Optimal Protein Podcast with Vanessa Spina

Vanessa breaks down the biggest scientific takeaways and most actionable gems from her recent conversation with Dr. Lee Breen, one of the world's leading researchers in protein metabolism, resistance training and skeletal muscle health across the lifespan.
Before diving into the latest research, Vanessa shares an exciting update from her postpartum fat-loss and body-recomposition journey: she has lost five pounds since beginning her gentle fat-loss phase two weeks ago.
She explains the four simple food swaps that reduced her intake by only approximately 150–200 calories per day, why the initial change likely includes water and glycogen as well as body fat, and how she is using three to four resistance-training sessions per week to gradually reveal her muscle while continuing to exclusively breastfeed baby Taylor.
Vanessa also shares why she is deliberately giving herself the longest possible runway, why she does not expect to continue losing five pounds every two weeks, and why she plans to wait until Taylor begins eating solid foods before bringing Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting days back into her routine.
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One of the biggest themes from Dr. Breen's research is that losing weight and improving your body composition are not necessarily the same thing.
Vanessa explores why the scale cannot tell you whether you are losing fat, water or metabolically active tissue; how much lean mass may be lost during significant weight loss; and why regaining weight after dieting or discontinuing a GLP-1 medication could potentially leave someone with less muscle and a higher body-fat percentage than when they started.
She also examines how much protein may be needed to protect muscle during weight loss. Is approximately 1.4 grams per kilogram enough, or should you aim closer to 2–2.2 grams per kilogram? And how should that target change based on your body size, activity level, age and the aggressiveness of your calorie deficit?
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Vanessa explains why protein and resistance training are most powerful when used together, why at least two whole-body resistance-training sessions per week can provide an effective starting point, and how training tells the body where the amino acids from dietary protein are needed.
She also unpacks Dr. Breen's research comparing whey and pea protein in middle-aged and older adults. Whey produced a greater leucine response—but did that translate into more muscle protein synthesis over the complete 10-day intervention?
The full results were more nuanced than a simple animal-versus-plant-protein conclusion. They also revealed something potentially even more important about the effect of resistance training on the muscle's ability to use the protein being consumed.
Vanessa finishes with Dr. Breen's fascinating prehabilitation research showing that a single resistance-training session helped protect older adults' muscle during five days of bed rest, emerging evidence on whey protein and glycemic control, and the essential questions anyone using a GLP-1 medication should consider to help protect muscle and improve the quality of their weight loss.
In this episode:
Vanessa's latest postpartum fat-loss and body-recomposition update
How she lost five pounds during her first two weeks of gentle dieting
Why those five pounds are unlikely to represent body fat alone
The four simple swaps that reduced her intake by approximately 150–200 calories per day
Why she expects her rate of weight loss to slow from here
How she is approaching fat loss while exclusively breastfeeding
Why she is deliberately giving herself a longer fat-loss runway
Her goal of protecting her muscle—and potentially more facial fat and collagen—this time
Why she is waiting until Taylor begins solid foods before reintroducing PSMF days
How three to four weekly resistance-training sessions are supporting her body recomposition
Why she plans to complete another DEXA scan at the end of the process
Why losing weight and improving body composition are not necessarily the same thing
How much lean mass may be lost during significant weight loss
Why lean mass loss is not always identical to contractile-muscle loss
What may happen to body composition when lost weight is regained
The potential consequences of losing fat and muscle but regaining predominantly fat
Why the scale should not be your only measure of progress
DEXA scans, measurements, strength, performance, photographs and clothing fit
Why muscle preservation must be built into a fat-loss plan from the beginning
Is 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram enough during weight loss?
When 2–2.2 grams per kilogram may provide additional muscle protection
Why the conventional protein RDA should not be treated as an optimal fat-loss target
When goal weight, adjusted body weight or estimated lean mass may provide a more appropriate calculation
Why protein and resistance training work better together
How training helps your muscles use the amino acids you consume
Why two whole-body resistance-training sessions per week can be an effective starting point
How to begin resistance training without a complicated program or gym membership
Why breakfast may be the most important protein meal to improve
The potential benefits of approximately 0.4 grams of protein per kilogram per meal
How to create a breakfast containing approximately 25–40 grams of protein
Why two eggs may not provide as much protein as many people assume
When protein's appetite-suppressing effect is helpful—and when it may not be
Why an enormous protein shake could be counterproductive for a frail older adult with a low appetite
Whey protein vs. pea protein in Dr. Breen's latest research
Why whey produced a greater leucine response
Did the higher leucine response produce more muscle protein synthesis?
Why well-planned plant protein can still support muscle remodeling
When protein quality may become more consequential
Why nothing has consistently outperformed whey protein
Why whey can be especially efficient when calories or appetite are limited
The benefits of a "food first, but not food always" approach
When a protein supplement can be a practical tool
Why ingredient quality and third-party testing matter
Could one resistance-training session help protect muscle for five days?
What prehabilitation may mean before planned surgery or predictable inactivity
How Vanessa used a similar strategy before delivering her babies
Why building muscle now creates a reserve for future illness, injury or inactivity
Can whey protein help improve post-meal glycemic control?
Why the idea that whey is automatically bad for blood sugar because it stimulates insulin is overly simplistic
Previous research using approximately 15 grams of whey with or before carbohydrate-rich meals
Dr. Breen's ongoing trial in adults over 75 with obesity and type 2 diabetes
The difference between completed findings and promising ongoing research
Why protein, resistance training and diet quality become more important—not less—when using a GLP-1 medication
The questions every GLP-1 user should consider about protein, strength, fiber, micronutrients and long-term maintenance
Vanessa's practical action plan for losing fat while protecting muscle
BACK TO SCHOOL SALE! For a limited time, save 40% sitewide at ketogenicgirl.com with code BACKTOSCHOOL40, including the Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting Library, ToneLUX Red Light Therapy Collection, and Tone Breath Ketone Analyzer.
Australia, New Zealand & Southeast Asia: Save 75% on available ToneLUX and Tone products during the warehouse moving sale with code WAREHOUSE75, while supplies last.
Follow @ketogenicgirl and @optimalproteinpodcast on Instagram to see visuals and posts mentioned on this podcast.
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The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet, supplements or exercise regimen.

When the scale goes down, how much of that weight is actually body fat—and how much could be metabolically active muscle?
BACK TO SCHOOL SALE! For a limited time, save 40% sitewide at ketogenicgirl.com with code BACKTOSCHOOL40, including the Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting Library, ToneLUX Red Light Therapy Collection, and Tone Breath Ketone Analyzer.
Australia, New Zealand & Southeast Asia: Save 75% on available ToneLUX and Tone products during the warehouse moving sale with code WAREHOUSE75, while supplies last.
In today's episode of the Optimal Protein Podcast, Vanessa welcomes leading protein and muscle researcher Dr. Leigh Breen back to discuss how to protect lean mass during weight loss.
They examine an important concern surrounding traditional dieting and GLP-1-assisted weight loss: people may lose muscle alongside body fat, yet regain predominantly fat afterward. Could repeated cycles of weight loss and regain ultimately leave someone with worse body composition?
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Vanessa and Dr. Breen also explore how much protein we may actually need, whey versus plant protein, anabolic resistance, the importance of leucine, and why breakfast may be the biggest missed opportunity for protein.
They also discuss his fascinating "prehabilitation" research showing how one resistance-training session helped protect older adults' muscle during five days of bed rest.
In this episode, they discuss:
• How much protein may help preserve muscle during weight loss
• Why scale weight cannot reveal whether you are losing fat or muscle
• Muscle loss during GLP-1-assisted weight loss
• What may happen when lost weight is regained
• Protein and resistance training for protecting lean mass
• Whey versus pea protein for muscle anabolism
• Why the leucine response matters
• When protein quality becomes increasingly important
• What anabolic resistance is and how to overcome it
• How much protein older adults may need per meal
• Why breakfast is often the weakest link in protein intake
• How one workout before bed rest helped protect muscle
• The potential benefits of "prehab" before planned inactivity
• How whey protein may support post-meal glucose control
If your goal is to lose body fat while preserving metabolically active muscle, this episode explains why the quality of your weight loss matters just as much as the number on the scale.
Today's episode is brought to you by Cure Hydration.
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Follow @ketogenicgirl and @optimalproteinpodcast on Instagram to see visuals and posts mentioned on this podcast.
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The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet, supplements, or exercise regimen.

Vanessa breaks down the most surprising and practical lessons from her recent conversation with Dr. Amanda Paluch on daily steps, walking, cardiovascular health, longevity, fat loss, and body recomposition.
She also shares a personal update on her current postpartum fat-loss journey — including exactly what she is doing right now, how much progress she has made, what she is prioritizing with calories, protein, resistance training and daily movement, and why she has decided not to rush back into PSMF days just yet.
One of the biggest themes from the Amanda Paluch conversation is that the way many of us think about daily steps may be far more rigid than the science actually supports.
Vanessa unpacks the surprising origin of the 10,000-step goal, what the research really suggests about how much movement is enough, and why your current step count may be more meaningful than you think.
BACK TO SCHOOL SALE! For a limited time, save 40% sitewide at ketogenicgirl.com with code BACKTOSCHOOL40, including the Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting Library, ToneLUX Red Light Therapy Collection, and Tone Breath Ketone Analyzer.
Australia, New Zealand & Southeast Asia: Save 75% on available ToneLUX and Tone products during the warehouse moving sale with code WAREHOUSE75, while supplies last.
Vanessa also explores why the people doing the least activity may actually have the most to gain, whether you really need long dedicated walks, and how everyday movement fits into a smart fat-loss and body-recomposition strategy.
She also breaks down how walking works alongside resistance training, why more is not always better, and which common assumptions about intensity, timing, step trackers, and daily movement may not hold up the way you expect.
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The episode finishes with a look at sedentary behavior, the "active couch potato" phenomenon, walking after meals, wearable accuracy, and why movement may be doing much more for your health than simply burning calories.
In this episode:
Vanessa's current fat-loss and body-recomposition update
How much progress she has made so far
Exactly what she is doing right now
Why she is deliberately taking a slower postpartum approach
Why she is waiting before bringing PSMF days back in
Do you really need 10,000 steps per day?
Where did the 10,000-step goal actually come from?
How much movement may be enough for meaningful health benefits?
Why starting from a lower baseline may matter more than you think
Do household steps really count?
Walking pads vs. outdoor walking
Does walking faster actually matter?
Is more always better?
How walking fits into fat loss and body recomposition
Why resistance training and daily movement serve different roles
What is an "active couch potato"?
How much can you trust your Apple Watch, Fitbit, or Garmin?
Does it matter when you walk?
Are post-meal walks uniquely beneficial?
Why movement supports far more than weight loss
Protein Powder Guide
BACK TO SCHOOL SALE! For a limited time, save 40% sitewide at ketogenicgirl.com with code BACKTOSCHOOL40, including the Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting Library, ToneLUX Red Light Therapy Collection, and Tone Breath Ketone Analyzer.
Australia, New Zealand & Southeast Asia: Save 75% on available ToneLUX and Tone products during the warehouse moving sale with code WAREHOUSE75, while supplies last.
Follow @ketogenicgirl and @optimalproteinpodcast on Instagram to see visuals and posts mentioned on this podcast.
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The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet, supplements, or exercise regimen.

How many steps do you actually need every day—and do you really need 10,000 steps to support fat loss, health and body recomposition?
BACK TO SCHOOL SALE! For a limited time, save 40% sitewide at ketogenicgirl.com with code BACKTOSCHOOL40, including the Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting Library, ToneLUX Red Light Therapy Collection, and Tone Breath Ketone Analyzer.
Australia, New Zealand & Southeast Asia: Save 75% on available ToneLUX and Tone products during the warehouse moving sale with code WAREHOUSE75, while supplies last.
In today's episode of the Optimal Protein Podcast, Vanessa sits down with physical activity researcher Dr. Amanda Paluch to unpack what the science really says about daily steps, walking, energy expenditure, appetite, fat loss and longevity.
One of the biggest surprises? The famous 10,000-steps-per-day goal was not originally based on scientific research.
Vanessa and Dr. Paluch dive into what the latest research actually suggests about optimal daily step counts, why benefits can occur well below 10,000 steps, and how walking can fit into a smart body-recomposition strategy.
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They also explore why adding more activity does not always lead to the amount of weight loss we might mathematically expect, how the body can compensate for increases in energy expenditure, and why low levels of daily movement may affect appetite regulation and fat gain.
In this episode, they discuss:
• Where the 10,000-steps-per-day recommendation actually came from
• Whether 10,000 steps is really necessary
• How many daily steps are associated with meaningful health benefits
• Why the ideal step target may differ depending on age
• Whether benefits continue increasing beyond 10,000 steps
• Why increasing steps from a very low baseline may provide especially large benefits
• Walking and daily energy expenditure
• How increasing daily movement can support fat loss
• The role of steps during a body-recomposition phase
• Why exercise sometimes produces less weight loss than expected
• Energy compensation and how the body responds to increased activity
• Whether increased exercise can influence appetite and food intake
• The relationship between sedentary behavior, appetite regulation and fat gain
• NEAT and why movement outside of formal workouts matters
• Whether walking speed matters as much as total step count
• Step volume versus exercise intensity
• Whether sitting less matters even if you already exercise
• Why walking and resistance training serve different purposes for body composition
• Whether you need to hit the same step target every day
• Simple, realistic ways to increase daily movement without adding another formal workout
If your goal is to lose body fat while preserving or building metabolically active muscle, this episode breaks down one of the simplest and most accessible tools available: walking.
And perhaps most importantly, you do not need to be perfect or hit an arbitrary number every single day. Moving from less activity to more activity can be incredibly meaningful—and the biggest gains may come simply from getting off the lowest end of the activity spectrum.
BACK TO SCHOOL SALE! For a limited time, save 40% sitewide at ketogenicgirl.com with code BACKTOSCHOOL40, including the Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting Library, ToneLUX Red Light Therapy Collection, and Tone Breath Ketone Analyzer.
Australia, New Zealand & Southeast Asia: Save 75% on available ToneLUX and Tone products during the warehouse moving sale with code WAREHOUSE75, while supplies last.
Follow @ketogenicgirl and @optimalproteinpodcast on Instagram to see visuals and posts mentioned on this podcast.
Link to join the Facebook group for the podcast
The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet, supplements, or exercise regimen.

Vanessa breaks down 7 of the biggest science-backed lessons from her recent conversation with Dr. Cassandra Evans on protein, body recomposition, fat loss, muscle preservation, genetics, caffeine, and women's iron health.
BACK TO SCHOOL SALE! For a limited time, save 40% sitewide at ketogenicgirl.com with code BACKTOSCHOOL40, including the Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting Library, ToneLUX Red Light Therapy Collection, and Tone Breath Ketone Analyzer.
Australia, New Zealand & Southeast Asia: Save 75% on available ToneLUX and Tone products during the warehouse moving sale with code WAREHOUSE75, while supplies last.
Vanessa explains why higher protein intake becomes especially important during fat loss, how it can help preserve lean mass, improve satiety, and in some cases even support muscle gain while losing body fat.
She also breaks down protein-overfeeding research suggesting that extra calories from protein may affect body composition differently than overfeeding on fat or carbohydrates.
Create your own custom protein blend at truenutrition.com/vanessa and use code VANESSA for 20% off your first order. Let Vanessa know what your custom blend is! Now shipping internationally.
Vanessa also covers why high-protein diets do not appear to harm bone health, how the FTO "obesity gene" may influence hunger and food intake, and why regular exercise may reduce some of the differences associated with genetic risk.
The episode finishes with caffeine myths, energy drinks, lactoferrin, hepcidin, and emerging research around iron status in women.
In this episode:
How much protein do you need during fat loss?
Can you gain muscle while losing body fat?
Why higher protein helps preserve lean mass
Protein, satiety, and diet adherence
What protein-overfeeding studies reveal
 
BACK TO SCHOOL SALE! For a limited time, save 40% sitewide at ketogenicgirl.com with code BACKTOSCHOOL40, including the Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting Library, ToneLUX Red Light Therapy Collection, and Tone Breath Ketone Analyzer.
Australia, New Zealand & Southeast Asia: Save 75% on available ToneLUX and Tone products during the warehouse moving sale with code WAREHOUSE75, while supplies last.
Follow @ketogenicgirl and @optimalproteinpodcast on Instagram to see visuals and posts mentioned on this podcast.
Link to join the Facebook group for the podcast
The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet, supplements, or exercise regimen.