Show Notes
On this episode of Peak Human, Brian sits down with Abel James beside a stream in Montana, about eight days into a 10-day trip through Yellowstone, the Tetons and Wyoming. Abel created the Fat-Burning Man podcast, which held the #1 spot for years, and wrote The Wild Diet. He tells how he got healthy by doing the exact opposite of what his doctor told him, and how that grew into 15 years of blogging and podcasting. Brian and Abel talk about eating well on the road for very little money, why being rigid about health can make you more fragile, and why music is one of the most human things we do. Abel also describes his recovery from a serious hit-and-run accident. They finish with the idea that this is the moment to get people together in person, in beautiful places.
- 04:00 Welcome to Montana: Abel and Brian's Yellowstone and Tetons trip
- 05:20 Abel grew up on holistic medicine in the backwoods of New Hampshire
- 06:30 His doctor said no red meat, no cholesterol and lots of whole grains, and his blood work kept getting worse
- 08:00 Five prescriptions, an apartment fire and a look in the mirror
- 08:50 Fasting, red meat and cutting grains: 25–30 lbs lost and new personal bests
- 09:30 From a blog to the Fat-Burning Man podcast
- 10:40 Why he chose the word "wild": marketers have worn out "natural"
- 12:00 Travel, seasons and adapting as a way to age well
- 13:00 A family of farmers and where food comes from
- 14:50 The value of boredom and breaking out of phone loops
- 17:50 Protein first, and what OMAD really looks like
- 18:50 Eating more on active days and less on rest days
- 20:50 Being antifragile instead of chasing perfect health
- 22:00 The basic plate: good protein, many kinds of plants, carbs matched to activity
- 24:00 Eating well on the road: pizza bowls, batch cooking and jerky
- 26:00 Sauces, fermented foods and the microbiome
- 28:30 What DoorDash costs compared with cooking at home, and how hard it is to avoid seed oils
- 29:30 GLP-1s and falling out of love with food
- 30:50 Setting short-, medium- and long-term health goals
- 31:30 Setting up your surroundings so the bad option is out of reach
- 32:30 Primal positions: deep squats and getting up and down off the floor
- 33:30 Why humans make music: the evolutionary story
- 37:00 Creating instead of consuming
- 38:50 Austin, the Sapien Center, and how the trip came together
- 39:30 Abel's hit-and-run accident, his TBI and his road back
- 41:30 Foraging, scent, memory and remembering who you are
- 43:30 Three days in nature, benefits that last 30 days
- 44:00 AI, uncertainty and why we need awe
- 46:30 Retreats and decentralized in-person gatherings
- 51:50 Where to find Abel
- 53:00 The Perfect Wednesday and the experiences that matter most
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