Fitness Without the Fear
Companion Resources
The worksheet, full source list, and glossary that go with the book. Built for listeners of the audiobook edition, and just as useful alongside the print or ebook.
Your Personal Plan
The book's worksheet, as an app. Fill it in chapter by chapter as you read. Sections 1 to 3 do the math for you as you type, and everything saves on this device so you can come back anytime.
1Your statsCh. 5
2Energy and goalCh. 5 and 7
BMR--calories at rest
TDEE--maintenance calories
My goal is
3MacrosCh. 3 and 21
4Should I track?Ch. 13 and 14
Is tracking the right tool for me right now?
5Direction and whyCh. 1
6Sleep and recoveryCh. 16 and 17
Current stress level
7Alcohol and hydrationCh. 18 and 19
Do I need an electrolyte plan for training?
8Label checkCh. 15
9Coaching and successCh. 22
I'm pursuing this
10Review logCh. 7 and 21 · every 2 to 3 weeks
Your plan
Paste it into Notes, or take a screenshot to keep it.
A starting estimate for healthy adults, not medical advice. Real progress varies, which is why the book has you recheck every 2 to 3 weeks. If you're pregnant, under 18, or managing a medical condition, talk to your doctor before changing how you eat. Your answers stay on this device and are never sent anywhere.
Printable Worksheet
Prefer pen and paper? The same plan as a one-page fillable PDF you can print.
Also Available As
Whichever edition you're on, the book comes in a few other forms too, worth knowing about if you want to pass it along or switch between reading and listening.
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Sources & References
Every specific number, study finding, or factual claim in the book has a traceable source, organized here by chapter. Chapters that are experience- or logic-based rather than citation-based (the introduction, the coaching chapter's personal reflections, and Week One) aren't listed.
Chapter 2: What's a Calorie, Really?
- Wishnofsky, M. (1958). "Caloric equivalents of gained or lost weight." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Origin of the 3,500-calorie-per-pound estimate.
- Thomas, D.M. et al., critiqued in Hall, K.D. & Chow, C.C. (2013). "Why is the 3500 kcal per pound weight loss rule wrong?" International Journal of Obesity. PMC3859816.
- American Institute for Cancer Research, "The 3500-Calorie Weight Loss Myth." aicr.org
Chapter 3: Macros Demystified
- International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand on protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. PMC5477153.
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and ACSM joint position statement on protein intake for physically active individuals (summarized via Healthline, MSU Extension, Mayo Clinic Health System).
- Mayo Clinic Health System, "Are you getting too much protein."
Chapter 4: Micronutrients in Plain English
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source, "Vitamins and Minerals."
- NASM Blog, "A Guide to Micronutrients: Recommendations & Sources."
- CDC, "Micronutrient Facts."
Chapter 5: Total Daily Energy Expenditure
- Mifflin, M.D., St Jeor, S.T., et al. (1990). "A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 51(2), 241-247. PMID 2305711. Original source of the Mifflin-St Jeor equation.
- Frankenfield, D., Roth-Yousey, L., Compher, C. (2005). "Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate." Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Validation study comparing Mifflin-St Jeor to other formulas.
Chapter 7: Calorie Deficit vs. Surplus
- Helms, E.R. et al.: research on protein intake and deficit sizing during contest prep, summarized via Built With Science and TrainCalc calorie calculators.
- Morton, R.W. et al.: research on protein dosing and muscle protein synthesis, referenced via FitCalcs protein chart.
- Stronger by Science, "Building Muscle in a Calorie Deficit: Context is Key," analysis of surplus/deficit sizing research.
Chapter 8: Clean Eating vs. Dirty Bulking
- NASM Blog, "How To Clean Bulk."
- Vitamin Shoppe's "What's Good" blog, "Clean Bulking vs. Dirty Bulking: The Pros And Cons Of Each," citing sports dietitian commentary.
Chapter 9: "Carbs Are Bad"
- RP Strength, "Carbs Aren't the Enemy: Debunking Popular Myths About Carbohydrates."
- Legion Athletics, "How Insulin Really Works," summarizing insulin/fat-storage research.
- Precision Nutrition, "Carbs, Insulin, and Weight Loss: What REALLY Matters."
- Research on Kitavan and Okinawan traditional high-carb diets and low obesity rates, referenced via BodyScan UK.
Chapter 10: "Sugar Is Poison"
- Lustig, R.H.: original "sugar as toxin" arguments, discussed critically in Psychology Today ("Is Sugar Really 'Poison'?") and a peer-reviewed critical discourse analysis: "From science to sensational headline," Taylor & Francis.
- Rippe, J.M. & Angelopoulos, T.J. (2016). "Relationship between Added Sugars Consumption and Chronic Disease Risk Factors." Nutrients. PMC5133084.
- American Heart Association added-sugar intake guidelines (25g women / 36g men), referenced via NBC News and Harvard Health.
- FDA, "Added Sugars on the Nutrition Facts Label."
Chapter 11: Fat Doesn't Make You Fat
- Keys, A. et al., "Seven Countries Study," discussed with critical context via ResearchGate ("The origin of low-fat diet: The fallacy of the lipidic hypothesis") and Blue Zones ("Bad Science or Bad Journalism? Top Experts Address Nutrition Myths").
- PREDIMED trial (Mediterranean diet and cardiovascular outcomes), New England Journal of Medicine, 2018, referenced via Scott Free Clinic summary.
- Meta-analysis of randomized dietary fat trials finding no significant difference in all-cause/CHD mortality, referenced via Common Science Space.
Chapter 12: Fad Diet Breakdown
- Harvard Health, "What are the differences between popular low-carb diets?"
- Fortune Well, "Keto vs. paleo diet: which one is better? Experts weigh in."
- A systematic review comparing Atkins, Zone, and Weight Watchers outcomes over one year, referenced via Reuters Health/Fox News summary (Atallah, R., McGill University).
Chapter 13: Should You Even Track?
- Hahn, S.L., Kaciroti, N., Eisenberg, D., Bauer, K.W., Sonneville, K.R. (2021). "Introducing Dietary Self-Monitoring to Undergraduate Women via a Calorie Counting App Has No Effect on Mental Health or Health Behaviors." Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Reviewed in depth by Stronger by Science.
- Levinson, C.A., Fewell, L., Brosof, L.C. (2017). Discussed in Duke Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, "The Trouble with Tracking."
- Simpson, C.C. & Mazzeo, S.E. (2017). "Calorie counting and fitness tracking technology: Associations with eating disorder symptomatology." PubMed 28214452.
Chapter 14: How to Track Without It Taking Over Your Life
- Precision Nutrition research on hand-portion estimation accuracy (~95% as accurate as weighing food), referenced via Kalo Health blog.
- Precision Nutrition, "Macros vs. Calories vs. Intuitive Eating: What's Best?"
Chapter 15: Reading a Nutrition Label Like a Human
- FDA, "How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label," "Serving Size on the Nutrition Facts Label," "Added Sugars on the Nutrition Facts Label," "The Lows and Highs of Percent Daily Value."
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, "Understanding Food Labels."
- Spartan.com, "These 50 High-Protein Foods Will Help You Hit Your Macros," source for the "rule of tens" protein-density heuristic underlying the multiply-by-10 trick.
Chapter 16: Sleep Is Not Optional
- Nedeltcheva, A.V. et al. (2010). "Insufficient sleep undermines dietary efforts to reduce adiposity." Annals of Internal Medicine. The sleep-restriction/muscle-vs-fat-loss study. Discussed in depth via BodySpec.
- Lamon, S., Morabito, A., Arentson-Lantz, E. et al. (2021). "The effect of acute sleep deprivation on skeletal muscle protein synthesis and the hormonal environment." Physiological Reports, 9(1), e14660.
- Spiegel, K., Leproult, R., Van Cauter, E. (1999/2004) sleep-restriction and glucose tolerance research, summarized via Medscape, "The Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Hormones and Metabolism."
Chapter 17: Stress, Hormones, and Recovery
- Cadegiani, F.A. & Kater, C.E. (2017). "Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis Functioning in Overtraining Syndrome." Sports Medicine - Open. PMC5722782.
- Society for Endocrinology, "Overtraining and the Endocrine System. Can Hormones Indicate Overtraining?"
- Epel, E. et al.: cortisol reactivity and central fat distribution research, referenced via Shred App's summary ("Weight Loss Plateau Stress: Why Cortisol Stalls Fat Loss").
Chapter 18: Alcohol and Your Progress
- Leangains (Berkhan, M.), "The truth about alcohol, fat loss and muscle growth," summarizing acute alcohol/testosterone/MPS research.
- StrengthLog, "Alcohol and Muscle Growth," summarizing dose-dependent MPS suppression research (Parr, E.B. et al.).
- Parr, E.B. et al. (2014). "Alcohol Ingestion Impairs Maximal Post-Exercise Rates of Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis following a Single Bout of Concurrent Training." PLOS ONE. Source of the 24–37% MPS suppression figures.
Chapter 19: Hydration and the Boring Stuff That Actually Matters
- Mayo Clinic, "Water: How much should you drink every day?"
- National Athletic Trainers' Association, "Hydration Guidelines" handout.
- Sawka, M.N. et al. (2007). American College of Sports Medicine position stand: "Exercise and fluid replacement." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
Chapter 20: Peptides: What They Are and What's Still Unknown
- Wikipedia, "BPC-157" (regulatory status, chemical identifiers, general overview; cross-referenced against primary regulatory sources below).
- Józwiak, M., Bauer, M., Kamysz, W., Kleczkowska, P. (2025). "Multifunctionality and Possible Medical Application of the BPC 157 Peptide: Literature and Patent Review." Pharmaceuticals. PMC11859134.
- Peer-reviewed review: "Safety and Efficacy of Approved and Unapproved Peptide Therapies for Musculoskeletal Injuries and Athletic Performance." PubMed 41966639.
- Operation Supplement Safety (Department of Defense program), "BPC-157: A Prohibited Peptide and an Unapproved Drug Found in Health and Wellness Products."
- FDA regulatory status coverage current as of this writing via Forbes ("FDA's Review Of Peptides Signals A Growing Public Health Challenge," July 2026) and Pharmacy Times coverage of the February 2026 HHS reclassification announcement.
Chapter 22: The Power of Coaching
- Losch, S., Traut-Mattausch, E., Mühlberger, M.D., Jonas, E. (2016). Comparative study of individual coaching, group coaching, and self-coaching for goal attainment, referenced via GoalsWon's research summary.
- ACE (American Council on Exercise), "Coaching Behavior Change: Accountability for Change," ProSource, February 2016.
Recommended Apps & Tools
Everything in the book can be done with a notebook, a calculator, and the formulas provided. These just remove friction. Look for the functionality below; specific apps come and go, the features don't.
CALORIE & MACRO TRACKING
- Large searchable food database with barcode scanning
- Save and reuse frequent meals
- Built-in TDEE calculator using Mifflin-St Jeor (Ch. 5)
- Macro breakdown by gram and percentage
- Separate "Added Sugars" field, not just total sugar (Ch. 15)
- Weekly average view, not just daily totals (Ch. 7, 21)
- Restaurant and common-brand entries
Widely used: MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, Lose It!, MacroFactor.
WORKOUT & TRAINING LOG
- Log sets, reps, and weight per exercise with scrollable history
- Automatic PR and progression tracking
- Built-in rest timer
- Build and reuse a program/routine
- Deload or program-phase notation (Ch. 17)
Widely used: Strong, Hevy, Boostcamp.
TDEE & CALORIE CALCULATORS
- Uses Mifflin-St Jeor, or lets you select it (Ch. 5)
- Unit toggle set to US Standard, not metric
Glossary of Terms
Quick-reference definitions for terms used throughout the book, in case you want to look one up without flipping back to where it was first explained.
Find it faster, just type it in
- A1C Introduction
- A blood test measuring average blood sugar over the past 2–3 months, reported as a percentage. Under 5.7% is normal, 5.7–6.4% is prediabetes, 6.5%+ is diabetes.
- Activity Multiplier Ch. 5
- A number (roughly 1.2–1.9) used to convert BMR into TDEE, based on how active you are day to day.
- Added Sugars Ch. 10, 14
- Sugar introduced during food processing, as opposed to sugar naturally occurring in a food. Listed separately from Total Sugars on nutrition labels.
- Amino Acid Ch. 3, 19
- A small molecule that acts as a building block for protein. Your body uses 20 different amino acids; chains of them form peptides and, when long enough, full proteins.
- Atrophy Training chapter
- The shrinking or wasting of muscle tissue, the opposite of hypertrophy. Happens when a muscle isn't sufficiently used or challenged over time.
- BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) Ch. 5
- The number of calories your body burns at complete rest, just to keep your organs and basic functions running.
- Bulking Ch. 7, 11
- Eating in a calorie surplus with the goal of building muscle (and typically gaining some fat along with it).
- Calorie Ch. 2
- A unit of energy; the measurement used for the energy content of food.
- Calorie Deficit Ch. 7
- Eating fewer calories than your body burns (your TDEE), which drives fat loss.
- Calorie Surplus Ch. 7
- Eating more calories than your body burns, which drives weight gain, including muscle gain under the right conditions.
- Cardio (Cardiovascular Training) Training chapter
- Sustained activity that elevates your heart rate: running, cycling, swimming, rowing. Primarily supports heart/lung health, endurance, and calorie expenditure.
- Compound Movement Training chapter
- An exercise that works multiple muscle groups and joints at once (e.g., a squat or a bench press), as opposed to an isolation exercise that targets one muscle specifically.
- Cortisol Ch. 16
- A hormone involved in your body's stress response, blood sugar regulation, and daily energy rhythm. Chronically elevated cortisol, often from poor sleep or overtraining, is the actual concern, not cortisol itself.
- Cutting Ch. 7, 11
- Eating in a calorie deficit with the goal of losing fat while preserving muscle.
- Deload Ch. 17
- A planned, temporary reduction in training volume and/or intensity to allow recovery, typically every 6–8 weeks.
- Electrolytes Ch. 19
- Minerals (primarily sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium) that regulate fluid balance, muscle contraction, and nerve signaling.
- Essential Amino Acids Ch. 20
- The 9 amino acids your body cannot produce on its own and must get from food.
- Flexibility Training chapter
- The length and pliability of your muscles and connective tissue, distinct from mobility (which is about joint range of motion with control).
- Ghrelin Ch. 16
- A hormone that stimulates hunger; disrupted (raised) by poor sleep.
- Glycogen Ch. 3, 8
- The stored form of carbohydrate in your muscles and liver, used as a reserve energy source.
- HPA Axis (Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis) Ch. 17
- The hormone system that governs your body's stress response, involving the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands.
- Hypertrophy Training chapter
- The growth or enlargement of muscle tissue, driven by resistance training and adequate protein/recovery. The actual physiological process behind "building muscle."
- Hyponatremia Ch. 19
- A dangerous drop in blood sodium, usually from drinking excessive fluid without replacing electrolytes.
- Insulin Ch. 9
- A hormone released in response to rising blood sugar, which helps cells absorb glucose and regulates energy storage.
- Isolation Exercise Training chapter
- An exercise that targets a single muscle or muscle group (e.g., a bicep curl), as opposed to a compound movement that works several at once.
- Ketosis Ch. 12
- A metabolic state in which the body, deprived of sufficient carbohydrate, breaks down fat into ketones for fuel. Central to the ketogenic diet.
- Leptin Ch. 16
- A hormone that signals fullness; suppressed by poor sleep.
- Macronutrients (Macros) Ch. 3
- The three nutrients that provide calories: protein, carbohydrates, and fat.
- Maintenance Calories Ch. 7
- Eating at your TDEE, keeping weight roughly stable.
- Micronutrients Ch. 4
- Vitamins and minerals; needed in smaller amounts than macros but essential for the body to function.
- Mobility Training chapter
- Your ability to move a joint through its full range of motion with control, distinct from flexibility (the pliability of muscle/connective tissue itself).
- Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS) Ch. 3, 15, 17
- The process by which your body builds and repairs muscle tissue, primarily using dietary protein.
- Overtraining Syndrome Ch. 17
- A state of hormonal and performance disruption caused by training load consistently outpacing recovery over an extended period.
- Peptide Ch. 20
- A short chain of amino acids, smaller than a full protein, that acts as a signaling molecule in the body.
- Progressive Overload Training chapter
- Gradually increasing the demand placed on your muscles over time (more weight, reps, sets, or better range of motion). The core mechanism that drives muscle growth and strength gains.
- Protein Synthesis Ch. 3, 15, 17
- The general biological process of building proteins from amino acids. In a training/fitness context, this almost always refers specifically to Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS).
- Range of Motion (ROM) Training chapter
- How far a joint can move in a given direction. Relevant to both mobility work and exercise technique. A fuller range of motion generally produces a stronger training stimulus.
- Recomposition (Recomp) Ch. 7
- Building muscle and losing fat at roughly the same time, typically while eating at or near maintenance calories.
- Resistance Training Training chapter
- Any activity that makes your muscles work against an external force: weights, bands, or bodyweight. The primary driver of muscle building and preservation.
- Sarcopenia Training chapter
- The gradual, age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, which begins as early as your 30s and accelerates without intervention. Resistance training is the most effective known way to slow it.
- Split (Training Split) Training chapter
- How you divide your resistance training across the days you train each week (e.g., full-body, upper/lower, push/pull/legs, body-part).
- TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) Ch. 5
- The total number of calories your body burns in a day, including BMR plus activity.
- %DV (Percent Daily Value) Ch. 15
- The percentage of a nutrient's recommended daily target that one serving of a food provides, shown on nutrition labels. 5% or less is considered low; 20% or more is considered high.
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