Zane Griggs

Zane Griggs Evidence-based fitness & metabolic health for adults 40+
Strength • Fat loss • Longevity
Fit Over 40 Plan + MetaFlex Community + Trusted brands ⬇️

Following my passion for health and fitness, I became a certified personal trainer in 1998.... and that's when the education really began. Working with many, different people, I found that the textbook nutritional guidelines were really not effective for many of my clients to achieve a healthy weight. This was especially true if the person were obese or had another metabolic issue. As I began looking for alternative sources of information I found that the people who much of the fitness and nutrition industry considered to be "questionable", were actually getting results with their methods and had biological explanations for it. I've had the great opportunity to work with one of the popular weight loss shows for two seasons, one for the entire season and the other for the last three months, to help two participants lose approximately half of their body weight. These were not only incredible learning experiences but also very inspiring. I was actually both frustrated and inspired. Frustrated by the false messages being sold to the public by the government and health authorities, as well as the food industry profiting from and perpetuating the misinformation, while we, as a nation, continue to get fatter and sicker. Inspired to explain the truth about our food and how our bodies work to whomever will listen in a clear and approachable way.

03/08/2026

In a recent episode of the Healthy AF podcast, I opened up about something personal.

Why I left the low-carb / keto world behind.

Not because it’s trendy.

Not because I wanted to “pivot.”

But because I couldn’t morally recommend it anymore.

I wasn’t thriving.

And too many people I coached weren’t either.

From constant fatigue…

to stalled progress…

to some genuinely scary health situations.

At some point I had to ask myself:
Is this actually working?

Or am I trying to defend something I’ve been known for?

That was a hard gut check.

I’m willing to admit when I’m wrong.

Switching to a high-carb, lower-fat approach changed my energy, recovery, and clarity in ways I didn’t expect.

And I saw improvements in my blood work too!

I built a reputation in the low-carb world.

Walking away from it wasn’t easy.

But integrity matters more than identity.

Comment POV if you want the full breakdown, and I will send you the link to this full episode.

🍌 🍯 🍚 🍠 🥩 🍗 🍫 ⚡ 🔥 🧬 🔬 🧠 💥
03/06/2026

🍌 🍯 🍚 🍠 🥩 🍗 🍫 ⚡ 🔥 🧬 🔬 🧠 💥

03/06/2026

Can you stimulate too much autophagy? ⁠
Fasting stimulates autophagy, but at what cost❓️⁠
⁠
Just because a little is good, doesn’t mean more is better⁠
⁠
Autophagy is stimulated by:⁠
❌️Arsenic⁠
❌️Lead⁠
❌️Mercury⁠
❌️Alcohol⁠
❌️Cigarette smoke⁠
❌️Diesel fumes⁠
❌️Radiation⁠
⁠
What do they all have in common? They all stimulate a STRESS response⁠
Fasting creates metabolic stress and a catabolic state⁠
⁠
The resulting response of stress hormones: glucagon, epinephrine & cortisol can have a negative impact on⁠
⚠️Thyroid hormones⁠
⚠️S*x hormones⁠
⚠️Fasting blood sugar⁠
⚠️Sleep quality⁠
(see my recent reels for more on those)⁠
⁠
Strength training stimulates autophagy during the workout.⁠
To minimize stress hormone response I always workout fueled⁠
⁠
And refuel shortly after with a meal that contains easily digested protein & carbs...⁠
⁠
Stimulating the anabolic hero INSULIN to drive glucose into cells, stimulate protein synthesis and send mTOR to work 💪⁠
⁠
If your doing a 3 day fast once every 3 months while fully fueled the rest of the time that could leverage benefit while offsetting the risk⁠
⁠
But if you’re doing some form of fasting most days of the week, then you’re likely incurring some of negative “adaptations”. Especially if you’re female ♀️⁠
⁠
Nerd Alert: studies in the comments⁠
⁠
⁠

03/04/2026

Your diet isn’t “boosting metabolism.” It’s slowing your thyroid. 🧠

Low calories.
Low carbs.
Chronic fasting.

↓ T3
↓ Metabolism
↓ S*x hormones

Hair loss.

Brain fog.

Stubborn fat.

Low libido.

That’s not optimization.

It’s energy conservation.

The solution isn’t more restriction.

It’s adequate fuel. 🍽️

Grab the free Fit Over 40 Blueprint by commenting FREE PLAN now!

03/04/2026

Your fasting window might be wrecking your sleep. Here’s why. ⬇️

Cortisol is supposed to peak in the morning
and drop at night.

That’s your natural rhythm.

But research on Ramadan-style fasting shows that within 30 days, that rhythm can flip:
Low cortisol in the morning
High cortisol at night

Now you’re wired when you should be sleeping
and sluggish when you need energy.

This isn’t just “feeling tired.”

Disrupted cortisol rhythms drive inflammation

increase metabolic risk

and damage blood sugar control.

And poor sleep alone raises glucose, increases insulin resistance, and reduces nutrient utilization.

Disrupted cortisol + poor sleep = metabolic chaos.

If you’re fasting for health, make sure you’re not sabotaging your greatest recovery tool:

Sleep.

Studies in the caption.

Drop a comment if your sleep changed during fasting.

02/27/2026

When fasting becomes chronic, cortisol rises.

Elevated cortisol suppresses the reproductive axis.

Hypothalamus → Pituitary → Go**ds.

Disrupt the top signal, and testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone decline.

Cortisol also directly suppresses the go**ds.

This is a survival adaptation — not an optimization strategy.

The thyroid impact is one piece.

S3x hormones are another.

Studies in the caption.

Watch the rest of the series to understand the full hormonal picture.

02/27/2026

Chronic fasting isn’t “discipline.”

It’s a stress signal.

Women: disrupted cycles.

Men: reduced testosterone.

Slower recovery.

Rising fasting blood sugar.

Your body thinks food is scarce.

That means low battery mode. 🔋

Lower thyroid output.

Higher stress hormones.

Brain fog.

Hair thinning.

Skipping breakfast doesn’t optimize metabolism — it tells your body to survive.
Regular, nutrient-dense meals keep thyroid function stable. 🧬

It’s not trendy.

But it works.

Studies in the caption.

And check my other reels on the long-term health consequences of chronic fasting.

02/27/2026

Elevated fasting glucose on keto or IF isn’t an “adaptation” - it’s a problem.⚠️⁠
⁠
Your body makes glucose you’re not eating through stress hormones. ⁠
⁠
Insulin stays too low to move it into cells. That’s literally insulin resistance.⁠
⁠
The damage is done by chronically elevated blood sugar - not how you got there.⁠
⁠
If your fasting glucose is consistently above 90mg/dl...⁠
⁠
DO THIS: eliminate ultra-processed foods and eat LEAN protein, fruit, and potatoes for 90 days.⁠
⁠
But don’t blame the apple. Don’t blame the potato. And whatever you do, don’t blame the squash.⁠
Want my Fit Over 40 plan? Comment “free plan” ⁠
⁠

02/24/2026

Some of us will be in the doghouse for eating all this dessert… 😅.

Shoutout to for making Real + Super food…so delish!

The last slide is a real story 😅I get a lot of wild comments… but this one took the cake. (Sugar pun fully intended.)A f...
02/23/2026

The last slide is a real story 😅I get a lot of wild comments… but this one took the cake.
(Sugar pun fully intended.)

A follower once told me that eating a zucchini sends them over the edge…

They weren’t joking.

They explained that because of their “sugar addiction,” even a zucchini — one of the lowest glycemic fruits — would supposedly trigger them to spiral… leading straight to DoorDash and a processed food binge.

Let that sink in for a moment.

That’s not a zucchini problem.

That’s not a sugar problem.

That’s a metabolic and nervous system problem.

When your system is dysregulated, food becomes the scapegoat.

Instead of asking why the body is reacting this way, we blame the ingredient.
And that’s where people get stuck.

We need to stop outsourcing responsibility to food and start taking health back into our own hands.

Because real health isn’t about avoiding zucchini.

It’s about restoring metabolic flexibility, stable energy, balanced hormones, and a body that can actually handle real food.

If this hit close to home and you’re ready for a reset:
👇 Comment FREE PLAN  and I’ll send you my free 40 Plan —

The Simple Framework to Fix Your Metabolism, Optimize Hormones, and Build a Body That Lasts.

No dogma.
No extremes.
Just a body that works again.

02/19/2026

A low-fat, high-carb diet completely changed my labs… and my life.

My doctor couldn’t believe it.

He told me he had never seen improvements like this without medication.
People think i am just here for rage bait now,

It’s the opposite.

I’m not here to argue diet tribes.

I’m here to share what actually worked for me — and what moved the needle in real biomarkers:

• Fasting glucose
• Triglycerides
• Energy
• Recovery
• Body composition

For years I recommended low-carb.

But when my own labs started trending the wrong direction… I had to follow the data, not the ideology.

This has been one of my most requested podcast topics, and I finally laid it all out — what changed, why I shifted, and exactly what I’m eating now.

Comment “POV” and I’ll send you the link to:

🎙️ 44. Why I Stopped Recommending Low-Carb: My Full Diet Shift Explained (What I Eat In A Day 2026)

Let’s talk metabolism — not dogma.

Address

Nashville, TN
37201-37250

Website

http://www.free40plan.com/, https://zanegriggs.com/, https://metaflexcommunity.com/, http

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