The Over 40 Alpha Podcast

If you’re a man in your 40s, 50s, 60s or beyond and you’re trying to lose belly fat, build muscle, support healthy testosterone, improve metabolic health and stay strong for life, what you STOP eating can matter just as much as what you start eating.
In this episode of the Over 40 Alpha Podcast, Funk Roberts breaks down what he calls The Dirty 13™ — 13 categories of foods he recommends men over 40 remove or dramatically reduce as they build a healthier nutrition lifestyle.
This isn’t about pretending one donut or one bad meal suddenly destroys your testosterone. The bigger issue is the metabolic environment your diet creates over time.
A diet dominated by excess calories and highly processed foods can contribute to increased visceral fat, poorer insulin sensitivity, inflammation and worse metabolic health — all factors that can work against your body-composition, health and hormone goals.
Funk also explains why knowing what to eat isn't enough.
In Episode 202, we talked about one of the biggest problems men face with nutrition: consistency. You can know exactly what you should eat, but can you stick with it when you're busy, stressed, travelling, eating at restaurants, attending social events or surrounded by foods that don't support your goals?
That's why Funk created his Meta Test Boost Nutrition Lifestyle and the GREEN LIST of proteins, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, vegetables, fruits and nutrient-dense whole foods that form the foundation of his Nutrition for Men Over 40 system.
Today, we're flipping the script.
We're talking about the RED LIST.
⏱️ EPISODE CHAPTERS
00:00 — Welcome to Episode 204
00:29 — Introducing The Dirty 13™
01:26 — Why nutrition consistency matters
02:23 — The Meta Test Boost Nutrition Lifestyle
03:22 — Funk's personal experience with the system
04:18 — The GREEN LIST and your go-to foods
05:15 — Foods, metabolic health and testosterone
07:08 — Nutrition after 40 and your margin for error
08:20 — Introducing the RED LIST
15:00 — #1 Liquid sugars & sugary beverages
21:16 — #2 Added sugar bombs
27:26 — #3 Industrial trans fats
31:23 — #4 Ultra-processed junk foods
35:03 — #5 Industrial starches & refined carbs
39:39 — #6 Deep-fried & fast foods
46:44 — #7 Processed meats
51:03 — #8 Alcohol
55:30 — #9 Refined breakfast foods & cereals
57:28 — #10 “Healthy” foods that are really desserts
59:51 — #11 Sugar-heavy sauces & condiments
01:03:28 — #12 Ultra-processed protein & diet foods
01:05:26 — #13 Highly processed dairy products
01:07:49 — The Dirty 13 recap
01:08:45 — Get Funk's complete Nutrition Over 40 System
01:09:12 — Final thoughts & challenge
🔥 GET THE COMPLETE NUTRITION FOR MEN OVER 40 SYSTEM
If nutrition has been the missing piece in your transformation, Funk has put his entire Nutrition for Men Over 40 System together for under $5.
You'll get access to the Meta Test Boost Nutrition Lifestyle, digital Nutrition for Men Over 40 book, audiobook, nutrition coaching and masterclasses, meal-prep training, Nutrition Consistency System, meal plans and resources, plus step-by-step guidance designed to help you put everything into action.
👉 Get Nutrition for Men Over 40:
https://over40shred.com/nutritionover40
Stop guessing about what to eat — and start building a nutrition lifestyle you can actually sustain.
⚡ SUPPORT HEALTHY TESTOSTERONE AFTER 40
Nutrition is part of the foundation. So are resistance training, quality sleep, healthy body composition, stress management and an active lifestyle.
Once those foundations are in place, learn more about Alpha Max Test 3D Black, Funk's male optimization formula designed specifically for men over 40.
👉 Learn More About Alpha Max Test 3D Black:
https://over40alphacoffeeshop.com/product/alpha-max-test-3d-black/
🎙️ LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE
If this episode helped you, subscribe to the Over 40 Alpha Podcast, leave a 5-star rating and review, and share this episode with another man over 40 who needs to hear it.
And here's Funk's challenge for you:
Which one of the Dirty 13 will be the hardest for YOU to eliminate?
Identify it. Make the change. And start building the nutrition lifestyle that will keep you strong through the second half of your life.
Get it done.
— Funk Roberts
Over 40 Alpha

You have goals.
You want to lose weight.
Build muscle.
Improve your health.
Strengthen your marriage.
Grow your business.
Become a better man.
But here's the question most men never ask:
What are you actually willing to accept from yourself every day?
Because there's a massive difference between having goals and having standards.
You can have a goal to lose 20 pounds, but if your standard allows you to eat like crap five nights a week, skip workouts whenever you're tired and drink every weekend...
Your goal doesn't mean very much.
You can say your health is your number-one priority, but if you're ignoring your sleep, putting off your bloodwork, avoiding mobility and refusing to change the habits you know are hurting you...
Your actions are telling a different story.
In Mindset Monday #10 of the Over 40 Alpha Podcast, I'm breaking down one of the most important mindset shifts a man can make in the second half of his life:
Your goals describe the life you want. Your standards describe the life you're actually willing to live.
Goals give you direction.
But your standards determine how you live every day.
In this episode, you'll discover why:
🔥 Goals alone aren't enough
🔥 Standards reduce the daily negotiation in your head
🔥 What you've normalized may be holding you back
🔥 Your standards eventually become part of your identity
🔥 Keeping promises to yourself helps raise your standards
🔥 Standards aren't about perfection — they're about what you return to
🔥 The standards you live by today are building the man you'll become tomorrow
This becomes even more important for men in their 40s, 50s and 60s.
The standards you have for your health today influence the body you'll be living in later.
Your standards for your marriage influence the relationship you're building.
Your standards for your finances influence your freedom.
Your standards for your time influence whether your purpose ever becomes reality.
And your standards for your character determine the man other people experience when they're around you.

A standard isn't perfection. It's what you return to — and how quickly you return to it.
Don't just raise your goals.
Raise what you expect from yourself.
Your second half deserves a stronger version of you.
🔥 GET IT DONE!
— Funk Roberts
Over 40 Alpha Podcast | Mindset Monday
💪🏾 Need help raising your standards with your health, fitness and nutrition?
Join the Over 40 Alpha Brotherhood for just $1 for your first 30 days.
👉 https://over40alpha.com/

Podcast Summary
You know protein matters. You know vegetables belong on your plate. You know living on takeout and snacks isn’t helping you reach your goals. So why is staying consistent with nutrition still so difficult?
In Episode 202 of the Over 40 Alpha Podcast, Funk Roberts breaks down the Nutrition Consistency Gap—the distance between what you intend to eat and what you actually eat when life gets busy, stressful and unpredictable.
Funk shares his seven-part Meta Test Boost Consistency System: Simplify, Plan, Prep, Build, Prepare, Navigate and Automate. You’ll learn how to create Go-To Meals, plan around your toughest days, prepare flexible meal components and keep emergency backup foods ready before you need them.
He also explains the four-part Meta Test Boost Meal Formula—BUILD with protein, FUEL with quality carbohydrates, SUPPORT with healthy fats and PROTECT with vegetables and fruits—and how he organizes it around three main meals a day.
Drawing on his experience maintaining his nutrition while living with his mother after his father’s passing, Funk shows why a practical system needs to work through real-life disruption.
From restaurants and travel to cravings and getting back on track, this episode is about making healthy eating more repeatable—and ending the “I’ll start again Monday” cycle.
Episode Timeline
00:00 — Welcome to Episode 202: Why nutrition consistency matters
02:24 — Nutrition confusion and the need for a sustainable approach
08:28 — What is the Nutrition Consistency Gap?
10:08 — Introducing the seven-part consistency system
15:59 — Audit your last seven days without judging yourself
18:15 — Why willpower alone isn’t a reliable strategy
21:34 — Design your environment to make healthy eating easier
23:52 — BUILD: The Meta Test Boost Meal Formula
32:52 — SIMPLIFY: Create your Go-To Foods and repeatable meals
38:44 — PLAN: Map your meals around your calendar and danger days
45:02 — PREP: Batch cooking and flexible meal components
49:36 — PREPARE: Build your emergency food backup system
54:58 — NAVIGATE: Restaurants, weekends, travel and family events
58:48 — The Next-Meal Rule: Getting back on track after an off-plan meal
1:00:46 — The three-step reset: Own it, learn and return
1:02:12 — Handling cravings and habitual evening snacking
1:03:37 — AUTOMATE: Turn repeated actions into everyday defaults
1:07:56 — Track consistency and behaviors without becoming obsessive
1:10:34 — Your seven-day nutrition consistency reset
1:14:57 — Closing thoughts, Nutrition Over 40 resources and Brotherhood support
Key Takeaways
Knowing what to eat and following through are different skills. Identify where your nutrition breaks down under the pressures of everyday life.
Start with an honest audit, not self-criticism. Review the previous week and pinpoint the situations, feelings and missing preparation behind your decisions.
Use the four-part meal formula. Ask: Where is my protein, quality carbohydrate, healthy fat, and vegetables or fruit?
A small, repeatable menu reduces daily decisions. Choose Go-To Foods and several meals you enjoy and can prepare confidently.
Plan strongest for your busiest days. Look ahead at meetings, travel and family commitments before deciding what food you’ll need.
Meal prep can be flexible. Prepare components to mix and match, or portion complete meals according to your schedule. A small prep session still helps.
Keep rescue meals available. Backup proteins, rice, frozen vegetables and other convenient staples help you respond when plans change.
One off-plan meal doesn’t have to derail your week. Own what happened, learn from it and return to a structured meal.
Track behaviors as well as outcomes. Review planning, preparation and meal consistency alongside energy, hunger, training performance and digestion.
Automation develops through repetition. Saved grocery lists, predictable meals and reliable backups make nutrition require less thought over time.

The goal isn’t to spend your life thinking about food. It’s to build a system that makes good nutrition easier to repeat.

Self-Trust Is Built One Promise at a Time
How much do you actually trust yourself?
Not how confident you appear. Not whether your wife, children, friends or business partners trust you.
When you tell yourself you're going to do something, do you believe you'll actually follow through?
In this Mindset Monday episode of the Over 40 Alpha Podcast, Funk Roberts explores one of the most powerful lessons he's learned about confidence, discipline and personal growth:
Your word has to mean something to YOU, too.
Most of the promises that shape our lives aren't made publicly.
They're made in silence.
"I'm going to work out tomorrow."
"I'm finally going to get my bloodwork done."
"I'm going to start eating better."
"I'm going to work on that business idea."
"I'm going to spend more time with my wife and kids."
Nobody hears these promises. There are no social media posts, accountability announcements or applause.
It's just you and your word.
Funk shares how a lesson he took from years of listening to Jim Rohn became a game changer in his own life: some of the most important promises he ever kept were the silent ones.
Every time he followed through, he accumulated evidence that he could count on himself.
That's what Funk calls your Self-Trust Bank Account.
Every promise you keep is a deposit.
Every repeated promise you break is a withdrawal.
And over time, those deposits don't just change your habits.
They change your identity.
For men in their 40s, 50s and 60s, this becomes even more important. Your health can't live on promises. Your marriage can't live on promises. Your business can't live on promises. And your future can't live on promises.
They require action.
The solution isn't making bigger promises.
It's making fewer promises—and keeping them.
Promise less. Deliver more. Build evidence. Build self-trust. And eventually become the kind of man who knows:
When I say I'll do something, I do it

What You'll Learn
Why self-trust may be more important than simply trying to “feel confident”
Why your word needs to mean something to you
The power of promises made and kept in silence
How Funk used this principle to transform his own mindset
What the Self-Trust Bank Account is
How keeping small promises builds confidence
How repeatedly breaking promises can create self-doubt
Why men over 40 don't need another year of “I'll start Monday”
Why making too many promises sets you up to fail
The power of “Promise less. Deliver more.”
How small actions gradually change your identity
Why real discipline is built when nobody is watching
How to move from the “I'll try guy” to the “I'll do guy”

What does it actually take to age well after 40?
After creating the Men Over 40 Health Summit and interviewing dozens of doctors, strength coaches, hormone specialists, nutrition experts, sleep experts, longevity specialists and some of the biggest names in health and fitness, Funk Roberts began noticing something.
The same themes kept showing up again and again.
In this special 200th episode of The Over 40 Alpha Podcast, Funk breaks down the biggest lessons he took away from the Summit and what they mean for men in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond.
This isn't simply about building muscle or increasing testosterone.
Funk explores why men need to build and protect muscle, develop cardiovascular fitness, know their VO₂ max, maintain intelligent intensity, support mitochondrial and metabolic health, get appropriate bloodwork, prioritize protein and nutrition, remain athletic, protect mobility, improve sleep and recovery, and stop expecting supplements to compensate for a poor lifestyle. These themes form the backbone of the episode.
But the biggest lesson is much larger:
You don't optimize one number. You optimize the man.
Your muscle, metabolism, cardiovascular fitness, mitochondria, nutrition, sleep, hormones, mobility, recovery, mindset, relationships and purpose are interconnected.
Funk also explains why the massive amount of information generated by the Summit created a new problem—how does one man actually find, understand and implement all of it?—and how that led to the development of Funk AI / the Second Half Strong AI Coach.
If you're a man over 40 who doesn't simply want to live longer but wants to remain strong, capable, resilient and purposeful, this episode provides a blueprint for becoming Second Half Strong.
Listen to This Episode on Your Favourite Podcast Platform:
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What You'll Learn
Why muscle is your physical retirement account
Why strength alone isn't enough after 40
Why men should pay attention to cardiovascular fitness and VO₂ max
Why getting older doesn't mean becoming afraid of training intensity
Why mitochondrial and metabolic health matter for energy and aging
Why Funk believes men over 40 should stop guessing and get appropriate bloodwork
Why testosterone needs to be considered as part of the bigger health picture
Why nutrition fundamentals and adequate protein beat chasing the “perfect diet”
Why men should never stop being athletes
Why mobility should be viewed as physical freedom
Why sleep and recovery belong inside your training program
Why supplements can't outwork a broken lifestyle
Why relationships, standards, identity and purpose belong in the conversation about men's health
Why knowing more isn't enough—and implementation is ultimately what creates change