Tech exec Bryan Johnson went from having a 'destroyed' body to spending $2 million a year on reversing his age

• Bryan Johnson is a tech exec who spends $2 million a year on trying to reduce his "biological age."
• He put on 50 pounds over the course of a decade and felt "relentless shame, guilt, and malaise."

Tech exec and multi-millionaire Bryan Johnson may be known for his strict commitment to anti-aging and longevity, but he wasn't always focused on his health.

The biohacker and entrepreneur, 45, used to overeat carbs late at night, but now avoids refined sugars and says his $2 million-a-year anti-aging program, known as Project Blueprint, has reversed his "biological age," giving him the heart of a 37-year-old and the the lung capacity of an 18-year-old.

The concept of "biological age" is up for debate — some scientists and health advocates say it can differ from their chronological age, as Insider's Hilary Brueck reported.

The National Institute on Aging says our "biological age means the true age that our cells, tissues, and organ systems appear to be, based on biochemistry."

Here is how Johnson's lifestyle has changed over the years.

Working in tech 'destroyed' his body

Speaking on Steven Bartlett's "The Diary of a CEO" podcast, published on August 3 2023, Johnson said he grew up eating bread, sugary cereals, and processed foods, and was often exposed to the sun.

As an adult working in tech, Johnson said he "kind of destroyed myself, body and mind, for 20 years." It pains him to think about his former lifestyle and he suffered from severe depression, he said.

In a 2020 post on Medium, Johnson wrote that he used to live very differently to how he does now, gaining 50 pounds over 10 years and being full of "relentless shame, guilt, and malaise."

He regularly overate carbs and sugar in the evenings and his habits led to poor sleep, irritability, and fatigue the next day, he said.

It was after selling his company, Braintree, for $800 million and getting a divorce that Johnson started to change his lifestyle in 2019, losing 60 pounds in a year, he said.

Johnson wakes up at 5 a.m., eats all his food by 11 a.m., and goes to sleep at 8:30 p.m.

Johnson wakes up at 5 a.m. but he doesn't drink any caffeine, he said.

Speaking to Bartlett, Johnson said he takes 111 pills a day — including include zinc, turmeric, and lithium — because "that's where the data led me."

He used to drink three ounces of wine with breakfast so he could enjoy it without it affecting his sleep, but then decided it wasn't worth the calories, he said.

Johnson also previously shared that he works out for 45 to 60 minutes, seven days a week, performing 30 exercises each time. He also plays basketball and tennis, and does trail running, all while eating in a calorie deficit, he said.

Not only does Johnson eat 2,250 calories a day (as he told Bartlett), he also intermittent fasts, eating all his food every day between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m., he said. He aims to eat 70 pounds of vegetables every month, doesn't salt any of his meals, and has no added sugar.

Johnson's daily diet includes a "Green Giant" smoothie containing supplements such as spermidine, creatine, and collagen peptides, a "super veggie" salad, a "nutty pudding," and a third meal (i.e. dinner) of around 500 calories, such as orange fennel salad.

However, he doesn't drink any fluids after 4 p.m. so his sleep isn't disturbed by needing the bathroom, and he uses a machine to strengthen his pelvic floor and thus his bladder, he said.

Johnson has also received blood plasma donations from younger people, including his teenage son, but has since stopped because he didn't see any benefit.

He meditates for an hour a day too, he said.

As for his appearance, Johnson applies a "custom hair formulation" designed to "prevent hair loss and encourage hair growth," alongside wearing a red light therapy cap for six minutes every morning and getting regular Platelet Rich Fibrin treatments, which are blood injections to the scalp, he told Bartlett.

Johnson has been open about his skincare regime too, telling Bloomberg that he applies seven different creams every day and receives weekly acid peels. He also tries to stay out of the sun and has received fat injections into his face, The Times reported.

He goes to bed at 8.30 p.m.