JJ: [00:00:00] [00:00:03] I’m JJ Virgin, [00:00:06] Ph. D. dropout, sorry mom, turned four [00:00:09] time New York Times best selling author. Yes, I’m a [00:00:12] certified nutrition specialist, fitness hall of famer, and I [00:00:15] speak at health conferences and trainings around the globe. But [00:00:18] I’m driven by my insatiable curiosity and love of [00:00:21] science to keep asking questions to myself.

Digging for [00:00:24] answers and sharing the information that I uncover with as many [00:00:27] people as I can. And that’s why I created the [00:00:30] Well Beyond 40 podcast to synthesize [00:00:33] and simplify the science of health into actionable [00:00:36] strategies to help you thrive. In each episode, [00:00:39] We’ll talk about what’s working in the world of wellness from [00:00:42] personalized nutrition and healing your metabolism to [00:00:45] healthy aging and prescriptive fitness.

Join me on [00:00:48] the journey to better health so you can love how you look and [00:00:51] feel right now and have the energy to play full [00:00:54] out.[00:00:57] [00:01:00]

[00:01:03] What if there were some small, simple shifts you could do [00:01:06] that could make a big difference in your ability to [00:01:09] burn fat and hold on to muscle? Well, I’ve got [00:01:12] five science based hacks that are easy to [00:01:15] implement and aren’t going to cost a bunch of money either. [00:01:18] Now, the first one is my mantra, and [00:01:21] that is eat healthy.

Eat protein first. Why do I say [00:01:24] eat protein first? Well, I know that if you eat it first, you got it [00:01:27] in and it’s so important to do that for a variety of [00:01:30] reasons. Number one, we know that people who eat protein [00:01:33] first tend to make better food choices overall. [00:01:36] Number two, protein has the highest [00:01:39] thermic effect of food as compared to the other [00:01:42] macronutrients, fat and carbohydrates.

You expend about [00:01:45] 20 to 30 percent of the calories in protein in just [00:01:48] the digestion and assimilation. Contrast that to [00:01:51] carbs. 5 to 10 percent or fat [00:01:54] 0 to 3%. So [00:01:57] digestion takes up about 10 percent of your overall calories a day. [00:02:00] So while it’s not a lot, it makes a difference. [00:02:03] It also makes a difference in both satiety and [00:02:06] satisfaction.

Those amino acids in protein that [00:02:09] help make hormones and neurotransmitters can also help you feel [00:02:12] more satisfied. And we know from the protein leverage [00:02:15] hypothesis that you’re not getting enough protein. You tend to [00:02:18] overeat until you get there. So [00:02:21] Eating enough from the start helps solve that, plus [00:02:24] protein is more satiating, it slows down stomach [00:02:27] emptying so you feel fuller longer.

It can also help [00:02:30] with blood sugar control, and [00:02:33] also it helps with detoxification. Now, we don’t talk [00:02:36] about this much, but one of the things that happens as you’re losing [00:02:39] fat is you’re freeing up toxins. [00:02:42] Toxins are stored in your fat, and you want to make sure [00:02:45] that as you’re freeing them up, you’re also getting them out.

And [00:02:48] you need the amino acids from protein to grab [00:02:51] all of that fat. On to those toxins so that you can [00:02:54] then prep them so they can be excreted. Now, [00:02:57] if all you did was just start to eat [00:03:00] protein first, it’s going to help you eat less overall, which of [00:03:03] course will help you lose weight because you need to [00:03:06] get into a little caloric restriction.

In order [00:03:09] to lose weight and my seven day challenge [00:03:12] shows you how easy it is to do this [00:03:15] one simple thing. And again, I always like to focus with those big [00:03:18] rocks, right? So if you go to jjvirgin. com forward slash [00:03:21] seven day, that will give you a protein [00:03:24] calculator, figure out how much protein you need, and then [00:03:27] a very simple plan you can follow to do a challenge for [00:03:30] seven days.

So you can prove it to yourself. All [00:03:33] right, the next one, walking after your evening [00:03:36] meal. And I especially emphasize after your evening [00:03:39] meal. Now, I want you to walk more all throughout the day. [00:03:42] 8, 000 steps is kind of that minimum baseline. [00:03:45] Goal is really 12, 000 or more. But I want you to put [00:03:48] some of that movement after your evening meal [00:03:51] because when you do that, you’re going to have a couple great things that [00:03:54] happen.

Number one, it’s going to improve your digestion. [00:03:57] Number two, it’s going to lower your blood sugar response to the meal. [00:04:00] And number three, it’s going to help you sleep better. [00:04:03] So that’s like the trifecta. So let’s try to get [00:04:06] in even a couple thousand steps after your [00:04:09] evening meal. Even if it means if the weather’s bad, you’re [00:04:12] walking around the house a bunch, whatever you need to do.

Next up [00:04:15] is getting hydrated. And I want you to drink fluids [00:04:18] in between your meals and especially [00:04:21] before your meals. In fact, one of the things you can do if you’re a little hungry [00:04:24] is have a big glass of water, especially a little [00:04:27] lemon juice in it that can help lower the blood sugar response to the meal [00:04:30] and put a little fiber in that too.

But what I want you to [00:04:33] think of is drinking half your weight in [00:04:36] ounces per day, and then adding [00:04:39] in a half to one ounce per minute of exercise. [00:04:42] Now, This is super duper important [00:04:45] for helping you lose fat and helping you [00:04:48] detoxify too. So the process of burning fat is called [00:04:51] lipolysis. And the first step of this process is [00:04:54] hydrolysis, which occurs when water molecules [00:04:57] interact with triglycerides.

fats to create [00:05:00] glycerol and fatty acids. There was a mini review in [00:05:03] 2016 that found the increased water intake led to [00:05:06] increased lipolysis and a loss of fat [00:05:09] in animal studies. We also know that [00:05:12] water can lower hunger. There was a [00:05:15] 2014 study where 50 overweight women [00:05:18] drank 500 milliliters of water 30 [00:05:21] minutes before breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

And In addition to [00:05:24] their regular water consumption, and this went on for eight consecutive [00:05:27] weeks, here’s what happened. The participants [00:05:30] experienced a reduction in body weight, body fat, [00:05:33] and body mass index, and they also reported [00:05:36] appetite suppression. All they did was add [00:05:39] water. But wait, there’s more.

Water also boosts [00:05:42] metabolism. There’s research indicating that drinking water might [00:05:45] stimulate the body’s metabolism and energy expenditure, [00:05:48] contributing to weight management. This is known as [00:05:51] water induced thermogenesis. And it’s [00:05:54] been observed with increases in metabolic rate following the intake of [00:05:57] 500 milliliters water by as much as [00:06:00] 30 percent for 20 to 30 minutes.

There [00:06:03] was a study with 14 healthy normal weight people. There were [00:06:06] seven men, seven women, and researchers wanted to see what [00:06:09] would happen when the participants drank a glass of water. Water they did. It [00:06:12] was about a 70 ounce glance of water. And what they found was that [00:06:15] when you drink that much water, your body burns calories [00:06:18] faster.

And again, it was about 30% increase in [00:06:21] metabolism for 20 to 30 minutes. Now, on the [00:06:24] flip side, if you are dehydrated, even mildly [00:06:27] dehydrated, it can actually cause fat gain. I [00:06:30] learned this from Dr. Rick Johnson. Where he showed [00:06:33] me that mild dehydration can [00:06:36] actually cause your body to take fructose in the [00:06:39] liver, glucose in the liver rather, turn it into [00:06:42] fructose and store it as fat in an [00:06:45] effort to conserve fluid, conserve [00:06:48] water, so if you need it for later, like a camel, you [00:06:51] have something to pull from.

Because remember, if you’re [00:06:54] storing fat, when you burn fat, you’re freeing up water. [00:06:57] So we want to make sure that we are staying hydrated because [00:07:00] Even mild dehydration also raises stress [00:07:03] hormones. Next step. Sorry about this, but you got to [00:07:06] limit the alcohol because alcohol also [00:07:09] impairs fat metabolizing metabolism.

And here’s [00:07:12] why. When you drink alcohol, this is the [00:07:15] first thing that your body metabolizes. Your liver [00:07:18] is going to metabolize alcohol before everything else. So [00:07:21] that means that when you consume it, Your body now is [00:07:24] prioritized processing the alcohol over fat, [00:07:27] over carbs, over protein. And while your body’s [00:07:30] processing alcohol, it’s not going to be [00:07:33] efficiently burning fat for energy.

So now you’re [00:07:36] basically blocking your body’s ability to [00:07:39] utilize stored fat for fuel. Plus, we all know this, [00:07:42] alcohol can stimulate appetite and lead to [00:07:45] overeating. And another pearl from Dr. Rick Johnson, he [00:07:48] shows how Alcohol will lower ATP [00:07:51] production. That’s our energy production or lower [00:07:54] ATP, which lowers our energy production, which then of [00:07:57] course also drives hunger.

We know that it lowers [00:08:00] inhibitions. We know it makes you more likely to indulge in [00:08:03] high calorie, unhealthy foods. And. [00:08:06] What’s that all mean? Well, now you’re eating more [00:08:09] and you’ve got impaired fat metabolism. That’s the [00:08:12] double whammy for weight gain. Plus, [00:08:15] alcohol can also affect hormone levels related [00:08:18] to appetite regulation.

It can increase [00:08:21] ghrelin levels, and that’s a hormone that stimulates hunger. [00:08:24] And we also, it also can decrease leptin levels. [00:08:27] That’s one that signals fullness. [00:08:30] This hormonal imbalance can lead to weight gain. more [00:08:33] food intake, which then of course would lead to weight [00:08:36] gain. Now when I think about alcohol, I also [00:08:39] think about sleep because quite often people have alcohol to help them [00:08:42] sleep.

And while alcohol can help you feel drowsy and [00:08:45] may help you fall asleep initially, it completely [00:08:48] messes up the quality of your sleep. It can lead to more [00:08:51] frequent awakenings all throughout the night. It also [00:08:54] reduces the time spent in restorative [00:08:57] REM sleep. Now poor sleep contributes to [00:09:00] weight gain, makes you more insulin.

[00:09:03] resistant and interferes with your body’s ability to [00:09:06] burn fat effectively. So, [00:09:09] gotta make sure that you are sleeping well and [00:09:12] it’s another reason to skip the alcohol. [00:09:15] So, final one, [00:09:18] and this is a biggie, and it is tracking. [00:09:21] I just started working with a new [00:09:24] client and the first thing that I had this client [00:09:27] do before anything else, I said, all I want you to do is track.

I don’t want you [00:09:30] to do anything. No instructions. Just start tracking. [00:09:33] I know that just tracking changes the game. [00:09:36] There was a fascinating study in the diabetes [00:09:39] prevention program that discovered this over a 12 month period. [00:09:42] Participants were split into 3 groups based on how often they [00:09:45] logged their food.

There were the rare trackers, there were the [00:09:48] inconsistent trackers, and then there were the consistent trackers. Now, [00:09:51] here’s the deal. Only those who were [00:09:54] consistently tracking their meals and doing so [00:09:57] more so on like two thirds of the day, which I’d say is [00:10:00] Consisting of me is every day, but those are the only people that [00:10:03] saw significant weight loss.

They averaged 10 pounds consistently [00:10:06] over the year versus the rare and the [00:10:09] inconsistent trackers had this roller coaster experience. They lost less [00:10:12] weight during the holidays. They lost a little more in the [00:10:15] summer. But the big message here is [00:10:18] for consistent and long term weight loss, [00:10:21] regular food tracking isn’t just helpful, it’s crucial.

And [00:10:24] it’s not just about tracking, you know, tracking [00:10:27] on the good days. And that’s the really important thing. So that’s why [00:10:30] I start with, and I’m starting right now with this client, is just [00:10:33] tracking what you do. Just [00:10:36] the first thing I had to do is track what you’re eating. [00:10:39] Just be curious and let’s see how many calories you need during [00:10:42] the day and where they’re coming from.

Then the next thing that I’ll have [00:10:45] him do is, how much protein are you eating? And let’s [00:10:48] get you into that ideal range overall [00:10:51] and each meal. And then I start looking at [00:10:54] non starchy vegetables. And so again, most of it is [00:10:57] adding before I take away, because the reality is, [00:11:00] if you’re adding in the good stuff, You push out the bad [00:11:03] stuff.

All right, now you know that you need to track, you [00:11:06] need to eat your protein first, you got to stay well [00:11:09] hydrated, and of course pump out [00:11:12] the alcohol and get some sleep. [00:11:15] Now you got to learn the best foods for fat loss. So watch [00:11:18] this next video to learn the top foods to include in your [00:11:21] daily diet to support your efforts and And get to your [00:11:24] body comp goal.[00:11:27]

Be sure to join me next time [00:11:30] for more tools, tips, and techniques you can incorporate into [00:11:33] everyday life to ensure you look and feel great. And more [00:11:36] importantly, that you’re built to last. And check [00:11:39] me out on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and my [00:11:42] website, jjvirgin. com and make sure to follow [00:11:45] my podcast. So you don’t miss a single episode at [00:11:48] subscribetojj.

com. See you next [00:11:51] time.[00:11:54] [00:11:57] [00:12:00]

Hey, JJ here. And just a [00:12:03] reminder that the Well Beyond 40 podcast offers health, wellness, [00:12:06] fitness, and nutritional information that’s designed for [00:12:09] educational and entertainment purposes only. You should not [00:12:12] rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does [00:12:15] it replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or [00:12:18] treatment.

If you have any concerns or questions about your health, [00:12:21] you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare [00:12:24] professional. Make sure that you do not disregard, [00:12:27] avoid, or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from [00:12:30] your healthcare professional because of something you may have heard on this [00:12:33] show or read in our show notes.

The use of any [00:12:36] information provided on this show is solely at your own [00:12:39] risk.
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