The food half of getting strong

Eat enough protein to keep the muscle you are working for.

Your own protein number in ten seconds, six fundamentals, one-week challenges, and a 12-week plan. Written by an orthopedic surgeon, cited to 96 published studies, and lived by his wife. One price, yours for good.

Take the 2-minute setup Just my protein number

Free. No email needed to start. Your result shows on the spot.

Photo slot: Lori at the counter with the printed sheet. See the shot list.

96 published studies cited British Journal of Sports Medicine New England Journal of Medicine JAMA The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

The one number

0.7 to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of your ideal body weight. Every day.

That is the whole rule, and it is the same rule on every site with our name on it. Losing weight, on a GLP-1 medicine, or rebuilding after surgery? Aim for the top of your range. Not lifting yet? Start at the bottom, because more protein without lifting does not build muscle. Lifting does, and then protein has a job.

Find your number Why this number and not the RDA

Your height	Ideal weight	Your range	Per meal
Woman, 5 ft 2	110 lb	77 to 110 g	30 g × 3
Woman, 5 ft 5	125 lb	88 to 125 g	35 g × 3
Woman, 5 ft 8	140 lb	98 to 140 g	40 g × 3
Man, 5 ft 9	160 lb	112 to 160 g	45 g × 3
Man, 6 ft 0	178 lb	125 to 178 g	50 g × 3

Ideal weight is the bedside estimate dietitians use (100 lb at 5 ft plus 5 lb an inch for women; 106 plus 6 for men). Your own goal weight can replace it. Per meal shown at the middle of the range.

Who this is from

She lives it. He reads the trials.

Lori is 52, in the middle of perimenopause, and eats this way every day: the protein pancakes on Sunday, the egg bites in the fridge, the sheet on the counter. Darin is an orthopedic surgeon who has spent twenty years fixing what happens when muscle and bone quietly leave. He wrote the science page and checks every number against the research, not against what is popular this month.

"Most women over 40 are eating about half the protein their body needs. We never heard the science, and we never had a number. Now you have one."

More about Lori and Darin

Photo slot: Lori and Darin together, kitchen, ordinary light. Headshot pair for podcast hosts. See Working/Photos to shoot on Drive.

What we will not sell you

No supplements. No subscription. No before-and-after photos. No countdown timer. No promise of pounds by a date. Every claim on this site is cited on the science page, and if it is not cited we do not say it.

Fit these into your routine

The six fundamentals

Everything in the program comes back to these. Each one has a Goal tab, which is what to do, and a Science tab, which is why, with the studies named.

Protein first

The fundamentals

Half the plate plants

The fundamentals

Real food most of the time

The fundamentals

The right amount, honestly

The fundamentals

Lift, and keep walking

The fundamentals

Sleep, water, and the rest

The fundamentals

How it works

Three steps. The first two are free.

Take the two-minute setup

Height, goal, how you eat, whether you lift. It gives you your protein number, your per-meal split, and if you want it, a calorie ballpark and a pace. Shown on the spot, kept in your own browser.

Start one challenge

Fourteen one-week challenges, each with a Goal, the Science, and a seven-day tracker. Start with protein at breakfast. Most people feel the difference in a week.

Open the 12-week program

The challenges in the right order, your food plan (fat loss, hold steady, or rebuild), the food guide, printable weekly sheets, the scorecard, and what to do after week 12. $50, once.

Or try one of these

One-week challenges

Pick one, do it for seven days, tick the boxes. Free, no sign-up. The first four are where nearly everyone should start.

Start with protein

30 grams at your first meal, seven days running.

Preview ›

Protein at every meal

Your per-meal number, at every meal, all week.

Preview ›

Build a balanced plate

Half plants, a quarter protein, a quarter starch. Every dinner.

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Swap the sides

Trade the fries, chips and bread basket for a plant, seven times.

Preview ›

All 14 challenges

What is inside the program

Everything in Unlock Strong, for the food side.

Your numbers, set onceProtein, per-meal split, calorie ballpark, steps floor, sleep. Printed on every weekly sheet.
The 12 weeks, in orderTwo weeks of foundation, four of build, a maintenance-practice week, four of refining, and a re-test. One challenge a week.
Three food plansFat loss, hold steady, and rebuild (after surgery or on a GLP-1). Your setup picks one; you can change it.
The food guideWhat 30 grams looks like, ten breakfasts that reach it, snacks, a full day for omnivores, pescatarians, vegetarians and vegans, and the grocery list.
Printable weekly sheetsOne page a week with your numbers, the week's challenge, the daily boxes, and the scorecard. Kitchen-counter friendly.
The modificationsGLP-1 medicines, vegetarian and vegan, kidney caution, diabetes on insulin, after a joint replacement, a history of an eating disorder.
Creatine, explainedThe dose, what to buy, what to expect, and what it does not do. One page.
Maintenance for goodThe part most programs skip: the 3-pound rule, what stays permanent, and how to run another round.

One price. No subscription.

$50, once. Yours for good.

Less than one month of any of the apps, and it never bills you again. The setup and the challenges stay free whether or not you buy.

The full 12-week program, all three food plans, the food guide, the sheets, the modifications
Works on any phone or computer; add it to your home screen and it opens like an app
Already have Unlock Strong? Use the code from your welcome email for the partner price.

Educational content for generally healthy adults, not medical advice. Results depend on what you eat and how consistently you lift.

$50 once

Start with the free setup

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Already bought it? Open your program.

Questions people ask

The honest answers

Is this a diet?

It is a way of eating with one number to hit (protein), one habit to keep (half the plate plants), and honest guidance on everything else. No food is banned. No diet name is worshipped. If low-carb or Mediterranean or ordinary groceries help you hit your protein number with food you will still enjoy next year, it is approved. The research is blunt that the name on the diet matters far less than sticking to it.

Where does 0.7 to 1.0 grams per pound come from?

From the trials. Pooled across 49 studies of adults who lift, muscle and strength gains levelled off near 1.6 grams per kilogram, which is 0.7 grams per pound. Sports nutrition and older-adult position papers run up to 2.0 or 2.2 grams per kilogram, which is 1.0 per pound. We apply it to ideal body weight rather than current weight, because protein feeds lean tissue, not fat, and that is the same basis bariatric guidelines use. Every source is on the science page.

What is ideal body weight, and what if I do not agree with the number?

It is an estimate from your height, using the bedside formula dietitians use: 100 pounds at five feet plus five pounds an inch for women, 106 plus six for men. It is a starting point, not a verdict. If you and your doctor have a different goal weight, type that in instead and your number follows it. If you are already below your ideal weight, use your actual weight.

I am on a GLP-1 medicine. Does this still apply?

More than to anyone. The medicine is excellent at reducing appetite. It does nothing to protect your muscle, and studies show a meaningful share of the weight lost on these drugs is lean tissue unless you defend it. On a GLP-1, protein goes first at every meal, you aim for the top of your range, meals are small and planned, water is scheduled, and lifting is not optional. Tell your prescriber you are doing this. It is a good conversation, not a confession.

Do I have to count calories?

No. We ask you to track one honest week at the start so you know where you are, and again only if the scale stalls for three weeks. If fat loss is your goal, the setup gives you a ballpark and a pace. Most people do fine with the plate, the protein number and the scale.

Is it a subscription?

No. One payment, and it is yours. No renewal, no upsell, no supplements to buy. Less than one month of any of the apps, and it never bills you again.

I am vegetarian or vegan. Can I hit these numbers?

Yes, with intention. At matched protein intake, plant eaters gained the same muscle from lifting as omnivores in the trials. Aim for the top of your range, lean on soy (tofu, tempeh, edamame, soy milk), lentils and beans, and a pea or blended plant powder. The food guide has vegetarian and vegan days worked out.

All the questions

The other half is lifting.

Unlock Strong tells you what to lift on Monday and Thursday and how to add weight without hurting yourself. Same authors, same rules, same protein number.

About Unlock Strong

Take the 2-minute setup