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Good mornin’! Before we dive in this week, I wanted to mention one thing that I forgot to add in the last “perfect day” edition of Move to Improve: creatine! I failed to include it in morning or night supplements because I’m used to taking it in gummy form post-workout. But my perfect day would also undoubtedly include 5–10g of creatine.

Whew, glad we got that cleared up. Don’t come after me.

Also, ADS ARE BACK! YAY! Sorry for that dry spell (looking at you, Joe). Please simply click the ad below (no purchase necessary) and I will get money, which is a great motivator to keep this rolling every week.

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🙅🏼‍♂️ The Calories that (almost) don’t count?!

You may have seen the title of today’s article and thought, “Oh great, he’s going to tell me to eat celery and iceberg lettuce all day.” WRONG! 

Even better—I’m going to tell you to eat protein all day! 

Recent studies have come out showing that adding a significant amount of protein to your daily diet—without changing anything else—does not have negative effects on fat gain. It does have positive effects on your muscle and metabolic health, however. In fact, adding protein might even help with fat loss!

How does that work?

Doesn’t protein have calories? Well, yes it does. Like carbohydrates, there are about 4 Calories per gram of protein (fat has 9). However, those calories aren’t processed the same as those that come from carbs and fat. Protein is much harder to digest and break down, so that process alone burns something like ~25% of the calories protein contains. Beyond that, proteins are broken down into amino acids, which are used all over the body—not just in building muscle. These structures are so necessary, our bodies almost always find somewhere to put them to use.

If, at the end of the day, you still don’t need to use all the protein you consumed (like if you’re way overeating and not resistance training), your body can convert protein and store it as fat. But that’s also not easy; it’s a long, difficult process. And because our bodies naturally want to be efficient, they don’t really want to convert protein into fat unless absolutely necessary.

This is why adding more protein on top of your regular diet rarely results in fat gain and often results in muscle gain. 

Another benefit is that protein is so satiating. It’s not hard to imagine indulging in hundreds and hundreds of calories of a high-sugar, high-fat dessert. But it’s difficult for anyone to consume thousands of calories of protein; that would take literal pounds of meat. Simply put, if you eat more protein, it fills you up, and there’s naturally less room for the other stuff.

Now, it’s rare to find a pure protein source naturally—that is, one that doesn’t contain any carbs or fats—outside of like pure chicken breast. Most protein sources come with some degree of fat, carbs, or both. The leaner and less-sweet types you choose, the less of those other macronutrients you’re bringing in along with your protein. 

So how do we do it?

The moral of the story is, don’t be afraid of adding “too many” calories to your diet if they’re coming from healthy, protein-rich sources. Hardly any of that would actually make you less healthy. In fact, I dare you to eat as much protein as possible while keeping carbs and fat in moderation. I almost guarantee the results will be surprisingly positive. 

How much protein should you be eating?

Well, our food labels need to CHANGE. If you ever see a % daily value of protein on a food label, that’s based on a low RDA of 0.8g/kg of body weight for a small-ish person on a 2,000 Calorie diet to literally not suffer from a protein deficiency disease. If you’re a petite woman merely trying to stay alive and not waste away, sure, I guess that target is fine. But if you want to optimize your health and muscle, I’d suggest at least doubling that.

Quick math check: If you don’t know your weight in kilograms, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. There you go. Also note that if you deem yourself significantly overweight, you can use your target “healthy” weight to calculate these numbers.

Based on current literature, most adults should be aiming to consume about 1.6g/kg (~0.7g/lb) of protein every day. That’s a healthy target that you would do well with. If you’re actively trying to put on muscle, it’s suggested to go up to 2.2g/kg (1g/lb) per day or even higher. That’s usually my goal, even if it’s difficult to hit daily. Shoot for the moon, and even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars, as they say!

And you probably don’t have to worry about safe upper limits. There have been studies that go as high as 4g/kg and beyond without finding any adverse effects. The only caution is if you already have active kidney disease. Please consult your doctors.

So don’t be afraid of protein, like, ever. It’s nearly impossible to eat too much, and there’s a very miniscule chance that it’s going to cause you to put on unwanted fat. Resistance train at least a few days a week alongside this diet, and your body will reshape and your health will elevate in ways you never thought possible. 

Eat on! 💪 

✅ Take Action

Every newsletter's Take Action section will invite you to take small steps to improve your health. Recognizing that we all have different capabilities, I'll offer three different levels of action you can choose to take.

Level 1: You can’t change if you don’t know your baseline. Add up how much protein you’re eating on at least 3 days to get an average of your starting point.

Level 2: Making sure your first and last meals of the day are high-protein (30-60g) is one of the best and easiest ways to promote muscle protein synthesis and hit your target.

Level 3: Optimize your protein intake by consuming a gram per pound of bodyweight or more on as many days as possible.

✍️ Drew's Picks:

• Explore: The most beautiful small towns in the US. My hometown’s neighbor, Eureka Springs, AR, made the list!

Deuces, and please remember to click the ad at the top so I get paid! 🤑 

Keep moving,

Drew

The content in Move to Improve is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. It is always a good idea to consult with a trusted health professional before making any major lifestyle changes that could have a significant impact on your health. This is not a medical resource, and any opinions and articles are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional. Please think critically and take what I say with a grain of salt (aka don’t sue me).