Skip to the start of the episode: 11:52

In today's Friday solo recap on the Optimal Protein Podcast, I break down the most important takeaways from my recent conversation with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon — and why this episode has major implications for fat loss, metabolic health, and women's body composition.

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One of the biggest themes of our discussion was that muscle is not just about aesthetics. It's a metabolic organ, and preserving it is foundational for long-term health — especially for women as we age.

I also connect this conversation to the new protein recommendations reflected in the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines, which now align far more closely with modern protein science. For the first time, official guidance is moving beyond minimums designed to prevent deficiency and toward intakes that actually support muscle preservation, metabolic health, and satiety. We also cover a brand new study on weight loss drugs and fat regain.

In this recap, I cover:

• Why we don't have an "overfat" problem — we have an undermuscled problem

• Why midlife fat gain is not inevitable (and not just about hormones)

• How carb tolerance and activity level influence fat storage

• Why excess carbohydrates quietly work against fat loss when muscle demand is low

• The overlooked role of muscle blood flow and intramuscular fat

• Why under-eating accelerates muscle loss in women

• How weight loss drugs can worsen fat regain if muscle isn't protected

• Why strength training is non-negotiable — but must be appropriate

• Why protein isn't just calories, but a signal for muscle and metabolism

If your goals include fat loss, body recomposition, and aging strong, this episode will help you rethink how protein, carbs, and muscle fit together — and why preserving muscle is the real long-term strategy.

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Vanessa discusses how using the Tone Device is a proxy for fat loss and autophay on Protein Sparing Modified Fasting (PSMF) days! 👉 Use code VANESSA for 20% off HERE

Get my free NEW high-protein keto guide: The Keto Reset eBook

Free high-protein keto guide: The Keto Reset eBook

👤 Connect with Vanessa:

• Instagram: @ketogenicgirl

📱 Follow @ketogenicgirl for the latest studies and strategies on fat loss and protein optimization

📸 Follow @optimalproteinpodcast for episode visuals and updates

💬 Join the Facebook group: Optimal Protein Podcast Community

🎙 The content in this podcast is for informational purposes only and not nutritional or medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making major dietary or lifestyle changes.

Timeline Mitopure Gummies — The #1 Urolithin A supplement for energy and healthy aging, now in delicious strawberry gummies. Get 20% off at timeline.com/vanessa

In this episode of the Optimal Protein Podcast, I'm joined by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon to break down the muscle-centered strategy every woman needs for fat loss, metabolic health, and long-term strength.

We unpack why muscle — not hormones alone — is the key driver of body composition, why midlife fat gain is not inevitable, and how protein intake, movement, and muscle blood flow shape metabolism as women age. Dr. Lyon also explains her much-discussed concept of carb tolerance, how to "earn your carbs," and why excess carbohydrates can quietly work against fat loss when muscle demand is low.

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Dr. Lyon also shares key insights from her new book, The Forever Strong Playbook, including her 24-hour muscle-building framework and why strength training is not optional at any age.

If your goals include fat loss, body recomposition, and aging strong, this episode will completely reframe how you think about muscle.

Get delicious high protein meal recipes! Connect with Vanessa on Instagram @ketogenicgirl

Get 20% off the Tone LUX Crystal Red Light Therapy collection including the Crystal Mask and accessories the with the code VANESSA HERE

Follow @optimalproteinpodcast on Instagram to see visuals and posts mentioned on this podcast.

Link to join the Facebook group for the podcast

Mentioned in this episode:

Website: https://drgabriellelyon.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drgabriellelyon/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrGabrielleLyon

The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet or exercise regimen.

Timeline Mitopure Gummies — The #1 Urolithin A supplement for energy and healthy aging, now in delicious strawberry gummies. Get 20% off at timeline.com/vanessa

Most people don't fail at their goals because they lack discipline — they fail because they were never taught how to set goals that actually work.

In this New Year solo episode, Vanessa shares a powerful, step-by-step goal-setting masterclass inspired by Tony Robbins and Brian Tracy, applied specifically to fat loss, body recomposition, strength, energy, and long-term metabolic health.

You'll be guided through the actual Tony Robbins Priming Exercise, learn how to set identity-based goals that stick, and discover how to turn motivation into simple, repeatable systems that work even on imperfect weeks.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why most health goals fail by February

• How to set goals from the right nervous system state

• Tony Robbins' RPM Method applied to body recomposition

• Brian Tracy's framework for turning goals into daily action

• How to create motivation-proof plans for fat loss and consistency

This episode isn't about perfection — it's about building systems you can repeat all year long.

🎧 Listen now and set your 2026 goals with clarity, intention, and confidence.

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Vanessa discusses how using the Tone Device is a proxy for fat loss and autophay on Protein Sparing Modified Fasting (PSMF) days! 👉 Use code HOLIDAY25 for 25% off HERE

Get my free NEW high-protein keto guide: The Keto Reset eBook

Free high-protein keto guide: The Keto Reset eBook

👤 Connect with Vanessa:

• Instagram: @ketogenicgirl

📱 Follow @ketogenicgirl for the latest studies and strategies on fat loss and protein optimization

📸 Follow @optimalproteinpodcast for episode visuals and updates

💬 Join the Facebook group: Optimal Protein Podcast Community

🎙 The content in this podcast is for informational purposes only and not nutritional or medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making major dietary or lifestyle changes.

Timeline Mitopure Gummies — The #1 Urolithin A supplement for energy and healthy aging, now in delicious strawberry gummies. Get 20% off at timeline.com/vanessa

In today's episode, I'm continuing our Best of 2025 series with a powerful follow-up to Friday's episode. Instead of an interview, this is a curated masterclass pulling together the most important breakthroughs of 2025 in body recomposition, fat loss, and protein metabolism — especially for women navigating perimenopause and midlife metabolic change.

You'll hear standout moments from conversations with Dr. Hannah Cabré, Dr. Arny Ferrando, and Dr. Mike Ormsbee, alongside a solo deep dive into one of the most exciting human randomized controlled trials published in 2025 on high-protein diets, accelerated belly-fat loss, and autophagy.

Full Episode with Dr. Hannah Cabré

Full Episode with Dr. Arny Ferrando

Full Episode with Dr. Mike Ormsbee

Full Episode on New Study on Protein Fasting Mimicking and Autophagy/Longevity

OneSkin is powered by the breakthrough peptide OS-01, the first ingredient proven to reduce skin's biological age. I use the OS-01 Face and Eye formulas daily—they've transformed my skin's smoothness, firmness, and glow. Visit oneskin.co/VANESSA and use code VANESSA for 15% off your first purchase.

NEW! Free High-Protein Keto Guide

Get delicious high protein meal recipes! Connect with Vanessa on Instagram @ketogenicgirl

Get 25% off the Tone Device to try on a PSMF Day! Shop the collection HERE and use the code HOLIDAY25

Get 25% off the Tone LUX Crystal Red Light Therapy collection including the Crystal Mask and accessories the with the code HOLIDAY25 HERE

Follow @optimalproteinpodcast on Instagram to see visuals and posts mentioned on this podcast.

Link to join the Facebook group for the podcast

The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet or exercise regimen.

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In this special end-of-year solo episode, Vanessa shares a brief personal announcement, followed by the five biggest scientific takeaways from 2025 that reshaped how she thinks about fat loss, longevity, and metabolic health.

This episode highlights the studies and expert conversations featured on the Optimal Protein Podcast that had the most meaningful impact this year — including new research on autophagy and protein intake, the real drivers of longevity benefits, menopause-related body composition changes, resistance training, and long-term fat loss maintenance.

BOOST YOUR COLLAGEN & ELASTIN with RED LIGHT THERAPY! Save 25% on all Tone Lux Red Light therapy with the code HOLIDAY25! Learn more about the TONE LUX Crystal red light therapy mask and the brand new accessory the TONE LUX CONTOUR for the neck and décollete

OneSkin is powered by the breakthrough peptide OS-01, the first ingredient proven to reduce skin's biological age. I use the OS-01 Face and Eye formulas daily—they've transformed my skin's smoothness, firmness, and glow. Visit oneskin.co/VANESSA and use code VANESSA for 15% off your first purchase.

Vanessa discusses how using the Tone Device is a proxy for fat loss and autophay on Protein Sparing Modified Fasting (PSMF) days! 👉 Use code HOLIDAY25 for 25% off HERE

Get my free NEW high-protein keto guide: The Keto Reset eBook

Free high-protein keto guide: The Keto Reset eBook

👤 Connect with Vanessa:

• Instagram: @ketogenicgirl

📱 Follow @ketogenicgirl for the latest studies and strategies on fat loss and protein optimization

📸 Follow @optimalproteinpodcast for episode visuals and updates

💬 Join the Facebook group: Optimal Protein Podcast Community

🎙 The content in this podcast is for informational purposes only and not nutritional or medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making major dietary or lifestyle changes.

Timeline Mitopure Gummies — The #1 Urolithin A supplement for energy and healthy aging, now in delicious strawberry gummies. Get 20% off at timeline.com/vanessa

In this episode of the Optimal Protein Podcast, Vanessa is joined by Cynthia Thurlow, nurse practitioner, bestselling author, and women's health expert, for a deep dive into why fat loss and muscle maintenance become more challenging during perimenopause and menopause.

Cynthia explains how hormonal shifts drive anabolic resistance, reduce blood flow and nutrient delivery to muscle, and accelerate changes in body composition. We discuss how to adapt intermittent fasting for female physiology, why over-fasting can backfire in midlife, and the critical role of protein intake in preserving lean mass.

The conversation also explores key insights from Cynthia's upcoming book, The Menopause Gut, including how gut health, inflammation, and hormonal balance are deeply connected—and why optimizing the microbiome can improve metabolic health, body composition, and overall vitality in midlife.

OneSkin is powered by the breakthrough peptide OS-01, the first ingredient proven to reduce skin's biological age. I use the OS-01 Face and Eye formulas daily—they've transformed my skin's smoothness, firmness, and glow. Visit oneskin.co/VANESSA and use code VANESSA for 15% off your first purchase.

NEW! Free High-Protein Keto Guide

Get delicious high protein meal recipes! Connect with Vanessa on Instagram @ketogenicgirl

Get 25% off Tone LUX Crystal Red Light Therapy collection including the Crystal Mask and accessories the at https://ketogenicgirl.com with the code HOLIDAY25 HERE

Follow @optimalproteinpodcast on Instagram to see visuals and posts mentioned on this podcast.

Link to join the Facebook group for the podcast

The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet or exercise regimen.

Timeline Mitopure Gummies — The #1 Urolithin A supplement for energy and healthy aging, now in delicious strawberry gummies. Get 20% off at timeline.com/vanessa

What if the real driver of skin aging isn't wrinkles or sun damage — but "zombie" senescent cells hiding in your skin?

In this episode of the Optimal Protein Podcast, Vanessa sits down with Dr. Alessandra Zonari, PhD — a stem cell biologist and longevity scientist — for a fascinating deep dive into the new peptide science behind skin aging, inflammation, and biological age.

BOOST YOUR COLLAGEN & ELASTIN with RED LIGHT THERAPY! Save 25% on all Tone Lux Red Light therapy with the code HOLIDAY25! Learn more about the TONE LUX Crystal red light therapy mask and the brand new accessory the TONE LUX CONTOUR for the neck and décollete

You'll discover:

• What senescent "zombie" skin cells actually are — and why they don't just age themselves, but affect the surrounding tissue

• How inflammation in the skin can quietly accelerate collagen breakdown and visible aging

• Why skin aging speeds up during fat loss, perimenopause, and menopause

• How scientists are now measuring the biological age of skin, not just how it looks

• The surprising role of peptides in signaling skin cells to behave more youthfully

• Why some common "anti-aging" approaches may miss the real drivers of aging

• What makes lip skin biologically different — and why it tends to age faster than the rest of the face

• Why nighttime repair, autophagy, and even red light therapy may matter more than you think

This conversation goes far beyond skincare routines. It explores the mechanisms of aging at the cellular level, how lifestyle choices influence skin health, and why skin may be one of the most overlooked markers of longevity.

If you're interested in skin health, peptides, collagen, inflammation, fat loss, or aging well, this episode will completely change how you think about your skin.

Mentioned in this episode:

OneSkin is powered by the breakthrough peptide OS-01, the first ingredient proven to reduce skin's biological age. I use the OS-01 Face and Eye formulas daily—they've transformed my skin's smoothness, firmness, and glow. Visit oneskin.co/VANESSA and use code VANESSA for 15% off your first purchase.

Vanessa discusses how red light therapy supports mitochondrial health, muscle recovery, circulation, and skin health as part of an evidence-based approach to fat loss and metabolic optimization. Explore the Tone LUX red light therapy collection at 👉 Use code HOLIDAY25 for 25% off HERE

Get my free NEW high-protein keto guide: The Keto Reset eBook

Free high-protein keto guide: The Keto Reset eBook

👤 Connect with Vanessa:

• Instagram: @ketogenicgirl

📱 Follow @ketogenicgirl for the latest studies and strategies on fat loss and protein optimization

📸 Follow @optimalproteinpodcast for episode visuals and updates

💬 Join the Facebook group: Optimal Protein Podcast Community

🎙 The content in this podcast is for informational purposes only and not nutritional or medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making major dietary or lifestyle changes.

Timeline Mitopure Gummies — The #1 Urolithin A supplement for energy and healthy aging, now in delicious strawberry gummies. Get 20% off at timeline.com/vanessa

Why do so many people lose weight — only to regain it later?

In this episode of The Optimal Protein Podcast, Vanessa Spina sits down with Dr. Holly Wyatt, physician, endocrinologist, and longtime researcher with the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) — the world's largest and longest-running study of people who have lost weight and kept it off.

Building on the audience-favorite episode with Dr. James Hill, this conversation focuses on what the data from over 10,000 successful maintainers actually shows — and why staying in fat-loss mode forever is one of the biggest reasons diets fail.

OneSkin is powered by the breakthrough peptide OS-01, the first ingredient proven to reduce skin's biological age. I use the OS-01 Face and Eye formulas daily—they've transformed my skin's smoothness, firmness, and glow. Visit oneskin.co/VANESSA and use code VANESSA for 15% off your first purchase.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• Why losing weight and keeping it off require completely different skills

• The exact reason staying in fat-loss mode too long backfires

• What 10,000 successful maintainers had in common

• The identity shift that makes maintenance stick

• How environment beats willpower every time

NEW! Free High-Protein Keto Guide

Get delicious high protein meal recipes! Connect with Vanessa on Instagram @ketogenicgirl

Get 25% off Tone LUX Crystal Red Light Therapy collection including the Crystal Mask and accessories the at https://ketogenicgirl.com with the code HOLIDAY25 HERE

Follow @optimalproteinpodcast on Instagram to see visuals and posts mentioned on this podcast.

Link to join the Facebook group for the podcast

The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet or exercise regimen.

Timeline Mitopure Gummies — The #1 Urolithin A supplement for energy and healthy aging, now in delicious strawberry gummies. Get 20% off at timeline.com/vanessa

For nearly a decade, many of us have believed that calorie burn eventually plateaus—that once you move enough, your body quietly compensates and stops burning more energy. That belief has shaped how we diet, how we train, and even whether we bother moving more at all.

But a brand-new 2025 human study challenges that idea in a way that could completely change how you approach fat loss, daily movement, and exercise.

In this Friday recap episode of the Optimal Protein Podcast, Vanessa breaks down the study behind the headlines and explains—in plain English—what the data actually shows, what most people misunderstood, and how to use this information to get better fat-loss results without eating less or training harder.

BOOST YOUR COLLAGEN & ELASTIN with RED LIGHT THERAPY! Save 25% on all Tone Lux Red Light therapy with the code HOLIDAY25! Learn more about the TONE LUX Crystal red light therapy mask and the brand new accessory the TONE LUX CONTOUR for the neck and décollete

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why a new 2025 human study found no true metabolic "cap" in weight-stable, real-world conditions

• The key detail that separates this research from older metabolism models—and why exercise was misunderstood

• Why your steps and workouts genuinely increase total daily calorie burn

• Why muscle—not hormones—is the primary driver of metabolic rate during fat loss

• Why extreme dieting and "earning food" backfire—and what actually supports sustainable fat loss

Study Referenced:

Howard et al., 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) — Physical activity and total daily energy expenditure in weight-stable adults

👉 https://www.pnas.org

Vanessa discusses how red light therapy supports mitochondrial health, muscle recovery, circulation, and skin health as part of an evidence-based approach to fat loss and metabolic optimization. Explore the Tone LUX red light therapy collection at 👉 Use code HOLIDAY25 for 25% off HERE

Get my free NEW high-protein keto guide: The Keto Reset eBook

Free high-protein keto guide: The Keto Reset eBook

👤 Connect with Vanessa:

• Instagram: @ketogenicgirl

📱 Follow @ketogenicgirl for the latest studies and strategies on fat loss and protein optimization

📸 Follow @optimalproteinpodcast for episode visuals and updates

💬 Join the Facebook group: Optimal Protein Podcast Community

🎙 The content in this podcast is for informational purposes only and not nutritional or medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making major dietary or lifestyle changes.

Timeline Mitopure Gummies — The #1 Urolithin A supplement for energy and healthy aging, now in delicious strawberry gummies. Get 20% off at timeline.com/vanessa

In today's episode, Vanessa sits down with Dr. Howard, the lead author of a brand-new PNAS study that is challenging one of the most widely accepted ideas in human metabolism.

For years, many scientists believed that our bodies operate within a fixed daily calorie "budget," and that after a certain point, increasing activity doesn't increase total calorie burn. But Dr. Howard's new research suggests the story may be far more dynamic — and far more empowering — than we ever realized.

OneSkin is powered by the breakthrough peptide OS-01, the first ingredient proven to reduce skin's biological age. I use the OS-01 Face and Eye formulas daily—they've transformed my skin's smoothness, firmness, and glow. Visit oneskin.co/VANESSA and use code VANESSA for 15% off your first purchase.

This conversation explores what this new evidence could mean for:

• How we think about calorie burn

• Why activity matters (in ways we didn't fully understand before)

• The role of fueling, recovery, and energy balance

• What actually drives fat loss and body recomposition

• How to train smarter, not harder

Mentioned in this episode:

Physical activity is directly associated with total energy expenditure without evidence of constraint or compensation — published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Read the full study here → PNAS DOI 10.1073/pnas.2519626122

NEW! Free High-Protein Keto Guide

Get delicious high protein meal recipes! Connect with Vanessa on Instagram @ketogenicgirl

Get 20% off on the Tone Device breath ketone analyzer or the Tone LUX Crystal Red Light Therapy Mask or the at https://ketogenicgirl.com with the code VANESSA

Follow @optimalproteinpodcast on Instagram to see visuals and posts mentioned on this podcast.

Link to join the Facebook group for the podcast

The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet or exercise regimen.