Losing Fat Over 40

Author

Darryl Evanetich
September 25, 2024

Struggling with belly fat over 40? The key is to keep insulin levels low so your body can burn fat. High insulin levels inhibit fat breakdown, promote fat storage, and shift your body's energy consumption to burning carbs instead of fats.

Here are the strategies to help you achieve this:

  1. Well-structured meal plan: Fill half your plate with protein, a quarter with carbs, and a quarter with veggies. Key is have a plan.

  2. Fix your sleep

  3. Add 30 minutes of extra activity: Walk, bike, etc.

  4. Resistance training: Strength train 3-4 times a week. Adding and preserving muscle mass is essential for keeping insulin levels low, especially as you age.

  5. Increase water intake: At least 3 liters per day.

  6. Use smart supplements: Thyroid support, testosterone boosters, metformin, semaglutide or tirzepatide.

Preventing insulin spikes helps your body stay in a fat-burning state when you're in a calorie deficit.

Insulin Levels

  • Optimal: 2-5 µIU/mL – Excellent insulin sensitivity.

  • Good: 5-8 µIU/mL – Healthy but could improve.

  • Low Risk: 8-12 µIU/mL – Early insulin resistance signs.

  • High Risk: >12 µIU/mL – Insulin resistance, higher disease risk.

Unfortunately, there is no at-home insulin test kit to track daily. It’s recommended to test fasting insulin levels twice a year.

Top 5 Factors That Cause High Insulin Levels:

  1. High intake of refined carbs and sugars

  2. Overeating and frequent snacking

  3. Sedentary lifestyle

  4. Chronic stress

  5. Poor sleep quality or deprivation

Focus on eating a low-glycemic diet—less processed carbs and sugars, more fiber, protein, and healthy fats. Go keto if you’re trying to make big progress.

Aim for 150 minutes of moderate exercise, 75 minutes of high-intensity activity, and 3 strength training sessions per week. You can combine workouts to save time (think HIIT). Start small and build your way up.

Poor sleep or high stress can lower testosterone, which plays a role in regulating and reducing insulin levels.

If these strategies still aren't doing the trick, there are two medications that might help:

  1. Metformin

  2. GLP-1 agonists (think Ozempic®)

Biohackers like Bryan Johnson take 1,500 mg of Metformin daily to lower glucose and insulin levels. I've tried this myself (1,000 mg daily) and saw significant reductions in glucose, HbA1c, cholesterol, LDL, and ApoB levels in just two months. However, it can hinder muscle growth, endurance, and performance, so I've since reduced my usage to 1,000 mg extended-release tablets twice a week.

For GLP-1 agonists, there are two popular ones:

  1. Semaglutide (Ozempic®)

  2. Tirzepatide

A GLP-1 agonist is a drug that helps lower blood sugar and reduce hunger to aid in weight loss.

Tirzepatide affects two hormones to lower blood sugar and weight, while Semaglutide affects only one, so Tirzepatide may work better.

There's also a triple-agonist in clinical trials called Retatrutide, which may be even more effective. It's estimated to be available by prescription once approved by the FDA, possibly around 2026 or later.

Optimize the natural route first—diet, exercise, sleep, stress.

Retest your markers in 2-3 months. If you're seeing progress, stay the course. If you need a boost, talk to your doctor about trying some medications.

Until next time,

Darryl