Frequently asked questions

What happens during the onboarding session?
You tell me about your health and history. I fill out a form to help you track your progress. Together, we come up with a plan to get started, which will involve some weight training, some cardio exercise, some supplements, and possibly changes to your diet and daily routines. We’ll be working on this for the next eight weeks. By the time the eight weeks are over, you should have a solid foundation for building your future self. Be sure to bring any health records you have to this meeting.

I want to ask a question before I buy
The first session is only $200. Everything you need to know to make that decision is on this website. Everyone has pre-existing conditions, everyone has health concerns. Pay for your first session and let’s talk. You’ll get good value from this conversation regardless of what happens next.

Do I have to commit to the monthly sessions before we talk?
No. Just book your initial consultation, and we’ll figure out the right number of check-ins for you during that call.

Will you work with me if I’m seriously overweight?
If you are more than 20 pounds overweight and you’ve been gaining weight steadily for more than 20 years, you need to spend all your time losing the weight before you can do much more. You can’t do that quickly. Most diets work inside of six months and fail inside of 12. Almost no one keeps the weight off. Even though most weight-loss coaches don’t help, I’m not the best one. My advice is to spend the next two years losing at least 50 percent of the weight and keeping it off. Then come back and we can talk.

I want you to work with me on losing the weight anyway!
I don’t have a program for losing more than 20 pounds and keeping it off. To even have a chance, I think you’ll have to commit to at least 3 hours of cardio every day. If you pay for the initial intake meeting, I’ll be happy to discuss your options and see if I can help. I may not be able to.

I’ve tried to quit smoking many times and haven’t been able to. Can you help me?
I’m afraid I can’t. You’ll have to find someone else to help you do that.

I have pre-existing conditions. I’m afraid I might not be able to commit.
We all have pre-existing conditions! Even more reason to get seriously strong for the years ahead.

What matters is not what you know, it’s what you do. The first meeting with me doesn’t cost much, and the first two months come with a money-back gurantee. So …

Do you subscribe to everything Attia recommends?
Mostly, but that’s because he’s skeptical of all the magic molecules everyone is touting these days. He’s very open minded. He’s willing to look at new evidence and change his mind. I’m coming around to his protein recommendations (you need more protein as you age). I think he’s right about alcohol (zero is best), and I’m not 100 percent convinced that sugar is as evil as he portrays (but it might be). He also doesn’t pay that much attention to diet, which I like. I like that he changed his mind about caloric restriction. I like that he thinks we’re still mostly guessing and have a lot more to learn. He knows humans aren’t mice. I think he makes the best educated guesses.

Are there experts you don’t like?
Yes. I think David Sinclair lives in a world of mouse and worm studies and fake metrics. Whatever he says extends life I would generally stay away from. Peter Diamandis is usually wrong. Most “functional medicine” claims are nonsense. Walter Willett (Harvard) and the “Mediterranean diet” is mostly a collection of weak evidence for various different products, mostly promoted by companies for profit. How much do we really know about diet? Not much. Don’t read a book like “The China Study” and think you’ve just learned anything about diet.

Are there other experts you like?
I’m a big fan of Gary Taubes, which is how I heard about Peter back in about 2012 or so. His books have been very influential on me. He showed that calories-in/calories-out (the metabolic model) is not a helpful framework for people trying to lose weight. He also showed that saturated fat is not bad and doesn’t cause heart disease. He showed that dietary cholesterol has nothing to do with serum cholesterol. I like Aubrey de Grey as a researcher. And I like Daniel Lieberman, he says reasonable things in general. For osteoporosis, I like Dr Doug Lucas.

Are there other experts you stay away from?
Not that these people are wrong, I simply think they are off in the noise: Andrew Huberman, Bryan Johnson, Valter Longo, and anyone who touts the latest and greatest molecule, probiotic, anti-aging pill, or diet. Anyone who recommends more heavy exercise over worrying about diet is on the right track.

Why don’t you talk about many things Attia writes about?
He talks about a lot of very esoteric research. It’s confusing to most people. I think we can choose about 20 percent of his recommendations and get 80 percent of his results. If a client has those 20 percent really working, we can start looking at the second-order options. For example, I don’t think anti-oxidants are meaningful for human health. They might be, but I doubt they are.

What’s your view on osteoporosis?
I broke the head of my left femur at age 51 (ice skating) and my right femur at age 53 (running). That’s a diagnosis of osteoporosis. I’m very skeptical of osteoporosis drugs — I think the cure is worse than the disease, especially if you take bone-building seriously. There are many interesting drugs in development, I try to keep up with the research. I think the best thing is to get calcium from food and stress your bones often. I’m very interested in vibration therapy. I think if you have the money to buy a good vibration plate, you should. There are two main kinds of vibration plates, and the cheap $200 plates on Amazon are terrible. There are vibration plates listed in the store here. If you’re interested, watch this video. For a supplement, check out Algaecal Plus.

Which supplements do you recommend?
I’m always researching supplements. I plan to write more about supplements. At the moment, I am keeping supplements to a minimum and watching the latest developments.

What supplements do you take?
I am working on getting more protein — about 120-150 grams per day — which isn’t easy for a vegan. I’m working on getting a gram of calcium every day and drinking more water to help prevent kidney stones. I’m taking magnesium oratate and am open to taking other forms of magnesium. I’m not taking creatine. I’m taking a small dose of B6, B12, and folate. I take 5000 IU of D3. I’m probably going to just switch to Algaecal Plus.

What about rapamycin?
Good question. I don’t know. It certainly can have side effects. It has been shown to extend life in mice, fruitflies, worms, and a few other species. Peter takes it. I don’t. What’s right for you? Let’s research and discuss.

What about cold plunges, red light, early light, saunas, chiropractors, metformin, rapamycin, resveratrol, MNM, Klotho, and all the other things various doctors recommend now?
Noise. For some of these, that may change.

What are your dietary guidelines?
Focus on exercise. The older you are, the more protein you need. Before 50, people get too much protein, and after 60, they get too little. When you get to the last part of your meal, don’t finish it and be full. Stop early. Drink plenty of water. That’s about it.

Do you want your clients to become vegan?
Absolutely not. I don’t pay much attention to diet.