Get Your Lean On with Coach Tony

10/30/2026

CARBOHYDRATES ARE NOT AN ESSENTIAL NUTRIENT!

A client told me their high school child was taught in nutrition class that we need to eat carbohydrates because that’s where our energy comes from, and that it’s unhealthy to go without them. If that’s how the information was presented, it’s incorrect, and it’s a distinction I addressed years ago in my book, Stop Dieting & Start Eating.

Dietary carbohydrates are not an essential nutrient. In nutrition, “essential” means the body needs a substance but can’t manufacture enough of it internally, so it must come from food. Protein supplies essential amino acids, and fat supplies essential fatty acids. Unlike essential amino acids and essential fatty acids, there is no carbohydrate that must be obtained from the diet, because the body can manufacture glucose when dietary carbohydrate is insufficient, provided adequate nutrition is available.

That process is called gluconeogenesis. Primarily in the liver, with the kidneys also contributing, the body makes glucose from certain amino acids, glycerol released during fat breakdown, and lactate. The distinction matters here, glycerol can become glucose, while most fatty acids cannot be converted into glucose in meaningful net amounts. Fatty acids provide fuel directly and can support ketone production, giving the body additional ways to meet its energy demands.

Vegetables also contain carbohydrates. Eating fewer starches doesn’t mean you’re eating no carbohydrates, and you don’t have to eat bread, pasta, rice, or potatoes simply to have energy.
Vegetables can be your main dietary carbohydrate source while protein and fat supply the rest of your nutrition and fuel.

Obtaining energy from carbohydrates does not make them an essential nutrient. Requiring glucose is not the same as requiring dietary starch, and carbohydrates do not supply all our energy. The body uses several fuels and can produce glucose through gluconeogenesis. Starchy foods can be useful, but they aren’t a biological requirement for keeping the body energized or alive.

Carbohydrates provide energy, vegetables provide carbohydrates, and starches are optional sources of fuel. Dietary carbohydrates are not an essential nutrient, and nutrition education should make that distinction clear and stop confusing a useful but nonessential energy source with an essential nutrient.

10/29/2026

I HAVE SOME BAD NEWS FOR MY FRIENDS AND FOLLOWERS…

My final program of the year, the 6-Week Holiday Blast, is officially FULL!

Both the 2-day and 3-day-per-week programs are completely booked. And when I say full, I mean MAXED OUT!

Thank you to everyone who continues to put your trust in me as your Fitness and Nutrition Coach. You have choices, and I never take it lightly when you choose to work with me.

I bring confidence, commitment, and a 40-plus-year track record of helping people build strength, transform their bodies, and improve their health. When you commit to working with me, you can count on me being committed to YOU.

HOWEVER… THERE IS A SILVER LINING!

If you hesitated to pull the trigger and missed your opportunity, your next chance starts Monday, January 4, with my first 8-Week Body Transformation Program of 2027!

This is ONE-ON-ONE PERSONALIZED TRAINING, not group training. Your sessions are dedicated to YOU, with workouts tailored to your abilities, your goals, and your progress. That individual attention is also why my available spots are limited.

Imagine starting the new year knowing you already have your spot, your coach, and a clear plan. No more guessing what to eat or wandering through workouts wondering whether you’re making progress. Just personalized coaching, structured strength training, and nutrition guidance designed to help you move toward your goals.

You bring the effort and the willingness to follow through. I’ll bring the experience, accountability, and support to help you make that commitment count.

If you’re ready to transform your body and your health, GET ON THE LIST NOW.

These programs fill fast, and once my schedule is full, it’s full. Don’t let another opportunity pass while you’re waiting for the “perfect time.”

Message me to get your name on the list for January 4. Let’s give you something to look forward to and something to work toward!

10/28/2026

WHAT’S THE SKINNY ON BANANAS?
I have heard several health advocates online recommend bananas to people with metabolic conditions like insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. I even heard one guy say, “You can’t get fat eating bananas.”

WOW! A little brush up on nutrition and physiology wouldn’t hurt!

So here is the skinny, no pun intended, on bananas.

When bananas are green, they contain more resistant starch. That means a portion of their starch resists digestion in the small intestine and reaches the colon, where it can feed beneficial gut bacteria. Greener bananas generally have a lot less readily available sugar than ripe bananas, so they have way less effect on blood sugar.

As a banana ripens from green to yellow, much of that starch breaks down into sugars, including glucose, fructose, and sucrose. The banana becomes sweeter as its carbohydrate makeup changes.
For someone trying to lose weight, managing insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes, ripeness makes a big difference. I am not saying that a banana here and there can’t fit into someone’s healthy lifestyle, but recommending them without explaining those details leaves out a big part of the picture.

Know what you’re eating, understand how it fits your plan, and pay attention to how your body responds. That’s a lot more useful than being told, “You can’t get fat eating bananas.” Bananas, like other fruits, provide nutrients, but their sugar content can sabotage your weight loss journey or blood sugar control if not monitored correctly.

10/27/2026

When you get your blood work back, how much attention goes to your cholesterol numbers, and how much goes to understanding your overall cardiovascular risk?

Those of you who follow me know I believe we need to look at the bigger picture. Cholesterol deserves attention, but so do blood pressure, blood sugar, smoking, family history, physical activity, and the other factors that influence cardiovascular health. We should understand what our numbers mean and how they fit together before assuming one result tells the whole story.

That’s why I wrote “When Did Cholesterol Become the Disease?” My goal is to explain why our bodies need cholesterol, what those laboratory results can tell us, and why assessing cardiovascular risk requires more than looking at a single number.

Take a few minutes to read it. I want you to understand the conversation and feel comfortable asking questions about your own health. 👇👇👇

Understanding What Your Cholesterol Numbers Really Mean & What Actually Drives Cardiovascular Risk For decades, millions of Americans have been taught to look at their blood work and immediately associate higher cholesterol with danger and lower cholesterol with better health. Total cholesterol is h...

10/25/2026

We’ll spend thousands maintaining a vehicle we can eventually replace,yet put off caring for the body that carries us through life. Why does protecting our possessions often come more naturally than protecting our health? Years ago, I asked audiences a simple question at my wellness presentations that brought this into focus. It’s a question worth asking yourself. 👇

What a Simple Trip to the Gas Station Can Teach Us About Nutrition, Health, and Longevity Years ago, while speaking at corporate wellness presentations and seminars, I used to ask audiences a simple question that always sparked interesting conversation. “If your vehicle requires regular unleaded g...

10/23/2026

SATURATED FAT: IS THE SCIENCE FINALLY TELLING A DIFFERENT STORY?

I saw an interesting article on MSN about foods to avoid to lower LDL cholesterol and protect your heart. And, right on cue, saturated fat was singled out as a main culprit. It’s a familiar message, but one that leaves out a great deal about the foods we eat and how they affect our health. So, I thought I’d try to set the record straight.

For decades, saturated fat was presented as one of the main villains in our food supply. Butter, beef, cheese and whole fat dairy became foods people were taught to fear. The message was straightforward: saturated fat raises “bad” cholesterol, high cholesterol clogs your arteries, and avoiding these foods protects your heart.

But does that simple message tell the whole story?

Research has increasingly challenged the idea that we can judge a food’s effects on health simply by counting its grams of saturated fat. The source of that fat, the nutrients packaged with it, the overall eating pattern and the metabolic health of the individual all deserve consideration. Saturated fat content alone doesn’t justify treating a food as something everyone needs to avoid.

SATURATED FAT ISN’T A MODERN INVENTION

Humans were eating naturally occurring saturated fat long before anyone created a cholesterol test or printed a nutrition label. It’s a natural component of many foods people have eaten for generations, including meat, eggs and dairy.

Yet the public message became so broad that these foods were often judged primarily by their fat content, with little discussion about their nutritional value or their place in the overall diet.
That’s an oversimplification worth questioning.

THE SOURCE OF SATURATED FAT MATTERS

Consider a packaged muffin alongside eggs or a serving of beef. All can contain saturated fat, but they bring very different combinations of nutrients and ingredients to the table.

The muffin commonly combines fat with refined flour and added sugar. Eggs provide quality protein and choline, while beef supplies protein, iron, zinc and vitamin B12. Dairy can provide protein and calcium, and foods such as yogurt and cheese also undergo fermentation. Counting saturated fat grams alone overlooks those differences.

Deep fried foods introduce additional considerations, including what’s being fried, the oil used, cooking temperature and repeated oil reuse. Their effects cannot be explained simply by whether they contain saturated fat.

The saturated fat molecule doesn’t become a different substance because it’s in a muffin. What changes is the surrounding food, including the mixture of fatty acids, protein, carbohydrates, minerals and physical structure. Researchers call this the “food matrix,” and it helps explain why foods containing similar amounts of saturated fat can affect the body differently.

A 2020 review in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology examined this broader evidence and questioned blanket restrictions on foods rich in saturated fat. Its authors emphasized that different saturated fatty acids have different biological effects and that the foods carrying them deserve attention. The review discussed whole fat dairy and other foods whose relationships with cardiovascular disease weren’t adequately explained by their saturated fat content alone.

That challenges the message many people grew up hearing: if it contains saturated fat, avoid it.

“LOW FAT” DOESN’T AUTOMATICALLY MEAN HEALTHIER

Removing fat from a food doesn’t automatically improve its nutritional value. A product can be low in fat and still contain substantial amounts of added sugar or refined starch. Protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and the complete ingredient list deserve attention.

Foods containing naturally occurring saturated fat can fit into a healthy diet without needing to be replaced simply because they contain it. A claim on the front of a package tells us far less than an examination of the food itself.

SATURATED FAT AND INDUSTRIAL TRANS FATS ARE DIFFERENT

Naturally occurring saturated fat shouldn’t be confused with industrial trans fats created through partial hydrogenation. These are chemically different fats with different effects on health. Industrial trans fats are an established cardiovascular hazard and should be avoided.

Lumping them together under a general warning about “bad fats” creates confusion. Clear nutrition education should explain that distinction.

HEART HEALTH REQUIRES A BIGGER PICTURE

The familiar labels “good cholesterol” and “bad cholesterol” make the conversation sound simpler than it is.

LDL cholesterol measures the cholesterol carried inside LDL particles. ApoB provides information about the number of circulating particles capable of contributing to plaque buildup. Two people can have similar LDL cholesterol measurements and different particle numbers. When LDL cholesterol and ApoB give different impressions of risk, that risk often aligns more closely with ApoB.

Triglycerides and HDL provide additional information about metabolic health. Elevated triglycerides combined with low HDL commonly accompany insulin resistance, a condition that affects how the body handles glucose and fats.

Visceral fat, the fat surrounding internal organs, is also associated with insulin resistance, inflammation and increased cardiovascular risk. Waist circumference can help identify abdominal fat accumulation that a bathroom scale alone may overlook.

A thorough assessment considers these findings alongside blood pressure, blood sugar, smoking, family history and other contributors to risk. Looking at them together helps us understand the person behind the bloodwork. Reducing that discussion to whether someone eats butter or beef leaves too much unexplained.

STOP FEARING FOODS AND START UNDERSTANDING THEM

As a CMT, CNS and Metabolic Health Specialist, I believe people deserve nutrition education that helps them make informed decisions without turning individual foods into villains.

Naturally occurring saturated fat can be part of a healthy diet. Eggs, beef and dairy deserve to be evaluated as complete foods, with attention to their nutritional value, their place in our meals and their effects on our health.

The lesson is to look beyond a single nutrient. Understand the food you’re eating, build consistent habits and pay attention to your metabolic health.

A packaged muffin and a plate of eggs don’t become nutritionally equivalent because they contain the same grams of saturated fat. Our nutrition advice should recognize that difference and help people understand it.

10/22/2026

WHAT DOES COMMITMENT REALLY MEAN?

This is the meaning of commitment: making a promise or firm decision to give your time, effort and attention to someone or something, and taking responsibility for following through. It goes beyond saying something matters. It means consistently showing through your actions that it matters, even when doing so becomes difficult, uncomfortable or inconvenient.

That’s a statement worth pondering!

We often talk about commitment in terms of our marriages, families, friendships and careers. But how much attention do we give to the promises we make to ourselves? The ones about taking care of our health, changing a habit, setting a boundary or finally following through on something we know matters.

It’s easy to make a commitment when we’re motivated and everything feels manageable. Its meaning becomes clearer when we’re tired, distracted, uncomfortable or faced with something we’d rather do. In those moments, we decide how much weight our word carries.

Every time we follow through on a promise to ourselves, we give ourselves evidence that we can be trusted. When we repeatedly dismiss those promises, we can begin to doubt our own intentions. Eventually, “I’m going to do this” becomes something we say without fully believing it.

That pattern can reach beyond our personal goals. The habit of avoiding difficult conversations, putting things off or letting discomfort make our decisions can affect our health, finances, work and relationships. Our choices rarely stay confined to one area of life.

At the same time, someone can be dependable for everyone else while continually putting themselves last. They show up for their spouse, children, friends and employer, but treat their own needs as optional. If that sounds familiar, ask yourself why a promise to someone else deserves more respect than a promise to you.

True commitment requires an honest decision about what you’re willing to take responsibility for. It means understanding what that decision asks of you and making room for it in your daily life. Wanting better health means little until you begin protecting time for the habits that support it. Wanting a stronger relationship requires attention, communication and effort, including on the days those things are difficult.

Commitment also requires judgment. An injury may change how you exercise. A family emergency may change your schedule. Following through sometimes means adjusting your approach while continuing to honor what you set out to do.

And when you fall short, commitment asks you to take responsibility. Acknowledge what happened, make the needed adjustment and return to the work. One missed day doesn’t have to become a decision to give up.

Start with a promise you can realistically keep. Give it a place in your schedule. Follow through often enough that your actions begin to support your words. That’s how trust in yourself grows.

Your commitments reveal what you’re willing to protect, prioritize and work for. Make sure you’re included among the people who can count on you. Otherwise, you risk staying stuck in a cycle of starting over, revisiting the same goals without making meaningful, noticeable progress.

10/20/2026

When was the last time you looked beyond the promises on the front of your supplement bottles? Before you assume your daily routine is giving your body what it needs, it’s worth understanding what you’re taking, why you’re taking it and how you chose it. In this article, I’ll walk you through the questions I believe everyone should ask before buying another supplement.

Millions of people take dietary supplements every day in hopes of improving their health. Multivitamins, vitamin D, magnesium, fish oil, vitamin C, calcium, B vitamins and countless other products fill medicine cabinets and kitchen cupboards across America, and for many people, taking them has simpl...

10/18/2026

You may know your A1C number, but do you know what it’s actually telling you? In this article, I break down the biology in plain English, explain how that percentage is formed and show why it represents more than simply how much sugar you’ve eaten. Understanding your numbers starts with understanding your body.

Most people who have had blood work done have probably heard of A1C. If you have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, you may know your A1C better than you know your cholesterol numbers. You’re told it was 5.7, 6.5, 7.0 or maybe higher, and usually you’re told whether that number is good, concerning ...

10/16/2026

Did you know that over 50% of all your daily calories in the Standard American Diet (SAD) come from just three sources: sugar, grains and industrialized seed oils