Welcome back to the Daily Dumbbell, the fitness newsletter that's more flexible than a yoga teacher's spine, and just as twisted.

It’s Hump Dayyyyy! Which means you’ve made it halfway through the week. Are you on track? Have you strayed from the path? Either way, take this morning to refocus and get back at it.

The Meal Planning Spectrum:

Finding Your Sweet Spot for Lasting Nutrition Success

Last week we talked about how to build healthy and sustainable habits. Today we’re going to zoom in on one in particular; meal prepping! We're dishing out the deets on meal planning and meal prep – the not-so-secret ingredients to building a sustainable nutrition plan. But wait! We're not talking about the all-or-nothing, bodybuilder-style Tupperware extravaganza you might be picturing. Instead, we're exploring the full spectrum of meal planning options that cater to your unique needs and lifestyle.

When it comes to meal planning, it's essential to ditch the black and white thinking that limits us to extremes. Just like with food choices, there's a whole world of possibilities between rigidly planning every single meal and completely winging it. The key is finding the sweet spot that works for you.

For some, it might mean roasting a bunch of veggies and cooking up a delicious pot roast or whole chicken to have readily available throughout the week. For others, it could be as simple as marinating chicken or forming a few beef patties ahead of time, saving those precious 10-15 minutes during your busy weeknights.

The point is, there's no one-size-fits-all approach – and that's a good thing!

Here’s the catch though, we can’t tell you which option is best for you. You have to look at your life and assess what your roadblocks are. Is it enough to save 10-15 minutes of prep time each night? Or does the food need to be all prepped and ready in a container to keep you from hitting Chipotle 5x a week?

As you embark on your meal planning journey, consider the variety of options available to you and experiment with what works best for your schedule, taste buds, and goals. Flexibility and customization are your allies in creating a sustainable nutrition plan that'll keep you on track without feeling like a chore.

Meal prepping, just like cooking, and single leg deadlifts, are a skill that you learn from doing. You need to see what works and what doesn’t and it might take you awhile to get good at it. That’s ok! The only enemy of the process is giving up.

Keep an eye out for Friday's newsletter, where we'll dive deeper into the concept of "Thinking in Bets", showing you how to apply it to various aspects of your life – including nutrition! In the meantime, share your meal planning tips, tricks, and successes with the Daily Dumbbell community. Together, let's find our meal planning sweet spots and savor the journey to lasting health and wellness!

And guys, if that last line with the sweet & savory pun didn’t make you forward this on to all your friends… then what more we can do over here?

WTF Wednesday

The Debunked, the Dumb, and the Dangerous

Today’s theme is WTF Wednesday, and do we have a doozy for you.

If you've ever taken a deep dive into the world of diet debates, you'll know they can quickly devolve into bizarre extremes. (If you haven’t, then save yourself the frustration)

Take, for instance, yesterday’s Twitter feud between a random keto zealot and unfortunately, a very prominent vegan account.

On one side, we have Dr. Greger claiming that even half an egg a day will put you in an early grave as though eggs are Satan's protein bombs, ready to clog your arteries at a moment's notice. On the other side, we have the pro-keto account swinging wildly in the opposite direction, claiming that not only is cholesterol harmless, it's a magical elixir protecting you from disease! 🧪✨

Now, while it's true that recent research has shown dietary cholesterol may not have as big of an impact on our blood cholesterol levels as previously thought, it's a massive stretch to say that high cholesterol is protective against disease. Sure, high HDL (the "good" cholesterol) can be beneficial, but making a blanket statement about cholesterol being "good for you" is simply absurd. And honestly, with the mountain of literature we have on the subject, it’s dangerous.

This dietary debate highlights a peculiar human tendency: we can easily spot falsehoods on one side of an argument, but in our zeal to debunk them, we end up swinging to the other extreme, arguing for something equally as false! 🙃

In the world of nutrition and fitness, it's crucial to remember that the truth often lies somewhere in the middle, and it's rarely as black and white as these online debates make it out to be. So next time you come across a heated Twitter exchange or a clickbait headline, take a deep breath, look at the nuances, and approach the topic with a critical, well-balanced mindset.

Actually, that's what the Daily Dumbbell is here for! Call them both idiots and move along – we’ll help you cut through the noise and find the sweet spot of sanity in the fitness world. 🏋️‍♂️🧘‍♀️💆‍♂️

Stay tuned for more WTF Wednesday moments and, as always, keep lifting, laughing, and learning with the Daily Dumbbell! 📰💪🤣