Wits & Weights | Strength & Fat Loss Over 40

Is BPC-157 worth injecting for tendon pain if you're lifting weights?
You've seen the headlines about an FDA panel voting for BPC-157, and you may know someone injecting it for a sore elbow or shoulder. I look at what the FDA did this summer, every human study I could find, and my own BPC-157 experiment from a few years ago. Then I share what helps stubborn tendon pain, no injection required.
You'll learn:
What the FDA panel voted on in July, and which use it reviewed
How many people BPC-157 has been tested on, and for how long
Lessons from my own 6-week BPC-157 experiment on my shoulder
A 12-week elastic band program from a tennis elbow trial
3 questions to ask before you buy any peptide or supplement
If you're about to order peptides for a sore elbow, shoulder, or hip, hit play.
Join Eat More Lift Heavy to keep lifting around a sore joint with a training program matched to your schedule and equipment, plus 26 weeks of coaching. https://eatmoreliftheavy.com
Timestamps:
0:00 - BPC-157 and the peptide headlines
3:48 - The FDA timeline and the July panel vote
7:52 - Training, food, and time for a sore joint
10:16 - Who voted yes and who's using BPC-157
11:57 - Human studies, rat studies, and safety
16:39 - My BPC-157 shoulder experiment
19:57 - Tendon pain after 40 and progressive loading
25:51 - How to judge any peptide claim
27:17 - Bonus: cortisone shots for tennis elbow
Episode Resources:
Episode 255: my first BPC-157 experiment for shoulder recovery
Episode 492: tissue capacity and training through pain (Dr. Tom Walters)
Corrections. A few things I misspoke on air:
I said it's "technically true" that the FDA approved these peptides, but the panel only "recommended" BPC-157 for compounding. The FDA hasn't approved it or published a rule.
I said ulcerative colitis is "like" inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which is a different condition.
JAMA is the Journal of the American Medical Association

💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy, the 26-week coached program to build muscle and lose fat after 40
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 📊 Track your nutrition with MacroFactor and use code WITSANDWEIGHTS for a 2-week free trial 
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Educational content only, not medical advice.

Are you getting weaker because of age, or because you started "training your age"?
David Frost is 73, a retired Navy captain, adjunct professor, and writer on load management and recovery. This past June, he rowed for more than 4 hours as part of a team that set a Concept2 tandem rowing record for 100 kilometers. He isn't backing off, and he joins me to challenge the idea that getting older means you should.
We get into sarcopenia, what to do if you're starting strength training at 60, how recovery changes for your muscles and connective tissue, and how to use HRV without letting your watch run your training. David also shares the coronary calcium scan that changed how he balances hard training with longevity.
If you've been told to take it easy now that you're over 40, hit play.
Join Eat More Lift Heavy to build muscle, lose 10 to 20 lbs of fat, and learn what works for your body, 1 week at a time. https://eatmoreliftheavy.com
Timestamps:
0:00 - Why aging doesn't mean backing off
5:26 - Sarcopenia and the recovery equation
13:08 - Starting strength training at 60
21:08 - Building a longer strong span
23:32 - David's coronary calcium wake-up call
32:47 - Whole-body training and recovery timing
36:34 - Using HRV without overtrusting wearables
41:19 - Walking, sleep, and better recovery
Episode Resources:
David's website: wellpastforty.org
David on Instagram: @davidemersonfrost

💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy, the 26-week coached program to build muscle and lose fat after 40
📱 Get Fitness Lab, the AI coaching app for strength training and nutrition over 4
 📊 Track your nutrition with MacroFactor and use code WITSANDWEIGHTS for a 2-week free trial 
👥 Join the free Facebook community
❓ Ask a question for the show

Educational content only, not medical advice.

Is cortisol the reason your belly fat won't budge after 40?
You've seen the cortisol cocktails, the adaptogens, and the advice to quit coffee and skip hard workouts. I put the cortisol story under the microscope, including the few studies that support it, and compare it to what the research shows about fat loss over 40.
You'll learn:
Where the "cortisol belly" idea came from, and why it probably doesn't describe you
What happened to body fat when researchers lowered cortisol with ashwagandha
Which direction the link between cortisol and belly fat runs
What changes in your body during the menopause transition, and what doesn't
The 4 basics that shrink deep belly fat, plus a weekly walking dose from a menopause trial
If you want fat loss over 40 to finally reach your waistline, hit play.
Get 20% off your first custom protein blend at True Nutrition with code WITSANDWEIGHTS. You pick the protein, flavor, sweetener, and boosts, and everything is third-party lab tested and first-party verified. https://truenutrition.com/witsandweights
Timestamps:
0:00 - Cortisol belly and the TikTok detox trend
3:19 - Belly fat and total body fat
7:27 - Protein to keep muscle while you lose fat
9:03 - What cortisol does (plus Cushing's syndrome)
11:36 - Cortisol and belly fat research
15:43 - Cortisol cocktails, coffee, and hard workouts
17:53 - Belly fat after 40 and the menopause transition
20:35 - Stress, sleep, and eating habits
21:41 - 4 basics for losing belly fat
24:58 - Bonus: weekly habit for deep belly fat
Episode Resources:
Episode 501: what perimenopause does and doesn't do to your weight
Episode 506: the 8 hours of sleep myth
Episode 507: carbs and menopause
Episode 509: what to track instead of weight loss

💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy, the 26-week coached program to build muscle and lose fat after 40
📱 Get Fitness Lab, the AI coaching app for strength training and nutrition over 4
 📊 Track your nutrition with MacroFactor and use code WITSANDWEIGHTS for a 2-week free trial 
👥 Join the free Facebook community
❓ Ask a question for the show

Educational content only, not medical advice.

Is your metabolism damaged from decades of dieting? 
Jenny was sure her body was broken. She started with cabbage soup in 7th grade, and by her late 40s, Atkins and keto had stopped working for her.
(She also tried non-fat foods, the Mediterranean diet, Weight Watchers, Noom, South Beach, intermittent fasting, and OMAD. No surprise, but none of them worked long term.)
I'm sharing Jenny's own voice messages on how she lost 13 pounds of body fat in about 6 months, why the 10 pounds she lost with a previous coach came back within 2 months, and the tracking mistake that finally made one of our lessons click for her. 
👉 Learn about our 12-Week Dialed In Fall Challenge starting this Monday:
https://witsandweights.com/challenge
You'll learn:
Why restrictive diets become hard to sustain with adult life 
The fear of a broken metabolism and the appeal of GLP-1 drugs
What research shows about metabolic adaptation, weight cycling, and age
The real cost of yo-yo dieting as lost muscle and “skinny fat” body composition
The ONE tracking mistake that shrinks your calorie deficit without you noticing
How to use your own data as evidence
Strength training benefits beyond the scale like stairs, mobility, and comfort 
Handling travel, promotions, stress, and imperfect weeks without overcorrecting 
If you want fat loss over 40 to stick this time, hit play!
Join our 12-Week Dialed In Fall Challenge, where you'll follow the same exact process as Jenny, with 3 specific goals scored against your own starting point to get you successfully through the holidays so you don't have to "start over" in January. The winner gets 3 months of free coaching and a 2-on-1 private call with me and Coach Carol. It starts Monday, October 12.
https://witsandweights.com/challenge
Timestamps:
0:00 - Why Jenny thought her body was broken
3:20 - Dieting since 7th grade
7:30 - Can decades of dieting damage your metabolism?
10:12 - How she used her own data
11:32 - Why her last coach's results didn't last
14:00 - The tracking lesson that finally clicked
16:24 - Eating more and the problem with "trust the process"
20:20 - Wins that don't show up on the scale
25:59 - Work travel, a promotion, and two puppies
30:20 - Building skills you keep after coaching
31:33 - Jenny's advice if you think your body is broken
Episode Resources:
Join our 12-week challenge that uses the exact same approach Jenny followed: https://witsandweights.com/challenge
Episode 509, on why weight loss challenges fade once the prize is gone
 Episode 499, on the skills that keep your results going after a program ends
 Episode 501, on menopause weight gain

💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy, the 26-week coached program to build muscle and lose fat after 40
📱 Get Fitness Lab, the AI coaching app for strength training and nutrition over 4
 📊 Track your nutrition with MacroFactor and use code WITSANDWEIGHTS for a 2-week free trial 
👥 Join the free Facebook community
❓ Ask a question for the show

Educational content only, not medical advice.

We evaluate weight loss challenges and why they can make you "win" on the scale while losing muscle, bone, and momentum toward your true goal of improving how you look and feel.
Learn what the research says about rebounds after incentives end and the 3 metrics to track instead for sustainable fat loss over 40, including:
How challenges can reward extreme dieting and too much cardio while devaluing lifting 
What studies show about lean mass and bone loss despite similar weight loss
What financial incentive research finds once prizes and payments stop 
Why workplace wellness challenges often fail to move long-term health outcomes
What the Biggest Loser follow-up does and does not prove about metabolism
How to set goals against your own baseline for better maintenance
What to track instead and what improves outcomes the most
If you want your next challenge to leave you leaner and stronger instead of just lighter, hit play.
Join our 12-Week Dialed In Fall Challenge, 12 weeks of Dialed In coaching inside Eat More Lift Heavy for adults over 40, with 3 goals scored against your own starting point through the holidays. It starts Monday, October 12, and the winner gets 3 months of free coaching plus a private call with me and Carol:
https://witsandweights.com/challenge
Timestamps:
0:00 - Weight loss challenges and what they measure
4:23 - What the scale is actually measuring
6:07 - Cardio, lifting, and the TEMPO diet trial
8:56 - The better way to score your results
12:37 - What happens after the incentives end
16:28 - The Biggest Loser follow-up
19:00 - What to measure instead of weight loss
26:55 - Bonus: one thing before your next fat loss phase to increase your chances of maintaining results long-term
Episode Resources:
Join the 12-Week Dialed In Fall Challenge

💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy, the 26-week coached program to build muscle and lose fat after 40
📱 Get Fitness Lab, the AI coaching app for strength training and nutrition over 4
 📊 Track your nutrition with MacroFactor and use code WITSANDWEIGHTS for a 2-week free trial 
👥 Join the free Facebook community
❓ Ask a question for the show

Educational content only, not medical advice.