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What's in store for today:
- My wife and kids LOVE this Chicken & Noodles recipe...
- How to lose weight without losing all your muscle & metabolism...
- You won't hit your weight loss goal without THIS habit...
Hey friend,
May is turning out to be one of those "big life changes" months for me...
There's something big I have been thinking about doing for at least 3 years that I've procrastinated doing because...well..if I am being honest I was just afraid to do it.
But this year in 2026 I have been really reflecting on what I want for the future, what I want Healthy & Whole to look like, what I want my work life and family life to look like...and I've decided to make some BIG changes.
I can't share the full details yet, but in the next month I'll be able to share more. So consider this a tease ;)
But if you haven't just sat down alone in a quiet room for a couple of hours with no distractions and allowed yourself to reflect on your life as a whole and to think about any course corretions you might desire to make...I highly recommend it.
You just might find some things you are excited to change!
With that said, let's move on to this week's Feel Good Friday Edition of The Practical Health Journal.
The High Protein Chicken & Noodles Recipe My Whole Family Loves
When you are trying to be healthy and whole and to control your weight, oneo of the biggest challenges is getting your family on board with the same food you are eating.
This is just one of many recipes in our cookbook that my family absolutely loves and we can all enjoy together.
It's modeled to be a super quick and easy (and much healthier) version of my grandma's classic chicken and noodles she always made when I was growing up.
Nice and thick and creamy...I know you will love it, too!
Matt's Famous High Protein Classic Chicken & Noodles Recipe
Bulk Serving Recipe Makes 8 - 1 Cup Servings:
- 276 calories Per Cup
- 48% protein
- 37% Carbohydrate
- 40 Grams Protein
- 31 Grams Net Carbohydrate
- 2 Cups Chicken Bone Broth (Must be bone broth NOT regular broth)
- 2 Pounds Chicken Breast
- 1 Box Banza Spaghetti or Linguine (or comparable pasta)
- 3 Cans Campbell's Heart Healthy Cream of Chicken Soup
- 1 Onion Chopped
- Salt and Pepper To Taste (I add about 1 teaspoon each of pink salt and pepper)
2. Add the Banza or comparable pasta into the crockpot and then cover and cook for another 30 minutes. I prefer Banza Linguine or Spaghetti noodles, but you can choose any you like. If you use spaghetti or linguine you will need to break the long pieces up into two or three smaller sections when adding them and stir very well so they don't all clump together.
3. Stir the noodles 2-3 times over the 30 minutes they are cooking.
4. Enjoy :)
How To Lose Weight Without Losing All Your Muscle & Metabolism
A VERY common question I get is "How do I lose weight without losing all my muscle and tanking my metabolism?"
Well it's not nearly as complicated as you might think, but there's essentially 3 things you need to do to lose fat while preserving muscle and metabolism.
Your muscle tissue is actually what drives most of your resting metabolism. So when you lose too much muscle while trying to lose weight, your metabolism goes down unless you build that muscle back.
So we absolutely want to minimize the loss of muscle as much as we can. We can't 100% prevent muscle loss in a calorie deficit, but we can GREATLY minimize it with these 3 steps.
Step 1 - A modest calorie deficit and weight loss rate
You need to be in a consistent calorie deficit to lose body fat, but if you are in too deep of a deficit you'll lose weight too quickly and a larger portion of that weight could be muscle loss.
A safe rate of weight loss is going to be around 1% of your body weight per week. I have seen clients lose 2% per week pretty consistently with minimal muscle loss, but 1% is a safer bet.
For most people that is going to mean a modest calorie deficit of between 250 and 750 calories per day, which will come out to between 1/2 pound per week and 1.5 pounds per week.
Slow enough to maintain muscle, but fast enough to be excited about the results and rate of progress.
Step 2 - Adequat Protein Intake
To preserve muscle in a calorie deficit you need to make sure you have enough protein coming in.
For the average person this is going to be around .75 grams to 1 gram of protein per pound of goal body weight as a good baseline.
So if your goal body weight is 150 pounds...that means between 112 and 150 grams of protein per day.
Step 3 - Consistent Strength Training
The last and absolutely ESSENTIAL step is to make sure you are consistently strength training your entire body a minimum of 2 times per week, but 3 times per week is more ideal.
Essentially you want to be training every muscle group on your body with weight training at least 1 day per week with challenging weights.
If you aren't strength training and challenging your bone and muscle in a calorie deficit your body will think it needs less muscle tissue not more...and that's a bad thing.
You also want to make sure you are actually challenging yourself with heavy enough weights and intensity to really challenge your muscle. If the stress and stimulous on the muscle and bone is not significant enough it will not matter.
Your body needs to receive a consistent signal that strength and muscle is important. Period.
So choose weights that really challenge you in the 8 to 12 rep range. If you can consistently do more than 8-12 reps with ease...the weight is probably not heavy enough.
Summary
That's it. Target a modest calorie deficit and weight loss rate, eat adequate protein, and send the right signal to your body with strength training and you'll lose fat while preserving most of your muscle and your metabolism.
You Won't Hit Your Weight Loss Goals Without This Essential Habit
I've coached a LOT of people over the years, and I've noticed one habit that separates those who are successful and those who are not...and that is a habit of resilience.
The reality of any weight loss journey is that there are a lot of things that can discourage you along the way.
Those things can often make you think you are failing, when everything is actually working as it should and your progress on the scale is just masked temporarily.
Resilience and trust in the process is the essential habit that will help you overcome these days, weeks, or even months long seasons on your journey.
One of my clients Anna said it best when she said:
"In moments where I want to quit...and I have a lot of them...I just ask myself one question. Will quitting move me closer or further from my goal?"
And that IS the secret sauce.
Anna is down over 70 pounds now despite having many days or weeks where she lost motivation or had life challenges that made her feel like she was failing.
But...she was resilient and trusted the process.
She never gave up...she REFUSES to give up.
And that's why she has lost 70 pounds over the last year instead of zero pounds and countless restarts.
If you've been stuck in the start again stop again pattern and struggling to break through...all you really have to do is do what Anna does...
Just be resilient and refuse to quit. Replace quitting with curiosity and learning and keep growing your way to your goal.
Of course, Anna has a huge advantage as a Healthy & Whole coaching client because she is no longer alone on this journey. She has a team of coaches and an entire community guiding and supporting her to sustainable results.
But none of that would even matter if it weren't for Anna making a daily habit to be and stay resilient...and trusting the process.
Hope this helps, and if you want to explore getting the help you need, click here to fill out an inquiry and I'll reach out to you personally to chat.
- Matt
Ready to start your journey?
Here's how I can help...
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Disclaimer: This email is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, and those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed physician.
