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What's in store for today:
- A High Protein Grilled Cheese To Go With Your High Protein Chili
- My New Favorite Protein Bar
- How I Get To Bed + Wake Up On Time (Super simple)
Hey friend,
This week my amazing wife Joani and I celebrated 9 years of marriage!
We met back in 2015 on a blind date of all things 🫣 and it would not be an understatement of any kind to say that Joani has been the greatest gift of my life.
There's my life before Joani, and my life after Joani. And those are two very different seasons of my life.
No special message here except just to say I am deeply grateful to God every day for the gift that is my wife Joani.
To commemorate 10 years of knowing each other and 9 years of marriage, I FINALLY got around to writing her a love song 🎵
If you want a happy and fun song to lift your vibes today, give it a listen :)
The Perfect Protein Grilled Cheese Sandwich
To Go With Your Guilt Free Chili
Last week I shared our newly updated Guilt Free Chili recipe, which has been an absolute hit with everyone who has tried it 💪🏻
Many of you took note of the grilled cheese sandwich that was in the picture with the chili and have asked for a high protein version and well...
Your wish is my command :)
One cup of the Guilt Free Chili recipe from last week's newsletter and one of these sandwiches makes the PERFECT fall meal.
Matt's ULTRA Simple Protein Grilled Cheese Recipe:
- 120 Calories Per Sandwich
- 62% Protein
- Only 24% Carbohydrate
- 20 Grams Protein
- 8 Grams Net Carbohydrate
- 2 Slices of Low Carb Bread (30 Calories per slice, 1 or 0 net carbs recommended)
- 2 Slices of Fat Free Singles
1.) Spray bottom of skillet lightly with Cooking Spray, place one slice of low calorie / low carb bread into skillet, and turn on medium heat.
2.) Add 2 slices of Fat Free Singles American Cheese onto the bread.
3.) Add the last piece of bread on top of the sandwich, and spray the top of the last piece of bread very lightly with Cooking Spray.
4.) Flip and continue to cook on medium heat as necessary until both sides of sandwich and cheese are melted to your liking.
You can up the flavor just a little by lightly salting the bread before you spray it with your cooking spray. This give it the taste of salted butter 🧈
Enjoy!
My New Favorite Protein Bar...
A few weeks ago I shared about a protein bar that I had a love hate relationship with.
It was the Reese's flavored ONE Protein bar. I loved that bar because I love Reese's and it was by far the best tasting protein bar I had ever eaten with one drawback...
It was higher in calorie and lower in protein than is really ideal for a GOOD protein bar.
Well, now Built Bars have come out with a Peanut Butter Cup flavored bar that is just about perfect.
It is 150 calories (perfect calorie range for a snack) and has 17 grams of protein which makes it 45% protein...PERFECT.
It tastes AMAZING.
My favorite thing to do is to put this bar into the refrigerator to get it cold so it feels like I am eating a cold Reese's!
Shout out to my peeps who love a good cold or frozen Reese's. 🙌🏻
How I Get To Bed + Wake Up Early Consistently
At Healthy & Whole we've been working with clients a LOT lately on helping them to optimize their nighttime and morning routines so they can reduce or eliminate unproductive vegging out or snacking at night, get better sleep, and get up earlier each morning to have a more powerful and intentional start to their days.
This is something I have been practicing for some time now and I get asked a lot for tips on how to get to bed and wake up early for people who aren't necessarily "morning people".
SO here is exactly what I do:
The Wind Down Routine
- I set an alarm on my phone to go off every day at 8:30pm. When this alarm goes off it is my signal to get up and start getting ready for bed.
- I mix up hydration cocktails for myself and my wife Joani so that we can hydrate as soon as the alarm goes off in the morning.
- I make up whatever bedtime protein snack I am having that night and I take that snack and my hydration cocktail to bed. My goal is to be in bed and lights out by 9:30 if at all possible.
- Set my clothes out in the bathroom and make sure my alarm clock is set for the next morning.
The Wake Up Routine
- When the alarm clock goes off, I get out of bed immediately, and grab your hydration cocktail, and head to the bathroom. The goal is to get out of the bedroom 😂
- Turn on the shower water, go to the bathroom, weigh myself, and drink 1/2 of my hydration cocktail immediately before getting into the shower. The hydration helps to wake me up.
- Turn on a personal development focused audiobook or podcast and get into the shower as quickly as possible. This is the point of no return, which is why we want to get here as soon as possible. The water from the shower continues to help wake me up.
Bonus Tips:
- If you have a digital / programmable wifi thermostat in your house, program your thermostat to warm up the house about an hour before your alarm clock is set to go off. It's FAR easier to get out of bed to a warm room than a freezing one.
- Setup your alarm clock or phone charging cable away from your bed so that when your alarm clock goes off you MUST get out of bed to turn it off. This will prevent you from just hitting snooze in a dazed state and going back to sleep.
- In order to feel incredibly energized, I end my hot shower with at least a 30 second to one minute cold shower. The cold exposure releases dopamine and epinephrine giving me a burst of energy.
While I know many of you will chicken out on the cold shower, I promise the rest of this routine is very doable and very effective.
Give it a try! You won't be disappointed.
🎙️ Podcast Episode
Losing 70 Pounds, Controlling Diabetes, and Ditching Depression With Mike Larr
At 74, Mike Larr went from overweight, depressed, and living with type 2 diabetes to healthy, thriving, and full of life. In this episode, we share how he took control over his diabetes, lost the weight, and rebuilt his mental health through grief and hardship. His story proves it’s never too late to transform your health and future.
Client Of The Week
Matthew - 100 Pounds In 5 Months
There are a number of myths in the fitness and weight loss industry when it comes to how fast you can safely lose weight.
They say you can't lose weight this fast without surgery or using unsustainable methods.
You can't do it without cutting calories to unhealthy levels.
You SHOULDN'T do it because you'll lose too much muscle mass and cripple your metabolism.
Matthew is yet another client who debunks all of these myths and proves that it is not a question of IF you can lose weight like this safely, but HOW.
Matthew has lost 100 pounds in 5 months using 100% sustainable diet and lifestyle changes.
He hits a daily step goal, he works out to preserve muscle mass and strength, he controls his daily food intake and eats meals and snacks that are highly enjoyable and eats a high protein diet with 40 to 50% of his daily food coming in from protein sources.
Turns out that when you do the RIGHT things in the right way...massive results can still be safe...and sustainable 💪🏻
A Quote To Finish Your Week Strong
“You don’t have to always be amazing. You do always have to show up. What matters is sticking around for the next at bat.”
- Ryan Holiday
When you're ready, here's how I can help:
If you're looking to lose weight sustainably while building a flexible lifestyle that you enjoy, I can help. Apply for coaching here in the Healthy & Whole Mentorship Program.
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.
