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Transcript

Why Your Belly Fat Won’t Budge After 40 (Even If You Eat Less & Work Out More) · Harder Than Life

• 0:00
  You're doing everything you did at 35. Same diet you cleaned up, same workouts, maybe even eating less than you used to, and yet your gut won't move. If anything, it's getting harder, rounder, lower, and will not lead. So you do what everybody else does. You blame yourself. I need more willpower.
• 0:23
  I need more discipline. You tell yourself you're lazy. You're not. That's a lie and it keeps you stuck. Here's the truth nobody's telling you. After 50, the belly isn't a calorie problem. It's a hormone problem wearing a calorie costume. Actually,
• 0:43
  My producers asked me to say this after 50. This actually happened to me at 40. So you 40-somethings and 50-somethings, I'm talking to you. Sorry to 30s. Get started early and you'll be fine. But your testosterone has been dropping 1% to 2% every year since your 30s.
• 1:02
  20, 30% gone by now. Your insulin stopped listening. Your cortisol hits harder for the same stress. And you've quietly lost 5 to 10% of your muscle every decade.
• 1:17
  So your body burns less just sitting there. And the belly fat itself, the deep belly fat isn't storage. It's an organ. It pumps out inflammation. It lowers your testosterone even more. And lower testosterone makes more belly fat. It's the circle of life, the doom loop. It feeds itself. Remember life's merry-go-round? You go round, around, around, and you puke. So no, you're not weak.
• 1:46
  You're running a 1995 strategy on a 2026 body. Today I'm going to tell you exactly what changed for me and the exact levers that are working to get me into this amazing physique at 50 years old because they do work. They're just not the ones you've been pulling or that have made it all over social media. So let's get into it. Welcome.
• 2:14
  to my Thursday solo one-on-one, harder than life episodes. No guests, just you and me. And this is for the frustrated. I've been you.
• 2:25
  I'm not a doctor, but again, I just tell you all my trials and tribulations of what I've messed up. So you don't do the same thing. I measure everything. I adjust. When things aren't working, I pivot. And as always, if you're watching my social media and if you're tuned into this, you probably do because the show is growing. I love every single one of you. Thank you so much. Share this with somebody who is struggling with their weight.
• 2:53
  I show you the proof, the receipts, day in and day out, the 5 a.m. workouts. Again, take the message and leave the mess. You don't have to work out at 5 a.m. like I do. I just guarantee that I can get there at 5 a.m. every morning, and there's no excuses. Nothing can come up because it's the first thing I do every day.
• 3:15
  Let's talk about my experience. Really, it's the lie we are being fed. And you all heard it. Eat less, move more. Bull loany. It's the whole Caloric Deficit.
• 3:29
  That is absolutely not true at all. It takes so much more. So all of that advice is out the window. Again, this is supposed to be, the show is supposed to be burning belly fat after 50. I'm gonna take this down to 40. I'm gonna push back on my producers because this happened to me at 40.
• 3:48
  At 40, everything in my life slowed down and it was insane. So what worked at 30 stopped working at 40. And now that I'm 50 really doesn't work.
• 4:01
  I am one of the most disciplined people you know. That's why you listen to me. Willpower will keep you stuck. You will just continue to work out harder, put more effort, and get nowhere. It feels like you're running in quicksand or running on a treadmill and just getting heavier. Same effort, worse results. It's extremely frustrating. In this podcast, I'm going to tell you why and how to get out of it.
• 4:29
  My last podcast, I told you about the picture when my daughter was born. And now I'm gonna tell you about when I turned 40 and how things just weren't working. And then I'm also gonna fast forward to 50. So there's two moments I'm gonna share with you. At 40 years old, everything in my body started aching. And this is way before peptides. So I was like, what is going on? I'm working out harder, I'm getting fatter,
• 4:58
  And I went to the doctor to get my blood test and found out that my testosterone was so low. It was, I think it was 233 or something like that. So the moment for me was right before 40. And then another one happened at 50 where I said, I'm going to outwork everybody. So two moments, one where I was working out extremely hard and getting nowhere. And then a second moment, 10 years later, where I worked out harder than I've ever worked out before. And I depleted all of my energy.
• 5:28
  Neither one worked. Stay tuned and I'm going to tell you what to do. And it has nothing to do with working out more or harder or any of that stuff, which is sort of a little bit in direct contrast to the last podcast. There is a delicate balance. It is workout intensely, consistently.
• 5:49
  but not to the point of exhaustion. We're gonna get into it. Biology isn't an excuse, but it is literally what's going on, and I'm gonna talk deep about it. So belly fat after 40 and 50, it's hormones. There's a hormonal shift. It happened like overnight for me.
• 6:09
  at 40 and like I said, testosterone was so low, it was ridiculous. So there is many, many, actually, I don't wanna get into it, I'm gonna talk about why and then I'll get into the how. So your fat becomes an active organ that stores things, bad things for you and it just sits there and keeps you freaking stuck and this visceral fat,
• 6:35
  wraps around your organs and causes all kinds of problems. This is how heart attacks happen. It pumps out inflammation. It's actively compounding how hard your body needs to work. And again, as I said in the opening, your testosterone drops one to 2% on average per year,
• 6:57
  I believe that is low, but that's the one that in our research kept coming up. By the time you get to 50, my age, 20 to 30% of your testosterone gone. And for me at 40, that happened. But fat makes estrogen, which lowers testosterone. This whole thing just talks about lowering testosterone. And as a man and you women...
• 7:22
  I've watched, if you do any research, women need to measure their testosterone as well. So low testosterone makes more fat.
• 7:33
  you're on again that doom loop so women when they have that little midsection their estrogen drops which means they need more testosterone and fat goes right to their midsection their blood sugar rises and they become insulin resistant and that all goes right at your belly you guys have seen the beer bellies
• 7:56
  the quote unquote beer bellies, that's kind of what this is. Stress receptors cluster in that belly fat. Again, the doom loop, the same stress, hits so much stronger when you're overweight. When you lose muscle and you're gaining fat, you have a lower resting heart rate, which doesn't burn as much calories. Again, another doom loop. There are five systems
• 8:24
  that are working against you. It's the testosterone, the insulin, the cortisol, estrogen, and muscle all push to the belly fat. So how do we fix this? Actually, wait a minute. I wanna jump in and say why the old fixes, what we've been taught backfires.
• 8:45
  We've been taught workout more. That was my biggest thing. You gotta work out more. And I'm, boy, did I do this when I turned 40. And I did it when I turned 50. So more cardio spikes the cortisol, your stress hormone, because you're pushing your body harder. It raises that stress hormone, which then stores your belly fat. Again, see how this is working against me? Crash diets.
• 9:11
  When you say, I'm going to starve myself, or you do something very extreme, it actually burns muscle, not the fat. The fat actually stores and replenishes itself and holds everything in case of emergency. It's the last part to go. And then when you have less muscle, you have a slower metabolism. Again, we're on this crazy journey.
• 9:35
  doom loop. And then if you take those fat burners, you get that skinny fat, the thin arms, the hard gut, and the look and the unhealthiness of that is just god awful for your body.
• 9:49
  And a lot of us, me, up until 43, I used alcohol, which increased my liver fat and wrecked my sleep, which made everything worse. Because sleep, I'm going to do a whole show about sleep. Sleep is, I've learned now at 50, is literally the foundation of everything. If I don't get a good night's sleep, there's nothing I can do to recover from that.
• 10:14
  So alcohol is just an absolute no-no. Even in small doses, one drink, it's just a no. It will make, it just, empty calories goes right to your belly, which wrecks your sleep, which increases stress, which increases insulin, which causes, guessed it, belly fat. But here's what's happening, we're fighting the wrong enemy. We've been attacking calories,
• 10:42
  instead of our hormones. So now, all that to tell you what to do. And again, usually I give you four levers to pull, or four segments, and that's what I'm gonna do today. So, lever number one that I want you to pull is to build muscle and raise testosterone. If you listen to last week's episode, I told you exactly what to do. The lever one is still gonna be very similar. Lift, heavier.
• 11:11
  at least three times a week. I'd like to see it five times a week, but I understand many of us are busy, especially if you're not lifting at all. Just get the three. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, intense weight training, and that'll establish a baseline, and then you can add on to there. This strength training will raise your testosterone naturally.
• 11:34
  that lifting boosts it without any peptides, without any extra testosterone. It's just a natural fix. Muscle is your metabolic engine. More muscle will burn more all day and improves your blood sugar. It burns all the bad things. So again, I want you doing big compound movements. The push pulls, heavy push means bench press, lat pull downs.
• 12:03
  and squats. Even if your back is bad, do squats on the Smith machine and do the biggest body parts, big body parts, your quads, your back, chest.
• 12:16
  Push, pull, squat. They have machines that will keep you safe. Use the machines, but go heavy. And you know how you're going heavy? Your breath gives out and you're sweating. The most effective single intervention is exercise. And it's free to all of us. It is proven. And I'm telling you, this fixes everything.
• 12:39
  Lever two, blood sugar. Again, this is going to sound like last week's, but it is very simple. Fix your diet. So your protein intake every single meal, eat a balanced meal every single day. All three meals. I have five meals a day. So start with a protein, build around that, and do not go full-blown, what is it, keto, where you're not taking in carbs. You need the carbs to burn energy.
• 13:10
  For energy. You burn carbs for energy. This is also a lie. Again, I want you on a lot of protein. One gram of protein per pound of your ideal body weight. Again, I'm 210. I like to be about 210. I took 210 grams of protein per day. Cut out the snacking, my loves. No sugar. No snacking. Remove all the insulin spikes, including the worst ones are the energy drinks. And believe me, they're hard.
• 13:39
  Don't reach for the M&Ms. Nothing with the just quick and easy grazing. If you must have sugar, if you must eat it in a protein bar, at least you're having some protein. And then I want you to get up and walk after the meals. If you're out at the office and you bring your prepared meals, go for a walk around your building. Go for a walk in your building. Go for a walk around your office.
• 14:03
  Go for a walk with your significant other after dinner. It'll be bonded. It will lower the blood sugar spike and even everything out. Lowering that insulin, keep you from chasing belly fat. So fix your hormones first and the fat follows. Lever three, lower your stress. Lower. Stress is a fat storage signal.
• 14:27
  So the more stressed you are, the fatter you'll probably get. I know that is easier said than done, but here's the easiest fix. Sleep seven plus hours. Remember what I just said, sleep is the foundation for everything. If you can't get seven hours of uninterrupted sleep, you have to go get a sleep study, you gotta go talk to a doctor, get some AIDS. It is just the most important thing. Seven hours minimum.
• 14:55
  And again, no alcohol because that will mess up your sleep. Don't be like me. Don't train yourself into the ground because that also will overtired you and not allow you to fall asleep. Sleep is everything. Lever four is the measure. Measure the right things.
• 15:12
  waist, your waist size, not the scale. If you look at my BMI right now, I'm technically overweight, but my waist is 34. And I got a six pack. So technically if I look at 210 at five foot nine, I'd be overweight. Don't look at the scale. If you look good and you feel healthy and the doctor says you're good, which by the way, I can't believe I've gone this far. You guys get your blood test done. Get your test for your testosterone and your A1C levels.
• 15:42
  It is so easy. We're going to be partnering with some people we'll be sharing with you. Very, very affordable. Every six months, get your blood work done. For me, it was a little frustrating because I got it done twice because I didn't believe it. And it was pretty much well in the optimal range because I'm literally trying to get even better sleep.
• 16:04
  I want to push a little more out for you guys because I still find myself tired. If you watch my stories in the last couple of days, I'm trying to record these episodes and screwing them up. So bear with me. Show me a little grace as I struggle through these. I don't know what it is. I've just been tired lately.
• 16:21
  Believe the numbers, not the vibes. Sometimes it's just you're going through something. I am building this brand. I'm building AI agents at National Technology Management. I've got a lot on my plate right now. So my body just wants to sleep. Let it.
• 16:39
  And then every six weeks, I want you checking in with yourself. Go back to your journal, go back to where you're writing, your rep count, your not weight, but how much weight you were lifting, or your waist size, your grip strength, write that all down and every six weeks, recheck it. Every six months, check your blood. So again, the four levers, just to reiterate, the first one,
• 17:02
  is build your muscle to raise your testosterone by working out hard three to five times a week. Fix your blood sugar by eating a gram of protein per pound that you want to, less sugar, cut the alcohol. Number three is cut the stress by sleeping better. And level four is measuring everything, including your blood work. Got that? All right.
• 17:26
  Guys, this isn't vanity. This is not optional. This is literally survival. This will add years to your life. And notice I didn't say anything crazy. Nothing. Get your blood work done. Work out. Take care of yourself. You have one body. Take care of it. And we literally treat it like it's a never-ending machine and it's going to live forever. Raise your standards. You want to be around to walk your kids down the aisle, don't you? You want to be at their wedding, don't you?
• 17:56
  You wanna see your grandchildren, don't you? This is not vanity. It's not about the six pack abs. Sure, it's nice that I have them, and I really love them, and I work hard on them, but it's for you and everybody else, including me, it's about survival. Remember, when you have that visceral fat,
• 18:15
  It drives disease and decline. This is why people that are out of shape get sick more often than people that don't. And why you tend to see people who are a little heavier, have more heart disease, diabetes, and they die a little earlier. You can reverse this. It's proven. I am proof. I will tell you I'm going to live to 120 because I'm going to constantly take care of myself. Most of these facts are, you know, all of these facts.
• 18:44
  We're researched. I'm not a doctor, but everything I'm telling you, you know to be true. What's stopping you? Stop that doom loop today, and I want you to start. Listen to me on this one. One heavy session, one full protein meal today, because the discipline will compound.
• 19:05
  You got to start somewhere and your body will respond and you will feel great for it. Remember your standards, which is your body. Speak before you do.
• 19:17
  I walk into a room, people know, I mean business, that I'm gonna follow through. If somebody walks into a room and you're a little overweight, we know you're not keeping the promises you make to yourself. They're not gonna take you as seriously. You can be the smartest person in the room, and still people are gonna doubt you. So protect your mission, which is your life. Guys, share this with somebody 40, 50, 50, 50.
• 19:41
  or even in your 30s, get started early. It's the guy blaming his willpower or thinks that he's lazy. He's not. It's just biology that's working against it. Tag me. I got my Happier Than Life book talks a lot about this. It's in the show notes. And I want you to go out and build like your life depends on it because it does. This is Harder Than Life. I'll see you next Thursday. And be kind to each other. Get to the gym today.
• 20:09
  Please rate and share this podcast. I'm active on all social platforms and love to hear from my Segal supporters. Each and every episode is sponsored by my company, National Technology Management, the easiest and best IT company to do business with, delivering peace of mind with technology every day, even simplifying cybersecurity. Visit TrustNTM.com for more info. Until next week, be harder than life.