I’m reviewing Vertical Protein, and they’re just a class act. They sent me a handwritten letter with their protein water!

Here are their flavors:

Berry Blitz
Lemon Ice
Tropical Crush
Cherry Lime
Razz Lemonade

MACROS: They’re the same for each flavor:

✅ 80 calories
✅ 20g of protein (passes the protein test)
✅ Every single calorie in this drink comes from the protein

INGREDIENTS: Unless you’re being extremely scrutinizing with the natural flavors, this is a very “clean” drink, if you want to use that terminology.

TASTE: They’re really good! Very refreshing, and it doesn’t even taste like I’m drinking a protein drink.

Overall, this is a great choice for the summer. Tastes great, and it gives you 20g of protein for just 80 calories. Doesn’t get any better than that.

Have you tried any protein waters? If not, Vertical Protein is worth a try.

Are fitness trackers accurate? Yes and no. Let me explain.

Here’s where fitness trackers are accurate:

✅ Steps
✅ Average heart rate
✅ Activity level

Here’s where they’re not:

❌ Calorie burn
❌ Quality of sleep

A Stanford analysis looked at all wearables, and they found that they were inaccurate around 20-70% of the time, depending on the wearable.

So if you have a wearable, keep using it to track your steps, heart rate, and activity level. But don’t expect it to give you an accurate measurement of how many calories you’ve burned.

TELL ME: Has your fitness tracker given you inaccurate results? Let me know in the comments. ⬇️

There are hundreds of protein bars out there. Some of them are great, others are not.

Here are my top 5 in-store protein bars based on macros, taste, and ingredients.

1️⃣ Barebells
200 calories, 20g protein, 3g fiber

2️⃣ David Protein
150 calories, 28g protein, 0g fiber

3️⃣ Quest
190 calories, 20g protein, 11g fiber

4️⃣ One Brands
210 calories, 20g protein, 7g fiber

5️⃣ Pure Protein
200 calories, 20g protein, 1g fiber

Did your favorite make the list? Send this to a friend and let me know your favorite protein bar in the comments below. 👇

Want to prioritize your training? Start with the part of your body that you’re looking to improve the most.

For example, if I want to improve my back for appearance, function, or posture, I would start with a back movement first.

If your priority is your biceps, whether it’s for carrying a 1-year-old around like me, or you simply want to look good when you flex, then start with your biceps first.

Yes, I know it’s blasphemy to start with a smaller muscle group before the larger ones, but if that’s your priority, start there.

If your priority is your shoulders, whether it’s for posture or because great delts make your waist look smaller and are great for aesthetics, then train your shoulders first.

Prioritize the muscle group you want to improve the most by training it first.

If you’re interested in my coaching program that has gotten thousands of people into the best shape of their lives, hop on a call with me. 📞 Click the link in bio to book your call today.

Tired of macro-friendly dinner options that leave you feeling dead on the inside? Try my slow cooker lean turkey chili.

This is part of my slow cooker series where I show you how to meal prep multiple meals, or you can make dinner for your whole family (this recipe makes 5 servings). Trust me, they’ll love it even if they’re not dieting.

This meal is healthy, has great macros, and is really convenient. It only takes 10 minutes to prep and 4 hours on high in a slow cooker. Or you can leave it in the cooker all day on low, and it will be ready for dinner when you get home from work.

Click the 🔗 in bio to watch the full video on my YouTube channel.

Here’s the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs 94/6 lean ground turkey
1 can kidney or black beans
1 can (14-15oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (14-15oz) crushed tomatoes
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 medium sweet potato (small dice)
1 medium onion (diced)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1t sp smoked paprika
½ – 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
½ tbsp black pepper
1 tsp salt (to taste)

MACROS PER SERVING:
440 calories, 45g protein, 12g fiber

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Brown the meat, then add to the slow cooker.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker.
3. Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours.
4. Serve and enjoy.

Tired of macro-friendly dinner options that leave you feeling dead on the inside? Try my high protein slow cooker lean turkey chili.

This chili is the perfect meal prep recipe to hit your macros without sacrificing flavor. It makes 5 servings and checks every box: high protein, high fiber, easy to make, and family friendly.

MACROS (per serving):
440 calories
45g protein
12g fiber

🛒 INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs 94/6 lean ground turkey
1 can kidney or black beans
1 can (14-15oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (14-15oz) crushed tomatoes
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 medium sweet potato (small dice)
1 medium onion (diced)
1 tbsp tomato paste

🌶️ SEASONINGS:
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
3 cloves garlic (minced)
½ – 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
½ tbsp black pepper
1 tsp salt (to taste)

👨‍🍳 INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Heat a skillet over medium heat, spray with avocado oil, and brown the ground turkey. Season with low sodium taco seasoning and potassium salt while cooking. You don’t need to fully cook the meat,  just brown it.
2. Add the browned turkey to your slow cooker.
3. Add black beans, crushed tomatoes, sweet potato, onion, chicken broth, and tomato paste.
4. Stir in minced garlic and all seasonings.
5. Mix everything together, cover, and cook on HIGH for 4 hours.
6. Serve and enjoy, or portion into 5 meal prep containers.

✅ WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
This recipe is built around my “Protein Test.” A protein source passes if it contains 240 calories or fewer per 24g of protein AND has less than 4g of saturated fat per 4 oz. 94/6 lean ground turkey passes with flying colors. Black beans and sweet potato add slow-digesting carbs, serious fiber, and micronutrients that keep you full and support long-term health.

👉 If you want to start taking your fitness and nutrition seriously, go to JacobZemer.com to learn more about my coaching program.

Client Spotlight: Alex Aguero has 2 kids under the age of 10 and travels all the time for work. And yet, during one of the most demanding times of his life, he lost nearly 50 lbs.

Alex has been an absolute joy to work with. He is highly coachable, eager to learn, and deeply committed to reaching his health and fitness goals.

We initiated his first fat loss phase with outstanding success, strategically incorporating maintenance weeks to allow flexibility around holidays, events, and travel. We recently completed an extended maintenance phase to mitigate diet fatigue and reinforce the fat loss he worked so hard to achieve.

At this point, Alex has truly learned the language of nutrition and is well-equipped to navigate maintenance independently. He plans to enter another fat loss phase when the time is right. We will continue to level up his training together!

From the beginning, Alex understood that this would be a marathon, not a sprint, and he has approached every step of the journey with intention, consistency, and grit.

“Jacob has been a huge help in not only exercise programming but education around how to be successful in all facets of this journey.

I travel a minimum of once a month for work and have 2 children under 10 playing their respective sports. I somehow got in the best shape I’ve ever been during the most demanding phase of my life.

What Jacob preaches is 100% confirmed. I’m just a regular guy that listened and got results!”

Incredible work, Alex! 👏👏

Are you ready to transform your body and get into the best shape of your life? Click the 🔗 in bio to learn more about my coaching program.

You can lose weight when you eat the right foods in the right portions. Try these easy proteins to help you hit your weight loss goals.

MEAT
Tuna
Rotisserie Chicken
Smoked Salmon
JustBare Chicken Tenders

DAIRY
Chobani Nonfat Greek Yogurt
Cottage Cheese
Cabot Cheese Sticks
Hard Boiled Eggs

SNACKS
ArcherJerky Meat Sticks
Quest Chips
Barebells Protein Bars
Nurri Premade Shakes

Want to look and feel your best? Click the 🔗 in bio to transform your body with my coaching program.

You can lose fat and still love the food you’re eating.

I’ve been on a 1,000/day calorie deficit for the past 8 weeks, and I have foods every day that I look forward to:

– Coffee and dark chocolate
– Beef bowl with cauliflower rice
– Turkey chili with jalapeños or banana peppers
– Santa Cruz Organic no-stir peanut butter

Find ways to love your diet and incorporate foods you actually like eating.

I’m a coach who has helped thousands of people get into the best shape of their lives, and I build meal templates for them based on their food preferences.

The only way you’re going to have long term success with fat loss is by loving your diet.

Ready to transform your body while still loving the foods you eat? Click the link in bio to get started with my coaching program.

Felt cute, might delete later.

About five years ago I started noticing my hair was thinning in the back. My first stop was to @drcarloswesley who I still to this day swear is the best in NYC.

He felt my hair could be saved or at least postponed from a hair transplant. The fact is even if you get a hair transplant you still need to do things like low laser light treatment and/or hair spray daily.

Here is my current hair loss protocol:

1) Topical Finasteride Dutasteride – by far the biggest game changer. Take this topical so it only binds to the receptor cells, not systemically, to protect hormones.

2) Tretinoin – the second biggest impact. Take a low dose for your hair, I use .0025, to not agitate my scalp. I apply the cream to where I’m thinning and then at least 45 minutes later I apply my spray.

3) Derma Rolling – this is actually very effective. However, I don’t do it. If you’re looking for a very cost effective method, this is it. 15 minutes every other day. Put the cream on, and then 45 minutes after that, spray.

4) Oral Minoxidil – you want to take the pill as it’s more effective. I take 2.5mg daily. I would rank this as fourth.

5) Nizoral Anti Dandruff – there are keto shampoos but I didn’t see an impact. However, I do have a dry scalp and I found using this product every other day helpful.

6) Low Laser Light Therapy – I bought the Theradome PRO LH80 because of clinical data and FDA approval. You want the lasers approximately at 630–660nm range and the joules to be approximately 3–6 J/cm² per session. More isn’t better. I should Derma Roll but I can’t do work simultaneously with that.

6. Revita Extra Strength Hair Density – I use it for the deshedding priorities. However, this isn’t as scientifically substantiated. Anecdotally I have noticed I shed less since using it nightly. In the evenings, I use anti dandruff shampoo afterwards.

7. PRP annually – I did this three years in a row. Not worth it in my opinion. Spray, tretinoin, Derma rolling and pill all were more effective in my opinion. Other people may have had a different experience with this but I’ve worked with a lot of clients who have used these treatments.

🏆Hair Transplant – I’ve seen miracles work. So far I’m still fighting off hair loss without it.

Looking for high protein foods that are low in calories? Check out this grocery haul from Sams Club, perfect for busy families trying to stay healthy.

PROTEIN
Grass-Fed Tenderloin
Chicken Breasts
Wild Caught Chilean Sea Bass

CONVENIENT PICKS
Canadian Bacon
Soules Kitchen Steak Fajitas
Egglife Wraps

SHAKES AND SNACKS
Fairlife Core Power
Quest Chips
Clio Greek Yogurt Bars

Head to JacobZemer.com to find out how I can get you into the best shape of your life with my coaching program.

⚠️ My Vitamin D is currently in the toxic range. I’m in the 120s.

Optimal Vitamin D is somewhere between 30 and 100. I try to keep myself in the 60s.
I’ve been supplementing with the same brand, Solaray, at 10,000 IUs per day. My ethnicity is Dutch, so if I don’t supplement, I will be below 30. With daily supplementation, I’ve consistently been in the 60s.

I’m telling you this because it is crucially important to get lab work done from your doctor if you are going to supplement. My Vitamin D has only ever been close to 100 once in the last 5 years, and it’s been during the summertime.

Spring has arrived, and the additional sunshine I’m getting combined with the 10,000 IUs per day has made my Vitamin D go way up. I’ve now dropped to about 5,000 IUs per day, and I’m aiming to get back into the 60 range.

Get your labs done at least once a year, even if you’re not supplementing, but especially if you are.

TELL ME: Are you getting your labs done to make sure your supplements are in range? Give your answer in the comments below. ⬇️