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Mornings have a rhythm. You can hear it, feel it. And at Quaker, we fuel it. With 100% whole grain oats and a good source of fiber in every bowl, helping you turn that rhythm into your soundtrack for a great day. Fuel to start whatever's next. Quaker, official sponsor of FIFA World Cup 26.
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Hey, it's Christy from Lululemon, and I'm here at the office checking out the Shake It Out shorts. These have been my go-tos, and I kind of think of them as a middle ground between a true run short and a more playful, athletic, sporty short. They have all the performance you want for running, so a comfy liner, our lightweight, swift fabric, even a pocket for your keys. But what I really like is the flowy fit and layered hem. It gives it a little bit of volume, a little bit of fun, so they feel as good on a run as they do just at coffee afterwards. You can find the Shake It Out shorts in-store now or online at lululemon.com.
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Chevy is called the heartbeat of America for a reason. With SUVs made to move with your rhythm. The versatile Equinox tackles your entire day. The spacious Traverse fits your crew and your whole weekend. And Trax brings style with value you can count on. All infused with tech that has your back. So your drive always hits the right chord. Chevrolet. Together let's drive it.
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Welcome back to a healthy revisit of Well Beyond 40, where today we are going to revisit a timely topic, nature's ozempic. In this episode, I expose how protein acts as nature's ultimate appetite hack to help you gain control over your hunger and cravings without the devastating muscle loss and metabolic crashing.
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I break down the science behind how protein regulates key satiety hormones like ghrelin, leptin, and PYY. And I'll share my specific daily protocol for combining high-quality protein with fiber to optimize your gut health. If this episode taught you something new, be sure to share it with a friend, and together we can build a healthier community.
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Hey, I'm JJ Virgin, PhD dropout, sorry mom, turned four-time New York Times bestselling author. As a certified nutrition specialist, fitness hall of famer, and globally recognized leader in health, I'm driven to keep asking the tough questions and use my podcast to simplify the science of health into actionable strategies that help you thrive.
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I'd also love to hear your thoughts on the show. And here's the fun part. When you send me your review, I'll reply to you using my on-demand virtual me. That's right. My team and I created a virtual JJ packed with my books, speeches, and wisdom so I can personally connect with you. Here's how you do it. Subscribe and leave an honest review of the podcast. Take a screenshot of your review.
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Text it to 813-565-2627. That's 813-565-2627. My virtual JJ will reply directly. And trust me, this will make your day. So subscribe now at subscribe2jj.com and text me your review. Let's keep thriving together.
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What if I told you that steak or salmon could work like Ozumbic, but without the side effects? In fact, what if I told you they actually had side benefits? Now, Big Pharma doesn't want you to know this, but protein might be nature's ultimate appetite hack. Let's expose the truth.
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Now, whether you're on Ozempic or some of those other weight loss drugs, or you're looking for how to titrate off it or lower the dose, or you just would love to get control of your appetite or cravings, I got you. All right, I'm sure you've heard about Ozempic's dark side, that extreme hunger drop, which causes rapid weight loss, which of course might sound great.
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until you discover that 40% or more of this can come from lean mass, especially skeletal muscle mass. And what happens when you do that is you devastate your metabolism. And then when you go off, guess what you gain back? Fat, which is why you end up in a really big metabolic hole. You see, you actually don't wanna shut off your hunger altogether.
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You just wanna get some control over it. You wanna rein it in. And that's where protein comes in. Protein's superpower is threefold for how it controls hunger. First of all, it slashes the hunger hormone ghrelin for three plus hours. This helps you slow down stomach emptying so that you can feel fuller longer. Now, in a bit, I'm gonna share the magic ingredient that you can pair with protein that's just gonna amplify the effect of ghrelin.
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Protein impacts more than just ghrelin. Protein also helps maintain healthy leptin levels, and this can help signal fullness to the brain. Now, this doesn't happen right away because unlike ghrelin, leptin is more influenced by body fat than short-term meals.
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But protein's fat loss effects over time can help improve leptin sensitivity. And then there's another hormone called PYY. And protein sharply increases PYY. This is a hormone that slows digestion and also helps promote fullness. Obese individuals often have blunted PYY responses, but a high-protein diet can bring this back to normal.
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Plus, protein provides those essential amino acids that you need to make neurotransmitters from, including dopamine and serotonin. Now, dopamine and serotonin are super important both for appetite and cravings. Just think about it when you eat a big steak.
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And then the dessert cart comes. You're like, I'm full. I don't want that. And it's not just that you're full. You just don't have those cravings. So protein is more satiating than fat or carbs. And it also supports your overall metabolism. And it does this in two critical ways. And these two critical ways can make all of the difference in your long-term success. And I'm
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in a little bit, but I want to also give you the Ozempic Mimicking Protein Protocol because this is going to set you up for success. First of all, you're going to be eating one gram of protein per pound of your protein
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target or ideal body weight. You want to do this every single day. Now, I even push this a little bit more with caloric restriction because I want to ensure that you can hold on to your muscle as you're losing fat and make sure that you're getting in at least 40 grams of protein in your bumper meals. Those are your first and your last meals of the day. And why I want you to make sure you're doing that is I want to make sure you're turning on your metabolic furnace in the morning
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and shutting down those cravings. When you eat in the morning, you're really setting the metabolic tone for the day. And then in the evening, I want you to do it because I want you to shut the refrigerator, right? So we're stopping those evening frigerates when you eat your protein at 40 grams or more in the evening.
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Now, next up, grab yourself some clean, lean animal sources so that you're getting the most digestible and bioavailable sources with the best amino acid profile. So think of things like grass-fed, grass-finished lean beef. I especially love this because it is rich in a fatty acid called CLA, and this has been shown to actually help you drop belly fat. It's also rich in omega-3s.
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which are anti-inflammatory. And of course, grass-fed, grass-finished beef is nutrient-dense. Think iron, think B12, think great minerals. And then I love wild salmon. Also has those great omega-3s, which are anti-inflammatory, has great gut healing properties, and rich in antioxidants. Now, important one to remember, you are what you eat, ate. So be sure to choose clean, lean sources to avoid the toxins that could be in those factory farmed animals.
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Now, if you're trying to get all of your protein from minimally processed plant-based ingredients, this is likely gonna push you over the carbon fat levels you need to be able to be at in order to lose body fat. Because just to get 40 grams of protein, you'd have to eat more than two cups of lentils. That's over 500 calories. Or five cups of quinoa. That's over 1,100 calories. And by the way, that's not even getting in the balance of essential amino acids that you need. And that's also...
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I'm not getting in the 150 grams or more protein you need. Let's say if you're a 150 gram person. So you can see how quickly the calories and the carbs add up before you even come close to your protein targets. Now there is a role for these foods and that's part of that magic formula I talked about earlier. I want you to pair your clean lean protein with fiber
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It's the perfect protocol as both of these work together to support the release of GLP-1. Plus, you get bonus points for fiber because fiber is so important for your microbiome. And you got to have a healthy microbiome to produce GLP-1. Plus, of course, we know that fiber is really important for blood sugar stability. So think chicken thighs and lentils or salmon and quinoa for the win.
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And I want you to hit in fiber at least 30 grams or more a day. You'll be able to find out if you're doing this because you're going to be tracking on an app, right? And I love the chronometer app because I'll be able to track how much protein I'm eating and I'll be able to track how much fiber I'm eating. And be sure that you're using a food scale so you'll know exactly how much you're getting. Do not try to eyeball it. We are notoriously bad at that.
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So I mentioned that there was even more that protein can do for your metabolism beyond helping with hunger and cravings. Protein is the most thermic of the three macronutrients. It's part of what impacts your daily energy expenditure. Protein takes about 25% of its calories to be digested and assimilated on the body. Now carbohydrates, it's only 5% or 10%. And fat's pretty close to zero.
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So if you want to boost your overall caloric expenditure, boost your protein up. You know, it's interesting. Bill Campbell, Dr. Bill Campbell, who runs a physique lab here in Tampa at the University of South Florida, he has found that when you eat more protein, you lose more fat. Also, hypochloric,
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Higher protein intakes help you maintain, or better yet, build skeletal muscle. And remember, muscle helps your metabolism. Muscle helps with insulin sensitivity. That's why I call muscle your metabolic spanks, because when you have more muscle, you're gonna burn more calories all day long. And it also supports better metabolic flexibility and better fat burning. The other thing that muscle is, is a sugar sponge. When you're eating those carbohydrates,
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with the magic formula, it's going to give those carbohydrates a place to land in your muscles, rather than getting converted to fat and getting stored on your belly. The reality is, and you know this, you do not build muscle by eating protein and sitting on the couch. You have to add in resistance training as well. This is going to ensure that you maintain, and ideally, you build muscle while you're losing fat. This is a process known as recomping.
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Now, something else that can help you here is my product, Sheatine. This is a non-bloating form of creatine that I put together with magnesium and taurine to help you work out harder and recover better. So protein, fiber, Sheatine, all of this combined, plus resistance training ensures that you don't suffer the fate of most of these Ozempic users with those higher big pharma doses that lead to muscle loss and metabolic crashing. Not on my watch.
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So here's your plan. We talked resistance training. What I want you to do is lift heavy three times a week. Big compound moves, things like squats and pushups, bent over rows, and overhead presses. Make sure you're getting in that protein. Remember, it's 40 grams at your bumper meals, breakfast and dinner, and at least one gram per pound of target body weight overall.
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and add that fiber in too. 30 plus grams a day to both support that GLP-1 raising and help your gut microbiome. Okay, so here's why Big Pharma hates this. There was a 2025 study that found that protein shakes alone beat Ozempic for fat loss, nine kilograms versus five kilograms, and here's the real kicker. The shake users kept 80% more muscle. Yes, you heard me right.
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Be sure to join me next time for more tools, tips, and techniques you can use to look and feel your best and be built to last. Also, I'd love to connect with you and hear your thoughts on the podcast. Here's how. First, subscribe to the podcast and leave an honest review. Second, take a screenshot of your review.
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And third, text it to 813-565-2627. That's 813-565-2627. When you do, I'll reply using my brand new Virtual JJ app.
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It's my on-demand virtual self built from my books, talks, and years of experience so I can interact with you directly. You'll make my day, and I can't wait to hear from you. Thanks for tuning in, and I'll catch you on the next episode.
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Hey, JJ here, and just a reminder that the Well Beyond 40 podcast offers health, wellness, fitness, and nutritional information that's designed for educational and entertainment purposes only. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional and ask you to do it.
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Make sure that you do not disregard, avoid, or delay obtaining medical or health-related advice from your healthcare professional because of something you may have heard on the show or read in our show notes. The use of any information provided on the show is solely at your own risk.