Zane Griggs

Just because a diet helped someone lose weight in the short term doesn’t mean it’s supporting long-term hormonal health.

This is one of the biggest mistakes I see in the health and fitness world.

A lot of people assume that if the scale is going down, everything must be improving. But weight loss alone doesn’t tell you what’s happening to your metabolism, thyroid, or hormones.

I’ve worked with countless women (and men) who thought carbohydrates were the enemy. They were eating plenty of protein, avoiding fruit, cutting carbs as low as possible, and wondering why they still felt exhausted.

Their complaints were almost always the same:

• Low energy
• Cold hands and feet
• Brain fog
• Hair loss
• Poor recovery
• Stubborn fat loss despite doing “everything right”

More protein wasn’t the missing piece.

For many of them, chronic carb restriction had become another metabolic stressor.

Your thyroid doesn’t just need protein—it also needs enough energy to function optimally. When metabolism slows down, your body adapts by conserving energy. That’s great for surviving a famine, but not so great if your goal is to feel strong, lean, energized, and healthy.

The problem is when people assume that one strategy is the best strategy for everyone, forever.

In my practice, when we strategically reintroduce the right carbohydrates—things like fruit, fruit juice, and other easy-to-digest whole-food carbohydrate sources—many people notice improvements in energy, recovery, blood sugar, body temperature, digestion, and, ironically, fat loss.

The goal isn’t to fear carbohydrates.

The goal is a healthy, flexible metabolism that can efficiently use both carbohydrates and fat for fuel.

If you’re dealing with stubborn weight, fatigue, cold hands and feet, brain fog, or poor recovery, your thyroid and metabolism deserve a closer look.

Or if you’re ready to stop guessing and want to understand what’s actually happening inside your body, comment “LABS” and I’ll help you order the right labs and build a custom metabolic plan based on your results.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you probably remember when I was one of the biggest advocates for intermittent fasting.

I talked about it on podcasts.

I recommended it to clients.

I was even writing a book about it.

And for a long time...

It worked.

Until it didn’t.

Somewhere in my early 50s, I hit a wall.

My sleep started getting worse.

I wasn’t recovering from workouts like I used to.

I felt run down all the time.

My fasting blood sugar started creeping up, and my thyroid looked “normal” on paper—but it certainly wasn’t optimal.

At the time, I was doing a 24-hour fast every week, fasting 15–18 hours most days, and often finishing those fasts with a strength workout before I finally ate.

Looking back, I realized I wasn’t just fasting.

I was piling stress on top of stress.

I remember talking with my friend and sleep coach, Mollie Eastman, about everything I was experiencing.

She said something I’ll never forget:
“It works... until it doesn’t.”

That was the moment everything changed.

I stopped fasting.

Then I slowly started increasing my carbohydrates.

First to around 250–300 grams a day.

Eventually to 350–400+ grams a day while lowering my fat intake.

I was concerned my blood sugar might get worse.
Instead…

My blood sugar came down.
My A1C improved.
My sleep improved.
My recovery improved.

I felt like myself again.

That’s when I realized I hadn’t created a carbohydrate problem.

I had created a metabolic stress problem.

I had spent years over-relying on stress hormones like cortisol and glucagon to keep me going, and eventually my body let me know it wasn’t sustainable anymore.

The biggest lesson?

Just because something works now doesn’t mean it will work forever.

Your metabolism changes.

Your body changes.

And sometimes the healthiest thing you can do is have the humility to change your mind when your own physiology tells you it’s time.

What worked, or at least what I thought was working, for me at 40 wasn’t what my body needed at 52.

That’s why I always say:
Test. Don’t guess.

Your body will tell you what it needs—if you’re willing to listen.

🔥 Over 50 doesn’t mean operating at 50%.

Stop settling for less energy, less strength, and less of the life you want to live.

It’s time to have a real conversation about men’s health after 50.

🎤PANEL - Mens Health Over 50 - with these superstars:

Dr. Sean O’Mara
Zane Griggs
Brad Kearns
Jean Titus
John Garvey

Your questions. Our experts. Real talk about men’s health—from science to real-world experience.

Five panelists. Different perspectives. One live conversation about what men can do now to optimize their health, performance, and longevity for the decades ahead.

Bring your questions. This is one you’ll want to be in the room for.

🎟️ Get your ticket and join us in Tampa.
🌐 hackyourhealth.com
🎫 Use code HYH2026 to save $100
📅 November 13–15, 2026 | Tampa, FL

GLP-1s are being massively overused, overdosed, and misunderstood.

The conversation has become so polarized.

Some people think they’re a miracle.

Others think they’re poison.

I think both sides are asking the wrong question.

The real problem isn’t just the medication.

It’s how it’s being used.

One of the biggest mistakes I see is people taking doses so high that they completely lose their appetite.

They stop eating enough.
They stop prioritizing protein.
They stop strength training.

Instead of reducing food noise, they’re essentially starving themselves into weight loss.

Yes, the scale moves.

But so does muscle.

So does metabolic rate.

Weight loss should never come at the expense of your metabolism.

There’s a huge difference between quieting food noise and eliminating your appetite altogether.

When people stop eating enough, they’re often not just underfed—they’re undernourished.

Protein intake drops.
Muscle becomes harder to maintain.
Strength declines.
Recovery suffers.

And when muscle goes, metabolism usually follows.

Then comes the question I hear almost every week...

“How do I get off?”

Because eventually hunger returns.

If the medication was doing all the work, the weight often comes back too.

That’s why this conversation has to become about more than weight loss.

It has to become about metabolism.

About preserving muscle.

About supporting your body instead of simply eating less.

The goal shouldn’t be to lose weight as fast as possible.

The goal should be building a metabolism that can keep the weight off long after the medication is gone.

We’re going to continue unpacking this because there is a lot of misinformation surrounding GLP-1s, and people deserve to understand what’s actually happening inside their bodies—not just what the scale says.

Comment GUIDE if you’d like my free Metabolic Stress Marker Guide, or comment LABS if you’re ready to stop guessing and find out what’s really driving your metabolism.