A Supervised Approach

Struggling to reverse type 2 diabetes?

You’re not alone—most people find it challenging and often believe lifelong medications are their only solution.

However, research shows that a supervised approach can effectively help reverse type 2 diabetes or put it into remission. The combination of accountability and a tailored plan is the key to success.

Sources:

https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/47/1/47/154002/Type-2-Diabetes-Remission-A-New-Mission-in

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/4/766

https://news.ok.ubc.ca/2021/09/10/new-research-proves-diet-can-put-type-2-diabetes-into-remission/

The Hidden Cost of Managing Diabetes

Managing type 2 diabetes isn’t just a health challenge—it’s a financial one too. I’ve spoken with patients, clients, and even family members who have T2D, and the consensus is clear: it’s expensive, even with insurance.

How expensive? Most people estimate it costs them about $3,000 per year. However, some report spending much more—one person on Reddit shared they spend a staggering $11,600 annually.

According to a 2020 report by GoodRx.com, the average cost falls somewhere in between, at $3,300 to $4,600 per year.Their findings highlight a bigger picture:

"When you add up out-of-pocket costs like doctor visits, over-the-counter supplies, and lost wages, a typical person with diabetes taking insulin could spend an additional $4,800 annually—even with health insurance. That’s about 10% of the average American’s yearly income."

These numbers underscore the significant burden diabetes places on everyday life—beyond just managing blood sugar.

Pavel Tsatsouline and The One-Piece Gym

Pavel Tsatsouline focuses on building functional strength, endurance, and flexibility using a minimalist, disciplined approach.

He emphasizes efficiency and technique over excessive volume or equipment.

How? The kettlebell.

Sound to good to be true? 

I thought so, too, but I love it.

It’s the only strength training that I’ve done over the last two years to get my muscle mass up to 40% of my bodyweight, while dropping my body fat down to 18%.

When I read Pavel's book, it fundamentally reshaped my perspective on fitness. It motivated me to embrace the simplicity and effectiveness of a one-piece gym.

His philosophy reinforced that the key to performance and health isn’t in fancy tools or endless hours at the gym but in mastering the fundamentals with precision and intent.

Why Kettlebells Are a Game-Changer

As Pavel explains, the kettlebell is more than a piece of equipment—it’s a tool for extreme all-around fitness. It's intense, I know, but this guy is worth listening to.

Here's why:

1. All-Purpose Strength: Kettlebell training builds a level of functional strength that translates to real-life activities. The emphasis on compound movements, like the swing, clean, and press, engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously.

2. Staying Power: Kettlebell exercises are dynamic and ballistic, enhancing endurance by combining strength and cardio into one movement. This is how kettlebells provide "staying power"—the ability to sustain physical output over time.

3. Flexibility: The controlled, full-range movements required in kettlebell training improve mobility and joint health. Exercises like the Turkish Get-Up enhance flexibility and balance while building strength.

4. Fat Loss Without Aerobics: Traditional steady-state cardio isn’t Pavel’s style. Instead, he advocates high-intensity, kettlebell-based conditioning that helps you burn fat while increasing lean muscle—all without the monotony of conventional aerobic exercise.

5. Efficiency and Simplicity: With just a single kettlebell and proper technique, you can check the fitness box in just 1-2 hours per week. Pavel’s approach eliminates excuses, emphasizing that the best training is often the simplest.

The Importance of Technique

Pavel stresses that improper form not only reduces effectiveness but also increases the risk of injury. Every lift, swing, or press should be executed with intentional precision. I always say, prioritize form over going to failure.

Pavel’s other core principles include:

• Tension and Relaxation: Mastering the balance between full-body tension and relaxation during movements maximizes power and control.

• Breathing: Techniques like the "power breath" enhance stability and performance.

• Progressive Overload: Pavel advocates starting with lighter weights to perfect form before progressing to heavier loads.

My Takeaway

Pavel’s kettlebell philosophy taught me to prioritize quality over quantity in training. 

It inspired me to embrace a minimalist approach—the "one-piece gym"—where a single kettlebell is all I need to build strength and endurance.

I keep a kettlebell at home, another at my office, and even have a travel dry bag that can be filled with sand or rocks, allowing me to maintain my routine anywhere.

Pavel’s book is a powerful reminder that fitness isn’t about overcomplicating things. It’s about mastering the basics, pushing your limits, and training smart—not just hard. 

If you’re in the market for a tool to elevate your performance, the kettlebell is your best bet. 

The Surprising Math of Body Fat Storage

The energy stored in body fat is simple to estimate.

Here's the equation: (Body weight x body fat percentage) x 3,500 calories

Equation Breakdown

On average, 1 pound of body fat contains about 3,500 calories of energy.

To calculate this for your body, first find how much fat mass you have by multiplying your body weight by your body fat percentage. This gives you the total weight of fat in your body.

A DEXA scan is the gold standard to assess your body composition, but most gym’s have a body composition scale like the InBody for easier access. Or you can just use a simple scale like this scale from Amazon.

Next, calculate how much stored energy you have. Multiply your fat weight by 3,500 calories to estimate your total stored energy.

Here’s an example calculation based on my numbers

I weigh 180 pounds and have 18% body fat:

• Fat weight = 180 × 0.18 = 32.4 pounds of fat

• Stored energy = 32.4 × 3,500 = 113,400 calories

That’s enough energy to sustain my body for about 45 days!

Why Does This Matter?

If you’re dealing with insulin resistance or struggling to manage your weight, this stored energy is both a blessing and a challenge. On one hand, it shows that your body has plenty of reserves. On the other hand, accessing and burning those reserves efficiently requires optimizing your metabolism and balancing blood sugar levels.

When insulin levels are consistently high—due to a low-protein, low satiety diet, or unmanaged diabetes—your body stays in "storage mode," making it harder to tap into this energy.

Weight loss with this equation

Weight loss is far more complex than the outdated notion of simply cutting 3,500 calories per week to lose one pound.

Factors like high stress, poor sleep, excess processed foods, and elevated insulin levels all play a significant role in weight gain. It’s not just about "calories in versus calories out."

That’s why I take a holistic approach to weight loss, starting with fixing your diet, then improving movement, optimizing sleep, and addressing stress management.

It’s true, sustainable weight loss requires a complete lifestyle change—not just a temporary diet.

The 3 Glucose Readings You Need to Track

Reversing type 2 diabetes or prediabetes starts with better data. The best way to manage blood sugar is to track it consistently, spot trends, and adjust your diet accordingly.

When I ask most guys about their glucose levels, they usually only know two numbers: their A1c from months ago and a random glucose reading from yesterday.

What’s often missing? A detailed log of data to uncover patterns. Tracking pre-meal levels, daily averages, and consistent A1c results is essential for making informed decisions. Without this, it’s nearly impossible to reverse diabetes—you’ll only scrape by managing it.

The Three Key Readings to Track Daily:

1. Waking Glucose – A snapshot of your overall metabolic health.

2. Pre-Meal Glucose – Helps determine the best times to eat.

3. Daily Average – Ensures your plan is moving in the right direction.

Post-meal glucose can be helpful, too, but once my clients dial in their diet, this usually isn’t necessary after the first week or two.

You can track these levels by finger-sticking multiple times a day, or you can make it easier with a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM). I recommend the Stella CGM by Dexcom because it’s efficient, reliable, and only requires a one-month commitment.

It’s Totally Possible to Have Optimal Testosterone After 40

Maintaining optimal testosterone levels after 40 is absolutely possible. The key is to ensure your body keeps producing it and that it's available for use.

If your testosterone is low and you’re under 70, it's usually a production issue. 

When I tell guys that the natural approach to fixing low T starts by identifying why it's low, they often say, “Isn’t it just my age? I thought low T was a normal part of being over 40.”

While it’s common, it’s definitely not normal.

Take a recent conversation I had with a potential client. He was 67 years old, 40 pounds overweight, and prediabetic, yet his total testosterone was 465 ng/dL. He wasn’t taking any supplements or strength training, so imagine how much more testosterone he could produce if he optimized his health. The point is, this man did not have low T, and he’s almost 70.

However, about 3 in 10 men over 40 do have low T—defined as levels below 300 ng/dL on two separate tests, along with symptoms. So, what’s causing this?

Why Do Men Have Low T After 40?

A large 2023 study looked at the root causes of low testosterone in over 25,000 men. It identified six key factors contributing to low T:

1. High BMI (overweight or obese)

2. Low exercise levels

3. High blood pressure

4. A history of smoking, heart disease, cancer, or diabetes

5. Taking statins or psychiatric medications

6. Marriage

These issues—whether it’s excess weight, inactivity, or prediabetes—are caused or worsened by diet and lifestyle, not simply by age. While this might sound discouraging, it's actually good news because it means you can reverse these factors and restore your testosterone production back to normal.

Think of these problems as kinks in a hose, a dam blocking a river, or a clogged fuel line. Your body is still capable of producing testosterone, but something is stopping it. What I’ve found after helping hundreds of guys with low T is that once you identify and then clear these obstacles, you can maintain T production as you age.

How to Naturally Support Testosterone Production

1. Cholesterol: The Raw Material for Testosterone

Testosterone is made from cholesterol in a process called steroidogenesis, which also produces cortisol and estrogen. If you’re on a statin or have low HDL cholesterol, it can interfere with this process. Your body needs cholesterol, and maintaining a nutrient-dense diet with minimal processed carbs is often more effective than relying on medications to manage cholesterol.

2. The Brain-Testes Connection: The HPG Axis

The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis is the signaling system between your brain and your testes that tells your body to produce testosterone. Think of it like your brain telling you you're thirsty—you get the message, drink some water, and the feedback loop is satisfied.

Testosterone production relies on signals like Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH). Unfortunately, these signals can be disrupted by chronic stress, which prevents your testes from getting the message, reducing testosterone production.

3. Healthy Leydig Cells: The Testosterone Factories

Leydig cells in your testes are responsible for making testosterone. To function well, these cells need to be healthy, but they’re often disrupted by:

• Inflammation

• Insulin resistance (like prediabetes or diabetes)

• Environmental toxins (phthalates, heavy metals, pesticides)

Leydig cells can handle a lot, but when overwhelmed by inflammation or toxins, they stop functioning properly, and testosterone production declines.

4. Vitamins and Minerals: The Building Blocks

Most guys I work with don’t realize how important vitamins and minerals are for testosterone production. For example, low vitamin D levels are associated with low T, and supplementing with vitamin D can raise your levels if you’re deficient. Other key nutrients include zinc, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Making Sure You Can Use the Testosterone You Make

Once your body is producing testosterone, the next step is ensuring it's usable. This means having enough free testosterone—the testosterone not bound to proteins like SHBG or albumin. Ideally, about 1-2% of your total T is free testosterone.

To optimize free testosterone, you need to be metabolically healthy. Here’s what that looks like:

• Waist size under 40 inches (ideal is half your height in inches)

• HDL cholesterol over 40 mg/dL (ideal is 50+)

• Fasting blood sugar under 100 mg/dL (optimal is 80)

• Triglycerides under 150 mg/dL (optimal is below 100)

• Blood pressure under 130/85 (optimal is 120/80)

If three or more of these markers are out of range, you likely have metabolic syndrome, which can significantly affect testosterone. Visceral fat, for example, secretes an enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen, creating a cycle of weight gain and low T. In extreme cases, this can cause men to develop breast tissue.

This explains why testosterone alone via TRT won’t fix the underlying issue. You need to make sure it's not being converted into something else.

The Three Boxes You Need to Check for Optimal T After 40

1. Fix what’s blocking testosterone production – Address the factors that are preventing your body from producing testosterone.

2. Ensure you have the right building materials – Make sure your body has the necessary vitamins, minerals, and cholesterol to support healthy testosterone production.

3. Make sure the testosterone isn’t being bound or converted – Optimize your metabolic health so you can use the testosterone your body makes.

By addressing these areas, you can maintain optimal testosterone levels—no injections needed—well into your 70s.

References

Marriott, Ross, et al (2023). Factors Associated With Circulating Sex Hormones in Men : Individual Participant Data Meta-analyses. Annals of internal medicine. 176. 10.7326/M23-0342.

Aitken, R. J., Roman, S. D. (2008). Reproduction, 136(2), 173–185. doi:10.1530/REP-07-0582

Dhindsa, S., et al. (2004).Testosterone Deficiency in Men With Type 2 Diabetes. Endocrine Practice, 10(4), 367–374. doi:10.4158/EP.10.4.367

Gray, P. B., et al. (2018). Chronic Stress, Testosterone, and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis Dysfunction. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 49, 58–70. doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2017.12.003

Skakkebaek, N. E., et al. Endocrine Disruptors and Male Reproductive Health.(2016). Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 12(7), 410–424. doi:10.1038/nrendo.2016.57

Prasad, A. S., et al. (1996).Effect of Zinc and Magnesium Supplementation on Testosterone Levels. Nutrition, 12(5), 344–349. doi:10.1016/S0899-9007(96)00049-6

A Guide to Losing 3 Inches Off Your Waistline​

To lose 3" off your waist, focus on three key factors: managing calories, eating based on your blood sugar levels, and building muscle.

My clients typically lose about 1 inch of belly fat per month with this approach, which we track using their waist-to-height ratio. 

I've found that this steady pace prevents rebounds from rapid loss while avoiding plateaus.

Hunger Training

​What, how much, and when you eat are all essential for weight loss. The first step is using your blood sugar levels to signal when your body truly needs to refuel—a practice called hunger training. This helps you rely on biological cues rather than habits or cravings.

Think of it like a road trip: you wouldn’t stop for gas with half a tank, but you would if the fuel light came on. Similarly, when your blood sugar is above your eating “trigger” (typically between 70-100), you don’t need to eat yet.

You can monitor this with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) or a simple finger stick test.

Calorie Deficit

To lose fat, you need to create a calorie deficit. This can be achieved by either burning more calories through exercise or eating fewer calories. Both methods are challenging at first, but they become easier with time.

Here’s a simple formula to calculate your daily calorie goal:
13 calories x your ideal weight (in lbs.) = daily calorie goal

For example, if your target weight is 200 lbs, your goal would be around 2,600 calories per day. You can track this using the Cronometer app.

Muscle Mass

Building muscle doesn’t just improve your appearance—it boosts confidence, enhances daily activities, and increases physical attraction. The goal is to lose fat, particularly visceral fat, while simultaneously building muscle. This requires a combination of fat loss and strength training.

Aim for strength training 3-4 times per week, and prioritize the largest muscles in your body (IE shoulders and legs).

Keep in mind that these are just three core principles my clients follow. For optimal results, you’ll also need to prioritize sleep, movement, and stress management.

How To Have 16-Hour Energy

16-hour energy is just what it sounds like—sustained energy from the moment you wake up until you go to bed. 

Here's a strategy to get you there:

Today

Here’s the deal—you want to feel like a powerhouse tomorrow? You’ve got to start prepping today.

That means:

• No coffee after 12 PM—unless you want to lie in bed staring at the ceiling, questioning your life choices.

• Alcohol after 6 PM? Don’t do it. Keep it to zero if you really want to feel good tomorrow.

• Stop eating by 8 PM—your digestive system needs sleep too.

• Shut down the screens by 9 PM. Yes, that includes the TV in your bedroom.

• And man, it really helps to be in bed by 10 PM.

Here’s a bonus: If you’re waking up to pee multiple times a night, cut off all fluids after 7 PM. Yes, that means even water.

Let’s get you one solid night of rest, and tomorrow’s energy levels will be off to a good start.

Tomorrow

Start with a glass of water before you get your caffeine fix. Your body’s basically a dried-out sponge after a night with no fluids—rehydrate it first thing.

Next, get outside and soak up some morning light. This will set the internal clock that decides when you’ll start feeling sleepy later. It’s like hitting the "on" button for your 16-hour energy timer. In the winter, I use a chicken brooding lamp attached to my treadmill desk. It’s warm, bright, and looks ridiculous, but if it’s good enough for the chickens, it’s good enough for me.

Walk—morning, afternoon, after dinner. The more you move, the more your energy will go from "meh" to "let's get it done."

Lastly, aim for at least 30 grams of protein per meal. This is the minimum needed to help prevent blood sugar spikes and crashes, which has been a game-changer in my life.

Further Assessment

Even with all of this dialed, you might still feel like you’re dragging. That means it’s time for more detective work:

• Waking-up sluggish, despite 8 hours of sleep? Check your AM cortisol, or go for the full 24-hour salivary cortisol test.

• Feeling the dreaded 10 AM or 3 PM energy crash? Get your HbA1c, fasting glucose, and fasting insulin checked.

• Just feeling wiped-out all the time? It's time to check your thyroid and get a full testosterone panel.

These tests will give you the roadmap to tweak your diet, sleep routine, exercise timing, and supplements.

Now, some guys will say, "I know I can’t feel like I did when I was 20..." Well, guess what? You can get pretty darn close—if you just take that first step. 

And that means starting today.

The Truth About the Dad Bod

The obvious solution to avoid a dad bod is to continue exercising while avoiding processed food. The obvious obstacle, however, is less time (and energy and motivation, chores and work).

This is why most American men gain weight and lose muscle after becoming a dad. But this isn't the whole story. Let me explain.

Poverty of the flesh

The average age for a new dad is 30, which is inconvenient because it's about the time of peak strength in men. After that there's a steady decline in lean mass until you die. This is referred to as sarcopenia, which is derived from the Greek words 'sarx' and 'penia' and translates to “poverty of the flesh." Wonderful.

Not only is there less time (and energy and motivation) to move more and eat homemade salads, but dads are also up against a biological decline in fitness.

The average American man

The "dad bod" is the result.

6 years ago I shared this graphic of the average American male. At the time, I blamed the high BMI on a lack of exercise and a poor diet, but I've since learned how nuanced weight-gain is. I shared a study last week in my newsletter, for example, that showed how we gain weight discreetly at about a pound a year.

Now, when I look at this image I'm equally concerned about muscle loss because frailty increases your risk of pretty much all negative health issues, including early death.

Movement determines diet

The best solution I've found for myself and for my clients is to focus on movement first, and your diet will follow.

Trust me, you will seek out a Buddha bowl over a burrito if you know you're waking up at 6am to go on a ride. And you definitely won't eat an entire pizza for dinner if you're going to a yoga class in the morning–few things motivate me more than not wanting to fart in a yoga class.

On movement with limited time

Capitalize on any 15- to 20-minute window of free time for resistance training. This requires more discipline and more desire than before, but it's effective.

A recent study found that improvement in muscle strength and muscle endurance were similar regardless if participants performed one or three sets per session. One set per major muscle group equates to just 13-minutes of resistance training per session, or 39 total minutes per week. There goes the excuse about time.

Hare are the major muscle groups to prioritize: chest, back, arms, abdominals, legs, and shoulders. Notice how it's more than arms and abs.

Additional tips

• Find the healthiest fast-food possible. Rural Montana is known for having few restaurants, but almost every bar in this state has a salad with chicken. If you're going to drive through the DQ then create the habit of ordering the healthiest thing on the menu and skip the Dilly bar. Ask yourself, "What would a healthy person order?"

• Nothing ruins your progress like "a few beers." Hops and barley contain phytoestrogens and calories that lead to fat accumulation around the waist. One way to limit the number of beers you drink is to chase each drink with a glass of water. If nothing else, you will pee so much that a 3rd beer will sound like a chore.

Takeaway

Transitioning into a dad bod isn't the end of the world because the fat can be shed and the muscle can come back. The trick is to prioritize your physical health as close to 30 as you can because it's harder to get fit in your 40s due to sarcopenia.

I listened to an interview this week on the Rich Roll podcast with Mark Wardian who has a world record, can run a 2:17 marathon, AND has a family and a full-time job. How? What's the secret? (Please tell me it's genetics.)

"You have to want it."

That's it, that's Mark's secret sauce.

Do you want to stay in shape? It's doable, you just have to want it more than you you did before because it's harder now to find the time (and energy and motivation).

Upgrade Your Morning: The Breakfast That Boosts Energy and Performance

In 1895, Dr. John Kellogg and his younger brother, Will, created a new food that was intended to relieve stomach pain, while reducing the desire to masturbate.

At the time, Dr. Kellogg was the director at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan which was the wellness spa in pre-antibiotic 19th century America. His patients traveled from around the US to try therapeutics like clean air, healthy food, exercise, and hydrotherapy. If I was born in 1887 instead of 1987 I would’ve gone for sure, just to do some gymnastics and calisthenics with Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.

Kellogg noticed that many of the patients visiting the sanitarium had numerous digestive complaints, collectively referred to at the time as “dyspepsia.” It’s a similar picture to what I often see with patients today: stomach pain, gas, constipation, diarrhea, and/or heartburn.

Dr. Kellogg was aware that his patients associated their symptoms with their diet, but without research on possible foods to eliminate, he chose to villainize fat and start an un-health trend that still lurks in diet advice today, despite evidence that dietary fat doesn’t cause heart disease. The Kellogg bros took a shot at creating a breakfast alternative that, in their eyes, was easier to digest because it was grain-based and fat-free. Kellogg’s cereal was made of corn, shaped like flakes, and named appropriately.

Where the story gets strange, as many early religious interpretations do, is that Kellogg was trying to create a food that was plain, bland-tasting, free of meat, and, therefore, not stimulating. As a member of the Seventh-day Adventist church, Kellogg despised stimulating foods. He believed that rich foods, along with tea, coffee, and alcohol created an urge to masturbate.

Corn Flakes were the solution, Kellogg argued, and marketed as “Good for you no matter how much you eat!”

My hope is that by the end of this article you will understand why this simply isn’t true, even if you have dyspepsia, even if you’re addicted to masturbation.

A (brief) history of breakfast

Let’s first clear the air with Kellogg’s masturbation misconception. Caffeine is the only stimulant on his suspect list. It activates the central nervous system and is therefore stimulating. Food, on the other hand, does not have that effect. Whether or not any of this causes an urge to masturbate is unlikely and irrelevant. Why Kellogg dragged breakfast into the equation is a mystery other than the fact that testosterone peaks at 8am, hence morning erections and…whatever follows.

OK, back to food.

Marketing to consumers began during the Industrial Revolution, sparking confusion around what to eat. Of all meals, breakfast was (and still is) targeted most by brands trying to make a profit by providing options that are supposedly more convenient, cheaper, and healthier.

The American breakfast transformation was driven further by 19th century doctors encouraging health while slyly promoting their agendas of clean living, masculinity, and even sexuality.

“What a man eats when he’s 25 is more than likely to influence what he earns when he’s fifty!” claimed an early ad for Post cereal.

Americans were suddenly doubting the quality of their meals, with a new concern of whether their diet was nutritious enough.

In the late 1800s, using food as medicine was an exciting new concept, but available options were lacking convenience. Granola was around, for example, but it was so dense that it required overnight soaking to avoid breaking your teeth. Kellogg was the first to capitalize on the growing industry of processed food.

When Kellogg introduced Corn Flakes, everyone knew what corn was. It was one of just two types of foods—plants and animals. But what is baked corn meal soaked in milk? It must be healthy if a doctor is recommending it, right?

I was recently talking with my wife’s uncle, Larry, about how his grandparents didn’t question the health properties of their diet. They simply ate the eggs from their chickens and the veggies they grew and canned. Wheat flour was another staple because it was readily available in Montana, as was beef, venison, and elk. Their diet was unremarkable—and healthy.

Larry’s grandparents, and my great-grandparents, missed the evolution of breakfast in America that turned the question of “What’s for breakfast?” into a debate. In just two generations, a meal as simple as eggs and bacon was mutated into Lucky Charms, bagels, and Toaster Strudels. (All foods, I’ll admit, I’ve enjoyed in the past; all foods high in carbs and low in nutrients.)

Breakfast should be simple

You wake up, go to the bathroom, drink some coffee, hopefully some water, and then eat food when you’re hungry.

But what food?

Instead of listing a bunch of different foods as “good” or “bad” I’m going to share the unsexy formula that I recommend for all meals.

Eat more of these: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, eggs, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds

Eat less of these: processed foods

When questioning if a food is healthy, consider how far away it is from its natural state. Here are three examples of how healthy foods are processed into less healthy foods.

Raw almonds —> Roasted almonds with salt —> almond flour —> almond flour pancakes

Oat groats —> Instant oats —> Instant oats with 13g of added sugar and skim milk powder

Corn —> Corn meal —> Corn flakes covered in sugar and soaked in cow’s milk (Frosted Flakes)

For a healthy breakfast, aim to eat more almonds and less pancakes. More oatmeal and less sugar-sweetened instant oats.

What makes a breakfast unhealthy?

Maybe you’re thinking cool, that makes sense, but who has an hour to make breakfast? At the very least, cereal is convenient—it takes 10 seconds to make.

As a reminder, I’m focusing on breakfast because the thing you eat that breaks your fast will dictate your energy for the day. I’m not suggesting you put as much time into making breakfast as you do with dinner, but I do think you will feel better overall if you eat a balanced meal. Yes, this will take more than 10 seconds to make, but the increased energy will lead to more productivity, so overall it should be a net positive.

What you choose for breakfast will also determine if you spend the afternoon craving carbs. Have you noticed a strong desire for chips, chocolate, cookies, bread, French fries, or another bowl of cereal between 11am and 3pm? Sure, you could just be bored or tired, but it's also likely that your blood sugar is dropping after a carb-rich breakfast or lunch. This is a sign your body is craving more sugar to sustain. This vicious cycle can be avoided if your breakfast is low-carb, and high protein with some healthy fats.

The other reason why I wanted to focus on breakfast is because there are more unhealthy options than any other meal. I mean, there’s a whole aisle at the grocery store dedicated to cereal. And when I say that Corn Flakes are unhealthy, I’m mostly referring to its impact on your blood sugar (apart from being so nutrient-depleted that 8 vitamins and minerals need to be added to the ingredient mix).

In his book, Food: What the Heck Should I Eat, Dr. Mark Hyman calls cereal a “sugar-delivery system.” The processed grains found in Corn Flakes cause a sudden spike in glucose which leads to a spike of insulin to manage all the sugar. This is problematic because chronic, high insulin levels are associated with heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.

Starting the day with a meal that is essentially a dessert will set the foundation for sugar and carb cravings that lasts all day. This up-and-down cycle of blood glucose drains your energy, leading to a desire for an early lunch or a nap, or even mood swings (aka hangry).

All this suggests that Corn Flakes are actually anti-nutritious–not only do they waste an opportunity for a healthy meal, but in excess they can be harmful for your health.

Takeaway

The paradox of choice at the breakfast table is a modern dilemma, but the answer is simple: eat like your great-grandparents.

Goal #1: Eat a variety of nutrient-dense, whole foods

Goal #2: Eat less foods that are high-glycemic, and nutrient-poor

In his book Animal, Vegetable, Junk, food journalist Mark Bittman summarizes the current state of nutrition in America.

“By definition, food provides nourishment, and nourishment promotes health. And yet, in our perverse reality, so much of what we eat is promoting health’s opposite. Ultra-processed foods, more akin to poison than actual food, are making us sick as surely as if we were vitamin deficient.”

Today, Corn Flakes are marketed as “A low fat, healthy cereal that's sure to please both kids and adults.” It’s this type of marketing deception that makes it a challenge to find healthy foods in the grocery store. Low-fat doesn’t mean it’s a healthy food because dietary fat doesn’t lead to weight gain, processed carbohydrates do.

The solution, therefore, is to shop on outer isles of the grocery store where the actual food items are. Eggs, bacon, onions, spinach—these are whole foods that promote health and energy, especially as the first meal of the day. Save the Corn Flakes for your next race when you’re prioritizing fuel today over health tomorrow.

Improve your health with self-guided experimentation

After graduating from high school, I set-out on a decade-long personal development quest to finally put an end to my anxiety. I chose to start by improving my sleep because that didn't require going to a doctor which shows you how far I've come. At the time, I was staying up late and waking up before sunrise to go surfing before work. I was so tired during the day that I would crawl into the bed of my truck and take a nap at lunch.

My search led me to an article titled “How to Become an Early Riser” by blogger Steve Pavlina, who said all you have to do to be well-rested is wake up at the same time each day.

Here’s Steve:

“The solution was to go to bed when I’m sleepy (and only when I’m sleepy) and get up with an alarm clock at a fixed time (7 days per week). So I always get up at the same time (in my case 5am), but I go to bed at different times every night.”

I was attracted to the idea that all I had to do was a simple experiment to potentially change my energy and settle the debate on whether or not poor sleep worsens anxiety. There was little to lose, and a lot to gain. Flash-forward a few weeks and I was consistently waking up at 6am, and, although still tired because I was 19, I felt an improvement in my energy as my body adapted to a consistent routine. In fact, the improvement to my sleep was so beneficial that I still use this technique 17 years later (at least until my son was born and my whole routine changed).

Have you ever wondered how you would feel if you perfected your sleep routine? Or ate differently, or drank more water, or tried one of those new meditation apps? The simplest way to answer these questions is through self-guided experimentation, which, by the way, can also establish the foundation for your health.

Where to start

Self-experimenting with your health may bring up a vision of an armful of supplements or an expensive fitness-tracking watch, but I’ve found it helpful to start with the fundamentals and adjust the things you’re already doing on a daily basis.

Your sleep, movement, diet, and hydration each play an important role in how you feel today, as well as your likelihood for remaining healthy in a decade from now. They’re also the simplest areas to adjust.

Here are some adjustments to get you started:

• Sleep: amount, timing, room temperature, pets off the bed, avoiding blue light an hour before bed, avoiding caffeine after 1pm, avoiding eating 3 hours before bed, nervine tea blend, a pillow with more support, journal to release your monkey-mind.

• Diet: avoid processed food, add more produce with a variety of different colors, decrease eating window, consistent meal times, eat more fiber, eat more fish.

• Movement: change the type (aerobic, stability, resistance training), increase the daily amount, increase intensity, change the number of reps, increase the number of steps, focus on your breath, sit less.

• Hydration: more water, less of everything else.

How to draft an experiment

Your experiment needs to begin with a question that’s based on a health trend you find interesting, or a part of your life you want to improve. It can also be sparked by any vague symptom you're experiencing, especially fatigue, allergies, IBS, or mood swings.

Here's an example of an elimination diet I did

• An observation: The food I’m eating might exacerbate my eczema

• A single* intervention: Eliminate all the common food allergens

• A defined time period: 3 weeks

• Predicted outcome: Less inflammation in my flexor surfaces

• Measured response: I’m itching less than before I changed my diet

The parameters of the experiment are simple. The challenging part is seeing it through to the end.

(*Note: Start your experiment with only one change. That way you can isolate the thing that is working, while not overwhelming the system. Attempting too many changes simultaneously contributes to all the failed New Year’s resolutions you hear about.)

Thoughts on timing

Timing is mission-critical here. You don’t want the experiment to be so short that you don’t see results, but neither do you want to embark on some god-forsaken, year-long quest where you get burned-out after one week. The sweet spot is a two week commitment. Also, you aren’t doing yourself any favors by making lifestyle changes during the holidays or during your birthday week.

In terms of motivation, some people find January 1st as a good starting point because it’s a definitive beginning. It’s true. I think tomorrow morning can be equally exciting if you acknowledge the opportunity of a new day. My wife, Mary, says the hardest part of exercising is lacing up your Nikes, suggesting the obstacles don’t seem as daunting if you just get started already.

An example on timing: To improve your energy, experiment with a two week period where the only change you make is to wake up at the same time each morning, even on the weekends. To assess for improvement, measure your energy throughout the day and compare it to what it was like before the change.

Example where timing won’t be as effective: Going to bed early tonight to see how you feel in the morning. Although beneficial short-term, this won’t lead to useful knowledge, including what your ideal sleep schedule should be or how many hours of sleep you need to function optimally.

Is this Biohacking?

When I was exploring the triggers of my eczema I chose a three week period for my elimination/challenge experiment, strategically away from holidays where there would be too much temptation. The elimination diet has you avoid all foods that potentially exacerbate your symptoms, and then reintroduce them one at a time to see if there’s an obvious culprit. It’s intensive, but has a high potential for insight.

After drafting a plan, I went to Trader Joe’s and stocked up on the “allowed” foods, which wasn’t much, but I didn’t care because I was officially a biohacker. At the time, being a “human guinea pig” was gaining interest thanks to the Ben Greenfield Fitness podcast and books by author Tim Ferriss. These guys popularized the concept of citizen science through self-guided experimentation with supplements and lifestyle modifications.

Here’s Tim on his sleep habits:

“I have found I function best across the board physically and mentally if I get around seven and a half hours of sleep at night and then another 90 minutes around 3:00 or 4:00 p.m., whenever possible.”

Obviously this wasn’t a prescription from a doctor, or a generalized recommendation from the CDC. This tells me that Ferriss cares about his health enough to create a sleep schedule that matches his body’s demands.

Dave Asprey, host of Bulletproof Radio and self-described “Father of biohacking,” encourages his listeners to explore “do-it-yourself biology” in order to “be the absolute best version of yourself” which is something I preach, too.

That said, experimenting requires time, planning, and discipline, so I no longer call these “hacks.” Other than being born with good genes, there’s no shortcut to living a long, healthy life, so I encourage you to focus on the little things you do on a daily basis that combine to create your lifestyle.

All this DIY healthcare may sound a bit bizarre, but in some ways you have practiced health-related experiments since childhood, as you subconsciously gravitate towards food with the calories and nutrients your body needs. You also know to avoid the pizza shop down the street after a bout of food-poisoning. Trial and error is partly how humans evolve. These experiments are just more structured.

Examples outside of the biohacking world

Entrepreneurs are another group of strategic experimenters we can learn from. They know that success in business comes from persistence plus experimentation, so they use tools like A/B testing, for example, as a way to analyze different variations of an ad or a webpage before launching. Similarly, it’s common for a start-up to create multiple prototypes in order to test their product, or create a beta version to fine-tune software before releasing the final draft. All of this work is intended to allow creators to focus their energy on the stuff that works while ignoring everything else.

Back to my elimination experiment

I hit a wall on day seven of my first elimination diet. I was hungry all the time, and reduced to scarfing handfuls of raw almonds and cashews because nuts were one of the few allowed snacks. It took a turn for the worst when a new symptom appeared: pruritus ani (which I can confirm is as uncomfortable as it sounds). In retrospect, it’s obvious I could have avoided this if I was working with a doctor.

If you think the hunger and unwelcome itching suggests that the experiment was a failure, you’d be wrong. It only took two weeks before my IBS symptoms eased and my eczema started to heal. It sounds too good to be true, but after 3 years of suffering with daily symptoms, the improvements were life-changing (and ultimately inspired me to become a naturopathic doctor).

It was also empowering to know that my health was affected by my behavior and, at 25, I was finally an active participant in improving my situation. Once again, to this day I still maintain the dietary changes I learned during that experiment.

If you’re stuck, change your identity

Accepting the responsibility for your health can feel overwhelming. Do I join the gym? Stop eating meat? Get some essential oils on Goop? (Answers: Maybe; Maybe; No)

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, suggests you ease into new habits by adjusting your identity.

“Many people begin the process of changing their habits by focusing on what they want to achieve,” Clear writes. “This leads us to outcome-based habits. The alternative is to build identity-based habits. With this approach, we start by focusing on who we wish to become.”

If you’re looking to prioritize yourself going forward, observe how other healthy people around you behave. You might notice they solidify their identity as a health-conscious person based on the food they eat, what they do on the weekend, or how they prioritize their time. You might also notice they are constantly evolving through self-experimentation.

Get to work

“Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals. You’ve got to get the fundamentals down because otherwise the fancy stuff isn’t going to work.” —Randy Pausch

It used to surprise me when a patient would tell me they don’t have a consistent sleep routine, or they eat whatever they want, or they exercise when they’re motivated. In my experience, few people take the time to master the fundamentals of health, despite the evidence that this is how long-term health is created.

The good news is that experimenting is inexpensive, you can start it today, there’s low risk of side effects, and you get results that are curated to your individual needs, which are the most useful kind. Plus, one successful experiment is often all the motivation a guy needs to get the ball rolling for the next one, and before you know it you have established a game plan for a healthier life. You are building your house on concrete instead of sand. You are sacrificing energy today, to show respect to your future self.

If you’re looking for more motivation I suggest you check out David Goggins and his book “Can’t Hurt Me”. Here’s a preview:

“It’s a lot more than mind over matter. It takes relentless self discipline to schedule suffering into your day, every day.”

And here’s the template I use for my experiments:

“My [symptom] might be exacerbated by [association you’ve made] and I suspect that [an solution] for [number of weeks] will [possible outcome], which I will assess as [how you monitor progress].”

What's a good testosterone booster?

It's amazing how often someone asks me this.

I attribute it to the conditioned response created by years of watching pharmaceutical commercials that claim there’s a simple and easy solution for every health problem.

Low testosterone? Here take this one thing and all your problems will go away.

If there was a true “testosterone booster” supplement you would know about it.

Honestly, TRT is the closest thing we have to a single compound that boosts T as it’s guaranteed to raise your testosterone, because it’s, well, testosterone. 

But I don’t think that’s the right mindset to fix your overall health, in the same way I wouldn’t recommend taking Aspirin to relieve pain caused by a rock in your shoe.

Take the rock out.

Instead, you want to make sure your body has everything it needs to make testosterone, naturally. 

The right vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to build testosterone on a daily basis.

The simplest place to start is to make sure there's not a nutrient deficiency contributing to your low T, especially vitamin D and zinc. You also want to make sure you're eating the right fats, like whole eggs, since testosterone is made from cholesterol. 

After that you can choose a botanical medicine to help correct any underlying causes of low T. I use Tongkat ali, for example when SHBG is elevated and we’re trying to signal to the testes to ramp up production, or Fadogia acrastis if LH is low. There are many other options here.

From there it’s just fine-tuning your lifestyle, and within a couple months you can rely on your body to make enough T.

Minimum effective dose of exercise

What is the smallest amount of exercise that will give you the results you want?

It’s probably not as much time as you think.

For walking it’s only 8k steps per day, which is about 4 miles, and takes a little over an hour.

And for resistance training it’s 30 minutes, 3 days per week.

To find this dose, I started with this study, which shows that testosterone was significantly elevated after just 30 minutes of resistance training. Also, a meta-analysis published last year found that 30-90 minutes of resistance training per week was associated with 10–17% lower risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and death from all causes.

Another guideline to build strength and muscle mass is to train on non-consecutive days (IE Monday, Wednesday and Friday), which limits you to 3-4 days per week.

Most of the men I work with are high-performers at work (CEOs, doctors, dentists, business owners), as well dads and husbands--they have a lot of responsibilities, so the last thing I want them to do is add 10 hours of exercise to their schedule every week.

Instead, we start with three days per week of resistance training, and then we build-up to 4 days per week as part of our progressive overload strategy.

Why do the specifics matter?

The hardest thing about exercise is starting. And the best way to get started is to make your workouts pre-planned, and structured. Then make it repetitive.

Overall, you want to aim for a minimum of 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity movement where your heart rate is elevated, yet you can still hold a conversation.

The beauty of my plan is that you're most of the way to that weekly goal if all you’re doing is walking 8k steps per day, and strength training 3 days per week. 

Then repeat.

Is there viagra in your supplements?

A study tracking supplement data for 9 years found pharmaceuticals in 776 different supplements, including products marketed for sexual enhancement, weight loss, and muscle building. 

Viagra was in the ED supplements, sibutramine in the weight loss supplements, and, get this, synthetic steroids were in muscle building supplements. 

20.2% of the products studied contained more than one unapproved ingredient.

I'm not sharing this data to scare you away from supplements, but I do want to scare you away from cheap, low-quality supplements.

How can you tell if a supplement is high quality or not?

The most obvious test is to look at the name, and avoid products with unscientific words like "boost" or "max" or "shred."

It's may be true that supplements, unlike pharmaceuticals, are not approved by the FDA for effectiveness or safety, but that just means it's up to you to figure out if the ROI is worthwhile.

That doesn't mean, however, that all supplements are a total free-for-all. 

Supplements don't need approval before they hit the market, but there are still systems in place to help promote the companies who are making high-quality products.

If a company is GMP registered it means they observe Good Manufacturing Practices which was specifically established for the supplement industry, and includes things like ingredient testing.

Similarly, if a supplement brand is NSF registered it means they agree to annual audits and periodic retests of each supplement they produce.

NSF also has "NSF Certified for Sport" which screens supplements for 280 substances banned by most major athletic organizations as well as undeclared ingredients including stimulants, narcotics, steroids, diuretics, beta-2-agonists, masking agents and other substances.

It's nice to know my creatine doesn't contain steroids.

My top 5 rules for supplements:

Rule #1: If you're going to put it in your body everyday, buy the highest-quality product you can afford. 

Rule #2: Cover your bases first. Vitamin D, magnesium, fish oil, a multivitamin, and a multimineral. Also, creatine (without steroids) if you're resistance training. Then experiment.

Rule #3: Take your buddy's advice with a grain of salt. There's a spectrum of evidence when it comes to what you need to do to improve your health. Your buddy's advice is low-quality, a doctor on a podcast is medium-quality, and a doctor who makes personalized recommendations for you is the highest quality.

Rule #4: Stick to single ingredient products to ensure you're getting a therapeutic dose. Many supplements, especially related to testosterone, have 10+ ingredients which means that each ingredient is too low of a dose to be effective, or you need to take 10 capsules daily which makes it too expensive.

Rule #5: If the product is made by an influencer then it's probably low-quality (IE not NSF-GMP registered, multiple ingredients, low dose, steroids, etc.)

The top 4 brands I recommend the most often: 

Pure Encapsulations, Nordic Naturals, Thorne, and Integrative Therapeutics.

Notice how all their products have boring labels, and boring names, yet they're 3rd party tested and high-quality doses.

It makes a difference.

Why You Need a Health Coach

100% of the men I speak to say they want more energy, better sex, and to live beyond life expectancy, which is currently about 73 years-old.

Yet only 1% of men are self-motivated enough to check all the boxes required for that level of exceptional health.

So most men try the DIY approach, taking random supplements like Nugenix and beef liver, "exercising more," and eating less junk food, hoping they notice some improvements. They rely on the work they put in as an athlete in their 20s to carry them into their 60s.

Keyword here is 'hope' because their strategy isn't proven, it's guessing.

Best case scenario this approach just wastes time and money, but worst case is that you develop a nutrient deficiency or miss something critical like uncontrolled high blood pressure.

Then there's the handful of guys who take a different approach and hire a health coach.

They stop the guesswork and start a strategy that has evidence backing it's effectiveness.

They stop the delusional thinking that they can they are above average because they played football in high-school.

What would Kobe Do?

My friend sent me Kobe Bryant’s book Mamba Mentality for Christmas, which is chock-full of gems that explain the mindset of an exceptional athlete.

In his book, Kobe said, “Good coaches…teach you how to think and arm you with the fundamental tools necessary to execute properly.”

It’s like the classic saying:

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.

Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

A good health coach will teach you the fundamentals of how to improve your energy, metabolism, and strength, so you can execute and enjoy the benefits of those results for the rest of your life.

My Approach

My coaching strategy is through self-experimentation, where you make a change, measure the results, and compare it to the past.

It’s personalized and data-driven.

This type of method will save you years of wasted time and money on misguided trial and error.

When you use data to take the guesswork out of your health, you get quicker results, which, again, is urgent for us American men who want to live beyond our 70s.

If you want the health results that you say you want then you need to master the fundamentals.

You need a personalized approach.

You need a coach.