What happens when a lifelong athlete and entrepreneur hits midlife, and suddenly realizes he’s not in control of his own health anymore?
That’s exactly where John Datri, founder of FastFit40Up.com and creator of True Spectrum Fasting, found himself during the pandemic. Once fit, active, and driven, he discovered that stress, work, and poor habits had left him pre-diabetic, inflamed, and out of balance, physically and mentally.
But instead of giving up, he built something extraordinary: a holistic health approach designed by and for men over 40. His program isn’t just about skipping meals, it’s about resetting the body, mind, and habits that define long-term vitality.
In this episode of 60 Plus Uncensored, host Seb Frey reconnects with his childhood friend to talk about aging strong, the science of fasting, and why midlife might just be the best time to reclaim your health.
Rediscovering Health and Purpose at 57
Before COVID hit, John owned a successful staffing company. But like so many, his business was upended overnight. The stress, long hours, and sedentary lifestyle took a toll.
“I found myself locked in a room doing sales calls all day,” he said. “I was waiting for the weekend to have a beer or a box of cookies. Nothing extreme, but the cumulative effect at 55 is not good.”
Despite working in the health and fitness industry, as a consultant for major online wellness companies, John’s own health was unraveling. That irony wasn’t lost on him.
“I realized I knew what to do. I’d had thousands of conversations with people about health. I just wasn’t doing it myself.”
That self-awareness became the spark for True Spectrum Fasting, a philosophy that redefines what it means to “get back in shape.”
Many adults find that midlife health challenges are really signals for renewal, not decline. For a broader perspective on staying vibrant after major life changes, see Creating a Fulfilling Lifestyle After Retirement.
What Is True Spectrum Fasting?
At its core, True Spectrum Fasting isn’t about deprivation, it’s about balance across the full spectrum of life: biological, psychological, and social.
“It’s not just fasting from food,” John explained. “It’s fasting from habits that don’t serve you, behaviors, thought patterns, even the need to please everyone else.”
The name draws inspiration from the biopsychosocial model, a framework developed by Dr. George Engel in 1977, which sees health as an interplay between body, mind, and environment.
John adapted that theory for men navigating midlife, those juggling business, family, and identity while trying to stay physically strong.
“Men are often left behind in health,” he said. “We’re taught to be providers, to grind, to handle stress silently. But nobody teaches us how to heal.”
True Spectrum Fasting is his answer to that missing piece.
John’s idea of fasting as a balance of body, mind, and environment aligns with the principles of holistic well-being. Explore similar approaches in The Science of Staying Sharp: How to Keep Your Brain Young After 60.
The Science Behind Fasting, Simplified
Fasting isn’t a fad; it’s biology.
When you eat, your body releases insulin, the hormone that helps store glucose (sugar) from food. When insulin is constantly elevated, because you’re eating all day, your body never gets the signal to burn fat.
“Insulin’s a humble little hormone,” John said. “It tells your body, ‘Don’t burn fat, store it.’ So if you’re eating constantly, you’re never burning fat.”
When you take breaks from eating, insulin drops. Your body starts burning stored fat for energy instead of relying on constant food intake. That’s when fasting triggers a cascade of health benefits:
🔬 Key Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
- Fat loss: The body begins to burn its own fat reserves.
- Improved insulin sensitivity: Better blood sugar control and energy stability.
- Reduced inflammation: Less joint pain, better recovery, lower disease risk.
- Sharper focus: Ketones from fat fuel the brain efficiently.
- Cellular repair: Through autophagy, a process where the body “eats” old, damaged cells to rebuild new ones.
“Autophagy is like spring cleaning for your body,” John explained. “You’re clearing out the junk so your system can run better.”
Fasting as a Lifestyle, Not a Punishment
For John, fasting isn’t about rigid schedules or suffering. It’s about listening to your body and finding flexibility.
“My mom always said, ‘Listen to your body,’” he laughed. “I thought that sounded creepy. But she was right.”
Some clients thrive on a 16:8 fasting schedule (16 hours fasting, 8-hour eating window). Others go longer. What matters most is consistency, not perfection.
He even redefines fasting beyond food:
- Fasting from speed eating, by chewing slowly and breathing deeply.
- Fasting from people-pleasing, by setting boundaries.
- Fasting from distraction, by creating space for rest and reflection.
“Health isn’t about restriction,” John said. “It’s about awareness, and moving what hurts you to the outer circle of your life.”
John’s take on flexible fasting fits into a bigger truth: progress after 40 or 50 comes from consistency, not intensity. You’ll find complementary insights in The Best Low-Impact Exercises for Adults Over 60.
The Food Shift: Out with the Fake, In with the Real
Through fasting, John naturally began craving whole foods, not processed ones.
“When I stopped eating so often, I started noticing which foods made me feel worse,” he said.
That led him to eliminate four main culprits, what he calls the Big Four:
- Flour and grains
- Added sugars
- Ultra-processed foods
- Seed oils (like canola, corn, soybean, and safflower oil)
He’s not militant about it, just mindful.
“You don’t have to give up your Aunt Linda’s cupcakes forever,” he laughed. “You just move them to the edge of your food universe.”
🌿 Why Seed Oils Are a Problem
Seed oils are highly processed and often oxidized, which can increase inflammation, a root cause of many chronic conditions.
“Think of them like fats with bad locks on their doors,” John said. “They let bad stuff in and cause damage inside your body.”
Replacing seed oils with olive oil, avocado oil, or butter made a huge difference in how his clients felt, less stiffness, better digestion, and more stable energy.
Mindset: The Missing Muscle in Men’s Health
One of John’s most powerful insights is that most people don’t fail because of knowledge, they fail because of identity.
“People know what to do. They just don’t know how to plan,” he said. “If you can’t do something consistently, it doesn’t matter how much you know.”
That’s why his coaching goes beyond food and workouts, it’s about changing who you believe you are.
“If you see yourself as an old, beat-up car, you won’t treat yourself with care. But if you see yourself as a Bentley, something valuable, you’ll take care of it.”
He helps clients make small, identity-based shifts. Sometimes, it’s as simple as:
“Just walk to the gym and touch the door. You’re now a guy who goes to the gym.”
Over time, those micro-actions rebuild confidence, and reawaken pride.
John’s focus on identity and mindset mirrors what psychologists call “positive aging.” Learn how mental perspective directly shapes your physical health in How to Stay Positive and Motivated as You Age.
The Emotional Weight of Midlife
John is particularly passionate about helping men navigate the emotional side of aging, something society often ignores.
“Men turn into walking ATMs,” he said. “We provide, but we stop participating. We stop being us.”
Through True Spectrum Fasting, he creates a safe space for men to talk about stress, burnout, and even shame around their bodies.
“So many men tell me, ‘I just want to wear the clothes I like again,’” he said. “It’s not vanity, it’s about feeling like yourself again.”
Emotional well-being is often overlooked in men’s health conversations. To explore how purpose and connection sustain vitality, check out When Retirement Feels Too Small: How to Reclaim Purpose, Connection, and Joy.
Why Midlife Is the Perfect Time to Start
At nearly 60, John says he feels sharper, calmer, and more energetic than he did at 16.
“Fasting gave me my edge back,” he said. “My body feels like a high-performance machine again.”
He believes men in their 40s, 50s, and 60s are uniquely positioned for success.
“We’ve lived enough to know what matters,” he said. “Now it’s about putting that wisdom into practice, and that starts with your health.”
How John Coaches His Clients
John’s approach is collaborative, not prescriptive.
“I don’t give meal plans,” he said. “I help people design a lifestyle they can actually live.”
Each client begins with a free consultation, where John determines if the fit is right. From there, he collaborates with their medical team and builds a personalized framework that integrates fasting, movement, mindset, and environment.
“My goal isn’t to create dependency,” he said. “It’s to teach people to take control of their own health.”
How to Connect with John Dri
🌐 Website: FastFit40Up.com
🎙️ Podcast: Metabolically Conscious (available on Spotify & Apple Podcasts)
📸 Instagram / Facebook: @johnbdatri
📩 Contact: Free coaching consultation via his website
Conclusion: From a Reader’s Point of View
As a reader, and especially as someone over 40, this conversation feels like a wake-up call wrapped in optimism.
What John’s saying isn’t radical; it’s real. We already know that health is important, but he reminds us that it’s personal. It’s about how we show up for ourselves and the people we love.
Here’s what stands out most to me after reading (and listening):
- Health isn’t lost, it’s buried. Beneath stress, habits, and years of autopilot, there’s still a strong, capable body waiting to reemerge.
- Fasting isn’t punishment, it’s permission. Permission to slow down, to simplify, to let the body heal itself.
- Men need safe spaces, too. Spaces where health isn’t about ego, but about purpose, energy, and freedom.
- Identity drives everything. Change starts when you stop seeing yourself as broken and start acting like someone who takes care of what’s valuable — you.
If anything, John Dri’s story reminds us that midlife isn’t a slowdown, it’s a reset. The body isn’t the problem; it’s the teacher.