March 5, 2025 • 37 mins
Join us for an eye-opening episode as we tackle the popular diet myths that have long misled many. This week, we strip back layers of confusion to reveal the truth that operates beneath the surface of dieting, health, and weight management. Jonathan dives into the seven most pervasive diet myths, addressing everything from the myth that carbs are the enemy to the falsehood that fat gets stored as body fat.
As you listen, you'll uncover the realities behind myths like meal frequency and the idea of detox diets. We challenge you to rethink what you've been told for years and guide you toward a healthier, more balanced lifestyle. This episode isn’t just about shedding weight; it’s about fostering a supportive relationship with food that suits your individual needs.
With insights drawn from extensive personal experience and research, we emphasize that the core of weight loss lies not in deprivation or strict rules. Instead, it’s about choosing a sustainable path filled with enjoyment and mindful eating habits. By focusing on calorie balance and enjoying the process, you can make lasting changes without falling into the traps of diet culture.
If you’re ready to reclaim your power over your health, tune in for this enlightening conversation, and let’s navigate the journey of weight loss together. Don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review to join our community!
Lose Weight Without Starving or Obsessing! Learn the simple, no-BS system that helped me lose 140 pounds naturally—no extreme diets, no endless gym hours, just real, sustainable fat loss for real people.
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Send me questions or comments to Jonathan.Ressler@gmail.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
If you're a whiny snowflake that can't handle the
truth, is offended by the wordfuck and about 37 uses of it in
different forms gets ass hurt.
When you hear someone speak theabsolute, real and raw truth,
you should leave Like right now.
This is Shut Up and Choose, thepodcast where we cut through
(00:25):
the shit and get real aboutweight loss, life and everything
in between.
We get into the nitty gritty ofmaking small, smart choices
that add up to big results.
From what's on your plate tohow you approach life's
challenges.
We'll explore how the simpleact of choosing differently can
transform your health, yourmindset and your entire freaking
(00:48):
life.
So if you're ready to cutthrough the bullshit and start
making some real changes, thenbuckle up and shut up, because
we're about to choose our way toa healthier, happier life.
This is Shut Up and Choose.
Let's do this Now.
Your host, jonathan Ressler.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Welcome back to Shut Up and Choose the podcast that
cuts through the noise and thenonsense and all the bullshit
that the diet industry and theInstagram gurus, internet gurus
and everybody else is throwingat you, all the things that are
honestly keeping you fat.
And that's really what I wantto talk about today is seven
things, or seven myths, that arekeeping you fat.
But before I do, I just want toaddress two quick things.
(01:35):
Number one as I said, I wouldread the 1,000th email today of
people who have told me my bookhas changed their life.
And don't you know, as soon asI announced it two weeks ago
that I was going to read it, Ididn't get a single email last
week or this week.
So I guess we're going to haveto wait until next week.
It just hasn't come.
I guess it's been a slow weekfor people telling me I'm
helping them, or a slow twoweeks, I should say.
(02:01):
And the second update is I toldthe show and I was going to be
respectful to them, but I wantedto debate the things that
they're talking about, thesocial injustice that they're,
that they believe they'reexperiencing by not having
bigger airplane seats or barberchairs being too small or all
kinds of shit.
I reached out to five or six ofthem.
(02:22):
All of them have said no, and Iwas a very clear with them that
I six of them All of them havesaid no and I was very clear
with them that I was not goingto agree with them, just to
agree.
But if they made a point Iwould be open to changing my
mind.
They all said no, so I'm stillworking on that.
Hopefully I'll get an updateand I'll be able to schedule
someone, because, hey, if theybelieve that so fervently, they
should be willing to come on theshow and talk about it, but to
(02:45):
this point they're not.
So anyway, today what I want totalk about, like I said, are the
seven diet myths that I believeare keeping you fat, because we
all know that diet culture isan absolute mess.
It's full of bullshit,half-truth and, honestly, just
straight-up lies, All kinds ofmarketing gimmicks.
It's all designed to make youfeel like you're failing, so
that you keep buying their newquote-unquote solutions, these
(03:09):
detox teas and keto fads andmagic supplements.
It's all just one big industryprofiting off your confusion.
But guess what?
Most of what you've been toldabout dieting and losing weight
and, more importantly, losingfat is nonsense, and I'm here to
bust what I believe are thebiggest myths so you can finally
focus on what actually works.
(03:29):
So if you're tired of that dietroller coaster you've been on
and we've all been on yo-yodiets and we've all well, if
you're listening, I'm guessingyou probably have been, so I
want to set the record straight.
So here are seven diet mythsthat I believe need to disappear
and die or whatever, justvanish forever.
The first one for sure is carbsmake you fat.
(03:50):
I believe that might be thebiggest lie in diet culture,
honestly.
I was on paleo, I was on keto,I was on Atkins.
I've done all the low-carbdiets and for years carbs have
been unfairly blamed for weightgain.
Low-carb diets promise quickresults and they do give them.
And when you cut carbs, thescale does drop, like I said,
(04:11):
but that's mostly water weight,not fat.
So the truth is carbs don'tmake you fat, overeating does so
.
Now you know the theme of allseven of these myths and what
I'm talking about.
Carbs don't make you fat,overeating does so why do carbs
get a bad rap?
I guess, going to of all theseven of these myths and what
I'm talking about, carbs don'tmake you fat.
Overeating does.
So why do carbs get a bad rap,I guess?
Well, number one is waterweight.
Your body stores glycogen inyour muscles and liver and for
(04:35):
every gram of glycogen that yourbody stores, it stores three
grams of water.
So when you cut carbs, you losewater, not fat.
That's why you lose weight sofast.
So as soon as you eat the carbsagain, your glycogen stores
refill and the scale goes rightback up.
And that's not fat gain, by theway, it's just your body
rehydrating.
(04:56):
Another piece of the puzzle issome people claim the carbs
spike insulin.
That makes you store fat.
But protein also raises insulinand nobody claims chicken or
blames chicken or meat or fishfor weight gain.
Insulin helps to store theenergy, but you only gain fat.
Wait for it, because you knowwhat I'm going to say is if you
(05:17):
eat more calories than you burn.
So your body actually needscarbs to live.
Carbs give you energy.
They're your body's preferredfuel source.
Actually Cutting them and Iknow because I've done it leads
to fatigue, a little brain fogand if you're a workout nut
which, as you know, I'm not cangive you pretty bad workouts.
So if you're an active person,skipping carbs means that,
(05:41):
basically, your body's runningon empty, and that's because not
all carbs are bad.
The problem isn't carbs, it'sthe processed carbs.
So the good carbs and again, Iknow, you know this, but the
good carbs are whole grains,fruits, vegetables.
But the bad carbs, those arethe ones you need to cut out,
and that's shit like white bread, soda, sugary snaps.
(06:04):
Look, a banana is not going tomake you fat, but eating a bag
of chips will.
So again, carbs don't make youfat.
Eating too many calories doesdoes.
So you can gain weight fromcarbs, protein or fat if you eat
too much, but that also meansyou can also lose weight while
(06:24):
eating carbs if you're in acalorie deficit.
It's simple.
So the whole thought process,or the whole science for lack of
a better term or the wholepseudoscience behind keto and
paleo and Atkins, is eat lesscarbs and you'll lose some water
weight, but you won't keep itoff.
So if you want to eat carbswithout gaining weight, it's
(06:46):
pretty easy Prioritize whole,fiber-rich carbs, like things
like brown rice, oats, fruit,veggies, all that stuff.
Of course, no matter whatyou're eating, you have to watch
your portion size.
I'm not saying that you shouldeat 20 cups of brown rice or
oats.
No, you have to eat a normalportion, and then you can also
(07:07):
pair carbs with your protein andfat.
So chicken and chicken sandwichon low carb bread is great for
you.
Or eat quinoa, which I haverecently learned to like.
I told you that I eat overnightoats pretty much every morning
for breakfast and I also eat alot of Greek yogurt.
Those are all good carbs andtime your carbs for energy right
.
So don't eat your carbs lateand I'm not saying you can't eat
(07:29):
them late at night, but it'sbetter if you eat them earlier
or right after your workout.
If you work out I don't, sothat's not an issue for me but
eat them earlier in the day.
So the bottom line on carbs isif carbs really made people fat,
how do the Japanese and Italiancultures, who eat rice and
pasta daily, stay fit?
And the answer well, it's easy.
It's portion control and wholefoods.
(07:52):
So here's the deal you don'tneed to fear carbs.
You don't have to cut them tolose weight, just eat the right
ones in the right amount.
So the next time someone tellsyou carbs make you fat, just
smile and enjoy your carbs.
It's easy.
Get rid of that myth.
It's gone.
So that's myth number one.
Myth number two is to eat small,frequent meals and that'll help
(08:14):
you lose weight.
And for years, diet culturespushed the idea that eating six
small meals a day boosts yourmetabolism and prevents fat
storage.
And I know I talked a littlebit about this last week, but I
want to go into it a little bitdeeper.
And that does sound scientificright Eat six small meals and
it'll keep your metabolism going, it'll stoke your metabolism.
But here's the truth Mealfrequency has very little, if
(08:36):
nothing, to do with weight loss.
If eating six meals a day worksfor you, well that's great.
By all means you should do it.
But if you're forcing yourselfto snack or eat consistently
just because someone said itspeeds up your metabolism,
(08:57):
you're wasting your time.
And I think the reason that thatmyth even exists is that people
believe that eating more oftenkeeps your metabolism revved up,
presenting fat storage.
And that's based on somethingwe talked about over the last
couple of weeks, which is thethermic effect of food, which
refers to the amount of energyyour body uses to digest and
absorb nutrients.
Basically, how many caloriesyou'll burn by eating that food
or by digesting that food iswhat I should say.
(09:18):
So thermic effect of food isbased on total food intake, not
meal frequency to food is basedon total food intake, not meal
frequency.
So whether you're eating sixmeals, three big ones, one meal,
your body burns the same numberof calories digesting that food
.
And studies have shown there isno difference in metabolism or
(09:41):
fat loss between people who eatmultiple small meals and those
who eat fewer large meals.
So in other words, yourmetabolism doesn't suddenly slow
down if you go a few hourswithout eating and the truth is
that small and again I did thatI ate a bunch of small meals
during the day and it doesn'twork for everyone.
If it works for you, that'sgreat, but it didn't work for me
.
So for me, forcing myself toeat every two or three hours
(10:05):
isn't necessary and, honestly,for me it was counterproductive
because I was making myself eat.
So if you're not hungry buteating anyway because you have
to, you're probably adding someextra calories that you don't
need.
And those little small mealsfor me again turned into
constantly snacking on stufflike protein bars and crackers
(10:25):
and nuts, which really add upquickly in calories.
And if you're never fullysatisfied because you're eating
these small meals, you might endup eating more than you would
have if you just had threebalanced meals.
And, most importantly, honestly,if you're working in any kind
of job where you're in an office, or you're pretty much any kind
(10:46):
of job it's just not practical.
That means you have to prepmeals, you have to eat clean up
six meals a day.
For a lot of people for mecertainly that schedule was a
nightmare.
So it's a lot easier to eatthree meals at whatever your
normal time is.
And socially, eating six meals,rather, can be awkward.
Who wants to bring Tupperwareto meetings or dinner with
(11:07):
friends?
It's ridiculous.
And the last one, which for me,was a big one I feel better when
I'm eating fewer and largermeals.
I don't need to eat constantly,although I did.
I don't need to eat constantly.
I can thrive on two or threemeals a day.
You could, even if you're anintermittent, faster.
(11:27):
I don't know how many mealsyou're eating a day, but larger
meals are more satisfying.
They reduce your cravings andthey make it a hell of a lot
easier, in my opinion, tocontrol calories.
So why this myth?
Why does it matter?
Well, it's not meal frequency,it's a total calorie intake
Again a theme that I keephammering home.
Your metabolism is definitelynot going to crash if you go a
(11:50):
few hours without eating.
So you have to eat in a waythat fits your lifestyle and
your hunger cues.
If eating six meals helps youstay full and on track,
definitely you should go for it.
Do it.
But if you prefer three biggermeals, that's fine too.
I know we talked about this andI always say it has to fit into
your life, but the best fatloss method is the one that you
(12:15):
can stick to.
So forget about the ruleswhatever rules those are and eat
when it works for you and focuson consistency and
sustainability, because thatwill help you keep the weight
off long term.
So fuck that six meals a day,eat whatever works for you.
The next one that I want to talkabout is that fat is bad for
(12:36):
you.
For decades, fat has beenwrongfully blamed for weight
gain, for heart disease, I don'tknow a long list of health
problems, but the result was andthink about this for a second
it was the rise of the low-fatdiets in the 80s and 90s which
led to an explosion of thesesuper highly processed,
(12:59):
sugar-filled low-fat foods.
And cutting fat didn't makepeople healthier, it made things
worse.
We're at an all-time high inobesity.
So it's time to set the recordstraight that fat is not bad for
you.
Overeating, eating morecalories than you burn and
eating processed junk that's badfor you.
(13:22):
So the low-fat craze of the 80swas scientists believed that
dietary fat, especiallysaturated fat, led to heart
disease.
That led to a massivegovernment campaign to push
these low-fat diets and, ofcourse, the food industry jumped
on that, creating fat-freeeverything from yogurt to
cookies to salad.
You go in the store todaythere's a million fat-free items
(13:44):
.
But what happened was when thecompanies took the fat from the
food, they replaced it withsugar and processed shit,
because that was the only way tokeep it tasting good.
So the result again was moreobesity, diabetes and metabolic
issues than ever before.
Simply put, the low-fatmovement was one of the biggest
(14:08):
nutritional mistakes in history.
I know that people say well, fat, if you eat fat, you're going
to get fat.
Well, and logically, I believeit.
So I guess it does make sense.
Fat does have more calories pergram than carbs or protein, but
that's not how the body works.
Weight gain comes from, again,eating more calories than you
(14:29):
burn, no matter where they comefrom.
Last week I talked for a minuteabout the professor that lost
weight eating only Twinkies.
Bottom line is you can eat1,500 calories of healthy fats
and still lose weight as long asyou're in a calorie deficit.
You could also eat 5,000calories of fat-free foods and
(14:50):
you're going to gain weight.
Fat does not automatically getstored as body fat.
It's just another nutrient andI'm not going to get into macros
because that's a conversationfor another day.
But fat is one of the basicmacros and the truth is fat
isn't just okay.
It's essential for your body tofunction properly.
Fat supports your brain health.
(15:12):
Your brain is 60% fat andhormone production depends on
dietary fat.
So low-fat diets have beenlinked to hormonal imbalances,
crazy mood swings and probablyeven depression.
But more importantly, fat helpsyou absorb key vitamins.
Vitamin A, vitamin D, e and Kare all fat soluble.
(15:33):
That means your body needs fatto absorb those vitamins.
Without enough fat, you missout on all those crucial
nutrients and vitamins.
And all the stuff you need anda big one for me, because I do
suffer from inflammation ishealthy fats actually reduce
inflammation in your body.
So fats from things like oliveoil and avocados, some nuts,
(15:56):
fatty fish.
Like I never liked salmon, butI love it now and it definitely
reduced my inflammation.
But fats from those items havebeen shown to reduce
inflammation and lower the riskof chronic diseases.
Eat fats what fat should you eat?
Well, hey, I'm glad you askedhave been shown to reduce
inflammation and lower the riskof chronic diseases.
Eat fats what fat should youeat?
Well, hey, I'm glad you asked.
So I mean, because not all fatsare the same.
(16:17):
These are the healthy fats thatyou should eat.
So monounsaturated fats, likeolive oil, avocado, nuts.
Polyunsaturated fats likesalmon, flax seed, which I
occasionally put in a proteinshake, walnuts, which I fucking
despise, but anyway.
But the unhealthy fats, thefats that you want to avoid,
these are the fats that youactually should not be eating
and avoiding.
And, of course, you know that'strans fats and that's in every
(16:39):
piece of fried food you eat.
It's in margarine.
I remember everybody.
Oh, don't eat butter, eatmargarine, and margarine is
fucking loaded with garbage.
Don't eat butter, eat margarine, and margarine is fucking
loaded with garbage.
I mean, it was like I saidbefore, it was the biggest
nutritional failure of ourcentury.
You want to avoid the highlyprocessed vegetables like
(17:00):
soybean oil, corn oil, canolaoil.
Saturated fat isn't the villainthat we actually thought and
that we were led to believe itwas.
It's fine in moderation, buttrans fats are terrible and you
should avoid them completely.
Now, I'm not saying I do, I'mnot saying I'm perfect, because
I definitely don't, but youshould avoid trans fats whenever
(17:22):
you can.
So this myth just needs to goaway that fat makes you fat.
Because fat doesn't make youfat.
Guess what does Overeating,eating more calories than you
burn.
And the truth is those low-fatfoods are often worse for you
than the full-fat version,because your body needs fat for
hormones, for brain function andvitamin absorption.
(17:44):
So, instead of fearing fat,focus on eating the right ones,
the right kinds.
So choose those things, thosewhole, unprocessed fats, and
avoid the junk food.
I promise you, if you cut outjunk food and eat some of the
good fats, you'll lose theweight.
So go ahead and eat thatavocado.
Drizzle some olive oil on yoursalad, do all those things and I
promise you your body willthank you.
(18:06):
It's worked for me.
My inflammation is at anall-time low.
Well, yeah, it's pretty goddamnlow.
The next one I want to talkabout just kills me.
That's the detox diets and thecleanses that are going to reset
your body.
Stop wasting your fucking money.
(18:29):
The diet industry, the wellnessindustry, the muscle gain
industry loves to push thesedetox teas and juice cleanses
and all these magic potions thatclaim to flush toxins.
They're going to reset yourbody.
That all sounds great, right,but here's the truth.
Your body already detoxesitself.
No expensive cleanses arerequired.
Your body does it.
Your liver and kidneys work24-7 to remove waste and toxins.
(18:53):
That's literally their job.
No amount of celery juice oroverpriced tea or some other
lotion or potion is going tohelp them do that better.
Your liver and kidneys know howto do it.
So why do people still fall forthis shit, for these detox scams
?
Well, I think there's a coupleof reasons.
(19:15):
The first one is the marketinghype and the quick fix mentality
that the diet industry pushes.
I mean those detox products.
They promise fast results and Ican tell you I've been on juice
detoxes and juice cleanse andI've taken the pills.
Everybody wants fast resultsand I can tell you I've been on
juice detoxes and juice cleanseand I've taken the pills.
Everybody wants fast results.
So they promise the fastresults, that you're going to
have glowing skin.
Of course, you're going to loseweight and it's going to give
(19:37):
you that fresh start and in aworld where we want everything
instant, we want it now.
The idea of cleansing soundsappealing.
So you drink a green juice forthree days, you drop a few
pounds and you feel lighter.
The scale goes down, making youthink, hey, shit, that detox
worked.
But in reality you just lostwater, weight, not fat.
The detox industry thrives onmisinformation and, in my
(20:01):
opinion, the diet industry as awhole thrives on that
misinformation and preys onpeople who are feeling shitty,
you're sluggish, you're bloated,whatever it is.
But bloating doesn't mean youneed to cleanse.
It just means you need to drinkwater, eat fiber and cut out
all that processed shit.
And speaking of shit, a lot ofthese detox teas contain
(20:23):
laxatives like senna, whichmakes you poop more.
So losing water and wastequickly makes you think that,
hey, you're cleansing toxins,but in reality you're just
dehydrating yourself.
Any weight loss that you getfrom that is just temporary and
it comes right back after youstart eating real food.
And I've heard the frequentlaxative uses can mess up your
(20:44):
digestive system and cause allkinds of nutrient shit.
But juice cleanses aren't anybetter.
They strip out the fiber andthe protein.
Again, I told you I've donejuice cleanses.
I even did juicing, justjuicing.
For 90 days I didn't eat, Ididn't chew.
Anyway, I lost a shitload ofweight.
But the juice cleanses, they'renot much better.
(21:05):
They leave you weak.
They leave you hungry Althoughafter a few days I wasn't hungry
but they definitely put you ona blood sugar roller coaster and
that's not detoxing, that'sstarving.
So what really detoxes your body?
That's the net net of what I'msaying.
Your liver filters toxins fromfood, any alcohol you may drink
and all the medications.
Your kidneys well, we know whatthey do.
(21:27):
They remove waste through yourpee.
Your skin actually releasestoxins through sweat and your
digestive system gets rid ofwaste through bowel movements or
taking a shit.
You don't need to cleanse, youjust need to support your body
naturally.
So if you want to really detox,if you want to do an actual
(21:48):
detox, drink water, because itflushes out weights naturally.
Eat fiber-rich foods it helpsdigestion and gets rid of toxins
.
Eat whole, unprocessed foodsand that supports your liver and
your kidney health.
And limit alcohol andultra-processed foods because
they're going to reduce toxinbuildup.
(22:08):
I know alcohol is a big issueand I have the occasional drink.
So, again, you don't need to beperfect, but if you're aware of
it.
Maybe you'll do this.
So I think, why this myth iskeeping you fat?
Because detox diets are scam.
Your body detoxes itself.
Juice cleanses and teas don'tremove toxins, they just make
you go to the bathroom from bothsides.
(22:31):
So the real way to cleanse isby eating whole foods, drinking
water and letting your body doits job.
So save your money.
Don't fall for the next fuckingscam that comes down the road.
Just eat real food, skip thedetox and let your liver handle
the rest, all right.
(22:52):
Number five, which is a big onefor me, is you can't
out-exercise a bad diet.
I've heard so many people talkabout it.
It's just ridiculous.
Move more and go to the gym andthen you can do whatever you
want.
But the truth is a lot ofpeople believe that as long as
they hit the gym, they can eatwhatever they want.
I worked out today, so I earnedthis.
Burger and fries Sound familiar.
(23:12):
The few times that I went tothe gym, I was like I burned
calories, I'm going to go eatsomething.
But here's the real truth youcan't out-exercise a bad diet.
I'm not saying exercise isn'tcrucial for your health, because
it is, and my exercise choiceis not the gym.
It's walking, but you know it'scrucial.
But weight loss and bodycomposition are mostly
(23:34):
determined by what you eat.
So if you think you can eatjunk and just burn it off in the
gym, you're setting yourself upfor failure.
So in this myth, everybodyoverestimates how many calories
they burn, especially duringexercise.
You might feel like you justburned 1,000 calories on an
intense workout.
I wouldn't know what that'slike, but you may think that.
(23:54):
But the reality is a lotdifferent.
Just for your own knowledge,here's what an average 30-minute
workout actually burns.
So if you're running, you're notsprinting, but you're running
at a moderate pace that burns300 or 400 calories in 30
minutes.
If you're riding your bike 250to 350 calories in 30 minutes.
If you're strength training,you're really hitting the gym
(24:16):
hard 150 to 300 calories.
And if you're doing yoga whichI've always heard is great for
you I'm going to try that in2025.
But if you're doing yoga,you're burning 100 to 200
calories in 30 minutes.
And if you compare that to howquickly the calories add up when
you're eating, you'll beshocked.
If you eat just a regular fastfood hamburger, that's 600
(24:37):
calories.
If you eat a large fries, it's500.
If you drink a soda, that's 200.
That meal was 1300 calories.
You'd have to run for almostfour hours just to burn off one
fast food meal, and that's justto break even.
That's not to lose weight,that's just to break even on the
thing.
The reality is, if you're eatingmore calories than you burn,
(25:00):
you're going to put on weight.
I burn 400 calories running soI can have this 600 calorie
smoothie.
Well, the reality of that isyou're still in a calorie
surplus, meaning that you'regoing to gain weight.
And that's why so many peoplewho work out on a regular basis
don't lose weight.
They're unknowingly eating morethan they burn.
I can't tell you how manypeople say I go to the gym every
(25:20):
day.
I don't know why I can't loseweight.
They're unknowingly eating morethan they burn.
I can't tell you how manypeople say I go to the gym every
day.
I don't know why I can't loseweight.
Well, it's because you'refucking eating too much.
But exercise, again, I want tobe sure, because I always talk
about how I never went to thegym.
But exercise definitely helpswith fitness, it helps with
strength, it helps with mentalhealth and weight loss is about
calories in versus calories out.
The bottom line weight loss is80% diet and 20% exercise.
(25:44):
You can lose weight withoutworking out if you're in a
calorie deficit.
You can't lose weight if youeat too many calories, no matter
how much you exercise.
So think about it it's easiernot to eat 500 extra calories
than it is to burn them off.
So again here, the rightapproach is prioritize those
(26:07):
whole nutrient-dense foods.
Watch your portion sizes.
Exercise for health andstrength, not just for calorie
burning.
And if you do work out, bemindful of what you're eating
after your workout.
Fuel yourself, but don't overdoit.
So again, this myth needs todisappear.
Because you can't out-exercisea bad diet.
(26:28):
Weight loss is mostly aboutnutrition.
Exercise is the bonus and youhave to focus on your food
quality and movement and for me,like I said, the movement is
just walking if you want lastingresults.
So exercise is great.
I'm not saying exercise isn'tgreat, but if you want to lose
weight and keep it off, it allstarts in the kitchen.
(26:48):
So again, this all comes downto calories in versus calories
out.
Here's another great one If youeat certain foods, they burn
fat, that there are fat-burningfoods.
Wouldn't it be amazing if wecould just eat a grapefruit or
drink a cup of some kind ofgreen tea and watch the fat melt
away.
Unfortunately, thosefat-burning foods are a fucking
(27:12):
total myth.
For years, fad diets andclickbait have claimed that
certain foods like chili peppers, green tea, lemon water have
special properties that help youlose weight effortlessly.
But here's the truth.
There is no food period, nofood that magically burns fat.
(27:33):
If fat-burning foods were real,we'd all be eating
chili-covered grapefruits andwalking six pack.
I have an ab one and I eatpretty healthy.
So let's break down why thismyth refuses to die and what
actually works for fat loss.
So people believe in metabolismboosting foods like spicy
(27:54):
peppers, coffee, green tea, andthey do slightly increase your
metabolism, but the effect istiny, it's minuscule.
Spicy foods have psacin, whichcan increase calorie burn by
about 20 to 30 calories per meal.
Caffeine and coffee or greentea can give you a temporary
metabolism boost, but it's notgoing to lead to any kind of
(28:16):
significant weight loss.
And while certain foods can, Iguess, support a healthy
metabolism, they're not going todo the work for you.
The work is on you, and apopular claim is some foods like
celery or grapefruit requiremore calories to digest than
they contain, leading to fatloss.
That is complete and utterbullshit.
(28:40):
Yes, high fiber foods likecelery are low in calories and
they keep you full, but no foodcreates a negative calorie
balance.
Guess what does?
The only thing that does is acalorie deficit.
Again, how do you lose weight?
By eating fewer calories thanyou burn?
Things you can do.
(29:00):
Eat protein, because proteinhelps build muscle and it
definitely keeps you full longer.
It has a higher thermic effect,which your body burns more
calories just digesting it.
And eat lean protein.
This is pretty straightforwardstuff.
The key here is portion control,whole foods and long-term
consistency.
The summary here is no foodmagically burns fat.
(29:21):
It doesn't exist.
There is no food out there thatmagically burns fat.
Some foods might slightly boostyour metabolism, but not enough
to make any kind of difference.
So sustainable fat loss comesfrom a balanced diet and wait
for it, calorie control, eatingin a calorie deficit.
So, instead of chasing themagic fat burning food or drink
(29:43):
or whatever, focus on real,sustainable habits.
Eat well, I guess.
Move more, because I certainlyneeded to move more and stay
consistent.
That's the real fat burningsecret eating in a calorie
deficit.
And here's the last one I'mgoing to talk about today.
And that's all these crazycoaches and people that tell you
(30:03):
you can want to lose belly fat,do this?
Want to lose fat in your arms?
Oh, come on.
If you want to lose belly fat,do more crunches, right?
You want thinner thighs?
Do some leg lifts.
Give me a break.
One of the biggest fitness mythsout there and this is not a
fitness podcast, but I'mguessing if people want to
reduce their thighs or theirbelly, they want to lose weight
and, by the way, that's the onlyway you can do it.
(30:25):
But one of the biggest fitnessmyths out there is spot
reduction the idea that you cantarget fat loss in a specific
area of your body by exercisingthose muscles.
That's crazy.
You can't control.
Your body burns fat.
You can't control your bodyburns fat.
If endless sit-ups made absappear, I would have the best
six-pack you've ever seen.
(30:46):
Now, don't get me wrong.
I don't do any sit-ups, somaybe I wouldn't have them, but
if I knew that would actuallywork, man, I'd be doing sit-ups
all day and all night, so Iwould have this killer six-pack.
But fat loss doesn't work thatway.
Fat loss happens all over, notin one place.
When you're in a caloriedeficit, your body pulls energy
from stored fat, but it doesn'tpick and choose where to burn
(31:09):
fat first.
Your genetics actually play thebiggest role in where you lose
fat.
I mean, some people lose it intheir face.
I lose a lot of fat in my facequickly, but some people lose it
in their face face and othersnotice in their legs and their
stomach.
I never had big legs.
I never had fat legs, so Idon't lose any weight from my
legs.
But everybody is different.
So doing that ab workout is notgoing to burn belly fat.
(31:30):
Your body burns fat fromwherever it's programmed to burn
fat from, and a lot of peoplethink that if you work out a
specific area, it's going tomelt the fat off and it's going
to turn into muscle.
But the problem is fat andmuscle are two completely
different tissues.
So muscle grows throughstrength training but it doesn't
burn the fat on top of it.
You can have strong abs.
(31:50):
I like to think that I havestrong abs hidden under belly
fat if you're not lean enough tosee them and clearly I'm not
lean enough to see them becauseI know I have killer six-pack
abs and there's a ton of studiesthat prove that spot reduction
doesn't work.
But they did a study on abworkouts and found that after
six weeks of core training,everybody in there did have
stronger muscles, but there wasabsolutely no change in their
(32:12):
belly fat.
Another kind of cool study thatI think that I read is people
did arm exercise on only one armand it showed the people who
trained one arm for 12 weekslost just as much fat in their
other, non-exercise arm.
So the takeaway from those twoand many others is your body
(32:33):
decides where fat comes up, notyour workouts.
So if you want to know and Iknow you're going to ask me this
question if spot reduction isbullshit how to reduce fat the
right way and you know what itcomes down to a calorie deficit,
right, prioritizing protein,eating whole foods, cutting back
on processed junk and excesssugar.
(32:54):
And the big one, which none ofus like, is you have to be
patient.
You can't choose where you'regoing to lose fat first, but you
can stay consistent Over timeas you lose body fat overall.
Years that you actually want toslim down will eventually
shrink.
So again, the net net.
The bottom line here is youcan't spot reduced fat with
(33:15):
exercise.
Fat loss happens all over yourbody, based on genetics and
overall calorie balance.
So a mix of strength trainingand proper nutrition is the real
key to fat loss.
So skip the endless crunches.
Don't fucking waste your timedoing that shit.
Focus on building strength forsure, improving your diet and
(33:35):
staying consistent, and that'swhen the results will come.
So look, those are the seven.
The diet industry is full ofmyths and gimmicks and quick
fixes designed to keep youconfused.
Carbs make you fat.
Eating late at night makes youfat, and we talked about that
last week.
Fat-burning foods exist.
None of that shit is true.
(33:57):
The only way to lose weight andkeep it off is a calorie
deficit.
That means burning morecalories than you consume.
No magic pill, no secret diet,just simple science.
So you can still eat carbs andstill lose weight if you stay in
a calorie deficit.
You won't store fat because youate after 8 pm, because your
(34:17):
total calories matter more.
Stay in a calorie deficit.
No single food burns fat.
Fat loss happens when your bodyneeds energy and taps into fat
stores.
So stay in a calorie deficit.
All these fad diets and crazyshit that people are saying out
there fail because they focus onrules and restrictions, not
(34:38):
sustainability, the key tolong-term success, you may ask.
Find a way of eating that fitsyour lifestyle, that keeps you
in a calorie deficit and isactually enjoyable.
I always say you have to enjoythe journey.
If it's fucking torture, youwon't do it.
You might do it for a week, twoweeks or six weeks or three
months, but you won't stick toit long-term.
(35:01):
So find something that actuallyis enjoyable for you.
Forget about the myths and stopover-complicating weight loss.
It's simple Eat mindfully, movemore and be consistent.
Stay in a calorie deficit.
That's the real secret tolong-term sustainable success
(35:22):
and that's what I got to say onthose seven diet myths.
Again, if you want to read mybook, learn all about my 140
plus pound weight loss journeyand how I did it, without any
exercise or anything else youcan get my book on Amazon.
It's called Shut Up and Choose,same as this podcast.
We're an Amazon bestseller.
I usually get a lot of emails.
(35:42):
The last two weeks I haven'tgotten too many so I can't read
the thousandth email, but I geta lot of emails on it.
I can also tell you that my newcourse, which is the Effortless
Weight Loss Academy it's about20 some odd videos.
It's a video course.
You can get that.
Now it's finally out of betaand released.
You can get that atlearnshutupandchoose, that's
learnshutupandchoosecom, andthat's pretty much it.
(36:09):
That's the end of myself-promotion thing.
So now I guess the only thingthat you hopefully you're armed
with some knowledge and you knowwhy those myths are fucking
ridiculous.
So the next time someone triesto push those myths or something
similar that on you, you knowwhat to do.
(36:29):
Just shut up and choose, thankyou.
If you're a whiny snowflake that can't handle the
truth, is offended by the wordfuck and about 37 uses of it in
different forms gets ass hurt.
When you hear someone speak theabsolute, real and raw truth,
you should leave Like right now.
This is Shut Up and Choose, thepodcast where we cut through
(00:25):
the shit and get real aboutweight loss, life and everything
in between.
We get into the nitty gritty ofmaking small, smart choices
that add up to big results.
From what's on your plate tohow you approach life's
challenges.
We'll explore how the simpleact of choosing differently can
transform your health, yourmindset and your entire freaking
(00:48):
life.
So if you're ready to cutthrough the bullshit and start
making some real changes, thenbuckle up and shut up, because
we're about to choose our way toa healthier, happier life.
This is Shut Up and Choose.
Let's do this Now.
Your host, jonathan Ressler.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Welcome back to Shut Up and Choose the podcast that
cuts through the noise and thenonsense and all the bullshit
that the diet industry and theInstagram gurus, internet gurus
and everybody else is throwingat you, all the things that are
honestly keeping you fat.
And that's really what I wantto talk about today is seven
things, or seven myths, that arekeeping you fat.
But before I do, I just want toaddress two quick things.
(01:35):
Number one as I said, I wouldread the 1,000th email today of
people who have told me my bookhas changed their life.
And don't you know, as soon asI announced it two weeks ago
that I was going to read it, Ididn't get a single email last
week or this week.
So I guess we're going to haveto wait until next week.
It just hasn't come.
I guess it's been a slow weekfor people telling me I'm
helping them, or a slow twoweeks, I should say.
(02:01):
And the second update is I toldthe show and I was going to be
respectful to them, but I wantedto debate the things that
they're talking about, thesocial injustice that they're,
that they believe they'reexperiencing by not having
bigger airplane seats or barberchairs being too small or all
kinds of shit.
I reached out to five or six ofthem.
(02:22):
All of them have said no, and Iwas a very clear with them that
I six of them All of them havesaid no and I was very clear
with them that I was not goingto agree with them, just to
agree.
But if they made a point Iwould be open to changing my
mind.
They all said no, so I'm stillworking on that.
Hopefully I'll get an updateand I'll be able to schedule
someone, because, hey, if theybelieve that so fervently, they
should be willing to come on theshow and talk about it, but to
(02:45):
this point they're not.
So anyway, today what I want totalk about, like I said, are the
seven diet myths that I believeare keeping you fat, because we
all know that diet culture isan absolute mess.
It's full of bullshit,half-truth and, honestly, just
straight-up lies, All kinds ofmarketing gimmicks.
It's all designed to make youfeel like you're failing, so
that you keep buying their newquote-unquote solutions, these
(03:09):
detox teas and keto fads andmagic supplements.
It's all just one big industryprofiting off your confusion.
But guess what?
Most of what you've been toldabout dieting and losing weight
and, more importantly, losingfat is nonsense, and I'm here to
bust what I believe are thebiggest myths so you can finally
focus on what actually works.
(03:29):
So if you're tired of that dietroller coaster you've been on
and we've all been on yo-yodiets and we've all well, if
you're listening, I'm guessingyou probably have been, so I
want to set the record straight.
So here are seven diet mythsthat I believe need to disappear
and die or whatever, justvanish forever.
The first one for sure is carbsmake you fat.
(03:50):
I believe that might be thebiggest lie in diet culture,
honestly.
I was on paleo, I was on keto,I was on Atkins.
I've done all the low-carbdiets and for years carbs have
been unfairly blamed for weightgain.
Low-carb diets promise quickresults and they do give them.
And when you cut carbs, thescale does drop, like I said,
(04:11):
but that's mostly water weight,not fat.
So the truth is carbs don'tmake you fat, overeating does so
.
Now you know the theme of allseven of these myths and what
I'm talking about.
Carbs don't make you fat,overeating does so why do carbs
get a bad rap?
I guess, going to of all theseven of these myths and what
I'm talking about, carbs don'tmake you fat.
Overeating does.
So why do carbs get a bad rap,I guess?
Well, number one is waterweight.
Your body stores glycogen inyour muscles and liver and for
(04:35):
every gram of glycogen that yourbody stores, it stores three
grams of water.
So when you cut carbs, you losewater, not fat.
That's why you lose weight sofast.
So as soon as you eat the carbsagain, your glycogen stores
refill and the scale goes rightback up.
And that's not fat gain, by theway, it's just your body
rehydrating.
(04:56):
Another piece of the puzzle issome people claim the carbs
spike insulin.
That makes you store fat.
But protein also raises insulinand nobody claims chicken or
blames chicken or meat or fishfor weight gain.
Insulin helps to store theenergy, but you only gain fat.
Wait for it, because you knowwhat I'm going to say is if you
(05:17):
eat more calories than you burn.
So your body actually needscarbs to live.
Carbs give you energy.
They're your body's preferredfuel source.
Actually Cutting them and Iknow because I've done it leads
to fatigue, a little brain fogand if you're a workout nut
which, as you know, I'm not cangive you pretty bad workouts.
So if you're an active person,skipping carbs means that,
(05:41):
basically, your body's runningon empty, and that's because not
all carbs are bad.
The problem isn't carbs, it'sthe processed carbs.
So the good carbs and again, Iknow, you know this, but the
good carbs are whole grains,fruits, vegetables.
But the bad carbs, those arethe ones you need to cut out,
and that's shit like white bread, soda, sugary snaps.
(06:04):
Look, a banana is not going tomake you fat, but eating a bag
of chips will.
So again, carbs don't make youfat.
Eating too many calories doesdoes.
So you can gain weight fromcarbs, protein or fat if you eat
too much, but that also meansyou can also lose weight while
(06:24):
eating carbs if you're in acalorie deficit.
It's simple.
So the whole thought process,or the whole science for lack of
a better term or the wholepseudoscience behind keto and
paleo and Atkins, is eat lesscarbs and you'll lose some water
weight, but you won't keep itoff.
So if you want to eat carbswithout gaining weight, it's
(06:46):
pretty easy Prioritize whole,fiber-rich carbs, like things
like brown rice, oats, fruit,veggies, all that stuff.
Of course, no matter whatyou're eating, you have to watch
your portion size.
I'm not saying that you shouldeat 20 cups of brown rice or
oats.
No, you have to eat a normalportion, and then you can also
(07:07):
pair carbs with your protein andfat.
So chicken and chicken sandwichon low carb bread is great for
you.
Or eat quinoa, which I haverecently learned to like.
I told you that I eat overnightoats pretty much every morning
for breakfast and I also eat alot of Greek yogurt.
Those are all good carbs andtime your carbs for energy right
.
So don't eat your carbs lateand I'm not saying you can't eat
(07:29):
them late at night, but it'sbetter if you eat them earlier
or right after your workout.
If you work out I don't, sothat's not an issue for me but
eat them earlier in the day.
So the bottom line on carbs isif carbs really made people fat,
how do the Japanese and Italiancultures, who eat rice and
pasta daily, stay fit?
And the answer well, it's easy.
It's portion control and wholefoods.
(07:52):
So here's the deal you don'tneed to fear carbs.
You don't have to cut them tolose weight, just eat the right
ones in the right amount.
So the next time someone tellsyou carbs make you fat, just
smile and enjoy your carbs.
It's easy.
Get rid of that myth.
It's gone.
So that's myth number one.
Myth number two is to eat small,frequent meals and that'll help
(08:14):
you lose weight.
And for years, diet culturespushed the idea that eating six
small meals a day boosts yourmetabolism and prevents fat
storage.
And I know I talked a littlebit about this last week, but I
want to go into it a little bitdeeper.
And that does sound scientificright Eat six small meals and
it'll keep your metabolism going, it'll stoke your metabolism.
But here's the truth Mealfrequency has very little, if
(08:36):
nothing, to do with weight loss.
If eating six meals a day worksfor you, well that's great.
By all means you should do it.
But if you're forcing yourselfto snack or eat consistently
just because someone said itspeeds up your metabolism,
(08:57):
you're wasting your time.
And I think the reason that thatmyth even exists is that people
believe that eating more oftenkeeps your metabolism revved up,
presenting fat storage.
And that's based on somethingwe talked about over the last
couple of weeks, which is thethermic effect of food, which
refers to the amount of energyyour body uses to digest and
absorb nutrients.
Basically, how many caloriesyou'll burn by eating that food
or by digesting that food iswhat I should say.
(09:18):
So thermic effect of food isbased on total food intake, not
meal frequency to food is basedon total food intake, not meal
frequency.
So whether you're eating sixmeals, three big ones, one meal,
your body burns the same numberof calories digesting that food
.
And studies have shown there isno difference in metabolism or
(09:41):
fat loss between people who eatmultiple small meals and those
who eat fewer large meals.
So in other words, yourmetabolism doesn't suddenly slow
down if you go a few hourswithout eating and the truth is
that small and again I did thatI ate a bunch of small meals
during the day and it doesn'twork for everyone.
If it works for you, that'sgreat, but it didn't work for me
.
So for me, forcing myself toeat every two or three hours
(10:05):
isn't necessary and, honestly,for me it was counterproductive
because I was making myself eat.
So if you're not hungry buteating anyway because you have
to, you're probably adding someextra calories that you don't
need.
And those little small mealsfor me again turned into
constantly snacking on stufflike protein bars and crackers
(10:25):
and nuts, which really add upquickly in calories.
And if you're never fullysatisfied because you're eating
these small meals, you might endup eating more than you would
have if you just had threebalanced meals.
And, most importantly, honestly,if you're working in any kind
of job where you're in an office, or you're pretty much any kind
(10:46):
of job it's just not practical.
That means you have to prepmeals, you have to eat clean up
six meals a day.
For a lot of people for mecertainly that schedule was a
nightmare.
So it's a lot easier to eatthree meals at whatever your
normal time is.
And socially, eating six meals,rather, can be awkward.
Who wants to bring Tupperwareto meetings or dinner with
(11:07):
friends?
It's ridiculous.
And the last one, which for me,was a big one I feel better when
I'm eating fewer and largermeals.
I don't need to eat constantly,although I did.
I don't need to eat constantly.
I can thrive on two or threemeals a day.
You could, even if you're anintermittent, faster.
(11:27):
I don't know how many mealsyou're eating a day, but larger
meals are more satisfying.
They reduce your cravings andthey make it a hell of a lot
easier, in my opinion, tocontrol calories.
So why this myth?
Why does it matter?
Well, it's not meal frequency,it's a total calorie intake
Again a theme that I keephammering home.
Your metabolism is definitelynot going to crash if you go a
(11:50):
few hours without eating.
So you have to eat in a waythat fits your lifestyle and
your hunger cues.
If eating six meals helps youstay full and on track,
definitely you should go for it.
Do it.
But if you prefer three biggermeals, that's fine too.
I know we talked about this andI always say it has to fit into
your life, but the best fatloss method is the one that you
(12:15):
can stick to.
So forget about the ruleswhatever rules those are and eat
when it works for you and focuson consistency and
sustainability, because thatwill help you keep the weight
off long term.
So fuck that six meals a day,eat whatever works for you.
The next one that I want to talkabout is that fat is bad for
(12:36):
you.
For decades, fat has beenwrongfully blamed for weight
gain, for heart disease, I don'tknow a long list of health
problems, but the result was andthink about this for a second
it was the rise of the low-fatdiets in the 80s and 90s which
led to an explosion of thesesuper highly processed,
(12:59):
sugar-filled low-fat foods.
And cutting fat didn't makepeople healthier, it made things
worse.
We're at an all-time high inobesity.
So it's time to set the recordstraight that fat is not bad for
you.
Overeating, eating morecalories than you burn and
eating processed junk that's badfor you.
(13:22):
So the low-fat craze of the 80swas scientists believed that
dietary fat, especiallysaturated fat, led to heart
disease.
That led to a massivegovernment campaign to push
these low-fat diets and, ofcourse, the food industry jumped
on that, creating fat-freeeverything from yogurt to
cookies to salad.
You go in the store todaythere's a million fat-free items
(13:44):
.
But what happened was when thecompanies took the fat from the
food, they replaced it withsugar and processed shit,
because that was the only way tokeep it tasting good.
So the result again was moreobesity, diabetes and metabolic
issues than ever before.
Simply put, the low-fatmovement was one of the biggest
(14:08):
nutritional mistakes in history.
I know that people say well, fat, if you eat fat, you're going
to get fat.
Well, and logically, I believeit.
So I guess it does make sense.
Fat does have more calories pergram than carbs or protein, but
that's not how the body works.
Weight gain comes from, again,eating more calories than you
(14:29):
burn, no matter where they comefrom.
Last week I talked for a minuteabout the professor that lost
weight eating only Twinkies.
Bottom line is you can eat1,500 calories of healthy fats
and still lose weight as long asyou're in a calorie deficit.
You could also eat 5,000calories of fat-free foods and
(14:50):
you're going to gain weight.
Fat does not automatically getstored as body fat.
It's just another nutrient andI'm not going to get into macros
because that's a conversationfor another day.
But fat is one of the basicmacros and the truth is fat
isn't just okay.
It's essential for your body tofunction properly.
Fat supports your brain health.
(15:12):
Your brain is 60% fat andhormone production depends on
dietary fat.
So low-fat diets have beenlinked to hormonal imbalances,
crazy mood swings and probablyeven depression.
But more importantly, fat helpsyou absorb key vitamins.
Vitamin A, vitamin D, e and Kare all fat soluble.
(15:33):
That means your body needs fatto absorb those vitamins.
Without enough fat, you missout on all those crucial
nutrients and vitamins.
And all the stuff you need anda big one for me, because I do
suffer from inflammation ishealthy fats actually reduce
inflammation in your body.
So fats from things like oliveoil and avocados, some nuts,
(15:56):
fatty fish.
Like I never liked salmon, butI love it now and it definitely
reduced my inflammation.
But fats from those items havebeen shown to reduce
inflammation and lower the riskof chronic diseases.
Eat fats what fat should you eat?
Well, hey, I'm glad you askedhave been shown to reduce
inflammation and lower the riskof chronic diseases.
Eat fats what fat should youeat?
Well, hey, I'm glad you asked.
So I mean, because not all fatsare the same.
(16:17):
These are the healthy fats thatyou should eat.
So monounsaturated fats, likeolive oil, avocado, nuts.
Polyunsaturated fats likesalmon, flax seed, which I
occasionally put in a proteinshake, walnuts, which I fucking
despise, but anyway.
But the unhealthy fats, thefats that you want to avoid,
these are the fats that youactually should not be eating
and avoiding.
And, of course, you know that'strans fats and that's in every
(16:39):
piece of fried food you eat.
It's in margarine.
I remember everybody.
Oh, don't eat butter, eatmargarine, and margarine is
fucking loaded with garbage.
Don't eat butter, eat margarine, and margarine is fucking
loaded with garbage.
I mean, it was like I saidbefore, it was the biggest
nutritional failure of ourcentury.
You want to avoid the highlyprocessed vegetables like
(17:00):
soybean oil, corn oil, canolaoil.
Saturated fat isn't the villainthat we actually thought and
that we were led to believe itwas.
It's fine in moderation, buttrans fats are terrible and you
should avoid them completely.
Now, I'm not saying I do, I'mnot saying I'm perfect, because
I definitely don't, but youshould avoid trans fats whenever
(17:22):
you can.
So this myth just needs to goaway that fat makes you fat.
Because fat doesn't make youfat.
Guess what does Overeating,eating more calories than you
burn.
And the truth is those low-fatfoods are often worse for you
than the full-fat version,because your body needs fat for
hormones, for brain function andvitamin absorption.
(17:44):
So, instead of fearing fat,focus on eating the right ones,
the right kinds.
So choose those things, thosewhole, unprocessed fats, and
avoid the junk food.
I promise you, if you cut outjunk food and eat some of the
good fats, you'll lose theweight.
So go ahead and eat thatavocado.
Drizzle some olive oil on yoursalad, do all those things and I
promise you your body willthank you.
(18:06):
It's worked for me.
My inflammation is at anall-time low.
Well, yeah, it's pretty goddamnlow.
The next one I want to talkabout just kills me.
That's the detox diets and thecleanses that are going to reset
your body.
Stop wasting your fucking money.
(18:29):
The diet industry, the wellnessindustry, the muscle gain
industry loves to push thesedetox teas and juice cleanses
and all these magic potions thatclaim to flush toxins.
They're going to reset yourbody.
That all sounds great, right,but here's the truth.
Your body already detoxesitself.
No expensive cleanses arerequired.
Your body does it.
Your liver and kidneys work24-7 to remove waste and toxins.
(18:53):
That's literally their job.
No amount of celery juice oroverpriced tea or some other
lotion or potion is going tohelp them do that better.
Your liver and kidneys know howto do it.
So why do people still fall forthis shit, for these detox scams
?
Well, I think there's a coupleof reasons.
(19:15):
The first one is the marketinghype and the quick fix mentality
that the diet industry pushes.
I mean those detox products.
They promise fast results and Ican tell you I've been on juice
detoxes and juice cleanse andI've taken the pills.
Everybody wants fast resultsand I can tell you I've been on
juice detoxes and juice cleanseand I've taken the pills.
Everybody wants fast results.
So they promise the fastresults, that you're going to
have glowing skin.
Of course, you're going to loseweight and it's going to give
(19:37):
you that fresh start and in aworld where we want everything
instant, we want it now.
The idea of cleansing soundsappealing.
So you drink a green juice forthree days, you drop a few
pounds and you feel lighter.
The scale goes down, making youthink, hey, shit, that detox
worked.
But in reality you just lostwater, weight, not fat.
The detox industry thrives onmisinformation and, in my
(20:01):
opinion, the diet industry as awhole thrives on that
misinformation and preys onpeople who are feeling shitty,
you're sluggish, you're bloated,whatever it is.
But bloating doesn't mean youneed to cleanse.
It just means you need to drinkwater, eat fiber and cut out
all that processed shit.
And speaking of shit, a lot ofthese detox teas contain
(20:23):
laxatives like senna, whichmakes you poop more.
So losing water and wastequickly makes you think that,
hey, you're cleansing toxins,but in reality you're just
dehydrating yourself.
Any weight loss that you getfrom that is just temporary and
it comes right back after youstart eating real food.
And I've heard the frequentlaxative uses can mess up your
(20:44):
digestive system and cause allkinds of nutrient shit.
But juice cleanses aren't anybetter.
They strip out the fiber andthe protein.
Again, I told you I've donejuice cleanses.
I even did juicing, justjuicing.
For 90 days I didn't eat, Ididn't chew.
Anyway, I lost a shitload ofweight.
But the juice cleanses, they'renot much better.
(21:05):
They leave you weak.
They leave you hungry Althoughafter a few days I wasn't hungry
but they definitely put you ona blood sugar roller coaster and
that's not detoxing, that'sstarving.
So what really detoxes your body?
That's the net net of what I'msaying.
Your liver filters toxins fromfood, any alcohol you may drink
and all the medications.
Your kidneys well, we know whatthey do.
(21:27):
They remove waste through yourpee.
Your skin actually releasestoxins through sweat and your
digestive system gets rid ofwaste through bowel movements or
taking a shit.
You don't need to cleanse, youjust need to support your body
naturally.
So if you want to really detox,if you want to do an actual
(21:48):
detox, drink water, because itflushes out weights naturally.
Eat fiber-rich foods it helpsdigestion and gets rid of toxins
.
Eat whole, unprocessed foodsand that supports your liver and
your kidney health.
And limit alcohol andultra-processed foods because
they're going to reduce toxinbuildup.
(22:08):
I know alcohol is a big issueand I have the occasional drink.
So, again, you don't need to beperfect, but if you're aware of
it.
Maybe you'll do this.
So I think, why this myth iskeeping you fat?
Because detox diets are scam.
Your body detoxes itself.
Juice cleanses and teas don'tremove toxins, they just make
you go to the bathroom from bothsides.
(22:31):
So the real way to cleanse isby eating whole foods, drinking
water and letting your body doits job.
So save your money.
Don't fall for the next fuckingscam that comes down the road.
Just eat real food, skip thedetox and let your liver handle
the rest, all right.
(22:52):
Number five, which is a big onefor me, is you can't
out-exercise a bad diet.
I've heard so many people talkabout it.
It's just ridiculous.
Move more and go to the gym andthen you can do whatever you
want.
But the truth is a lot ofpeople believe that as long as
they hit the gym, they can eatwhatever they want.
I worked out today, so I earnedthis.
Burger and fries Sound familiar.
(23:12):
The few times that I went tothe gym, I was like I burned
calories, I'm going to go eatsomething.
But here's the real truth youcan't out-exercise a bad diet.
I'm not saying exercise isn'tcrucial for your health, because
it is, and my exercise choiceis not the gym.
It's walking, but you know it'scrucial.
But weight loss and bodycomposition are mostly
(23:34):
determined by what you eat.
So if you think you can eatjunk and just burn it off in the
gym, you're setting yourself upfor failure.
So in this myth, everybodyoverestimates how many calories
they burn, especially duringexercise.
You might feel like you justburned 1,000 calories on an
intense workout.
I wouldn't know what that'slike, but you may think that.
(23:54):
But the reality is a lotdifferent.
Just for your own knowledge,here's what an average 30-minute
workout actually burns.
So if you're running, you're notsprinting, but you're running
at a moderate pace that burns300 or 400 calories in 30
minutes.
If you're riding your bike 250to 350 calories in 30 minutes.
If you're strength training,you're really hitting the gym
(24:16):
hard 150 to 300 calories.
And if you're doing yoga whichI've always heard is great for
you I'm going to try that in2025.
But if you're doing yoga,you're burning 100 to 200
calories in 30 minutes.
And if you compare that to howquickly the calories add up when
you're eating, you'll beshocked.
If you eat just a regular fastfood hamburger, that's 600
(24:37):
calories.
If you eat a large fries, it's500.
If you drink a soda, that's 200.
That meal was 1300 calories.
You'd have to run for almostfour hours just to burn off one
fast food meal, and that's justto break even.
That's not to lose weight,that's just to break even on the
thing.
The reality is, if you're eatingmore calories than you burn,
(25:00):
you're going to put on weight.
I burn 400 calories running soI can have this 600 calorie
smoothie.
Well, the reality of that isyou're still in a calorie
surplus, meaning that you'regoing to gain weight.
And that's why so many peoplewho work out on a regular basis
don't lose weight.
They're unknowingly eating morethan they burn.
I can't tell you how manypeople say I go to the gym every
(25:20):
day.
I don't know why I can't loseweight.
They're unknowingly eating morethan they burn.
I can't tell you how manypeople say I go to the gym every
day.
I don't know why I can't loseweight.
Well, it's because you'refucking eating too much.
But exercise, again, I want tobe sure, because I always talk
about how I never went to thegym.
But exercise definitely helpswith fitness, it helps with
strength, it helps with mentalhealth and weight loss is about
calories in versus calories out.
The bottom line weight loss is80% diet and 20% exercise.
(25:44):
You can lose weight withoutworking out if you're in a
calorie deficit.
You can't lose weight if youeat too many calories, no matter
how much you exercise.
So think about it it's easiernot to eat 500 extra calories
than it is to burn them off.
So again here, the rightapproach is prioritize those
(26:07):
whole nutrient-dense foods.
Watch your portion sizes.
Exercise for health andstrength, not just for calorie
burning.
And if you do work out, bemindful of what you're eating
after your workout.
Fuel yourself, but don't overdoit.
So again, this myth needs todisappear.
Because you can't out-exercisea bad diet.
(26:28):
Weight loss is mostly aboutnutrition.
Exercise is the bonus and youhave to focus on your food
quality and movement and for me,like I said, the movement is
just walking if you want lastingresults.
So exercise is great.
I'm not saying exercise isn'tgreat, but if you want to lose
weight and keep it off, it allstarts in the kitchen.
(26:48):
So again, this all comes downto calories in versus calories
out.
Here's another great one If youeat certain foods, they burn
fat, that there are fat-burningfoods.
Wouldn't it be amazing if wecould just eat a grapefruit or
drink a cup of some kind ofgreen tea and watch the fat melt
away.
Unfortunately, thosefat-burning foods are a fucking
(27:12):
total myth.
For years, fad diets andclickbait have claimed that
certain foods like chili peppers, green tea, lemon water have
special properties that help youlose weight effortlessly.
But here's the truth.
There is no food period, nofood that magically burns fat.
(27:33):
If fat-burning foods were real,we'd all be eating
chili-covered grapefruits andwalking six pack.
I have an ab one and I eatpretty healthy.
So let's break down why thismyth refuses to die and what
actually works for fat loss.
So people believe in metabolismboosting foods like spicy
(27:54):
peppers, coffee, green tea, andthey do slightly increase your
metabolism, but the effect istiny, it's minuscule.
Spicy foods have psacin, whichcan increase calorie burn by
about 20 to 30 calories per meal.
Caffeine and coffee or greentea can give you a temporary
metabolism boost, but it's notgoing to lead to any kind of
(28:16):
significant weight loss.
And while certain foods can, Iguess, support a healthy
metabolism, they're not going todo the work for you.
The work is on you, and apopular claim is some foods like
celery or grapefruit requiremore calories to digest than
they contain, leading to fatloss.
That is complete and utterbullshit.
(28:40):
Yes, high fiber foods likecelery are low in calories and
they keep you full, but no foodcreates a negative calorie
balance.
Guess what does?
The only thing that does is acalorie deficit.
Again, how do you lose weight?
By eating fewer calories thanyou burn?
Things you can do.
(29:00):
Eat protein, because proteinhelps build muscle and it
definitely keeps you full longer.
It has a higher thermic effect,which your body burns more
calories just digesting it.
And eat lean protein.
This is pretty straightforwardstuff.
The key here is portion control,whole foods and long-term
consistency.
The summary here is no foodmagically burns fat.
(29:21):
It doesn't exist.
There is no food out there thatmagically burns fat.
Some foods might slightly boostyour metabolism, but not enough
to make any kind of difference.
So sustainable fat loss comesfrom a balanced diet and wait
for it, calorie control, eatingin a calorie deficit.
So, instead of chasing themagic fat burning food or drink
(29:43):
or whatever, focus on real,sustainable habits.
Eat well, I guess.
Move more, because I certainlyneeded to move more and stay
consistent.
That's the real fat burningsecret eating in a calorie
deficit.
And here's the last one I'mgoing to talk about today.
And that's all these crazycoaches and people that tell you
(30:03):
you can want to lose belly fat,do this?
Want to lose fat in your arms?
Oh, come on.
If you want to lose belly fat,do more crunches, right?
You want thinner thighs?
Do some leg lifts.
Give me a break.
One of the biggest fitness mythsout there and this is not a
fitness podcast, but I'mguessing if people want to
reduce their thighs or theirbelly, they want to lose weight
and, by the way, that's the onlyway you can do it.
(30:25):
But one of the biggest fitnessmyths out there is spot
reduction the idea that you cantarget fat loss in a specific
area of your body by exercisingthose muscles.
That's crazy.
You can't control.
Your body burns fat.
You can't control your bodyburns fat.
If endless sit-ups made absappear, I would have the best
six-pack you've ever seen.
(30:46):
Now, don't get me wrong.
I don't do any sit-ups, somaybe I wouldn't have them, but
if I knew that would actuallywork, man, I'd be doing sit-ups
all day and all night, so Iwould have this killer six-pack.
But fat loss doesn't work thatway.
Fat loss happens all over, notin one place.
When you're in a caloriedeficit, your body pulls energy
from stored fat, but it doesn'tpick and choose where to burn
(31:09):
fat first.
Your genetics actually play thebiggest role in where you lose
fat.
I mean, some people lose it intheir face.
I lose a lot of fat in my facequickly, but some people lose it
in their face face and othersnotice in their legs and their
stomach.
I never had big legs.
I never had fat legs, so Idon't lose any weight from my
legs.
But everybody is different.
So doing that ab workout is notgoing to burn belly fat.
(31:30):
Your body burns fat fromwherever it's programmed to burn
fat from, and a lot of peoplethink that if you work out a
specific area, it's going tomelt the fat off and it's going
to turn into muscle.
But the problem is fat andmuscle are two completely
different tissues.
So muscle grows throughstrength training but it doesn't
burn the fat on top of it.
You can have strong abs.
(31:50):
I like to think that I havestrong abs hidden under belly
fat if you're not lean enough tosee them and clearly I'm not
lean enough to see them becauseI know I have killer six-pack
abs and there's a ton of studiesthat prove that spot reduction
doesn't work.
But they did a study on abworkouts and found that after
six weeks of core training,everybody in there did have
stronger muscles, but there wasabsolutely no change in their
(32:12):
belly fat.
Another kind of cool study thatI think that I read is people
did arm exercise on only one armand it showed the people who
trained one arm for 12 weekslost just as much fat in their
other, non-exercise arm.
So the takeaway from those twoand many others is your body
(32:33):
decides where fat comes up, notyour workouts.
So if you want to know and Iknow you're going to ask me this
question if spot reduction isbullshit how to reduce fat the
right way and you know what itcomes down to a calorie deficit,
right, prioritizing protein,eating whole foods, cutting back
on processed junk and excesssugar.
(32:54):
And the big one, which none ofus like, is you have to be
patient.
You can't choose where you'regoing to lose fat first, but you
can stay consistent Over timeas you lose body fat overall.
Years that you actually want toslim down will eventually
shrink.
So again, the net net.
The bottom line here is youcan't spot reduced fat with
(33:15):
exercise.
Fat loss happens all over yourbody, based on genetics and
overall calorie balance.
So a mix of strength trainingand proper nutrition is the real
key to fat loss.
So skip the endless crunches.
Don't fucking waste your timedoing that shit.
Focus on building strength forsure, improving your diet and
(33:35):
staying consistent, and that'swhen the results will come.
So look, those are the seven.
The diet industry is full ofmyths and gimmicks and quick
fixes designed to keep youconfused.
Carbs make you fat.
Eating late at night makes youfat, and we talked about that
last week.
Fat-burning foods exist.
None of that shit is true.
(33:57):
The only way to lose weight andkeep it off is a calorie
deficit.
That means burning morecalories than you consume.
No magic pill, no secret diet,just simple science.
So you can still eat carbs andstill lose weight if you stay in
a calorie deficit.
You won't store fat because youate after 8 pm, because your
(34:17):
total calories matter more.
Stay in a calorie deficit.
No single food burns fat.
Fat loss happens when your bodyneeds energy and taps into fat
stores.
So stay in a calorie deficit.
All these fad diets and crazyshit that people are saying out
there fail because they focus onrules and restrictions, not
(34:38):
sustainability, the key tolong-term success, you may ask.
Find a way of eating that fitsyour lifestyle, that keeps you
in a calorie deficit and isactually enjoyable.
I always say you have to enjoythe journey.
If it's fucking torture, youwon't do it.
You might do it for a week, twoweeks or six weeks or three
months, but you won't stick toit long-term.
(35:01):
So find something that actuallyis enjoyable for you.
Forget about the myths and stopover-complicating weight loss.
It's simple Eat mindfully, movemore and be consistent.
Stay in a calorie deficit.
That's the real secret tolong-term sustainable success
(35:22):
and that's what I got to say onthose seven diet myths.
Again, if you want to read mybook, learn all about my 140
plus pound weight loss journeyand how I did it, without any
exercise or anything else youcan get my book on Amazon.
It's called Shut Up and Choose,same as this podcast.
We're an Amazon bestseller.
I usually get a lot of emails.
(35:42):
The last two weeks I haven'tgotten too many so I can't read
the thousandth email, but I geta lot of emails on it.
I can also tell you that my newcourse, which is the Effortless
Weight Loss Academy it's about20 some odd videos.
It's a video course.
You can get that.
Now it's finally out of betaand released.
You can get that atlearnshutupandchoose, that's
learnshutupandchoosecom, andthat's pretty much it.
(36:09):
That's the end of myself-promotion thing.
So now I guess the only thingthat you hopefully you're armed
with some knowledge and you knowwhy those myths are fucking
ridiculous.
So the next time someone triesto push those myths or something
similar that on you, you knowwhat to do.
(36:29):
Just shut up and choose, thankyou.
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