Well Beyond 40

Unpacking GLP-1s: A New Approach to Weight Health with Ashley Koff

What if the goal wasn't just to lose weight, but to achieve a balanced "weight health ecosystem"? In this episode, I speak with Ashley Koff about how ultra-processed foods, under-fueling, and disrupted hormones have shaped today’s metabolic crisis—and why weight loss alone is the wrong goal. Ashley shares her deeply personal journey and her science-backed framework for understanding weight health, including a clear, honest conversation about GLP-1 medications and how to use them responsibly. Ashley Koff, RD, is the USA Today bestselling author of Your Best Shot (HarperOne) and founder of The Better Nutrition Program (BNP). With over twenty-five years of experience, Ashley’s helped redefine how we approach sustainable, lasting weight health. In her new book, Your Best Shot, Ashley introduces weight-health hormones (GLP-1, GIP, CCK, PYY) and offers the first-ever system for assessing and optimizing these hormones, whether you’re using GLP-1 medication or not. It’s a game-changer for anyone who’s felt stuck, blamed themselves, or been failed by traditional dieting. What you’ll learn: (02:10) Why ultra-processed foods undermine satiety and metabolic health. (08:05) How dieting and under-fueling can damage digestion, hormones, and muscle. (13:40) What “weight health” means and why weight alone misses the real problem. (15:30) How GLP-1 and other incretin hormones regulate appetite, fat storage, bone, and metabolism. (17:45) Why enriched and ultra-processed foods leave the body under-resourced. (21:00) How GLP-1 medications work differently from the body’s natural hormone signals. (24:10) Why fatigue, digestive issues, and muscle loss can happen on GLP-1s when dosing and nutrition aren’t optimized. (30:20) Whether it’s possible to come off GLP-1 medications and what sustainable success actually looks like. Love the podcast? Here’s what to do: Subscribe to the podcast. Leave a review. Text a screenshot to me at 813-565-2627 and wait for a personal reply because your voice is so important to me. Want to listen to the show completely ad-free? Go to http://subscribetojj.com Click “TRY FREE” and start your ad-free journey today! When you’re ready, enjoy the VIP experience for just $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year (save 17%!) Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/yourbestshot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FODMAPs Explained: Why Healthy Foods Suddenly Hurt

Why do healthy foods suddenly cause bloating and pain? In this episode, I share how one of the most stressful seasons of my life completely changed my gut and forced me to rethink foods I’d eaten for years without issue. I also walk you through how stress disrupted my microbiome, why I used the FODMAP diet as a short-term reset, and how I transitioned back toward a more diverse diet. What you’ll learn: (02:43) Why bloating and food reactions can appear even with a “perfect” diet. (05:27) What FODMAPs actually are and how they affect digestion. (06:57) Why FODMAP foods are not bad but problematic for a compromised gut. (07:44) Which foods are lower FODMAP and easier to tolerate during healing. (09:54) How long to stay on a low FODMAP approach and why it’s temporary. (11:47) How to reintroduce foods safely while rebuilding gut health. (13:50) Why stress management is essential for long-term gut healing. Love the podcast? Here’s what to do: Subscribe to the podcast. Leave a review. Text a screenshot to me at 813-565-2627 and wait for a personal reply because your voice is so important to me. Want to listen to the show completely ad-free? Go to http://subscribetojj.com Click “TRY FREE” and start your ad-free journey today! When you’re ready, enjoy the VIP experience for just $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year (save 17%!) Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/fodmaps Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarcopenia After 40: Dr. William Evans on Muscle and Aging

In your later decades, how can strength training reverse muscle loss? In this episode, I spoke with Dr. William Evans, the scientist who first described sarcopenia, to unpack why muscle loss—not aging itself—is the biggest threat to metabolism, independence, and long-term health. We explored why muscle is far more adaptable than most women realize, even into advanced age, and why traditional measurements like scale weight and lean mass miss the real picture. Dr. William Evans is a muscle researcher, former pharma scientist, and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, whose work has been cited over 80,000 times. If you’ve ever heard that muscle loss drives aging, chances are it traces back to his research. What you’ll learn: (04:33) How losing muscle directly lowers metabolic rate and increases disease risk. (06:49) Why common body composition tests fail to measure true muscle mass. (07:31) How a new non-invasive muscle test predicts strength, disability, and longevity. (13:32) Why muscle percentage is more predictive than body weight or BMI. (20:55) How neurological changes and inactivity contribute to muscle loss after 30. (23:37) Why strength and power training are essential for preserving fast-twitch fibers. (30:49) How protein intake and resistance training protect muscle during weight loss. Love the podcast? Here’s what to do: Subscribe to the podcast. Leave a review. Text a screenshot to me at 813-565-2627 and wait for a personal reply because your voice is so important to me. Want to listen to the show completely ad-free? Go to http://subscribetojj.com Click “TRY FREE” and start your ad-free journey today! When you’re ready, enjoy the VIP experience for just $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year (save 17%!) Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/drevans Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exercise Myths That Sabotage Metabolism After 40

How can outdated workout myths keep you exhausted and inflamed? I’m calling out the exercise myths that once worked for me—but quietly stopped serving women after 40. In this episode, I break down why harder workouts, fasted training, and low-protein mornings can sabotage metabolism, energy, and recovery. Then I share what actually works now, when exercise and nutrition are aligned with your biology instead of fighting it. What you’ll learn: (02:38) How circadian rhythm and meal timing influence insulin sensitivity and energy. (03:31) Why morning light exposure helps turn metabolism back on. (05:02) What research reveals about breakfast skipping and long-term weight control. (06:49) How ultra-processed breakfasts drive hunger and overeating. (07:41) Why protein before workouts boosts lean mass and recovery after 40. (09:08) The ideal protein-fiber-fat formula for a metabolic breakfast. (14:41) How changing breakfast timing and composition transformed cravings, energy, and workouts. Love the podcast? Here’s what to do: Subscribe to the podcast. Leave a review. Text a screenshot to me at 813-565-2627 and wait for a personal reply because your voice is so important to me. Want to listen to the show completely ad-free? Go to http://subscribetojj.com Click “TRY FREE” and start your ad-free journey today! When you’re ready, enjoy the VIP experience for just $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year (save 17%!) Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/exercisemyths Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Understanding How Your Brain ACTUALLY Works with Bizzie Gold

Are the invisible emotional patterns from your past the real reason you're stuck in your health or relationships? In this episode, Bizzie Gold and I explore why so many of us stay stuck in patterns that no longer serve us, and why that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. We unpack how early conditioning shapes perception, behavior, and self-deception, and how those patterns can be decoded and rewritten at any age. Bizzie brings a refreshingly direct, data-driven perspective that challenges traditional mental-health narratives and opens the door to real, lasting change. Bizzie Gold is a behavior futurist and serial entrepreneur who’s not afraid to challenge what we’ve been told about mental health. She created the Break Method to decode brain patterns and help people stop circling their pain and finally change for good. What you’ll learn: (02:05) Why repeating the same behaviors doesn’t mean you’re broken, but programmed. (05:30) How childhood environments create predictable patterns in perception and behavior. (09:05) Why objective truth is nearly impossible, and how brain patterns distort reality. (14:20) How the “right amount” of early adversity can build resilience and self-trust. (20:40) What brain pattern mapping reveals about self-deception and decision-making. (26:30) How stress and exhaustion pull you back into old behavioral defaults. (32:35) Why opposites attract, and how brain patterns shape relationships. (45:10) Practical ways to interrupt unhealthy patterns and create lasting change. Love the podcast? Here’s what to do: Subscribe to the podcast. Leave a review. Text a screenshot to me at 813-565-2627 and wait for a personal reply because your voice is so important to me. Want to listen to the show completely ad-free? Go to http://subscribetojj.com Click “TRY FREE” and start your ad-free journey today! When you’re ready, enjoy the VIP experience for just $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year (save 17%!) Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/bizzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices