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Summary
On episode 213 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan shares 11 weight loss biohacks, the small tweaks that sit on top of the fundamentals rather than replacing them.
His core point up front: biohacks are the last 1%. If your food, movement, sleep, and stress management (the “big four”) are not dialed in yet, a biohack will not be big enough to notice. Once those four are solid, these smaller tools can add a real edge.
He runs through cold exposure, HIIT, intermittent fasting, ketosis, hormone management, treadmill desks, warm lemon water, apple cider vinegar, elimination diets, water timing, and long slow distance walking, explaining what each does and how to start.
Links
- https://40plusfitness.com
Key Takeaways
- Biohacks only matter once the big four are handled. Food, movement, sleep, and stress management are the needle movers that take you from roughly 50% to 85%; biohacks are the small percenters on top, not a substitute for the fundamentals.
- Cold exposure boosts metabolism and lowers inflammation. Allan recommends easing in, starting with 30 seconds of cold water at the end of a shower and building toward ice baths or alternating cold with infrared sauna.
- HIIT should be used sparingly, not daily. Short, near-maximal efforts followed by rest raise oxygen consumption and metabolism well after the workout ends, but Allan caps it at once a week for beginners and no more than twice a week even for well-trained athletes.
- Intermittent fasting (16:8) does not mean eating less food. Allan’s version was skipping breakfast and eating from around noon to 8 p.m.; the benefit comes from extending the body’s fat-burning recovery window, not from cutting total calories.
- Ketosis shifts the body, and the brain, onto fat for fuel. With blood ketones in the 0.5 to 3.5 millimolar range, the brain (which uses about 20% of total body energy) can run on ketones, and most people begin losing weight quickly once they enter ketosis.
- Hormone balance affects where the body stores fat. Dropping estrogen in women and dropping testosterone in men both change fat storage patterns; working with a doctor on diet, exercise, and supplementation to balance hormones can reduce body weight.
- Apple cider vinegar before bed can lower fasting blood glucose. About a tablespoon mixed with water each night tends to blunt the insulin response, which supports fat burning in the morning.
- Elimination diets can uncover foods driving inflammation and bloat. Cutting common culprits like wheat, milk, nuts, nightshades, eggs, or lentils for a few weeks, then reintroducing them one at a time, reveals which ones are causing weight that is water and inflammation rather than fat.
- Long, slow distance in a fasted state maximizes fat burning and cuts stress. A relaxed walk in nature after an overnight fast lets the body run on fat instead of muscle glycogen, while also addressing stress, one of the big four itself.
“It really is a freeing experience when you’re not hungry during the day.”
Coach Allan
