If like me you want to avoid a frail old age, you must build and maintain your muscle mass.

That means training strength and eating protein. A lot of protein.

You Need To Eat More Protein

Both Dr Peter Attia's “Outlive” and Dr Gabrielle Lyon's “Forever Strong” recommend 0.8-1g of protein per pound of body weight, daily. For me at 180 pounds, that’s 150-180g of protein daily (=17-21 oz of chicken breast).

I wasn’t anywhere close to that target. Making the shift was a heavy lift.

What I learned in the process can help you succeed, too.

What 180g Of Protein Looks Like

I split my 180g/day target into six 30g protein “meals”, one every two hours or so. The first five are the same every day:

• Wake-up: Protein powder in 1L water w/electrolytes, supplements

• Breakfast: 2 eggs, cheese, chicken, apple

• Post-Workout: Protein powder in 1L water w/electrolytes

• Lunch: Chicken, veggies, hummus

• Snack: Protein powder in berry smoothie

For dinner, I aim for ~30g, but I can be flexible since I’m already at 150g.

If your daily target is less than 180g, reduce the number of meals or the protein/meal. Aim for your first, last, and post-workout meals to have 30g.

The Key: Design and Prep Your Meals In Advance

Having planned, consistent meals is key to hitting my protein target. Why:

• I can research and design each 30g-protein meal once, in advance

• For meals that require prep, I make a week’s worth every Sunday

Every time I need to eat, I can grab a high-protein meal in minutes.

If instead I tried to invent and arrange all my high-protein meals on the fly during a busy workday, I would fail.

Don’t expect to wing it and hit your targets. Plan, prep, protein.

Thrive Now. For Life.