Sustainable Fat Loss After 40 - Jacked Nerds Issue #009

👋 Welcome Back, Jacked Nerds!

Hope y’all had a great week and are enjoying your weekends wherever you are. Big welcome to the 161 new readers who joined us last week! Absolutely stoked to have you here 💪.

In case you missed it, I’m launching a new Food Reviews sub-segment in this newsletter! I’ll be reviewing high-protein foods and snacks so you know which ones are actually worth your hard-earned dollars—and which ones to skip.

Here are a couple of upcoming reviews on deck:

• 🧇 Eggo Protein Waffles

• 🍫 Built Puff Protein Bars

Interested? Let me know below! ⬇️ 

As we inch closer to summer (just 20 days to go), I’ve been seeing a spike in “X-week challenges” all over social media. I get it—it’s a smart strategy for fitness influencers to promote their programs, and these challenges can offer solid short-term motivation.

But take it from someone who’s both led and participated in these before: they don’t always create the lasting change people expect them to, especially when you're balancing a demanding job, family responsibilities, and a body that doesn’t bounce back like it used to.

I’ve got a very busy 9-to-5. I have two young kids who keep me on my toes. And I’m approaching 40. As much as I hate to admit it, the shift is real. My energy isn’t what it used to be. When I train, I need longer warm-ups, and recovery takes more time than it did in my 20s.

And here’s what I’ve learned: fighting those changes is exhausting. Working with them is liberating. And that’s exactly what I hear from so many of you—you want a plan that fits your life, not one that demands you reorganize it.

So today, let’s talk about the kind of routine that helps you win the real challenge: sustainable fat loss that supports your strength, energy, and health—without burning you out.

I’m sharing a 3-part system I use myself and recommend to everyone over 40. Even if you’re not quite there yet, this approach builds habits that will serve you for the long haul.

In today's issue, you'll find:

• 🔑 Part 1: Simple, Satisfying Nutrition

  • Give this a try: The One-Week Processed Food Audit

• 💪 Part 2: Strength Over Sweat

• 🚶 Part 3: Daily Movement That Flows with Life

• 🤓 My Favourite Nerdy Thing of the Week

• 🍌 Try This Protein Recipe: Frozen Banana + Bluebe …

• 📣 Share with a Friend!

• 🧠 Final Thoughts

🔑 Part 1: Simple, Satisfying Nutrition

We are starting with nutrition because it’s the foundation, and more important to get right than exercise.

The idea here is to build meals that keep you full, support muscle growth, and actually taste good. You can count macros if you want to, but it's not necessary when you follow my basic plate model below.

The basic plate model I use on a daily basis:

🥕 ½ plate of colourful, fibre-rich veggies (broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, etc.),
🍗 ¼ plate of lean protein (chicken, fish, tofu, eggs, etc.)
🍠 ¼ plate of quality carbs (sweet potato, brown rice, beans, etc.)
🥑 Add healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, nuts, etc.) as needed

Protein is your best friend here. It keeps you full, fuels your muscles, and has the highest thermic effect (meaning you burn more calories digesting it compared to carbs or fat).

Real talk on fat loss from personal experience: When I try to cut calories too hard, I feel it immediately. Strength drops off, I get irritable, and I lose the desire to train. So while it’s true you’ll need to be in a caloric deficit to lose weight (i.e., eating less), the way for most people to get there is to "eat better" and "eat enough to support your goals."

That means for most people often the biggest opportunity lies in quietly reducing the stuff that drains your energy or adds hidden calories you barely think about.

That’s why I recommend this simple process to simplify and improve your nutrition ⬇️.

Give this a try: The One-Week Processed Food Audit

📝 For the next seven days, jot down any processed foods or drinks you consume.

This includes things like:

🍪 Chips, crackers, cookies
🍦 Flavoured yogurts, frozen meals, snack bars
🥤 Soft drinks, sweetened coffee creamers
🫙 Bottled sauces, dressings, or takeout items

At the end of the week, look at your list and ask: Which one of these shows up the most?

That’s your starting point.

Then, choose a simple whole-food alternative:

• Swap daily granola bars → hard-boiled eggs or Greek yogurt

• Replace diet soda → flavoured sparkling water

• Trade flavoured coffee creamers → unsweetened almond milk

• Switch store-bought dressing → homemade dressing with olive oil + vinegar + mustard

Rinse and repeat until you reach a daily 80/20 whole foods/fun foods ratio.

The goal here is identifying one thing that's holding you back from your goals and upgrading it. Real, sustainable change starts with single improvements, built over weeks and months.

💪 Part 2: Strength Over Sweat

Here's what I've learned over the past 10+ years: the most effective fat loss strategy focuses on building and maintaining muscle, because muscle drives your metabolism—and this becomes even more critical after 40.

Starting in your 30s, your body begins to lose muscle mass unless you actively maintain it. By your 40s and 50s, that loss accelerates. While cardio burns calories during the workout, strength training builds the muscle that burns calories around the clock. This is why strength training beats endless cardio for fat loss.

More on the roles of cardio vs. strength training in a future issue.

For now, the general training principles I adhere to are:

🏋️ Strength train at least 2–3x per week
💪 Focus on movements that hit major muscle groups (squats, pushes, pulls)
📈 Gradually increase difficulty: more reps, more weight, slower tempo
🔁 Focus on form and consistency over chasing PRs every session

Think of your workouts as muscle insurance. You just need to keep showing up and making small, progressive deposits.

🚶 Part 3: Daily Movement That Flows with Life

Here's where a lot of people miss the mark: they think fat loss only happens in the gym.

What you do the other 23 hours has more impact on your results than that one hour of training.

I've made this mental shift myself. For example, instead of forcing separate cardio sessions, I prioritize walks with my kids: a walk to the nearby park, to the local grocery store, or sometimes just laps around the block. It is quality family time for me, AND it stacks up over time for fat loss too.

Here are some daily movement ideas that work around life you can try:

🚶 Walks during work calls (A friend at work likes to say “I’m taking you for a walk!” whenever we have our 1:1s.)
🏡 Housework or yard work
🧘 Stretching while watching TV
🚗 Parking farther away (you’d be surprised how many more steps you’d get in!)

This low-intensity, frequent movement (called NEAT—non-exercise activity thermogenesis) is a huge, underrated lever for fat loss. And it doesn’t drain your recovery the way high-intensity cardio can.

🫵 Your Action Step of the Week:

Try this 3-Part Checklist:

1. One processed food swap: Inventory today. Replace one tomorrow.

2. Two strength workouts this week: Bodyweight is perfectly fine for many beginners. Focus on form and full-body moves. Side note: look out for a future issue on bodyweight training.

3. Three intentional walks: Even 10 minutes counts. Bonus points if you stack it with family time, work calls, or your favourite podcasts.

Write it down.
Check them off.
Build the streak.

🤓 My Favourite Nerdy Thing of the Week

This one is for my 3D printing nerds.

Growing up, the worst part about Connect 4 was the sorting after each game.

And recently I found and printed this SELF-SORTING Connect 4 to play with my kids.

Check out how well this works. Absolute witchcraft 🤯.

🍌 Try This Protein Recipe: Frozen Banana + Blueberry Protein Shake

Frozen bananas, if you haven’t tried before, is a cheat code. Once frozen, the banana taste creamier and sweeter. This is because the freezing process act as a softener, and the cold lets the sweetness shine through more by muting the bitterness and acidity a bit.

Pour your favourite protein shake over it, top it with some coconut flakes, and you have a high-protein frozen treat that is perfect for both pre and post workouts.

Here’s my recipe, yields 485 calories, 52g protein, 5g fat, 59g carbs:

• 40g 100% Gold Standard Whey Protein Milk Chocolate Flavour

• 200g Non-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt

• 100g Frozen Blueberries (I get these ones from Costco)

• 250g Unsweetened Almond Milk

• 150g Frozen Banana

• A sprinkle of coconut flakes

📣 Share with a Friend!

I hope you’re getting real value from this newsletter!

If you are, it would mean a lot if you shared it with a friend, family member, or anyone you think could benefit from the frameworks and tips I share here.

Thanks so much for being part of this — I appreciate you! 🙏

My mission: 10,000 like-minded legends in the Jacked Nerds crew by end of year.
Help me get there 💪

🧠 Final Thoughts

After 40 (or close to 40 in my case), your body starts asking for more intention. What used to work effortlessly now requires a thoughtful approach.

The key is finding a plan that supports where you are now—with enough structure to keep you progressing, and enough flexibility to stick with it when life gets complicated.

This 3-part formula is simple by design, and it works. You'll feel stronger, more energized, and in control—building momentum that carries you through the next decade.

You're creating something that lasts.

Catch y’all in the next one! ✌️ 
#LFG

Dave Chen
(aka your Jacked Nerd guide)