What is Biohacking, and How Can a Biohacking Diet Help You Lose Weight?

If you’re looking for new ways to smash your weight loss and exercise goals, a biohacking diet is a revolutionary way to optimise your journey and boost your health. The world of fitness is ever-changing and, at F45, we’re always striving to empower our members with the latest workouts, nutrition and wellbeing strategies inside and outside the studio. 

If you’ve heard of biohacking before, it’s likely you’ve seen it from anti-aging tech millionaires or other experimental influencers wanting to gain more, if not total, control over their physical and mental performance. However, in this article, we’ll be exploring biohacking for weight loss specifically – and how you can use the more commonplace and accessible parts of biohacking to your advantage.  

What is biohacking? 

So, what does biohacking mean? It’s essentially taking a “hacker’s approach” to your biology. The concept draws from the fields of neuroscience, genetics, fitness, nutrition and biology to implement a measured approach to your health and wellness. A common example of this is smart watches or other wearable fitness monitors that provide data on your heart rate, physical activity and sleep quality, allowing you to track your progress and make adjustments to hit desired metrics. 

What is a biohacking diet? 

A biohacking diet involves optimising the food you eat and when you eat, with the aim of perfecting your nutritional needs to match your exercise or weight loss goals. The aim is to consistently feel energised for workouts, recover quickly, and feel content in your wellbeing. Because this approach is so measured, implementing biohacking to lose weight will take some initial research, organisation and practice to get started. Ultimately, it can be a fantastic way to encourage results alongside a sustainable fitness routine. 

Biohacking to lose weight 

To elevate your workout performance, you need to fuel your body with the right food. Being energised helps you burn more calories, as well as enhancing your exercise technique and mental focus. At F45, we deliver a variety of workouts to help you implement a holistic weight loss management plan, and have created an empowering community to support your wellbeing and nutrition. Keep reading for guidance on how you can use biohacking to lose weight.  

Timed caffeine ingestion 

Consuming caffeine has shown to boost anaerobic performance (high-intensity exercise), thereby improving muscular performance and helping users feel less fatigued.¹ To get the benefits of caffeine during a cardio or resistance workout, drink your favourite coffee an hour before you exercise. However, be mindful of what’s in your coffee: sugar, cream, and coffee creamer can add on calories and cause your blood sugar to spike². If you’re sensitive to caffeine, simply skip this tip.  

Intermittent fasting 

Intermittent fasting involves not eating for a certain period each day and has been shown to support your metabolism and weight loss³. The most popular type of intermittent fasting when biohacking for weight loss is the 16/8 method. With this method, you only eat within an eight-hour window of the day. When deciding how to meal prep for the week with the 16/8 method, this usually involves skipping breakfast or dinner, with water and low-calorie drinks still consumed during your fast period. 

Nutrient–rich diet 

The key part of biohacking dieting is focusing on the quality of your food. This means avoiding processed foods and eating lots of vegetables and whole foods. To boost your workout performance, we recommend carb cycling to complement biohacking. Below are our suggestions for an optimal biohacking diet, broken down by food groups with some healthy suggestions.  

• Carbohydrates (40 to 55%): Oats, brown rice, potatoes (try those of the purple, red or sweet varieties for more vitamins and minerals)⁴. 

• Protein (10 to 35%): Fish, lean beef or chicken, tofu, eggs. 

• Fat (20 to 35%): Avocado, almonds, chia seeds, quality olive oil. 

Supplements 

There are a variety of common supplements you can use to enhance a healthy biohacking diet. Before taking any supplements, we recommend you check these with a health professional first. Explore some common supplements below:  

• Whey protein: Promotes muscle growth and recovery. 

• Creatine: Improves performance and muscle function. 

• Electrolyte drinks: For fast rehydration after intense or long workouts ⁵.  

• Vitamin C: Boosts immunity. 

• Vitamin D: Supports bone density and weight loss. 

Prebiotics and probiotics 

Optimising gut health supports weight loss⁶, as your gut health regulates how you store fat and the hormones that influence hunger. In some ways, you might have already applied a biohacking diet to your gut health by avoiding food that either gave you a sore stomach or noticeably slowed down your digestion. Although you will naturally get prebiotics and probiotics through a balanced diet, here’s some great biohacking snacks: 

• Yoghurt with fresh fruit 

• Probiotic milk protein shakes 

• Avocado and tomato on wholemeal toast 

Optimising sleep and rest 

Your sleep quality, exercise and health are all interconnected, and the awesome thing is, they all benefit each other. On the other hand, not getting enough sleep encourages weight gain, as you’re more likely to take part in calorie dense snacking⁷. To promote sleep quality, we recommend you stop using any devices an hour before your intended sleep time and avoid caffeine intake 6 hours beforehand.  

Cold plunges 

Cold plunges are common among people who follow a biohacking diet. Immersing yourself in cold water after a workout may help fatigued muscles recover quicker, but this is largely subjective ⁸. Cold plunging is a very popular recovery technique, yet a lot of the evidence behind it is anecdotal. We recommend trying it for yourself by following your workouts with an ice bath or even a cold shower. If your body and mind feel better after, make it a regular recovery tactic. 

Following a biohacking diet is a great way to empower your weight loss journey. Next, learn about the connection between hormones and weight loss. 

^{1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6769736/}

^{2 https://www.goodrx.com/well-being/diet-nutrition/is-coffee-creamer-bad-for-you}

^{3 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516560/}

^{4 https://www.health.com/healthiest-potatoes-8391131}

^{5 https://www.unitypoint.org/news-and-articles/water-vs-sports-drinks-whats-best-for-our-bodies}

^{6 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8540110/}

^{7 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9031614/}

^{8 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9896520/}