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
Summer Vacation!
Summer, summer, summertime! Ah, summer vacation, a time to rest, relax, rejuvenate, enjoy the great outdoors, and the many hours of daylight. Summertime is also a time when your eating goes sideways, and your food environment gets destroyed.
In today's episode the Nutrition Grouch explains why he is taking the summer off from podcasting (he'll be back in the fall) and discusses how he is going to handle his eating environment during his two big summer trips to Wisconsin and Buffalo, New York.
Some of the topics on today's podcast include:
How common are single income families? (0:56)
Self-conscious on the playground: my 24:1 woman to man ratio (1:37)
Stephen Hawking teaches high school algebra (2:31)
Why I’m taking the summer off from podcasting (3:42)
Let’s just say I don’t like social media (8:38)
I’ve decided that I love Christmas cards! (9:14)
My worldview/philosophy on life (11:00)
We have too many (social media) friends but not enough good friends (12:01)
One big game of status seeking (14:02)
I control everything about the foods we have in the house, from start to finish (17:25)
The importance of fridge and pantry super organization (17:37)
Variety is not the spice of life (20:29)
Baked goods are my kryptonite (22:41)
But dad, you can’t set soda on fire, it won’t burn (23:06)
We eat out once every 10 to 14 days (24:10)
My diet is not the poster child of healthy eating (24:55)
A tightly controlled food environment allows me to drink beer and eat Cheez-Its (25:14)
Gaining 5-10 pounds in Buffalo, takes 1-2 months to lose (25:31)
The 5 phases/time sections of vacation eating (26:05)
The food trap I tend to fall into the week before a trip (27:12)
There’s nearly a 100% chance I’m buying overpriced airport McDonalds at DIA (28:17)
959 miles from Wisconsin and 1500 miles from Buffalo (30:22)
Buffalo is very food centric (32:59)
Eating strategies for my Buffalo food environment (36:01)
Visiting family is not a true vacation (38:19)
The long trip back home from vacation (38:52)
Get back into your weekly meal cycle, ASAP: a bridge meal can help (40:03)
Exercise recommendations for your trip (42:46)
My 48-72 hour exercise adaptation window and getting to the gym 2.5 times/week (42:46)
My personal obstacles to exercising (44:38)
Go to the gym the day of your trip (47:04)
The battle between present self and future self (50:57)