Learn how to reboot your metabolism, build strength, and extend your life with this accessible new guidebook that demonstrates the importance of muscle for health and longevity from the founder of the Institute for Muscle-Centric Medicine®.
After years of watching patients cycle through her practice, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon noticed a pattern. While her patients struggled with a wide range of conditions, they all suffered from the same core problem: they had too little muscle rather than too much fat.
When we think about muscle, we tend to think about strength or aesthetics, but in reality, muscle accounts for so much more than that. As the body’s largest endocrine organ, muscle actually determines everythingabout the trajectory of health and aging. Many of the conditions Dr. Lyon’s patients were experiencing were actually symptoms of underdeveloped or unhealthy muscle.
Now, Dr. Lyon offers an easy-to-follow food, fitness, and self-care program anchored in evidence and pioneering research that teaches you how to optimize muscle—no matter your age or health background. Discover how to overcome everything from obesity to autoimmune disorders and avoid diseases like Alzheimer’s, hypertension, and diabetes by following Dr. Lyon’s powerful new approach to becoming forever strong.
Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I do think it had a lot of useful information about the body and the importance of protein and exercise, but I did not always agree with the "facts" in the book. I do not agree with the author that the popularity of plant based proteins is propaganda and that we should all be eating much more meat. She often says things that I just don't believe are true and backs up her arguments with things that don't even make sense.
One quote says, "Contrary to the messaging many of us are getting today, a hearty steak as part of your diet is better for you than ultra-processed plant-based foods such as Twinkies, Lucky Charms and Impossible Bugers." I mean, when people are arguing for more plant based sources of protein, I'm pretty sure it is things such as nuts, seeds, soy, quinoa, etc. Not Twinkies. So that isn't much of an argument there, in my opinion.
She also talked about a case study of a lady who was trying to eat a plant based diet, but she was only mostly eating fruit smoothies, so she was very thin, low muscle mass, low energy and her hair was falling out. She added one serving of red meat to her diet a week and saw significant improvement. However, in my opinion, due to the fact that she was mostly only eating fruit before, I'm sure that the addition of more protein to her diet in general would have resulted in an improvement. There was no study done to see if an increase in plant based protein would have shown equally beneficial improvements.
I just thought that overall, the topic was interesting, and I liked what the author was trying to do in promoting eating healthy amounts of protein and strength exercising but I thought the arguments in the book to back up her plan were not only weak but also riddled with misinformation.
I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'll sum this book up - eat lots of protein and strength train. But be sure to gloss over or outright ignore the health benefits of any other type of food and ONLY tout the benefits of animal proteins. And lets also ignore flexibility, mobility, or balance training.
Over the past year I've read a lot of books on maintaining strength, mobility and health as we age, and this one suffered by comparison. Less research-dense (not saying the author isn't knowledgeable, but it felt very "I've researched this, so take me at my word" instead of a presentation of the research itself) and with a lot more unsustainable diet culture nonsense like calorie counting and macro tracking that I firmly believe does far more harm than good.
I'd recommend Outlive by Peter Attia for a better deep-dive on the research on longevity/aging in comfort and Built to Move by Kelly and Juliet Starrett for some practical advice and training plans for improving mobility.
Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of Forever Strong by Dr Gabrielle Lyon. I was interested in this book as someone who lifts and exercises. I read a lot of research and material about aging well and eating healthy. This book had some good information and some problematic information. I was happy to see the promotion of lifting weights. I wish there was more focus on that with the title being called Forever Strong. However, most of the focus was on eating. I appreciated the message on increasing protein in order to build muscle, but some of the other information was misleading or false. Lyon promotes eating a lot of red meat as a primary protein source and puts down a vegetarian diet. She talks a lot about cardiovascular health, but focuses on steak as what should be eaten and even denies that high cholesterol and other health problems are from food and from meat. To be clear, you can be vegetarian and still consume adequate protein. She talks about using a meat only diet to reset, which is horrible for your gut, especially without any fiber. However, her recipe portion focuses on lean meats, shrimp, chia pudding, and protein shakes. Her messages on carbs is also problematic. She does focus on eating vegetables, but states not to eat bananas and watermelon, which have a ton of nutrients. She also villainizes potatoes and rice. I am leery of anyone who promotes not eating healthy, naturally occurring foods. The main takeaway from this book should be lift weights to age well, move your body, and increase your protein.
Forever Strong is an excellent guide to one of the key factors in healthy longevity: muscle. The author, who is a physician, gives the theory behind why the amount and quality a person has is so important to good health in the first part of the book. Without conscious diet and exercise choices, people will naturally lose a significant amount of muscle as they age. In the second part of the book the author describes the diet which she recommends to maintain muscle, which is a one which emphasizes protein consumption. She also gives general exercise recommendations for building and maintaining muscle in this part. The final part of the book gives specific meal plans, recipes and exercises for the reader. As a nutritionist, I was aware of much of this research. This book would be an excellent reference for nutritionists, exercise professionals, health coaches or interested lay people. It gives great information in a format that could be easily implemented by the reader. I recommend this book. I received a complementary advanced copy from the publisher via netGalley.
UPDATE: 2nd READ - this one wasn't on my reread list but I listened to it anyway. I like her message about protein and building muscle. No argument there. I also took a few notes when I could. But if I'm being honest, her tone was rubbing me the wrong way. I definitley liked this less the second time around......but I'll leave my original rating as is. =======================================
Genres: Health/Fitness/Nonfiction
I like this author. I've heard her speak on a plethora of podcasts. She seems personable and speaks about the topic of muscle health with tenacity. I couldn't wait to get her book.
I listened to it in audio form and I think it is one I'll have to turn the pages on because there was a lot of information in this one and a lot of numbers. But it was definitely worth the read.
Prioritize protein. Eat the right amount of protein at the right time. Exercise. Do resistance training. Be consistent. It was fairly simple and straight forward.
I think she might have got the hairs up on all the vegans and vegetarians out there because she promotes meat as the primary source of protein. This is NOT a plant based diet book. My one concern is, for those of us who don't eat a lot of meat, what would be a great alternative. I know I don't eat enough protein so I wish she had gone down that rabbit hole just a little.
Overall, I found this intriguing. And I have recommitted to getting back to the gym. So 4 stars.
I feel like there are definite takeaways that are important in this book. But her odd view of how vegetarians eat (plant based Twinkie’s and chips?!?!?! ) were are real turn off and made me doubt her credibility. I will add more protein to my diet and work harder at increasing my weights but that’s mostly all I’m taking away from this book.
I gave up on this book when the author started talking about how hunger was something you should see as a good thing and something you can and should overcome. This is not a book for anyone who has a history of eating disorders. Or anyone who doesn’t want advice that’s likely to give you an eating disorder. Food isn’t an enemy.
Dr. Lyon argues throughout this book that building muscle is one of the key factors in leading a healthier lifestyle. Not only by working out, but by incorporating more protein into our diets, we can build up the muscle in our bodies so we can feel better, have more energy, and lose unwanted weight.
I found so much of this book to be information I already know, but Dr. Lyon’s presentation and helpful calculations make it feel accessible. I wrote down a lot of notes and can’t wait to put some of these principles into practice!
This book shifted my fitness journey focus from losing fat to gaining muscle. As I’m nearing my fifties, the thought of losing muscle and becoming frail as I age is a real fear. Dr Lyon emphasizes the importance of a healthy musculoskeletal system, especially as we grow older. We can achieve this with a protein forward diet and a solid strength training routine, both of which she describes in the book, complete with plans, recipes and workouts. Plant-based folks probably won’t be as enthusiastic because she emphasizes that the quality of your protein matters and pant protein is missing several of the essential amino acids our bodies need to build muscle, regulate blood sugar and boost cognitive function, along with many more benefits of protein. This isn’t to say she’s anti-plant protein, but if it’s all you eat, it’s not complete. Her credentials and cv show that she is clearly qualified to speak on the subject, and I’m really glad that she has!
Okay, so I'm gonna give this 3 stars because although the basis of this book is correct, (Exercise, focus on building muscle not losing weight, and upping your protein consumption) there are a lot of problematic information in here. The author seems to demonize certain diets like vegetarian diets. It is true that some vegetarians can lack in the protein department, it is false that you can't get enough protein that way. Also, she talks about a meat only diet in this book as a good thing which, I know isn't healthy. So, while the basis of this book I agree with, exercise and consume more protein, there is a lot in here that I don't.
Thank you to Gabrielle Lyon and Netgalley for an arc of this book!
The book was okay, but it didn’t quite match my expectations. I was hoping for more content focused on lifting weights and strength training. While it had some useful information, it leaned more toward other areas than what I was looking for.
Audiobook source: Audible Narrator: Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Length: 9h 45m
UGH!!!! This book really does NOT contain new information and there is a serious lack of hard science backing many of the claims . I 100% agree that most people in America could benefit from more muscle as a means of promoting independent longevity. Unfortunately eating LOTS more red meat is NOT the answer (and can lead to a whole host of cardiovascular diseases). This book disses a vegetarian diet, but the only vegetarian she seems to have met ate only fruit -this is certainly not true of most vegetarians. Yes, a vegetarian needs to be more deliberate in food choices to maximize quality protein, but just eating a bunch of dead animals doesn't equal making healthy choices all the time. A person can eat tofu or red meat and still eat too many processed foods, sugar, and nutritionally void foods - or just too much food period. The fact that this woman is a doctor appalls me - she must be trying to give her patients coronary artery disease!!! She also must have a significant investment in the beef industry given her rhapsodizing about the magic of red meat.
Don't bother reading this book - unless of course you are on the beef council - then it's your dream book!
This book was a struggle to get through, but I made a commitment to read it with a couple of friends, so I persevered! Thankfully, I'm not alone, and they weren't big fans of it either.
Things I liked: I appreciated the author's thoughts on upping your protein intake, eating quality animal products, and including strength training.
Things I disliked: This book is a little misleading. It is not a book about gaining muscle, losing weight, and aging well. It is a book solely about the author's perfectly curated diet and exercise plan that seems to only fit one kind of person. The author also demonizes all carbs and fails to make distinctions between highly processed grain based foods and homemade fermented grains. Not for me.
This was a pretty good book. The author describes the importance of muscle mass for longevity and healthspan, as well as providing suggestions for optimizing skeletal muscle. I’d recommend hard copy though. I listened to it on audible, and she describes a lot of graphs and charts. She also has a peculiar tendency to emphasize several words per sentence in a lot of places that just don’t need it lol which I found kind of annoying, but overall a good book if you’re looking to learn about enhancing muscle growth!
This book was…kinda alright. I thought the author made some good arguments in terms of bioavailability of nutrients, but I think there’s a clear bias against specific types of dietary and exercise preferences that I find to be stronger than the full body of evidence suggests (an example to the contrary of this author’s views can be found at https://www.nature.com/articles/s4301...). All in all, I think this type of work deserves more nuance than discussed in this book.
The book contains a wealth of information, but mostly for those who are new to fitness and nutrition. I think many of us know the importance of a high protein diet. She does break down the information on the importance of skeletal muscle which makes it easier to understand. Overall, the book is a great source for beginners, or those who need more guidance in their fitness and nutrition journey.
Read as audiobook from Audible. Narrated by author.
This book boils down to eat more protein and move more to build muscle strength. Contained a lot of history and why. The meat of the book was revealed within the podcasts I listened to about the book so I don't know that I really needed the book.
I think the topic of the book was great. However being an athlete who took diet and exercise really serious I feel like protein being the main macro was pretty self explanatory. I do really appreciate her using the hierarchy of evidence to back up her logic. I think this book is great for people trying to learn more about diet and exercise and to take control of their health. I also believe the MSK system is widely misunderstood.
Now as a Nurse Practitioner I find some of the ideas and recommendations a bit much. In order to check all these labs Q3 months you need insurance to be on board which I doubt. And the price to pay out of pocket for both labs and glucometer readings is just not attainable for most people. I loved the idea and the logic, but recommendations need to be based on population and most of the population can’t attain and afford them. Not to mention those who grow up in food deserts or do not have the education/ knowledge to learn/ understand this content are the ones usually in more need of diet and lifestyle changes. Healthy food should be less expensive and healthcare provider’s unfortunately can’t afford to see everyone every 3 months with the lack of providers.
Overall the book was great. I really loved the evidence but I wish it was more applicable to real life management.
WOOOOOW this is a horrible, big-meet propaganda book. Studies show the opposite of a lot of what the author directly claims in this book. I hope people do not fall for this in droves and instead build a much better and more healthy diet. Wow. 🫠
I can't get through this book due to its misinformation about plant based diets and the meat industry. She's horribly biased towards meat as a protein source and basically bashes people who eat plant based.
I heard Dr. Lyon speak with Gary Keller last year, and I really enjoyed it! If you like Peter Attia’s book Outlive (spoiler alert: I do), you will appreciate this one. Similar to when I saw her on stage, I can see how Dr. Lyon will not resonate with everyone. She’s pretty intense, and you can hear her opinion in the audiobook. And yet, I’m really interested in the argument of protein/muscle and long-term health.
Love her or hate her, there’s stuff to learn here! Ironically, NYT posted an article this week referencing Peter & Gabrielle. The last part gets pretty clinical and textbook-y so if I come back to it, I will choose a print version.
I listened to interviews with Dr. Lyon on the Mind Pump podcast prior to her book release and was so excited to buy her book. Unfortunately, I ended up not finding this book as helpful or insightful as I had hoped. Maybe because the concepts really could be summed up in an hour long interview on a podcast vs a 300 page book? I am not sure who the intended audience for this book is. Some of it read as if it was written for people already interested and knowledgeable about nutrition/training, but there were also entire chapters on tracking macros, basic nutrition and a beginner’s training program. I can’t imagine someone with little interest in nutrition/fitness would enjoy the first half of this book, but someone with a basic knowledge of either topic would not need to read the second half of this book.
I listened to the author reading this book. She did a great job and had a very encouraging voice and positive attitude about building health for longevity. There are a lot of details that would be easier to follow with the physical book, so I will follow up by reading it. Health advice changes constantly, but the advice Lyon gives is solid and would be great for everyone to know from a young age. She suggests so many little changes that can make a big difference.
While I generally agree with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon's perspective on health and fitness in Forever Strong, I found this book to be underwhelming. The information provided is extensive, but it occasionally delves into technical intricacies that overwhelm readers, even those with a solid understanding of health, biology, and fitness.
I found the writing in this book often lacked a clear, cohesive purpose. It felt like it was trying to be too many things at once. Is it a manifesto? A protocol? A biology textbook? Who knows!
For a book called “Forever Strong” there didn’t seem to be a ton of emphasis or content on actual strength. I expected more in-depth research and information about the importance of muscle and its impact on overall health.
Dr. Lyon's passion and expertise in advocating for a high-protein, active lifestyle shines in the book, but this is definitely a book best suited for readers who already have a foundation in health and fitness.
Thank you to Gabrielle Lyon and Netgalley for the ARC!
So, there is one idea in this book that I can consider a takeaway: the muscles are an organ that should be prioritized, cared for, and prevented from decaying. Simpler said: use it or lose it, primarily if you aim to diminish the effects of chronic disease and if you hope to slow down physical functional limitations at an older age. That’s it! That is what this book is about. The rest is just straightforward and basic information I have encountered many times. Yes, I think this book would be helpful to someone who has had no interest in his health and well-being and needs a starting point from somewhere. Lyon tries to be motivational and build self-efficacy in the reader, but I found this so annoying that I almost gave up reading. The writing style is terrible, but that is not something to judge for a self-help, educational book. Still, it is not my kind of reading. I need to return to reading fiction!
Some of the information in here did not seem like the best advice for everyone (like heavy meat diet and being vegetarian doesn't provide enough protein). I agree that exercise and protein are important but was looking for more guidance about the importance of strength training, especially as you age. Seems like opportunity missed with the title.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely
Uma abordagem interessante à longevidade através da musculatura. A autora explora várias questões relacionadas com aquilo que defende, dá exemplos de treinos e de planos de alimentação para tirar o maior proveito de cada um. Poderá conter demasiada informação e ser excessivo para quem está a dar os primeiros passos, no entanto, é sempre um bom ponto de partida em que se pode retirar algo de positivo.