The Ben Azadi Show

My friend Chris was doing one meal a day in a calorie deficit for years and still carried over 100 pounds of extra fat. I tripled his calories, stopped his fasting, and he lost 70 pounds in a few months. In this episode, Dr. David Jockers and I explain why your metabolism responds to signals, not math, and how to use keto and fasting without letting them backfire.

Keto works. Fasting works. That's exactly why so many people end up overdoing them.

There are two kinds of metabolic inflexibility. The first is the one 93% of Americans are stuck in: they can only burn sugar. But there's a second kind that hides inside the keto and fasting world. It's the person who's been in ketosis so long their body forgot how to handle carbs, and their hormones start paying the price.

In this conversation, Dr. David Jockers and I break down how to get the benefits of ketosis without the drawbacks: why higher ketones aren't better, why the timing of your meals may matter more than you think, and why the most important fat-loss window happens while you're asleep.

What if you've been doing keto "right," and that's exactly the problem?

In this episode, Dr. David Jockers and I dig into ketosis as a metabolic process, not just a diet, and why most people never learned how to use it properly. We cover how to test ketones the right way, why chasing the highest number can be a mistake, and the blood ketone range I consider the sweet spot for fat loss and longevity.

I explain the core idea behind Keto Flex: getting fat adapted first, then intentionally flexing in and out of ketosis. We get into what long-term strict keto may do to thyroid markers, testosterone, and cortisol, and what a proper flex day looks like (hint: it's not high carb and high fat at the same time).

Then we get into fasting and meal timing. I share a study that changed my mind about breakfast, the one rule I'd make everyone follow if they took only one thing from this episode, and why the hours right after you fall asleep may matter more for fat loss than your time in the gym.

Plus: the two biggest keto mistakes I see, why your liver might be the real reason fat "doesn't agree with you," a client who lost about 70 pounds after pausing his 5 AM workouts, and why tripling someone's calories helped him lose weight.

If you've tried keto or fasting and hit a wall, this one will change how you approach them.

FOLLOW DR. DAVID JOCKERSWebsite: Dr. Jockers | Functional Nutrition & Natural HealthHomeAbout Dr. Jockers: About Dr. David JockersAbout Dr. JockersInstagram: Dr. David Jockers (@drjockers)Dr David Jockers DC, DNM, MS (@drjockers) • Instagram profileYouTube: Dr. David JockersDr David Jockers

Health Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, exercise, or health routine, especially if you have diabetes or take medication.

FOLLOW BEN AZADIInstagram: Ben Azadi (@thebenazadi) • Instagram profileFacebook: Ben Azadi, FDN-PTikTok: Ben Azadi - Metabolic Freedom on TikTokLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benazadiYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenAzadiWebsite: Ben Azadi

📚 GET BEN'S BOOKS:Metabolic Freedom: Metabolic FreedomKeto Flex: Get KetoFlex + Bonuses

Get 10% off Lineage Provisions with code FREEDOM10 at ⁠https://bit.ly/4hM7tQ6⁠

Eat less, move more. It's what almost every doctor tells you, and research suggests most people who rely on it regain the weight within a few years. Dr. Paul Saladino and I tier rank exercise, nutrition, supplements, sleep, and biohacks to show what actually moves the needle on visceral fat, and why your hunger may be the real problem.

Eat less. Move more.

It's the advice almost everyone gets when the doctor says their waistline is too big. And it can work, for a while. Then the weight comes back, often with extra.

Dr. Paul Saladino argues that's because calorie counting ignores the real question: why are you so hungry in the first place? His answer starts in a small part of your brain that controls whether you feel full, and what the modern food supply may be doing to it.

In this episode, Paul and I build a 30-day plan for losing visceral fat, the hard, round belly fat wrapped around your organs. We rank exercise, foods, supplements, sleep habits, and biohacks from S tier to D tier. Some of the rankings surprised even me.

You can't pinch visceral fat. It sits around your organs, drains straight to your liver, and Dr. Paul Saladino calls it the center of insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction.

In this episode, Paul and I break down what visceral fat is, how it forms when your body runs out of room to store fat safely, and the simple, inexpensive lab test both of us think everyone should get, even if your blood sugar looks normal.

Then we put everything to the test with a tier list. We rank exercise for visceral fat, from post-meal walks to marathon running, and Paul shares why he used to run ultramarathons and wouldn't recommend chronic cardio now. We also respectfully disagree on fasted training.

On nutrition, Paul explains how he went from carnivore to animal-based to what he calls "Food For Humans," why he believes calories are a psyop, and how processed foods may disrupt the part of your brain that tells you you're full. He also shares his view on GLP-1 medications: what they do well, and the side effect that worries him most.

Plus, Paul ranks creatine, magnesium, vitamin D, fish oil, and berberine, explains why light flicker at night may be hurting your sleep, and tells us why he won't eat at restaurants with LED lighting.

If you want to lose stubborn belly fat without white-knuckling your way through another diet, this is one to watch.

Try Lineage Provisions: benazadi.com/lineage

Code: FREEDOM10

About the Guest

Dr. Paul Saladino is a board-certified medical doctor who worked as a physician assistant in cardiology before medical school and completed his residency at the University of Washington. After using a carnivore diet to address his own eczema, he became one of the most recognized voices in the carnivore and animal-based nutrition space and wrote The Carnivore Code. He left formal medical practice to focus on asking "why" about chronic disease, and is behind Lineage Provisions, the upcoming book Food For Humans, and Mr. Tallow's, a healthy fast food restaurant coming to Austin, Texas.

FOLLOW DR. PAUL SALADINO

Instagram: Dr. Paul Saladino (@paulsaladinomd)

YouTube: Paul Saladino MD • YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/@Paulsaladinomd

Health Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, exercise, supplements, or medications.

FOLLOW BEN AZADIInstagram: Ben Azadi (@thebenazadi) • Instagram profileFacebook: Ben Azadi, FDN-PTikTok: Ben Azadi - Metabolic Freedom on TikTokLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benazadiYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenAzadiWebsite: Ben Azadi

📚 GET BEN'S BOOKS:Metabolic Freedom: Metabolic FreedomKeto Flex: Get KetoFlex + Bonuses

Would you rather be 90 with a billion dollars, or 20 with your health, your relationships, and your whole life ahead of you? Most people answer that instantly. Then they spend their lives living the opposite way. Alex and I break down the five types of wealth and why chasing only one of them could leave you rich and empty at the same time.

When you hear the word wealth, what's the first thing that comes to mind?

Money. For almost everyone.

But money is just one of five types of wealth, and it's not the biggest one. You can hit your financial goals and still be broke in time, health, relationships, and peace of mind. Alex knows this firsthand. He was building a business, traveling across the country, and working nonstop "for the family." Then his marriage ended.

In this episode, we talk about what real wealth looks like, why reaching your goal can still feel empty, and how to stop climbing a mountain you never really wanted to be on.

What if you're chasing the wrong kind of rich?

In this episode, Alex and I break down the five types of wealth from Sahil Bloom's book: time, social, mental, physical, and financial wealth. Most people only measure one of them. And when money becomes the only scoreboard, everything else quietly starts to fall apart.

Alex opens up about the moment he realized he'd prioritized business so hard that his marriage paid the price, and what he does differently now. We get into why money is like a magnifying glass, why reaching a big goal can feel strangely empty, and the definition of success that completely changed how I think about goals.

We also talk about the question that makes everything clear: would you trade places with a 90-year-old billionaire? Plus, why I believe in dying with zero, the biggest regret people are likely to have at 80, and the story of a single conversation that almost stopped Bob Proctor before he ever started.

Alex also shares how he got turned down by 30 to 40 investors before raising $1.45 million, and why the next wedding photo, business milestone, or number in your bank account isn't where the wealth actually lives.

If you're an entrepreneur, a high achiever, or someone who's hit the goal and still feels like something is missing, this one's for you.

FOLLOW BEN AZADIInstagram: Ben Azadi (@thebenazadi) • Instagram profileFacebook: Ben Azadi, FDN-PTikTok: Ben Azadi - Metabolic Freedom on TikTokLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benazadiYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenAzadiWebsite: Ben Azadi

📚 GET BEN'S BOOKS:Metabolic Freedom: Metabolic FreedomKeto Flex: Get KetoFlex + Bonuses

You're eating clean, exercising, and trying to sleep on time, but that round, hard belly won't budge. In this episode, I share the exact 7-day plan I'd follow if I had one week to start reversing cortisol belly. Almost every step is free, and none of them involve working harder.

You're eating clean. You're working out. You're going to bed on time.

And the belly still won't budge.

Here's something most people don't know: the area around your vital organs has about three times as many cortisol receptors as other parts of your body. So when you're chronically stressed, your body may be far more likely to store fat right there, around your belly.

Alex learned this the hard way. Two weeks off after eye surgery, a little travel, a few extra sweets, and he could literally feel the inflammation in his belly. With his wedding less than 45 days away, he asked me one question: if you only had 7 days, what would you do?

This episode is my answer.

Why does belly fat stick around even when you feel like you're doing everything right?

In this episode, Alex and I break down cortisol belly: what it is, why it's different from the fat you can pinch, and why your body may hold onto visceral fat when it thinks it's under threat. Your body can't tell the difference between a tiger chasing you and stress from your finances, your commute, or a late-night argument. To your body, it's all a threat, and threats tell it to store fat.

So the goal isn't to fight harder. It's to change the signal.

I walk through a simple 7-day plan where you stack one new habit each day, starting with the change I believe has the biggest impact on your deep sleep. We talk about why scrolling first thing in the morning and watching intense shows before bed could be working against you, and the "palate cleanse" trick my wife and I use at night. I also share the four daily habits I'd keep if I had to simplify everything.

Alex gets real about how wedding stress, poor deep sleep, and a few weeks off track showed up in his body. I share what happened to my own stress levels after a few days of eating off-plan in Mexico.

We also get into why more workouts, more restriction, and more fasting can sometimes make things worse, and why getting good at the "get back" matters more than avoiding setbacks.

If you're dealing with stubborn belly fat, high stress, or poor sleep, start here.

Health Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, exercise, or health routine.

FOLLOW BEN AZADIInstagram: Ben Azadi (@thebenazadi) • Instagram profileFacebook: Ben Azadi, FDN-PTikTok: Ben Azadi - Metabolic Freedom on TikTokLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benazadiYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenAzadiWebsite: Ben Azadi

📚 GET BEN'S BOOKS:Metabolic Freedom: Metabolic FreedomKeto Flex: Get KetoFlex + Bonuses

What if your weight, hunger, sleep, and belly fat aren't controlled by food alone?

Dr. Eric Berg joins Ben Azadi to reveal how the environment around you can influence your metabolism, insulin, stress, sleep, movement, dopamine, and even your relationship with food. From the cues in your kitchen to the light you see at night, the amount of time you spend sitting, and how often you check your phone, your daily environment may be shaping your health more than you realize.

Dr. Eric Berg joins Ben Azadi to explore a bigger question: What if changing your environment is just as important as changing your diet?

Drawing from his new book Change Your Environments, Dr. Berg explains how modern life can create constant triggers for eating, sedentary behavior, poor sleep, stress, distraction, and isolation. He shares why environmental cues can drive eating even when you're not physically hungry, how repeated insulin spikes can interfere with fat burning, and why morning sunlight and consistent sleep timing can be powerful environmental inputs.

The conversation also explores movement and physical work, the hidden cost of constantly checking your phone, loneliness as a threat signal, chemical exposure, indoor air quality, liver fat, and the nutrients Dr. Berg believes are important to consider. Rather than focusing on one isolated habit, the episode looks at how multiple environmental factors can stack together and influence metabolic health, stress, recovery, and everyday behavior.

Dr. Eric Berg is a chiropractor, health educator, and longtime health content creator with approximately 40 years of experience in practice. He is known for his large health-focused online audience and joins Ben to discuss his new book, Change Your Environments.

In this conversation, Dr. Berg shares his perspective on how food cues, light, sleep, movement, technology, social connection, chemical exposure, and nutrition can influence the environment in which our health decisions take place.

Health Disclaimer

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health, diet, or medication.

GET DR.BERG BOOK

📚 GET BEN'S BOOKS:

Metabolic Freedom: ⁠⁠⁠Metabolic Freedom⁠⁠⁠

Keto Flex: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Get KetoFlex + Bonuses⁠



FOLLOW DR. ERIC BERG

Website: Dr. Berg Dr. Berg – Keto, Fasting & Natural Health EducationAbout Dr. Berg: Who Is Dr. Berg? Health Educator & AuthorInstagram: Dr. Eric Berg DC (@drericberg) YouTube: Dr. Eric Berg DC

FOLLOW BEN AZADI

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠Ben Azadi (@thebenazadi) • Instagram profile⁠⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠Ben Azadi, FDN-P⁠⁠⁠

TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠Ben Azadi - Metabolic Freedom on TikTok⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/benazadi⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@BenAzadi⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠Ben Azadi⁠⁠⁠