The Nutrition Grouch
The weight loss industry is, has been, and always will be a dumpster fire. People like to say health & wellness (of which weight loss is a part of) is “broken” or full of “misinformation” but that is being too generous because it implies that some of it is good or that it is actually fixable. It is damaged beyond repair. If it were possible, I would burn it to the ground and start over.
While it is impractical to try to summarize what’s wrong with the industry in one podcast description, my premise is this: there is a truly astronomical amount of information that neither our media nor our professionals are able to communicate to you in a meaningful way without losing all context, applicability to real life, and/or the ability to see how all of the pieces fit together.
The media should just stop covering health & wellness because their soundbites explain nothing and are little more than headlines and talking points. They may raise awareness but not understanding, leading to the illusion of explanatory depth. Academics actually know what they are talking about and could help educate us but are too busy with their work and only some are engaged with the public. Most academics look down on and laugh at the quacks and zealots in the field but it’s the quacks and zealots that have the real power.
Businesses do not have the right people in place (PhDs or medical professionals) to drive product and service development (that’s left to the MBAs). After the brand is established, the number one rule is that you must protect and promote the brand no matter how myopic, self-serving, or unimportant that brand is. Healthcare is for the (already) sick and public health is so surface level.
When it comes to their health, the public is lazy. They want the most entertaining, convenient, and positive information available, even if it is at the expense of achieving their goals. Hard work, I think not. Let me take the path of least resistance and “do it on the side”. There’s no reason for real change.
Instead of being stuck in pedaling the news of the day, disconnected factoids and tidbits, overly reductionist, cliché, idealistic, magic cures, easy fixes, secrets, tips, tricks, hacks, fads, gimmicks, cherry-picked, binary, good/bad, flashy, insanely optimistic, exaggerated, fantasy land, sunshine and rainbows, theoretical, testimonial based weight loss information -- let’s come up with a more comprehensive, systematic, sustainable, realistic, semi-automated, results-oriented, pragmatic approach to weight loss with a slice of common sense.
I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time (years and decades) thinking about the thousands of nuances of weight loss (just Google Energy Balance Nutrition Consulting, The Paper Database, or The Science of Dieting). I’ve also spent thousands of hours trying to understand why the health & wellness field isn’t actually science based despite the information being readily available.
I am so fed up and exhausted by it all. It is so broken that on many days I want to say forget it. I’m done with this. It can’t be fixed. I’m a smart motivated guy that can take my talents elsewhere (LeBron). But something keeps drawing me back. It’s like a sickness or a bad relationship. I just can’t get out of it. At my core, it’s who I am. In this podcast I want to offer you truly science-based weight loss advice, critiques of the weight loss industry/diet culture, and thoughts on my experiences and failings in the profession. And with that, I bring you The Nutrition Grouch.
The Nutrition Grouch
The Small Changes Approach to Dieting versus Diet Perfectionism
Change is super freaking hard. In an effort to get people to change their diets, many practitioners have advocated for a "small changes" approach. That is, make a few small changes to your existing diet and exercise to make the change a little easier to get started.
On the other side of things, is nutrition perfectionism. And as the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has said, "The standard is the standard". You do it or you don't. Nutrition perfectionism is all about getting in your servings of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meats including fish, low-fat dairy, water, omega 3 and 6's, vitamins, and minerals all while limiting processed food intake, saturated fat, sodium, alcohol, and added sugars.
To probably no one's surprise, The Nutrition Grouch isn't a fan of either of these approaches. Small changes should be part of the overall strategy but not "the" strategy and losing weight requires cutting calories and not necessarily health focused eating.
Some of the topics in today's podcast include:
The small changes approach and public health (2:03)
How I used to be a small changes advocate (4:27)
What is nutrition perfectionism (6:45)
A perfect diet score is impossible (6:54)
Are nutrition recommendations more a guiding star than an endpoint? (8:12)
Dope like Lance and bones of steel (10:25)
The Blue Zones (11:50)
The Power 9 Lifestyle Factors (12:49)
Wine at 5 (14:42)
Liquor, beer, wine: what’s healthiest? (15:57)
Wine and dark chocolate for health? (16:11)
The 80% Rule (17:06)
The free radical theory of aging (18:27)
Eat till content, not full (21:57)
The Plant Slant (22:26)
Red meat, saturated fat, and cholesterol (23:00)
How much red meat can I eat? (23:42)
Generic advice on eating meat – diversity (26:00)
Meat 4 days/week versus 2 days/week (27:12)
Total calories versus red or processed meat – what’s worse? (33:14)
Future disease versus current reality (obesity) (33:47)
Why I’m drawn to weight management (34:50)
The man who ate 34,000 Big Mac’s (37:39)
Eating as many calories as you can get away with on a weight loss diet (44:55)
Put forth an effort that you’re proud of (48:38)