But research tells a different story: most people gain just 1–3 pounds between November and December.

In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a big deal. And anyone who’s followed us for a while knows we support eating and enjoying the holidays.

But there’s one important catch: Eating without guilt or shame during the holidays is much different from eating without boundaries for the entire holiday season.

The Real Numbers Behind Holiday Weight Gain

Here’s what makes that “1 to 3 pounds” stat so interesting — and why it deserves your attention.

On average, people gain 1 to 3 pounds per year from their twenties into their forties. Just look at this graph from the CDC.

If you look at the CDC data above, you’ll see that the weight gain isn’t usually a big jump. It’s a slow process of a couple of pounds per year.

It feels like a rounding error when you gain one pound in a year. But gaining one pound per year for 20 years can make you look and feel like a different person. 

Weight gain also appears to have a critical threshold where risks start to rise.

According to research from Harvard:

• Every 11 pounds gained is associated with a 30% higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
  
• A 14% higher risk of high blood pressure.
  
• A 6% higher risk of obesity-related cancers.
  
• And a 5% higher risk of premature death (among nonsmokers).
  

This isn’t about fear. It’s about clarity.

The easiest way to think about weight maintenance is this:
If you’re not steadily gaining weight, there’s far less urgency to lose it.

But to stop gaining weight over the long run, you need to understand when the weight tends to accumulate.

And that brings us to a critical window most people overlook.

The Critical Window: The 7 Weeks That Shape Your Year

If you look closely at the data, weight gain tends to happen at one specific time of year: the holidays.

You might go up a few pounds in one month and down a few in others, but for many people, the steady upward trend starts with November and December.

And the research backs this up:
NIH-funded studies show that the average one-pound holiday gain sticks, accumulates, and compounds over time.

Those small increases are often never fully lost, and they become the starting point for the next year’s increase.

So when you think of “holiday weight gain,” don’t picture a catastrophic 10-pound spike.
Picture something far more subtle — but far more persistent.

A one-pound carryover every year becomes a lifelong trend.

That’s why learning how to master the last seven weeks of the year can be so powerful. It’s not about restriction. It’s about preventing the start of a pattern that builds slowly and silently.

The good news?

It’s surprisingly easy to prevent — if you focus on the right habits.

How to Avoid the Holiday Weight Trap

Researchers have looked closely at how to prevent end-of-year weight gain. One study found that daily weigh-ins can help maintain weight through the holidays.

You can do that for two months. It’s doable for many and may be worth the short-term sacrifice if weight gain is a struggle during the holidays. 

But for many people, weighing yourself every day creates more stress — and extra stress is the last thing anyone needs in November and December.

The bigger issue isn’t the holidays themselves. It’s how people behave before and after them. The stress, the overthinking, the “I blew it, so why bother” spiral. That’s the real trap.

A simpler, more sustainable approach:

1. Enjoy the holidays themselves.

This part is non-negotiable.

Eat normally all year long.
Then on Thanksgiving and Christmas (or whichever holidays you celebrate), enjoy the food. Enjoy the people. Enjoy the moments.

You’re not trying to “win” these days. You’re trying to live them.

Because one day of indulgence won’t ruin your health —
just like one perfect workout won’t make you fit.

Holiday meals aren’t the problem. The meaning you attach to them is.

2. Stick to your normal rhythm on the other days.

This is where the magic happens.

All you need to do is maintain the behaviors that work during the other 10 months of the year:

• your usual breakfast
• your normal daily movement
• your go-to meals
• your standard sleep schedule
• your familiar routines
• your baseline habit structure

You don’t need to be perfect.
You don’t need to be restrictive.
You don’t need to overhaul anything.

Just do the things you normally do — even if imperfectly.

Consistency beats intensity, especially during a chaotic season.

3. Avoid the “wait until January” trap.

This is the real danger zone.

The “I’ll start in January” mindset leads to behaviors in November and December that you don’t engage in any other time of the year — and those behaviors stack up fast.

This is why we used to run “Finish Strong” programs. The goal wasn’t restriction; it was accountability and consistency during the time of year when people need it most.

If you can maintain steady habits while still enjoying the key days, you win the season.

And when you win the season, you set yourself up to win the year.

The bottom line

You don’t need a special holiday diet or a strict challenge. You just need to stay grounded in the same habits that work the rest of the year.

Lean on what’s familiar.
Make small decisions that keep you feeling good.
Enjoy the days that matter.

Because if you can stay consistent during the final seven weeks of the year, you won’t just “survive” the holidays — you’ll set yourself up to win the entire year.

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post The Critical Window: Why Holiday Weight Gain Matters More Than You Think appeared first on Born Fitness.

I was 18 years old and bitten by the nutrition bug. I didn’t just want to go deep on being healthier — I wanted to be perfect.

Back then, there weren’t apps. Just online tools that now feel laughable by today’s standards. But I used those tools, studied every label, and weighed out my oats like a scientist trying to cure a disease.

By lunch, I was stressed. By dinner, I was doubting whether the banana I added to my protein shake needed to be logged in grams or slices. By 9 p.m., I was elbow-deep in wondering what time I had to wake up to drink protein and prevent catabolism.

This might sound like satire, but it was my life. And I was convinced this was the necessary path to better health, more muscle, and less fat.

Precision. Perfection. Pressure.

But the harder I tried to get it all “right,” the more I lost sight of the point.

I wasn’t trying to become a food tracker or a bodybuilder where the margin of error is so slight that indistinguishable changes determine winners and losers.

I was trying to become healthier. Ok, maybe I was trying to look good naked too. But I had no delusions about my goals. I was delusional about how many details I had to master to achieve them.

Why You Feel Stuck in Your Fitness Journey

If you’ve ever felt stuck in your fitness journey — like you’re trying hard but not making progress — you’re not alone.

Most people I meet who want to improve their health don’t fail because they’re lazy or undisciplined. They fail because they’re overwhelmed.

I won’t completely slam biohacking. If it helps you, great. I’m a bottom-line guy: if something helps you, even if I don’t believe in it, it did its job.

But biohacking specializes in fear, anxiety, and overthinking. It makes you stress every decision and uses complication to feign effectiveness.

They’re majoring in the minor.

Even people who don’t identify as biohackers fall into the trap of over-optimizing:

• Should I do fasted cardio or eat first?
• Is creatine OK if I’m not trying to bulk?
• Do I need eight hours of sleep, or can I get by on seven?
• Is oat milk inflammatory?
• How many reps are optimal for hypertrophy?

These questions do matter. But they don’t matter yet.

When you’re feeling stuck in your fitness journey, it’s often because you’re chasing the perfect plan instead of building the habit of showing up.

We overthink because we care. We want to do things the right way, the best way, the most efficient way. But overthinking is a clever form of resistance. It feels like work. It feels like progress. But it’s usually procrastination in disguise.

When you’re carrying the weight of trying to optimize everything, you stop moving. You doubt your decisions. You hesitate. And in the hesitation, you lose momentum.

It’s like standing at the edge of a pool debating the best angle to dive in — while everyone else is already doing laps.

Simplify First. Optimize Later.

So, what should you focus on?

Ask yourself: What’s the big thing I’m actually trying to do?

If your goal is to get stronger, then the most important thing is to show up and train at least 2 to 3 times per week and add a little more weight each workout. It’s not about choosing between 4 sets of 8 or 5 sets of 5. It’s about progression. If you’re not lifting more, then something is wrong. Strength is easy to measure. You either see it or you don’t.

If your goal is fat loss, then consistency with meals, portion control, and managing hunger will move the needle more than wondering whether your post-workout snack should be whey or casein. Many diets work. But if your body isn’t changing — if your clothes aren’t fitting differently, or the scale isn’t moving — it’s time to simplify.

If your goal is better health, then drinking more water, walking daily, managing stress, connecting with friends, and getting decent sleep will serve you better than chasing the best probiotic strain or taking out a loan for a full-body scan.

Don’t confuse detail with depth.

Trade Perfection for Progress

Instead of chasing perfection, ask what’s getting in the way of consistency.

• Is it decision fatigue at night that leads to overeating?
• A workout that’s too complex, so you skip it altogether?
• A nutrition plan that requires spreadsheets and measuring cups?

Simplify. Shrink the task. Choose the next obvious step, and do that.

Because no amount of health knowledge matters if it doesn’t lead to consistent action.

Your health doesn’t require precision. It requires permission — permission to not have all the answers before you begin.

So stop trying to get it all right.

You don’t need to earn your progress through struggle. You earn it by showing up again tomorrow.

Let that be enough.

Final Thought: What to Do When You’re Stuck

If you’re feeling stuck in your fitness journey, ask yourself: What’s one thing I can do today that’s easier than what I’ve been trying?

Start there.

Then keep going. Keep checking in on your progress. Ask how it feels. Ask whether it’s sustainable and repeatable.

If you’re seeing changes — in how you feel, how you look, or how you show up — then you’re on the right track.

And there’s no need to overthink it.

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post Feeling Stuck in Your Fitness Journey? Here’s What Actually Moves the Needle appeared first on Born Fitness.

My dad was gone.

On Friday night, I watched my father — my Superman — take his final breath. It was a moment of peace for a man at war for three years.

My dad was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer (glioblastoma) in 2020. Some doctors told him he had six months to live, at best. They gave him all the grim stats, told him how his body would shut down, and plotted a future hell on earth.

At 65 years old, my dad was given a death sentence. But a funny thing happened.

My dad heard all the negativity, and he chose not to listen. Instead of waiting for death, my dad leaned into optimism and got busy living.

He had brain surgery and did chemo and radiation. After treatments, he would lift weights or walk for miles. He adjusted his diet, and my mom became his personal chef, making everything from scratch. My dad was a man on a mission. And the prize he chased wasn’t just time. It was quality of life and making the most of every day.

Instead of preparing for the end, he traveled the world, climbed mountains and skied down them, swam in oceans, and even did acro-yoga (if you knew my dad, you’d know THAT man doesn’t do acro-yoga). None of these options were ever discussed in the cancer pamphlets.

For three years, death tapped my dad on the shoulder. But my dad gave the grim reaper the middle finger, trained harder, walked farther, and ate healthier.

He did the impossible by believing it was possible.

When cancer took away his ability to use his left arm, he trained his right arm to do more. Watching a 68-year-old man teach his non-dominant arm to use chopsticks is an art of pure determination.

When cancer took away vision in one eye and limited his field of vision in his other eye, he re-taught himself how to read.

And when cancer left him unable to walk or bathe himself, even though he hated his limitations, he asked for help because that was the bravest and strongest thing he could do.

I watched my dad suffer, and I never heard him complain. Not once.

When my grandfather — his father — died a few months ago at 95, I thought it might break him. And when his four brothers had to watch him struggle to walk and talk and told him it was unfair, my dad remained steadfast:

He insisted the cancer was not unfair. Saying so would mean that his entire life was unfair, and he loved his life. He just hated the disease and thought it was terrible. And his job wasn’t to curse his life but to make the most of it.

And for him, that meant a simple choice: either feel bad for yourself or do something to make your life the best you possibly can.

My dad got lucky. Sometimes people do everything right, and the disease still takes life far too fast. But with the time he had and the time he created, my dad didn’t think cancer would take him.

Even when he only had a week left, he would lie in his hospital bed and ask me how we would get him to football games in the fall. We both had season tickets to our beloved Colorado Buffaloes. They have been terrible for the past 15 years, but we still showed up to every game and stayed till the end. My dad was excited about the fall. Deion Sanders was bringing Prime Time to Boulder. He wanted to be there on September 9th to see the first victory on the path to the greatest turnaround in college football history.

Some people thought he was crazy for talking about attending football games while in hospice. To me, it was just part of his vision.

Arnold always talks about vision, and my dad also believed in it. And his vision didn’t include death. He envisioned himself in that stadium. And while he won’t make it, that vision helped him go farther than any doctor said he would.

None of you knew my dad. But he loved life so much that he was unwilling to see his sickness as anything other than another obstacle he would overcome.

In my last conversation, my dad told me something I’ll never forget.

He talked about finishing what I started — as a husband, as a father, as a friend, and in my work. We started Arnold’s Pump Club when his health started to rapidly decline. We didn’t discuss much about my work, but he told me he read every email and that I was doing something important.

In facing death, my dad believed the world needed more positivity. If there was anything he learned, it’s that optimism is the way.

He then asked me how many people we reach each day. I told him 500,000.

He then asked how many I wanted to reach. I told him 5 million.

And then he dropped the mic.

He said, “Adam, why put a limit on what you can do? Where would I be if I did that when I was diagnosed?”

Man. My dad didn’t always have many words, but the ones he had were damn good.

In the end, my dad made his vision a reality. He stayed optimistic, bet on himself, and appreciated each day as if his life depended on it.

After I watched my dad take his last breath, I told him I was proud of him. I kissed him on the forehead, and I said, one last time, it was good to see him.

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post Sentenced To Life appeared first on Born Fitness.

• 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
• 1 tbsp. chia seeds
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. Stevia or raw unfiltered honey
• ½ scoop protein powder**
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup egg whites
• 2 whole eggs, pasture-raised
• ¼ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
• 2 tbsp. maple syrup, grade B
• 4 slices turkey bacon, uncured & nitrate-free  
• 5 pitted dates, chopped  
• 1 tbsp. grass-fed butter

**We used Athletic Greens grass-fed whey isolate, vanilla

Directions

1. In a small saute pan on medium-high heat, cook bacon until crispy. Removed bacon from pan, crumble into small bits and set aside.
2. Add the dry ingredients—oats, chia, baking powder, Stevia, protein powder and cinnamon—in a blender or food processor. Pulse until smooth. Set aside
3. Whisk the eggs, egg whites & milk in a medium mixing bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
4. Take a paper towel to wipe the pan clean, then add 1 tsp. butter to grease. On medium-heat heat, add ¼ pancake batter. Add ¼ chopped dates and crumbled bacon on top. When batter begins to bubble, it’s ready to flip.
5. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with maple syrup and grass-fed butter. To cut down on the sugar, mix the maple syrup with equal parts water and 1 tbsp. butter. Heat in microwave for 15 seconds, stir and pour over pancakes. Enjoy immediately.

Nutritional Information & Macros

Dietary Information: Gluten Free

Macronutrients

• 387 calories
• 8.75g fat
• 40g carbs
• 37.2g protein

READ MORE: 

Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Powder Pancakes

What is the Best Protein Powder? 

Good Protein Bars, Decoded

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post The Best Protein Pancake Recipe EVER: Bacon & Date Protein Pancakes appeared first on Born Fitness.

• ¼ cup low-sugar granola*
• 2 tbsp. crushed walnuts
• ⅔ cup plain or vanilla Greek or Skyr yogurt**
• ½ cup mixed berries
• 1 tsp. raw, unfiltered honey

*We used Purely Elizabeth’s Original Grain Gluten-Free Granola

**We used Siggi’s plain 4% yogurt.

Directions

• In a mason jar or serving bowl, add 1 tbsp. of granola & ½ tsp. of honey.
• Top with ⅓ cup yogurt.
• Then sprinkle 1 tbsp. of walnuts, ¼ cup berries and 1 tbsp. Granola.
• Layer once more with yogurt, walnuts, berries and granola, then drizzle with a little honey.

Nutritional Information & Macros

Dietary Information: Vegetarian, Gluten free (if gluten-free granola is used), Contains dairy & nuts

Macros per serving

• 620 calories
• 42g fat
• 43g carbs
• 27g protein

READ MORE: 

Cinnamon Apple Yogurt Parfait with Protein Granola

High Protein Lemon Berry Chia Yogurt 

Yogurt and Your Microbiome: The Surprising Ways Gut Health Affects Your Life

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post The Berry Nutty Yogurt Parfait appeared first on Born Fitness.

These chambers allow scientists to better understand diseases that affect the human body, including things like obesity and metabolic disorders. They also definitively answer the question that’s been debated for decades: calories do matter. And, they are the primary factor that influence whether you gain or lose weight. The question is whether a “calorie is a calorie” and more about understanding why all calories are not equal.

No scheduled trips to your nearest metabolic chamber? Don’t worry. We’ll help you make sense of what foods influence your metabolism and hunger, and how you can make food work for you. 

What Is A Calorie?

We often think of calories as something we eat, but, the truth is, a calorie is simply a unit of energy. More specifically, a calorie is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree celsius. 

What does the temperature of water have to do with calories in your food? Well, scientists determine the amount of calories in a food using a technique we’re all guilty of in the kitchen: they burn it

This process is called bomb calorimetry. First, you place an ingredient in a sealed stainless steel container surrounded by water. Then, heat is applied to the food until it burns. This chemical reaction generates a ton of heat and slowly heats the surrounding water. Scientists then measure how high the temperature of the water rises to calculate the number of calories in the food. 

Although accurate, this process is slowly losing favor. Today, most calories listed by the USDA and FDA are calculated in a different way. Instead of burning the food, the total amount of calories are determined by adding up the calories provided by the individual components of the food. This means determining the amount of energy from the protein, carbohydrates, fat, and alcohol. 

This method works because the calories in a gram of protein, carbohydrates, fat, and alcohol remain constant. Each macronutrient has the following caloric values:

• 1 gram of protein = 4 calories 
• 1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories 
• 1 gram of fat = 9 calories 
• 1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories 

That’s how you add up the calories in your food. But, that’s not the entire story. As you’re about to find out, macronutrients are metabolized differently, which is why all calories are not equal. Some foods (like protein) burn more calories during digestion, and other foods (like the fiber in your carbs), affect hunger and appetite. 

Understanding how to balance your diet to give you the right amount of sanity – while not letting your hunger go wild – is the key to feeling in control of your diet. 

Why Calories Are Not Equal (And What It Means For Your Meals)

The confusion about calories is less about how many grams are in a particular food after it’s cooked or when it’s in a package, and more about how your body makes use of those calories once you eat and digest food. 

The human body is the greatest machine ever built. You need a certain number of calories to carry out every day functions like breathing, walking, and thinking. And because your very survival depends on calories, your body processes foods differently to help fuel all of your needs. 

To understand how you gain and lose weight, you need to think about energy balance, which is the old calories in vs. calories out debate. Although many things can impact energy balance, the type of calories you consume plays a large role. That’s why all calories aren’t equal.

Your daily metabolic rate is influenced by many things. The three main components are:

• Basal metabolic rate (BMR): This is the amount of energy your body needs to work. 
• Thermic effect of food (TEF): This is the amount of energy you burn when you eat.
• Exercise and activity: This is the calories you burn from movement and exercise. You can split this into different categories, such as NEAT (thins like moving around and fidgeting) and your traditional workouts. 

What most people don’t realize is that 65 to 80 percent of the calories you burn every day is from your basal metabolic rate. Physical activity and the foods you eat make up the remainder of your metabolism, but that doesn’t mean they’re insignificant.  

Protein, carbs, and fat are all metabolized differently. Eating 100 calories of protein is different than eating 100 calories of carbs because protein has a higher thermic effect of food (TEF).

When you eat protein, up to 30 percent of the calories can be burned. In the example above, if you ate 100 calories of protein, roughly 70 calories would hit your body because 30 calories would be burned as a result of the protein’s high TEF.

In other words, the greater the TEF, the more this will influence the “calories out” portion of the calories in minus calories out equation (because not all of those calories will end up in your body and stored). Comparatively, carbs have a TEF of just 5 to 10  percent, and fat is usually around 3 to 5 percent.

This is one reason why higher protein diets tend to be associated with weight loss and maintenance. But, it’s only part of the story. 

The Domino Effect of Eating More Protein

Protein also has a domino effect on hunger that makes it a great foundation for muscle gain and weight loss. 

When you eat protein you increase what’s called satiety. This means a protein-rich meal leaves you feeling fuller and desiring less food (i.e. eating fewer calories). 

It’s why high-calorie (some might consider them empty calories) options like fast food or ice cream can leave you feeling hungry just a few short hours later. It’s not just the calorie count of these foods. It’s that they don’t meet your body’s needs for hunger control, so you desire more food even when your calorie intake is high. These foods are fine to have once in a while, but they make it harder to stay full.  

A high-protein meal can boost the release of a hormone (ghrelin), which helps quiet your hunger and plays a role in determining how quickly your hunger returns after a meal. 

When you combine all of the benefits, it’s easy to see why eating more calories from dietary protein helps create a caloric deficit. Protein burns more calories (the higher TEF) and reduces the “calorie in” portion of the equation by affecting how much you’ll eat later in the day. 

Plus, giving your body the protein it needs to recover from strength training can help you build more muscle mass. 

Protein isn’t the only macronutrient that helps control your hunger. Fiber, which is found in carbohydrates, is also incredibly effective at increasing fullness without adding too many calories. Most fibrous foods have low energy density, which means you can eat a lot without taking in too many calories. 

Learning how to eat the foods that keep you full is a simple way to give you more flexibility. The goal with any diet isn’t too restrict – it’s to provide more freedom. 

If you focus on making at least half of your plate from proteins and fiber, you’re more likely to stay full and not overeat. 

That way, you still have the ability to eat other foods that aren’t as nutritious. For example, although 100 calories from chicken is different from 100 calories from a candy bar — we’re still talking about 100 calories. If the candy bar doesn’t lead to you eating 10 more candy bars, then worrying about those 100 calories is time and stress your mind and body doesn’t need.

It’s why effective diets, in general, can consist of 80 to 90 percent more nutritious foods (think vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, higher fiber carbs, and protein) and 10 to 20 percent of foods with fewer direct health benefits. That’s the type of balance that will deliver results and prevent burnout.

Read More

1. The Art And Science of Food That Fills You Up
2. How Food Becomes Belly Fat
3. Does Having More Muscle Really Increase Your Metabolism?

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post Is A Calorie Really A Calorie? appeared first on Born Fitness.

But, willpower isn’t what is holding you back. After years of coaching people as a personal trainer, I’ve discovered that most people struggle to maintain their momentum because they ignore one simple rule.

It’s called The Goldilocks Rule.

It’s a riff off the old tale of Goldilocks and The Three Bears. And, while it might seem ridiculous, finding what’s just right for you is the secret to better health.

The Goldilocks Rule states that we experience peak motivation when working on tasks that provide the right level of resistance, challenge, and complication.

In other words: if you take on new tasks that are too easy or too hard, that’s when motivation, focus, and consistency fall apart.

Let’s say you haven’t exercised in years and want to get back into the gym this year. You’re motivated and excited. Nothing can stop you. So, you decide to try a 5-day, bodybuilder-style workout program designed for 12 weeks. On paper, it looks amazing. The weekly volume and total volume is enough to transform anyone. It has all the best exercises and it’s backed by all the latest exercise science research.

Here’s the issue: If you’re going from zero workouts to 5 days per week, the likelihood of success is low. It’s too big of a jump on every level. From the discipline to go 5 days a week, to the total amount of work (and stress) you’ll put on your body, it’s not practical or realistic.

Remember, with Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the focus was on finding a good fit. Picking the right program is the same. When you take on too much too soon, it’s easy to predict when you’ll miss a day or two. The missed days could frustrate you to quit the plan prematurely. Or, the dramatic jump from no workouts to lots of weekly volume increases the likelihood of injury, which can lessen your confidence.

And, that’s before we consider the squeeze this puts on your calendar. Let’s assume each workout is 60 minutes long. The move from 0 minutes of exercise to 300 minutes of exercise per week is ambitious and monumental.

You’re told you need to train a certain way to see changes. In reality, small jumps will still deliver changes, and — as you improve — you increase what you do. It’s cliche to tell people to enjoy the journey, but there’s a very real lesson in that wisdom. If you expect too much too soon, then you’ll rarely see the results you want.

How to Pick A Better Path

When motivation is high, you want to believe you can do anything (and you can). However, achieving your goals means creating a path that makes it more likely for you to succeed, not just diving head-first into a plan without considering your starting point.

When you don’t consider the path, the results usually don’t follow.

Here’s what typically happens: You might hit all of your sessions during the first week (or two) while motivation is high (assuming the soreness doesn’t crush you), but once reality catches up with you, that’s when consistency and willpower begin to fade and you lose momentum and drive.

You know what’s too common with “great” fitness programs? Overuse injury.

You know what’s frustrating with many workouts? Unrealistic timelines and expectations. 

You know what’s not needed to see results? Living in the gym or slaving over every meal. 

Time and time again, the best results come from small changes that you can repeat over-and-over again with as little stress as possible. 

If you’re trying to get back into the game  — and win — consistency is your competitive advantage. Even if your start might seem slow, it’s not.

To chart a better path, create a baseline of where you’re starting and where you want to finish. The baseline can include things like your fitness level, how many times you workout per week, and which meals are easy (and hard).

You don’t need a personal trainer to tell you what will work within your schedule. You know what’s doable to start. You need to create some friction and change, but it can’t be disruptive. In fact, the best personal trainers know that helping you change is less about exercise science and more about creating a plan that works for your life.

Here’s a pro tip that’s worth remembering any time you’re struggling: It’s important to differentiate and figure out what’s “just enough” rather than what’s ideal. “Just enough” meets you where you’re at and is doable. And when something is doable, you do it repeatedly, confidence grows, habits form, behaviors change, and you get better.

To make sure this year is different, let your action develop into results. Find a plan that sounds challenging but also that you’re 95% confident you can do without a doubt for the next 4 to 6 months.

Illustration: The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness

Better to achieve mastery and progress than to struggle, fail, and have to pick yourself up from ground zero. And if you’re crushing the plan, you can always increase the difficulty later.

This approach will help you accomplish small wins early and often, so you can keep pushing forward with confidence for the upcoming year.

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post Goldilocks Training: How to Maintain Momentum appeared first on Born Fitness.

But, maybe I was wrong.

The magic pill is recognizing the magic pills. And avoiding them.

When you see or hear any “expert” claiming to have identified a single problem that will solve all of your issues, that’s when you know the approach is wrong.

With so many people blaming everything from fat to carbs, hormones to toxins, inflammation and dairy, animal foods, and sugar — it becomes an easy threshold to separate the shortsighted from the beneficial. If you listened to them all, you wouldn’t be able to eat anything.

Weight loss, muscle gain, and general health are complicated. There are rules and habits that will get you there. But, there’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all.

Learn to see the magic pills (and avoid them) and you’ll have less stress and, hopefully, better health.

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post The Magic Pill Is The Way appeared first on Born Fitness.

Looking down is what happens when you believe you’re a victim of life and circumstance. 

Looking up is a way to survive and thrive through difficult times; it requires courage, optimism, belief, and accountability. 

Looking down is a way to “create” worse situations and turn the illusion of bad luck into a reality. It feeds on negativity, excuses, doubt, and disbelief.

The way you look will influence where you go. 

Even though we don’t have much control over many things in life, focusing on what we do control — like looking up — can completely change the direction of your life. 

When you look up, the good becomes better, the bad becomes good, and the desperate becomes hopeful. 

You can’t put a value or measure the impact of perspective and mindset; but in the game of life, it is your most invaluable asset.

READ MORE

The Illusion Of Commitment

The Big 4

Move Boulders, Not Pebbles

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post Look Up or Look Down appeared first on Born Fitness.

But, the most common question usually revolves around, “How much protein can I eat in one meal?”

Personally, I like this question because it’s practical. You want to eat and enjoy. That’s always my first rule for meals. But, for many people (including those in here), you’re also eating for some health goal. So the question makes sense because science makes it hard to understand, “How much?”

A lot of what you’ll see online suggests that you only “need” 20 to 30 grams per meal. That gets twisted into you can only “use” 20 to 30 grams of protein. So let’s clear that up: You can digest and eat much more than 20 to 30 grams of protein per meal. 

It’s true that somewhere around 30 grams you will maximize muscle protein synthesis (the process of using protein for building muscle), but that’s not the only reason to eat protein. And, if you eat more than 30 grams in a meal, there are many additional benefits to eating more beyond muscle protein synthesis. 

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The post The Rabbit Hole: How Much Protein Per Meal? appeared first on Born Fitness.