Dear Reader,

Holy moly, did I put on weight this Christmas! Today I'll share how I'm fixing it.

If you've subscribed for a while then you'll know my personal story. You can skip to the next part.

But, just in case, here's the quick video version:

Since 2019, bodyweight has been on a pretty tight leash.

This was after dropping from 94kg to roughly 73kg and I finally landed in a shape that actually felt sustainable.

That number held for years. There were the usual 1–2kg seasonal wiggles, but nothing dramatic. Clothes fit the same, training felt good, and the mirror was mostly kind:

Then came last year.

Across H2 2025, weight didn’t blow up overnight. It crept. Slowly. A kilo here, a bit of “I’ll tighten things up next week” there. Nothing alarming at first. But that’s how most weight gain in midlife happens: not as a crisis, but as a drift.

The creep of the last 6 months:

The real wake-up call was January 8th 2026:

Scale reading – 79kg.

From a long-term “home base” of 73kg, that’s a big jump.

So this month is about something very specific:

Not another “diet”.

Not “eat less, move more”.

A cellular reset.

Why this isn’t about calories

You already know the script the mainstream pushes:

• Count calories.

• Move more.

• Try to out-willpower your biology.

In midlife, that approach is punishing and usually backfires. Appetite, hormones, and energy levels don’t care about nice round numbers in an app.

The focus has to shift down to the cellular level – to how mitochondria handle energy:

• Mitochondrial charge potential (ΔΨm – the “voltage” across the inner membrane).

• Electron flow through the ETC.

• How efficiently your cells turn food into ATP vs. storing it as fat.

If those systems are sluggish, inflamed, or overloaded with sugar, you can’t “cardio” your way out of it.

(Want to know how we REALLY make energy? Get the 6-part series by clicking here)

The January reset plan

The goal:

• Restore metabolic flexibility

• Maximize satiety (so adherence feels almost effortless)

• Support mitochondrial function with the right fats, amino acids, and micronutrients

The structure for this month:

• Two meals per day

• Alternate-day fasting layered on top

Meal 1 (around sunrise)

Built for deep satiety + mitochondrial cofactors:

• 300g 20% fat minced beef

• ~10% of that mix as chicken livers (hidden in the mince)

• Riboflavin (B2) for Complex II

• Iron and copper for Complex IV

• CoQ10 as an electron shuttle

• B12 and folate for mitochondrial one‑carbon work

• Vitamin A and selenium to help control oxidative stress

• 3 eggs

• 100g cheddar or Edam

This meal is deliberately heavy on:

• Protein for muscle retention and satiety

• Saturated fat and cholesterol to support membrane integrity and hormone production

• Micronutrients from liver that directly plug into mitochondrial machinery

Meal 2 (late afternoon)

Built for additional protein, omega‑3s, and more satiety without carbs:

• 140g cottage cheese

• Either:

• 90g sardines 
or

• 115g cod livers

• 120g tuna

On sardine days, daily macros land roughly at:

• ~175g protein

• ~115g fat

• <10g carbs

On cod liver days, daily macros are closer to:

• ~160g protein

• 175g+ fat

• <10g carbs

So across the week, you cycle between “leaner high‑fat” days and “very high‑fat, nutrient‑dense” days.

Why this setup works (beyond the scale)

A few key levers this approach is pulling:

Zero (or near-zero) hunger
: High protein + high fat = strong satiety signals.
Very low carbs = no blood sugar rollercoaster.


Result: You naturally eat less without feeling like you’re at war with your appetite.

Better energy and stamina
: Once fat-adapted, this kind of intake supports long, steady output - especially for low‑intensity and aerobic work.
 Instead of chasing quick sugar hits, mitochondria get a consistent fat supply.

Sleep that actually restores you
: Stable blood sugar and no evening meal help the nervous system wind down, which shows up as deeper, more consolidated sleep.

Mitochondrial “terrain” improvement

• Saturated fats and cholesterol help stabilize membranes and support a healthy mitochondrial charge potential.
• Omega‑3s from sardines/cod livers and tuna improve membrane fluidity and electron transport.
• Liver adds the critical vitamins and minerals that ETC complexes depend on.

When you put all of this together, you’re not just “eating less”.

You’re changing how your cells handle energy.

In one of the next emails, you’ll see:

• The week‑by‑week progress

• How hunger, energy, and sleep responded

• What adjustments (if any) were needed along the way

For now, a question for you:

What’s your own post‑Christmas reset?

Is it training, food, sleep, light exposure, or all of the above?

Hit reply and share what you’re doing – it helps shape future deep dives and case studies for this list.

Take care,

Roderick :)

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​MidlifeMetabolicHealth.com​ ​Robot clicks here​

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