Forever Strong: A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well

by Gabrielle Lyon D.O.

If you’re metabolically healthy, aim for a carb-to-protein ratio of 1:1, and keep your carb grams around 30 to 50 grams per meal to minimize the insulin response.

If your training program includes extended bouts of exercise (where your heart rate reaches above at least 120 beats per minute), you can incorporate additional carbohydrates—perhaps an additional 60 grams per hour of moderate to intense exercise.

Start by identifying your protein goal, see how many calories that equates to, and then move on to set your carbohydrate total based on your activity level. Whatever remaining calories you have left can be dedicated toward healthy fats.

As a guideline, the remaining daily fat allowance typically falls between 0.7 and 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight.

Weigh your food.

Find a consistent eating schedule.

Avoid chaotic, haphazard eating. Plan your meals ahead of time.

If you really want to see change, limit dining out.

Rotating through each of these three plans will grant you access to a legacy of wellness.

Track your food for two to four typical weeks. I recommend plugging these numbers into an app like Cronometer that focuses on tallying both macro- and micronutrients.

Men typically need 2,000 to 3,000 calories. Eating fewer calories within your proper macro allocations will lead to fat loss without sacrificing muscle. Eating more calories that prioritize protein will support muscle gain.

Keeping your protein consumption steady and on target is a nonnegotiable priority of the Lyon Protocol.

protein appears to have a protective effect against fat gain during times of energy surplus (i.e., overeating), and this effect has an even bigger impact when combined with resistance training. Evidence suggests that dietary protein may be the key macronutrient in terms of promoting positive

one easy strategy to prevent overeating and improve diet quality is prioritizing high-protein foods at breakfast.

Factoring in carbs before fats provides me with a more fibrous and micronutrient-rich diet. So long as you are healthy, active, and hitting your protein needs, you can adjust your ratio of carbs to fats interchangeably. Just make sure to keep total carb quantities in check. To minimize insulin response, eat no more than 50 grams of carbs at any one time, and always pair them with protein and some fat.

Purslane, sometimes considered a weed, contains eight times more alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) than spinach, red-leaf lettuce, buttercrunch lettuce, or mustard greens.

the fatty-acid composition of egg yolks from free-range chickens has an omega-6/omega-3 ratio of 1.3, whereas a USDA egg has a ratio of 19.9.5 By enriching chicken feed with fish meal or flaxseed, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 decreased to 6.6 and 1.6, respectively.

In this protocol, your goals will be determined by one of three choices: optimize longevity, optimize body composition, or optimize muscle.

1. OPTIMIZE LONGEVITY This plan is designed for people looking to live a longer, healthier life.

Optimize Longevity Plan Details: Two main meals plus one midday snack.

I recommend consuming no less than 100 grams of protein daily for any adult, regardless of size.

The core principle of the plan is reworking your current maintenance calories. PROTEIN: 1.2 to 2.2 g/kg (0.7 to 1.0 g/lb)

CARBS: Determine your carbohydrate intake. Assuming you are metabolically healthy, your carb intake at baseline ...

You can add 60 grams per day of carbs per hour of moderate- to high-intensity exercise. To minimize insulin response, keep from exceeding 40 to 50 grams of carbohydrate...

FAT: 0.7 to 2.2 g/kg (0.32 to 1.0 g/lb). The remainder of your calories ca...

A small midday protein snack should contain at least 10 grams of protein with either carbs or fat, if these fall within your calorie budget. This snack is not designed to have a muscle effect but rather to keep hunger at bay.

Eating a protein-rich meal before the overnight fast will protect your muscle tissue.

2. OPTIMIZE QUALITY WEIGHT LOSS

If you’re ten or more pounds away from your goal weight, it’s time to rebalance your dietary protein, carbohydrates, and fats.

Optimize Quality Weight Loss Plan Details: Three meals plus one optional snack per day. Even distribution of protein and carbohydrates in each meal. First meal is a protein shake for calorie control. If your goal is to lose ten pounds or less (or if you’re a female with ≤ 28% body fat, or a male with ≤ 22% body fat), reduce your calories 10 to 20 percent below maintenance.

PROTEIN: When you’re reducing total calories, increasing your protein intake (the target is 0.8 to 1.1 grams per pound of ideal body weight) helps you retain lean body mass.8 The lower your calories, the higher your protein percentage should be.

CARBS: Start carbs on the lower side, given our goal to maintain muscle and focus on quality weight loss.

FAT: 0.7 to 2.2 g/kg (0.32 to 1.0 g/lb). The remainder of your calories can be dedicated to fats. If you hit a weight-loss plateau, we will reduce fat calories first.

3. OPTIMIZE MUSCLE

Muscle gain (hypertrophy) requires both resistance exercise training and optimizing protein intake.

Eat every three to four hours to hit your protein and total calorie intake.11 Eat your target level of carbs before and after your workouts,12 then balance the rest throughout the day.

Choose options with a lower carb-to-fiber ratio such as broccoli or high-fiber oatmeal, one to two hours prior to exercise. Data show that a high insulin response at the beginning of exercise decreases total output, power, and endurance. Consume the highest carb-to-fiber-ratio foods, such as a banana, post-exercise,

Eat your lowest-fat meals before and af...

supplementation with creatine and fish oil.

Finish the protein on your plate before you move to the other foods.

Carve out time for rest and recovery. Prioritize sleep, as this is when the body grows and repairs.

prepping all your foods on a Sunday or ordering in bulk from a meal-prep service such as ICON Meals will help you keep up with your macro requirements.

implementing high-intensity interval training during periods of sleep restriction has been shown to preserve the rates of muscle-protein synthesis. In other words, exercise can mitigate some of the negative effects of reduced sleep patterns on muscle-protein synthesis rates.

Four meals per day, each containing 40 to 60 grams of protein. Protein: 1.0 to 1.2 grams of protein per pound of ideal body weight. 10 to 20 percent calorie surplus, prioritizing protein. Carbs: 1.4 to 3.6 grams per pound of total body weight.14 Fat: 0.7 to 2.2 g/kg (.32 to 1.0 g/lb).

The carnivore reset is a great way to chalk up an early win.

It entails very high animal-product intake with very low vegetable intake. Follow this protocol for two to four weeks.

Eggs, meat, fish, and a first-meal protein shake for calorie control. The shake contains 50 g whey or rice/pea blend protein, 1 scoop of green or red powder for phytonutrients (e.g., prebiotic fibers and polyphenols, vitamin C, lutein), 1 tablespoon of medium-chain triglyceride powder, and almond milk or water. (If your body can’t tolerate dairy, you can replace the whey powder with 1.5 scoops of beef protein plus ½ scoop [3 grams] of leucine powder to mimic the high leucine of dairy protein.) In this protocol, individuals can consume any animal products except dairy (outside of a protein powder),

Acceptable plant foods include cilantro, parsley, scallions, and jalapeños. While the focus of this reset isn’t calorie control, men can target consuming 1,800 to 1,900 calories a day,

This low-volume, nutrient-dense, flavor-packed protocol is an excellent way to jump-start weight loss, crush cravings, and build momentum toward your optimized lifestyle.

Normal = less than 120 (systolic) and less than 80 (diastolic)