The 30-30-30 method: how TikTok’s latest fitness trend could help you build healthy habits into your day

By Sinead Roberts, University of Westminster

One of TikTok’s latest health trends is the the “30-30-30” method. This involves eating 30g protein within 30 minutes of waking up – shortly followed by 30 minutes of low to moderate-intensity cardio.

Proponents of the 30-30-30 method claim it helps you lose weight steadily and sustainably while preserving muscle. But does it really? It might – though its biggest benefit is that it might help you build healthier habits into your daily life.

Let’s look first at eating 30g of protein within 30 minutes of waking up.

Protein is the building block of the body. We need to eat protein so that our cells have what they need to repair and recover from the wear and tear of daily life.

The amount of protein you need varies depending how much stress you put on your body. If you exercise, your body needs more protein to help your muscles repair and recover – typically around 1.2g-2g of protein per kg of bodyweight. It can also be important to eat more protein when trying to lose weight, as research shows higher protein diets (eating over 2g of protein per kg of bodyweight) may help preserve muscle when losing weight.

For many people, breakfast is typically their lowest protein meal of the day – often consisting of toast, cereal, pastries or other carbs.

By eating 30g protein within 30 minutes of waking, the 30-30-30 method may help increase your total daily protein intake right off the bat. However, this alone doesn’t mean you will automatically hit your target daily protein intake. The other food choices you make in the day are also important.

To lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn throughout the day. Eating protein first thing in the morning will not directly cause weight loss, but protein is filling. This means it may help you feel fuller and eat fewer calories overall in the day. This is one reason the diet encourages eating protein right after waking.

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