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
Do You Know Your Behavioral Obesity Risk Score (BORS)?
In today’s episode Todd discusses the 25 things that DO MATTER for weight change and the 14 things that DO NOT seem to matter to weight change, based on his analysis of The Paper Database.
He also discusses the possibility/utility of creating a weight change (loss) app called the “Behavioral Obesity Risk Score" (BORS) to help you assess your risk of becoming and/or staying obese based upon your diet, lifestyle, environment, and emotional regulation.
Some of the topics in today’s episode include:
- What is your Behavioral Obesity Risk Score (BORS)? (0:55)
- In nutrition, everything is relative (1:16)
- The law of diminishing returns (5:31)
- Breakfast eating weight gainers be damned! (8:13)
- Be cautious in going down the “but I’m different” rabbit hole (10:18)
- I despise gamification and wellness challenges, but I could do it with BORS (14:11)
Things that DO MATTER for weight change (21:41)
- #1: Driving (21:50)
- #2: Emotional Eating (23:13)
- #3: Depression (26:00)
- #4: Short Sleep Duration (29:06)
- #5: Shift Work (30:48)
- #6: Evening Chronotype (31:51)
- #7: The Holidays (32:41)
- #8: Overeating Occasions/Celebrations (34:10)
- #9: Weekends (36:08)
- #10: Full Fat Dairy (37:37)
- #11: Soup (39:18)
- #12: Liquor (40:44)
- #13: Energy Density & Portion Size (41:30)
- #14: Cognitive Restraint (42:50)
- #15: Palatability (43:58)
- #16: Socioeconomic (45:55)
- #17: Nuts & Cereal (48:31)
- #18: Dieting vs. Dietary Restraint (50:04)
- #19: Age (51:45)
- #20: Early Weight Loss & Adaptive Thermogenesis (52:52)
Things that DO NOT seem to MATTER for weight change (54:35)
- #1: The % of Macros in the Diet (ratio of carbs, fats, & protein) (54:44)
- #2: Diet Type (55:32)
- #3: Glycemic Index & the Carbohydrate/Insulin Hypothesis (55:56)
- #4: Small Frequent Meals (57:25)
- #5: Fat Burning (58:09)
- #6: Breakfast (59:54)
- #7: Nutrition Education/Food Labels (1:00:33)
- #8: Exercise Type (1:05:09)
- #9: Eating Speed (1:05:26)
- #10: Plate Size (1:08:40)
- #11: Hunger/Appetite (1:10:31)
- #12: Food Craving (1:11:18)
- #13: Stepped Care (1:11:18)
- #14: Marijuana Use (1:11:18)
- Other Considerations: Time & Money