods and I have one per day, sometimes two. Find one you like and load up on healthy fats, berries, and a serving of spinach or kale

5. Snack - I’m generally against snacking, except for protein snacks - beef sticks, high quality deli meat, cold slices of steak, chicken, or pork chops, are all protein heavy snacks I love. I also love cheese.

6. Dairy is your friend - Dairy isn’t great for some people, and is not the most optimal source of protein. But it’s a good source of protein, and it adds richness to my diet and makes it much more enjoyable, so I enjoy dairy liberally.

Getting there is hard at first, but with some practice and planning, it gets pretty easy in my experience.

Moving forward

I recommend everyone take a month and make getting enough protein a priority during that month. It will educate you greatly on many things, including how much food you’re actually eating - which is super important.

You’ll likely find that if you do this, and are exercising regularly, you’ll look and feel better. This is because you’re getting enough protein for the first time, maybe ever.

This is also because by getting enough protein, you’re unlikely to overdo it on carbs, so you’ll lean out.

I’ve been on a strict measure and hit my 215g per day for 3 weeks and am loving it. I’d love to hear how it goes for you.

Have a great weekend, and let’s eat some meat!

Talk to you next week,

Mike

Thanks for reading The Lifestyle Entrepreneur

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