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.

04/03/2026

You’d think cutting carbs would lower your blood sugar… right? That’s what I thought too.

But what most people don’t realize is that a lot of people on low-carb or intermittent fasting actually wake up with higher fasting blood sugar. I’ve seen numbers like 95, 105, 110… even 120+. Mine included at one point.

And it doesn’t make sense at first—if you’re not eating carbs, why is your blood sugar elevated?

Because your body is making its own.

When carbs are low, your body still has to fuel the brain and other tissues that depend on glucose. So it leans on stress hormones like glucagon and cortisol to signal the liver to release glucose into the bloodstream. The problem is, that glucose didn’t come from food—it came from your liver.

And because of that, your insulin response is significantly lower than it would be after eating carbs… often 50–70% lower.

Now you’ve got elevated blood sugar, not enough insulin to move it into the cells, and higher stress hormones working against you. Over time, that creates insulin resistance driven by a low insulin-to-glucagon ratio.

This is where a lot of people get misled. The low-carb crowd will say this is just an “adaptation” and that it only matters if you eat carbs. But that completely misses the point.

If two cars collide in an intersection, does the damage depend on why they crashed? No. The damage comes from the collision itself. The cause matters for prevention—but it doesn’t change the outcome.

Same thing here. The damage comes from chronically elevated blood sugar, not the explanation behind it.

And the irony is… most people start low-carb or fasting to fix insulin resistance, not create a different version of it.

If your fasting glucose is elevated, I would start simple. Eliminate ultra-processed foods, prioritize lean protein, and add back in quality carbs like fruit and potatoes. Give it 60 to 90 days and actually watch what happens.

I’ve seen this play out in clients over and over again. And I’ve seen it personally. When my wife and I added carbs back in, energy improved, performance improved, and blood sugar normalized.
And if you’re a woman, this matters even more.

Your body isn’t broken—it’s responding to the signals you’re giving it. Stop blaming carbs and start looking at the full picture.

If you want to see how I’d coach this step-by-step, comment FREE PLAN below 👇

04/02/2026

Waking up at 2–3 AM? It’s probably not your schedule… it’s your metabolism.

Chronic low-carb dieting = higher stress hormones = disrupted sleep.

Your body isn’t broken. It’s under-fueled.

And when it’s been running on stress hormones all day…

it wakes you up at night.

Full video on YOUTUBE!

04/01/2026

A diet of 85% carbohydrates IMPROVED insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance and fasting insulin⁠
⁠
in people with type 2 diabetes within 10 days!!⁠
⁠
This is one of many high carb interventions improving metabolic function and/or fat loss⁠
⁠
Because carbs like fruit, potatoes, rice and yes even bread, juice, syrup and honey⁠
do NOT cause insulin resistance, high fasting blood sugar or any other symptom of metabolic disease⁠
⁠
So if a high carb diet will reverse type 2 diabetes symptoms, why would you reduce them in your diet??⁠
⁠
If you want to see how I apply this with my clients and in the Metaflex community comment “free plan”⁠
and I’ll send you my Fit Over 40 protocol⚡️⁠
⁠
“Improved glucose tolerance with high carbohydrate feeding in mild diabetes” PMID: 5100724

03/31/2026

Most people are trying to fix their energy from the outside in…

More workouts.
More supplements.
More restriction.

But energy doesn’t start in your routine.
It starts in your cells.

If your mitochondria aren’t supported,
nothing else works the way it should.

This is why so many people feel stuck —
they’re doing more… but producing less energy.

Fix the cell…
and everything else starts to follow.

03/30/2026

Let’s clear something up: Just because your body can adapt to burning fat as its primary fuel…
doesn’t mean it’s optimal — or healthy long term.

Fat adaptation gets talked about like it’s the ultimate metabolic goal.

But when you look at physiology — not trends — the story changes.

For years, I leaned hard into high-fat, low-carb.

And at first? It worked.

But over time… I started getting mixed signals.

Performance started dropping.

Recovery wasn’t the same.

Energy felt inconsistent.

And I remember thinking… “Why is this happening if I’m doing everything right?”

That’s when I had to step back, do more research,
and be honest with myself.

I wasn’t optimizing… I was slowly pushing my body deeper into survival mode.

A little more each day.

Your body prefers glucose for a reason.

Glucose supports:

→ thyroid function
→ metabolic rate
→ cellular energy (ATP)
→ body temperature
→ digestion
→ stable mood

When glucose is low (fasting, low-carb, inconsistent eating),
your body can’t efficiently convert T4 → T3…

That’s your active thyroid hormone — the one driving metabolism.

At first, your body pulls from stored glycogen.

But once that runs out?
It has two options:

🔥 slow everything down

🔥break tissue down to survive

So it shifts into a stress response…

Burning fat and muscle — not because it’s optimal,
but because it has to.

And survival mode comes with consequences:

✖️ slower metabolism
✖️ reduced thyroid conversion
✖️ lower cellular energy
✖️ colder body temp
✖️ increased stress hormones

This is why so many people experience:

• fatigue
• poor sleep
• mood swings
• stalled fat loss
• cold hands and feet

Yes — you can run on fat.

But you weren’t designed to run on fat all the time.
Carbohydrates send a different signal:

“You’re safe.”
“There’s fuel available.”
“No need to stress.”

And when your body feels safe?

Metabolism improves.

Hormones balance.

Energy becomes effortless — not forced.

Being “fat adapted” isn’t the goal.

Being metabolically flexible and well-fueled is.

Because survival mode…
is not the same as thriving.

03/26/2026

All jokes aside… this is one of my favorite parts. Getting messages every day from clients and followers telling me how much better their health (and life) got once they stopped fearing carbs and left restrictive diet dogma behind.

Energy up. Metabolism improving. Health Freedom.

Comment FREE PLAN if you want to learn more 👇

03/26/2026

Take me back to Florida 🌴Had the best time in Florida with my family for spring break ☀️

There’s something about slowing down, being present, and making memories with your kids that reminds you WHY you want to stay healthy. More energy. More moments like this. More life lived fully.

03/20/2026

Most men over 40 are tracking the wrong numbers.

They watch the scale. Count steps. Push harder in the gym.

But you don’t feel your metabolism declining… until it’s been declining for years.

By the time energy drops, testosterone falls, blood sugar rises, or inflammation shows up — it didn’t happen overnight.

It was building quietly.

If you want to stay strong and sharp into your 50s and beyond, there are markers that matter more than body weight.

👉 Swipe to see what I look at with clients.
And here’s what drives those numbers:

Chronic stress.
Poor sleep.
Low muscle mass.
Excessive fasting.
Ultra-processed food.

Health after 40 isn’t about grinding harder. It’s about being strategic.
Build muscle.
Manage stress.
Sleep deeply.
Fuel appropriately.
Monitor the right data.

That’s proactive longevity. Don’t wait until something feels off. Measure. Adjust. Optimize.

PS — Comment NEWSLETTERS 📩 if you want more content like this in your inbox.

If you want the 🧪 Key Lab Markers for Metabolic & Hormonal Health guide as a free bonus + access to our next live MetaFlex call, comment METAFLEX.

03/19/2026

For years, carbs were blamed for fat gain, insulin resistance, and almost every lifestyle disease you could name.

And I bought into it…

Not casually — I fully leveraged a low-carb lifestyle for over a decade.

I taught it.
I recommended it to clients.
I believed it was the answer.

Then I started adding whole-food carbohydrates back into my diet.

Fruit.
Honey.
White Rice.
Potatoes.

What happened next honestly shocked me.

My energy improved.

My training performance improved.
My recovery improved.

Even my lab results changed in ways I didn’t expect.

When I went back to my doctor, he looked at my numbers and said:

“I’ve never seen someone improve this much without medication.”

That was huge. It forced me to step back and ask:

Are carbs actually the problem?
Or have we misunderstood how metabolism works?

Because when you zoom out, metabolism isn’t regulated by one “insulin spike.”

It’s influenced by sleep.
Circadian rhythm.
Muscle mass.
Stress levels.
Activity.
Hormones.
Food quality.

When you chronically undereat carbs and calories, the body adapts.

Thyroid (T3) output drops.
Stress hormones elevate..
Metabolic rate slows.
Leptin falls.
Hunger rises.
Performance decreases.

That’s not dysfunction.
That’s survival physiology.

On the other hand, adequate carbohydrates signal energy availability.

They replenish glycogen.
They fuel high-intensity training.

They help preserve muscle mass.

And muscle is one of the strongest drivers of insulin sensitivity and metabolic health.

Another big misunderstanding?

Pastries, chips, and pizza aren’t “carbs.”

They’re refined fat + carb combinations that are easy to overconsume.

Fruit, rice, potatoes, oats — those are fundamentally different.

Your body preferentially burns carbohydrates for fuel.
Under normal mixed diets, conversion of carbs to fat is minimal.

Fat gain happens when energy (ATP) production is inefficient..

That’s a toxin or inflammation issue often driven by ultra-processed food.

Not a carb issue.

Once I understood that I couldn’t unsee it.

Now, some of my highest-performing clients are eating more carbohydrates than they ever have…

…while feeling leaner, stronger, and metabolically stable.

This is why I’m so passionate about teaching this properly.

When you understand how carbs actually interact with thyroid function, leptin, glycogen storage, and performance — you stop fearing food.

You start working with physiology instead of against it.

And you put the power back in your own hands.

— Zane

03/14/2026

For years, I recommended low-carb.

Keto, very low carb and intermittent fasting.

And for many people… it worked.
Until it didn’t.

Over time, I started seeing something I couldn’t ignore:

• Weight creeping up
• Fasting glucose rising
• Energy flattening
• Recovery slowing
… sometimes even worse. (911 level issues)

And it wasn’t just clients.

It was happening to me too.

So I did what I’ve always done — I went back to the data.

Back to physiology.

Back to cellular energy.

And that’s when everything shifted.

What I Eat In A Day (2026)

Here’s a snapshot of what my diet actually looks like now:

🥩 High-quality protein.
🍚 Strategic carbohydrates — yes, carbohydrates
🥑 Whole food fats (not industrial oils)
🥦 Micronutrient-dense plants (mostly kimchi or fermented)

No extremes.
No dogma.
No “diet religion.”

Just metabolic flexibility and cellular support.

In a new podcast episode, I break down:

• Why ultra low-carb can backfire long term
• What happens when cells struggle to produce energy
• The real reason some people are leaving carnivore
• Why blood sugar trends matter more than ideology
• And what I changed personally starting in 2023

This isn’t anti-low-carb.
It’s anti-dogma.
Health isn’t about defending a philosophy.
It’s about improving outcomes.

And when your labs, performance, and energy improve…
That’s the direction worth following.

If you want the full breakdown — including exactly how I structure my meals now —
👇 Message me the letters POV and I’ll send you the episode.

No extremes.

Just a better framework.

03/12/2026

Tip: If your goal is fat loss or reversing insulin resistance, start here: 🍎 Fruit is your ideal carb source.

Second to fruit? 🥔 Potatoes — sweet, white, yams.
Grains — especially when processed into bread or pasta — should be eaten less frequently until you reach maintenance.

Here’s the simple strategy:
At each meal, have
• A moderate portion of lean protein
• Two pieces of fruit

Before anything else. You likely won’t be very hungry for much more.

If you are — have a potato.

That alone:

• Improves digestion
• Lowers inflammatory load
• Stabilizes blood sugar
• Supports fat loss

Simple.
Easy to prepare.
Very effective.
No drama. Just physiology.

03/09/2026

When a banana looks dangerous but a processed carnivore cake looks healthy…
you’re not thinking metabolically. ⚡🧬

Comment FREE PLAN now if you want to actually be healthy.

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