Most people think fat is passive — something to lose, shrink, or eliminate.

Dr. Deborah Clegg explains why that mindset is incomplete.

Fat is an active endocrine organ. It produces hormones, regulates metabolism, and directly influences disease risk.

• Why fat distribution matters more than total fat
• The critical difference between visceral and subcutaneous fat
• How estrogen protects metabolic health — and what happens after menopause
• Why women lose weight differently than men
• The role of brown, white, and beige fat in energy balance
• How evolution shaped the way our bodies store fat

This episode challenges the idea that all fat is bad — and reframes it as something to understand, not just fight.

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This episode is sponsored by Lightstone DIRECT. Lightstone DIRECT invites you to partner with a $12B AUM real estate institution as you grow your portfolio. Access the same single-asset multifamily and industrial deals Lightstone pursues with its own capital – Lightstone co-invests a minimum of 20% in each deal alongside individual investors like you. You’re an institution. Time to invest like one.

What You’ll Learn

• The difference between visceral fat (harmful) and subcutaneous fat (protective)
• How estrogen improves metabolic health and fat function
• Why women are protected from metabolic disease before menopause
• What actually happens to body composition after menopause
• Why weight loss is biologically harder for women
• The role of inflammation in unhealthy fat storage
• How brown and beige fat increase calorie burning

Key Takeaway

Not all fat is bad.

Where you store it, how it functions, and how your hormones regulate it matter far more than the number on the scale.

Dr. Deborah J. Clegg is a leading researcher in metabolism, obesity, and cardiometabolic health, with a focus on how sex hormones influence energy balance and fat distribution.

She serves as Vice President for Research at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso and has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications across nutrition, endocrinology, and metabolic disease.

Originally trained as a dietitian, Dr. Clegg earned her PhD in Nutrition from the University of Georgia, an MBA from Boston University, and completed postdoctoral training in obesity research at the University of Cincinnati.

Her work bridges basic science and clinical insight to better understand — and improve — how we prevent and treat metabolic disease.

Resources & Links

Texas Tech Health Sciences Center (Faculty Page):
https://www.cardiometabolichealth.org/faculty/deborah-j-clegg-phd-mba/

Research & Publications:
Search: Deborah Clegg metabolism research (150+ publications)

Referenced Concepts in Episode:

• Visceral vs subcutaneous fat
• Estrogen and metabolic protection
• Brown & beige fat metabolism
• Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) timing

Episodes Referenced In This Show

#17: From Couch to Everest: Dr. Biff Palmer Discusses His Unlikely Journey to the Top of the World

#22: Why Weight Loss Stalls—Discussing the Role of Hormones, Metabolic Health, and GLP-1 Mimetics with Dr. Marguerite Weston

Work with Dr. Chris Huff: Premier Cardiovascular Health

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chris.huff.9480

Instagram: @hufcm

Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any decisions about your health or medical treatment.

Dr. Huff recaps his 12-day mountaineering expedition in Ecuador — from acclimatization climbs to summiting Cotopaxi (19,347 ft) and pushing to 19,000 feet on Chimborazo before turning back due to avalanche risk.

Dr. Huff shares why he transitioned from a traditional W2 cardiology role to locums work, how that decision created space for both family and adventure, and what climbing at altitude reveals about physiology, discipline, and restraint.

He breaks down the realities of performing above 19,000 feet — pacing in zone two, managing fueling despite nausea, muscular endurance under load, and why summit success is never guaranteed. He also outlines the exact training framework he used: VO₂ max development, progressive strength work, and long-duration loaded efforts.

Your preparation gives you the opportunity for success, but ultimately the mountain decides who may pass.

Next on the horizon: Aconcagua (22,841 ft) — the gateway to 8,000-meter Himalayan peaks.

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This episode is sponsored by Lightstone DIRECT. Lightstone DIRECT invites you to partner with a $12B AUM real estate institution as you grow your portfolio. Access the same single-asset multifamily and industrial deals Lightstone pursues with its own capital – Lightstone co-invests a minimum of 20% in each deal alongside individual investors like you. You’re an institution. Time to invest like one.

1️⃣ High VO₂ Max

• Aerobic capacity remains the strongest predictor of longevity in both men and women.
• 300 minutes per week of aerobic work appears to produce peak benefit.

2️⃣ Strength

• Posterior chain, quads, core stability, axial strength.
• Progressive overload. 2–3 sessions per week minimum.

3️⃣ Muscular Endurance

• The most overlooked quality in fitness.
• Long-duration loaded incline work.
• Time on feet.
• Two-hour + grind sessions.

Episode 37 dives deeper into muscular endurance.

Mountain Gurus: https://www.instagram.com/mountaingurus

Dave Garcia: https://www.instagram.com/davo_garcia

• Aerobic fitness + strength + muscular endurance = peak fitness
• Summit success is never guaranteed.
• Adventure requires intention.

Work with Dr. Chris Huff: Premier Cardiovascular Health

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chris.huff.9480

Instagram: @hufcm

Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any decisions about your health or medical treatment.

Rick Lybarger spent nearly three decades guiding families through high-stakes financial decisions. On the outside, everything looked successful. Internally, the pace was unsustainable.

Instead of pushing harder, he chose a different path: learning how to regulate his nervous system through breathwork and meditation.

What started as a personal reset evolved into years of studying breathwork, meditation, heart–brain coherence, and performance regulation. Rick is now helping others build sustainable excellence instead of reactive momentum.

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This episode is sponsored by Lightstone DIRECT. Lightstone DIRECT invites you to partner with a $12B AUM real estate institution as you grow your portfolio. Access the same single-asset multifamily and industrial deals Lightstone pursues with its own capital – Lightstone co-invests a minimum of 20% in each deal alongside individual investors like you. You’re an institution. Time to invest like one.

• Sympathetic vs. parasympathetic breathing
• How breath directly influences blood pressure, heart rate, and heart rate variability (HRV).
• Morning and evening breath protocols
• Box breathing
• Breath holds and stress tolerance
• Coherence breathing and heart–mind alignment
• How breathwork improves athletic recovery
• Why meditation benefits compound after 20 minutes
• How to use breath in real-time conflict

• How breath influences the autonomic nervous system
• Why HRV improves with consistent breath training
• The difference between activation breathing and calming breathing
• A 10-minute morning protocol you can implement immediately
• A simple pre-sleep breathing sequence
• How to regulate acute stress in under 60 seconds
• Why breath training improves athletic performance and recovery
• How nervous system mastery supports clearer thinking

Dan Brulé book – Just Breathe

Dr. Joe Dispenza – Becoming Supernatural
https://drjoedispenza.com
Free guided meditations available on YouTube

HeartMath Institute
https://www.heartmath.org
Research on heart–brain coherence and HRV

Wim Hof Method
https://www.wimhofmethod.com

Rick Lybarger is a Certified Financial Planner™ with 28 years of experience helping individuals and families navigate complex financial decisions with clarity, discipline, and long-term perspective.

After coming close to burnout earlier in his career, Rick initiated a personal transformation that led to meaningful changes in how he lives and works, with an increased focus on health, resilience, and sustainable performance. For more than 7 years, he has worked as a breathwork and meditation coach, supporting clients in developing nervous system regulation, emotional resilience, and heart–mind coherence. He is also the founder of Wisdom Won, where he works as an energy healer, integrating breath, meditation, energetic alignment, and biohacking principles to support sustainable personal growth and overall well-being.

Rick is a father of three and an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys time in nature and continually challenges himself through exercise. He is on a lifelong path of learning and self-inquiry, drawing from physical training, time in nature, and Hermetic teachings as disciplines for moving deeper into the principle of knowing thyself.

🌐 Wisdom Won
https://www.wisdomwon.com

Rick offers breathwork and meditation coaching focused on nervous system regulation, emotional resilience, and sustainable performance.

You cannot eliminate stress.

But you can train your nervous system to handle it.

Master your breath and you master your mind.

Work with Dr. Chris Huff: Premier Cardiovascular Health

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chris.huff.9480

Instagram: @hufcm

Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any decisions about your health or medical treatment.