Protein grams don't tell the full story. In this episode, Vanessa Spina is joined by Paul Moughan, a world authority on protein quality and amino acid digestibility, to explore why fat loss can stall and muscle can be lost — even on a high-protein diet.

Dr. Moughan, a Distinguished Professor at Massey University and architect of DIAAS, explains why protein absorbed and delivered to muscle matters more than protein consumed.

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You'll learn:

• Why identical protein intakes can produce very different body composition outcomes
• How low-quality protein may drive hunger and muscle loss during dieting
• Why protein grams on labels are misleading for fat loss and recomposition

This episode isn't about eating more protein — it's about eating protein that actually counts.

👉 Subscribe, rate, and review the Optimal Protein Podcast to support the show and help bring you more evidence-based conversations on fat loss, protein, and muscle-centric nutrition.

Get 20% off the Tone Device to try on a PSMF Day! Shop the collection HERE and use the code VANESSA

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

🔴 Tone LUX Red Light Therapy 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

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.

Start of Arny Ferrando's episode recap is at 14:00 minutes.

In today's Friday solocast, Vanessa Spina recaps her recent interview with Arny Ferrando, one of the world's leading experts on human muscle protein metabolism — and explains why fat loss problems are often muscle problems in disguise.

The episode opens with two brand-new studies that challenge common fat-loss assumptions, including new findings on hydration and body fat loss, and surprising research linking resistance training with intelligence and cognitive performance.

From there, Vanessa distills the most important insights from her conversation with Dr. Ferrando, including why simply eating less often backfires, how aging and hormonal changes impair muscle metabolism, and what most people misunderstand about protein needs, circulation, and metabolic slowdown.

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• Why a basic habit most people overlook can quietly stall fat loss

• How strength training affects far more than muscle and appearance

• Why eating less often worsens metabolic adaptation over time

• What actually changes in muscle as we age — especially in women

• Why protein intake becomes more important, not less

• The missing link between circulation, amino acids, and body recomposition

🔬 Studies Mentioned

• Water intake and body fat loss (PubMed ID: 39585691)

• Resistance training and intelligence (Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2025)

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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.

In this episode of The Optimal Protein Podcast, Vanessa Spina welcomes back leading muscle metabolism researcher Dr. Arny Ferrando for a deep dive into protein, muscle, and women's physiology across the menopause transition.

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

They explore why perimenopause represents a critical turning point for whole-body protein balance, how muscle loss accelerates during midlife, and why protein quality, dosing, and movement become essential for preserving lean mass and metabolic health. Dr. Ferrando also shares insights from forthcoming research comparing animal-based and plant-based proteins, and explains why muscle is the body's primary survival tissue during stress and aging.

This conversation delivers clear, evidence-based strategies for improving body composition, fat loss, and long-term health in women. Topics include:

• Why menopause changes protein utilization and muscle retention

• Perimenopause as a muscle-critical intervention window

• Protein intake vs. protein optimization

• Essential amino acids (EAAs): when supplementation is useful

• Muscle loss, fat gain, and metabolic slowdown in midlife

• Why muscle preservation matters more than scale weight

• The role of circulation, blood flow, and resistance training

• Fat loss without muscle loss: what the science shows

• GLP-1 weight loss drugs and concerns around lean mass loss

• Emerging research on beef-based vs. plant-based proteins for women

Dr. Arny Ferrando is a world-leading researcher in human protein metabolism, muscle physiology, and aging. His work has helped define how amino acids, protein intake, and exercise influence muscle preservation, recovery, and metabolic health across the lifespan.

👉 Subscribe, rate, and review the Optimal Protein Podcast to support the show and help bring you more evidence-based conversations on fat loss, protein, and muscle-centric nutrition.

Get 20% off the Tone Device to try on a PSMF Day! Shop the collection HERE and use the code VANESSA

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

🔴 Tone LUX Red Light Therapy 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

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.

Most people think creatine only affects muscle strength and performance. But what if creatine also plays a role inside fat cells themselves—and could subtly influence fat loss and body recomposition?

In this episode of the Optimal Protein Podcast, Vanessa Spina I recaps the key takeaways from the interview with Dr. Scott Forbes, focusing on fat loss, body recomposition, muscle preservation, protein intake, creatine supplementation, sleep, and aging.

This episode breaks down brand new research on how different training modalities, recovery, and evidence-based supplements influence fat loss and body composition—and why scale weight alone is a poor marker of fat loss success.

🧠 IQBAR – Try the Ultimate Sampler Pack: IQBARs, IQMIX, and IQJOE! Text VANESSA to 64000 for a 20% off discount code

BOOST YOUR COLLAGEN & ELASTIN with RED LIGHT THERAPY! Save 20% on all Tone Lux Red Light therapy with the code VANESSA! 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

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

Most fat-loss advice focuses on the scale — but what if that's the wrong metric entirely? In this episode, Vanessa Spina is joined by Dr. Scott Forbes, exercise physiologist and professor at Brandon University, whose research challenges many of the assumptions behind traditional weight-loss approaches.

Dr. Forbes has authored and co-authored numerous randomized controlled trials and large meta-analyses examining how training style, protein intake, creatine supplementation, sleep, and aging influence fat loss, muscle retention, and metabolic health.

Rather than chasing weight loss, this conversation explores what happens when the goal shifts to body recomposition — losing fat while preserving or building muscle — and why that distinction changes everything.

• Why weight loss and fat loss are not the same thing

• The surprising differences between cardio, resistance training, and combined approaches

• Why some people lose weight but stall metabolically

• How protein and creatine fit into a muscle-centric fat-loss strategy

• Why fat loss becomes harder with age — and what still works

• A largely overlooked factor that influences where fat is stored

If you've ever done "everything right" and still felt stuck, this episode offers a science-backed reframe that may completely change how you approach fat loss.

👉 Subscribe, rate, and review the Optimal Protein Podcast to support the show and help bring you more evidence-based conversations on fat loss, protein, and muscle-centric nutrition.

Get 20% off the Tone Device to try on a PSMF Day! Shop the collection HERE and use the code VANESSA

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

🔴 Tone LUX Red Light Therapy 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

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.

Skip to the start of the recap: 13:41

In today's Friday solo episode of The Optimal Protein Podcast, Vanessa breaks down the science of leptin — the hormone that determines whether your body will burn fat or protect it.

Leptin isn't just about appetite. It's a metabolic permission signal, and when leptin signaling is disrupted, fat loss can stall even in a calorie deficit.

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Vanessa explains how sleep, circadian rhythm, and light exposure affect leptin, why dieting can feel harder than it should, and walks you through a practical 7-Day Leptin Reset Protocol designed to reduce hunger, improve satiety, and make fat loss feel easier.

This episode connects leptin science with protein-forward nutrition, calories in vs. calories out, resistance training, and circadian alignment for sustainable fat loss.

BOOST YOUR COLLAGEN & ELASTIN with RED LIGHT THERAPY! Save 20% on all Tone Lux Red Light therapy with the code VANESSA! 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

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, I'm joined by Dr. Catherine Clinton to explore how circadian biology, light exposure, and cellular electrical charge regulate metabolism, hormones, and fat loss — often beyond calories alone.

We discuss how morning light impacts leptin signaling, insulin sensitivity, cortisol, and melatonin, why modern indoor living disrupts metabolic health, and how maintaining a strong negative cellular charge is critical for mitochondrial function.

We also cover red and infrared light therapy, optimal timing, metabolic benefits, and key considerations during pregnancy — plus how to integrate protein intake, calories in vs. calories out, and resistance training with circadian alignment for sustainable fat loss.

• Light exposure and leptin signaling

• Circadian rhythm and fat loss

• Cellular charge and mitochondrial health

• Grounding and infrared light

• Red light therapy timing and pregnancy considerations

• Balancing calories, protein, and training with circadian biology

🔗 Dr. Catherine Clinton's book Optimize: drcatherineclinton.com/optimize

Get 20% off the Tone Device to try on a PSMF Day! Shop the collection HERE and use the code VANESSA

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

🔴 Tone LUX Red Light Therapy 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

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.

Skip to the start of the recap: 11:40

In today's solo recap, Vanessa unpacks the most important takeaways from her conversation with Dr. Nick Barringer—former U.S. Army officer, researcher, and Registered Dietitian—whose work with tactical athletes and elite military populations reveals what really happens to the body during fat loss, stress, and recovery.

This episode explores why so many people lose muscle when dieting, how PSMF and ketosis fundamentally change the equation, and what most fat-loss advice gets wrong.

🧠 IQBAR – Try the Ultimate Sampler Pack: IQBARs, IQMIX, and IQJOE! Text VANESSA to 64000 for a 20% off discount code

You'll Discover:

• Why cutting calories alone often backfires
• What makes PSMF different from standard low-calorie dieting
• The overlooked role of protein quality—not just protein quantity
• What elite military research reveals about recovery and resilience
• The truth about seed oils vs butter when you look at human data
• Why collagen may support more than just joints and skin
• The most common mistakes women make when trying to get lean

If you're working hard but not seeing the results you expect—or you're tired of fear-based nutrition rules—this episode will change how you think about fat loss, muscle, and recovery.

BOOST YOUR COLLAGEN & ELASTIN with RED LIGHT THERAPY! Save 20% on all Tone Lux Red Light therapy with the code VANESSA! 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

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.