‘The healthy person has a thousand wishes. The sick person has but one.’
In addition to the New Year signaling an opportunity to start fresh, it also marks the end of the holiday season. I really enjoy the holiday traditions, which for many of us, means the consumption of lots of unhealthy treats!
The quote above is a reminder that health isn’t separate from wealth, it’s the foundation of it. Without health, every financial goal collapses into a single priority.
After holiday excess many of us feel the need to recover. We instinctively want to simplify. Reset. That instinct is ancient, and biologically sound.I’m not doing a detox, but I am eager to get back into a healthy routine and since I get asked a lot about this stuff, and it is SUPER important, I am sharing my big health insights from 2025 (GCMs and Fasting):
LEARNING PHASE (CGMs):
Research and advances in technology, as well as growing public interest, has created a lot more awareness of just how important keeping healthy blood glucose levels are for avoiding the downstream affects of metabolic syndrome (diabetes), chronic inflammation, accumulation of visceral fat and the big three: cardiovascular disease, alzheimers (aka. type-3 diabetes) and cancer.
I have some pretty healthy friends and one of them sent me a Constant Glucose Monitor (CGM) last year. You’ve probably seen them on people’s upper arm, which is where I wore mine. They come with an app and last about 2 weeks and report your blood glucose levels every 15 minutes. I found it so useful I have since sent them to some of my friends. *Yes, you can get them over-the-counter now!
Such data is particularly useful as we are all different. Some people have a beer and their levels shoot up, while others can drink two beers and their levels stay steady. So, although there are general rules of thumb, being able to monitor the effects of your choices is an important step in avoiding the initial glucose spikes and resulting inflammatory effects. I had the Stelo brand 2 pack and found it pretty eye opening:
PERSONAL EXAMPLE: I sometimes like to have a chai latte in the morning and had been buying the sugar-free mix to avoid the negative sugar consequences. I thought I was being good! Having the glucose monitor allowed me to actually see the effects and I had a HUGE glucose spike. Turns out, the company replaced traditional sugars with maltodextrin, which allows them to advertise ‘sugar-free’ but in fact the results on your body are worse than sugar!
Maltodextrin has a higher glycemic index than sucrose!
Of course, like anything, knowledge is only part of the equation. We also have to take the correct action: not eating things that spike your glucose levels is the most important part.
That said, you can still eat the things you like, but do it in such a way that does not spike and keep your glucose levels elevated.
This is one of the biggest discoveries for me! That is, two people can EAT THE SAME DIET and one can LOSE weight and the other GAIN weight simply by changing the ORDER in which they eat their carbohydrates.
Bread FIRST may taste good, but it’s BAD.
The general rule is this: eat fiber first, then fats and proteins, followed by carbs. This buffers the absorption of carbs in your gut and draws the absorption period out to avoid the blood-glucose spike and corresponding insulin and inflammatory responses.
Salad first and dessert last.. who knew!?
ACTION PHASE (fasting):
First, let me say that you should check with your doctor before doing anything drastic with your health.
Second, not eating isn’t as drastic as people think.
In fact, fasting tolerance is a built-in survival feature for all mammals! We are built for scarcity, not constant consumption. For most of human history, food was irregular. Our bodies evolved to switch fuel sources, conserve energy, and endure periods without eating.
A striking historical example is Angus Barbieri, who fasted for over a year under medical supervision and lost more than 275 pounds. More recently, artist Jelly Roll has openly documented a lifestyle-driven transformation of over 300 pounds.
Angus was about 450 pounds and lost around 275 surviving on tea, coffee, sparkling water, vitamins, and minimal supplements under medical supervision.
Some cultures eat 5 -6 meals a day, others eat 1-2. Some people are lucky to get a meal and the fact that some people can’t bear the thought of skipping a meal is ludicrous and a sign of how comfortable modern times are.
For me, intermittent fasting isn’t really helpful (restricting eating to only 6-8 hours per day). I have friends who skip breakfast and it makes a huge difference for them and their habits.
I fast over longer periods (~3 days).
Rather than go into the details, I’ll summarize the most frequently asked questions:
- WHY would you fast for 60-70 hours?
- Great visceral fat loss – not slow and small gains
- Autophagy – cleaning the body of problem chemicals and cells
- Mental clarity and Energy
- Isn’t it HARD?
- Not really. Knowing food isn’t an option is easier than trying to make good choices all the time.
- The first time was the hardest and it was more about getting through the routine meal times. I rarely get a headache (caffeine helps and you need to drink electrolytes!).
- Don’t you FEEL tired?
- Nope! In fact, once in ketosis, I have more energy and feel better.
- If it’s so great, why not fast longer?
- I like to exercise and although you can do mild exertions, heavy resistance training without protein consumption can result in breaking down your muscles. After the maximum autophagy benefit, around 60-80 hours, I ease back into food and often stay in ketosis by avoiding carbs for a little while (burning fat a little longer).
I only do this once a quarter and make pretty good choices day-to-day. I generally live a partial keto diet and avoid sugar and feel tons better for it! Less aches and pains, no sluggish afternoons and better sleep provides more energy and better moods!
Fasting isn’t about deprivation. It’s about control.
Just as financial independence requires delaying gratification, fasting exposes how often we confuse discomfort with danger — in both health and money.
Are you a high-performer? If so, you need to take your diet, sleep and exercise seriously.
If you want to learn more about these and other best practices for optimizing diet, sleep and/or energy, reach out! I am happy to share resources and chat about these topics.
SUMMARY: Your body is an appreciating asset if you invest in it correctly. Ignore it, and it depreciates faster than any market downturn.
Health doesn’t replace wealth, but without health, wealth loses meaning. That’s a return no portfolio can outperform.
