Why you always try fad diets/products (and what actually works)
Hello everyone, welcome back to the One Day at a Time podcast and my name is Scott if you didn't know. Today I want to cover something really important actually. I had a good chat with one of the members in the group and obviously we all come from different from our health and fitness. We get exposed to different people, different ways and all our things but what you do notice in the nutrition health industry, if you do follow the people that have no agenda for selling a very specific fix, like some people get attached to keto and then everything is keto, some people get attached to low carb and everything is low carb, some people get attached to intermittent fasting, it has to be intermittent fasting. Do you know what I mean?
Speaker 1:Or gut health and they get attached to this and from that attachment they become defensive of anything that says that it might not be as effective as you think beyond the standard core things we should do to improve our health. And the problem with this is a lot of things, a lot of these big companies coming out with these new types of solutions, they hire really really good marketing people and the way they bring things across makes you think you've missed something. The way they can word something from a study can make you think that it is a definitive answer and stuff like that. So from this chart, I want to cover one of these companies. There's benefits for people joining these communities and several other companies, but it's just as an overall way of looking at things, we need to look at it like this.
Speaker 1:When we are looking at a new diet or a new protocol or a new way such as ZOE with their continuous glucose monitors and Lumen with that breathe into their device to check if you're burning carbs right now or fat, and there'll be other devices doing all sorts of crazy stuff and they think that what they're doing is unique. And on top of what they're doing, if you do that it's going to give you better results than if you just did the standard protocol that is backed by decades and decades of randomized controlled trials. So if you look at all of these experts, genuine experts who have got no affiliation and they're just showing the truth, they will all come to the similar conclusions. And we've heard this as a group saying, oh Scott, you say the same thing as this other guy I've listened to or this other guy. It's like none of us are making things up.
Speaker 1:It's just the conclusion from all the research is so obvious that you're bound to be saying the same thing if you go down the path of I'm not fixed to one way. And that is calorie control is called, right? Calorie restriction plus higher protein plus more steps equals majority of your fat loss results and benefits to your health from it. So if we look at, if you were to break it down, you sustainably lose weight through a calorie deficit moderate. We know this is good.
Speaker 1:We know that maintaining muscle is really important, so we have to do, you have to increase our protein and add some resistance strain ideally. And we need to increase our daily movement, like steps or sometimes structured exercise. Those three elements improve metabolic health. Better insulin sensitivity, reduced inflammation, lower blood pressure, body composition improves, less visceral fat, overall well-being goes up. And this is confirmed by a hell of a lot of meta analysis of randomised controlled trials, which is the top gold standard of trials, randomized controlled trials, shows cause and effect.
Speaker 1:So for instance, weight loss of 5%, 10% alone can reverse pre diabetes in like fifty percent to sixty percent of cases. People who have got type two diabetes, if you lose weight, in most cases you don't even have to follow a specific diet as long as you lose weight, you can put into remission. There are some complications with it, but that's in general. And if you can retain muscle retention, it prevents metabolic slow slowdown. So as we age we tend to lose some muscle and this means we lose the energy to work those muscles so metabolic rate drops, also known as like your total daily energy expenditure people will say.
Speaker 1:So your daily energy expenditure drops as you lose muscle, as you become less active this creates an environment for an easier calorie surplus and weight gain right. But if we look at if we could prevent the muscle going right and we got the movement to boost our NEAT as it's called non exercise activity thermogenesis, we're going to maintain our total daily energy expenditure higher and means it's easier for us to get into deficit. So like those your health benefits are all covered there. These benefits aren't exclusive to any brand of diet. That's the important thing to realize here.
Speaker 1:No one here is saying that it's better here if you did like the low carb or whatever. That's not what these studies are saying. So diets like keto, intermittent fasting, even Mediterranean which has some extra health benefits in terms of because you do olive oil and stuff, but like in terms of it's not as big of a difference versus like if you didn't have it. But these diets work mainly because they basically create a calorie deficit, encourage protein rich foods not due to the unique metabolic hacks or whatever you will see from them. So the randomised controlled trials show time after time again that when calorie intake and protein are the same outcomes are similar across the diets.
Speaker 1:The main factor between if they work or not is if you can stick to what you're eating, the plan. And we know that the plans we do stick to are the ones that are flexible. If you've got a flexible approach to nutrition called flexible dieting and all that type of stuff, even the studies on flexible nutrition shows the people who follow that have lower body fat percentages, they have less anxiety and less risk of depression as well because they're not fixed to rigid approaches to eating and rigid approaches to what they think has to work right. Now the weight loss industry is obviously worth like 100 plus billion and there's always going to be new stuff coming out. But if they help you get into a calorie deficit, get higher protein and move more, your results are going to come from those three things not the magic thing they add on top.
Speaker 1:Now you could say, but Scott if they let me if that if me paying them makes me do the three core things then what's the problem? I've got no problem with the fact that they could help you get to those three things. It's just the way they word things is that it's not those three things, it's that what they're doing is unique and adds extra benefit even though there's no studies that show this. So it's not so much, okay, you've done the thing, but you have to realize yourself mind that it's not what they're adding on top that's actually made the difference for you. It's because you've done the fundamentals.
Speaker 1:So the question is, can you just do the fundamentals without spending £300 a month or whatever it is, £500 a year on these things? Can you get the improvements that they're all claiming by focusing on the fundamentals and using a super simple tool to use it? PowerPal is based on that. Just super simple. Calorie's 14 steps.
Speaker 1:Do that. Get on with your life. That really is our motto. It's hard to sell because it's normal or sexy. You know?
Speaker 1:You can do it in other ways. Don't have to use power power. Not saying you have to use power power. Obviously, we're going try and help you and give you the support you need, but it's as simple as that. So these products that offer personalization and hacks, they don't offer any other benefit apart from the core things we do or they lead you to do anyway.
Speaker 1:Now if they tell you that they're going to tailor plans based on your metabolism DNA, implying that the basics, the core aren't enough without their tech, Yet the randomised control trials show no superior outcomes from such personalisation. And I shared that I did a podcast on one of them before about personalising your carb and fat intake based on your genetics, whether you prefer carbs or prefer fats didn't show improved weight loss, even if you did personalise a diet to someone who favours carbs and more than fats and there's no. So this biohacking stuff is a lot of nonsense. And this metabolic flexibility that's now been talked about. Metabolic flexibility, your metabolic rate or your metabolism will improve with weight loss, with higher protein, maintaining muscle in more steps.
Speaker 1:Simple as that. These things naturally improve with the basics. They naturally improve with the basics. They don't improve just because of this new tech thing. And then you will look at supplements and boosters, high protein shakes.
Speaker 1:Yes. Great. Protein helps you eat more protein. Are they superior if you have chicken breast? Not really, maybe they have some benefits being quicker absorbing but in the general overview of like absolute impact Supplements are there to supplement.
Speaker 1:I take clear whey protein because it's easy for me to digest, it's easy for me to get forty-fifty grams of protein in from the drink versus eating food. That's why I do it for convenience. I don't think it's superior to eating the equivalent in food. It's just easier. Then you've got these fat burners and abtosporescent tablets and they don't really work.
Speaker 1:Then we've got the gut health trend now and ketones for fat adaption and stuff like that. Again, no additional benefit. Beyond the core that I spoke about, core, what the Power Pal is based on. So these are what people are pushing. You're taking you down the wrong conclusion.
Speaker 1:Then you've branded diets and stuff and you've got Weight Watchers and Noom and meal replacement shakes and they charge a hell of a lot of money. They offer some community element which is helpful and I think that's important if you get community from it. But again, there's no additional improvement on the results versus the standard three. And there's also now stuff like functional nutrition with adaptogens for stress and all of this stuff. It's becoming like they're trying to make you think that you're stupid for thinking that the main thing is the deficit, the protein in the steps.
Speaker 1:They're trying to make you think that if you think it's just that, you're crazy, it's this. Does that make sense? So as these products add perceived value through their science y jargon, through their clever marketing, so their new products, their testimonials, the formal, all that stuff and it sounds science y and it sounds right, the basics account for 80%, 90, 95% of your results, guys. These add ons may have a placebo maybe, but what if they add 1% or 2%? But what if you miss the foundations to get the one or 2% they claim to get?
Speaker 1:Well, they don't claim to give you, they claim to give you more than that, but really they're just giving you a few percent. You're missing the core. Right? You're missing the core. There's been hundreds of randomized controlled trials on this.
Speaker 1:Hundreds. And if we were to look at what they are compared to other interventions, we can see what happens. So just to go over some quickly or otherwise I'd be here all day. If we look at one meta analysis of randomized controlled trials and combined behavioral weight management 2014. So the basics, which we'll call the basics, we'll call it the core, moderate deficit high protein steps as exercise.
Speaker 1:Five to eight kilogram loss at twelve months for the basics, for the core. Other interventions showed basically no improvement, no added impact from fancy diets when calories are equated. Nothing, zero. There's ones then done on exercise as diet alone, so basics plus exercise adds a bit. Of course, if you were to do some training, it would help.
Speaker 1:We know that's backed by a lot of research. Resistance training once or twice a week can help. High protein, just high protein diet, not looking at calories and stuff doesn't do much. You need to get a deficit and you you've got to get the steps as well. So the three core are like these three like the what was it called?
Speaker 1:God, the Holy Spirit or whatever. Calm and the Spirit or whatever. It's that basically. It's that. I go through these all day.
Speaker 1:There is literally no additional benefit to most of these things on top of the core, and that's important to realize. And then you can't be shafted by all of these new things. Right? You can't be shafted by all of these things. And you might say, well, Scott, there must be something you can do on top of the calorie deficit, higher protein and steps to improve health.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there are a few things that are backed by a lot of studies that can do, but they add extras on top that you should plan to do over time and not straight away. You know, for example, resistance training. I talk about this all the time. I'm not saying you have to do it from the start and overload you with things to do, but doing one, two or three resistance training workouts a week is going to help you maintain or even gain muscle mass. Cognition will improve.
Speaker 1:It's great for your health. Amazing. You're going to feel awesome. It's going to lower the risks of osteoporosis and falls and adults are going have a better time You're gonna have more strength in your bones and muscles. When you include high protein with resistance training, strength is gonna go up and in general you're gonna live a healthier life essentially.
Speaker 1:And I think it's important to think about when are you gonna start trying this. Implement it. That's the key thing. Another thing is obviously the boring one, which is sleep. You know, you get seven to nine hours of sleep a night and you're gonna be in a much better place.
Speaker 1:If we don't do it, we're going to have a tough time. So when you look at randomised controlled trials on sleep, seven to nine hours helps lower risks of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and loads of other outcomes. And I think as well when you look at when you don't sleep enough, basically eat more calories the next day in the evening based on the fact you're tired and then by the end of the day maybe your willpower is gone or whatever and you get a higher hunger and cravings kick in and then you eat more calories as a result. Sleep is like one of those things you should prioritise but it's boring. You know, it's very boring.
Speaker 1:Go to bed earlier and have good sleep. And then the other one is, and I speak about this one before, is fiber. Aiming to get like twenty to forty grams of fiber a day. Awesome. Helps with your satiety, helps with the gut microbiome which we talk about, fosters beneficial bacteria, better immune function from fibre, reduced colon cancer risk as well shown.
Speaker 1:So there's a lot of benefits to increasing oral fibre. And there was a systematic review meta analysis that showed higher fibre and whole grains improved glycaemic control in diabetes management beyond just calorie restriction. That's one of the things beyond just restriction does it help? Yeah, well fiber, one of those things. And I think when we look at fiber, what it means is that we typically then move towards eating maybe a Mediterranean type diet when it comes to adding more fibre.
Speaker 1:Or eat more fruits and veggies, which we've been told to do for God knows how long. God knows how long. We know we need to eat more fruits and veggies along with higher protein. So these things are not sexy, are they? Not sexy at all.
Speaker 1:But that's the core. And beyond the core, why are you worrying about things? Why why you waste your money? Why are you wasting mental energy on it? All you're gonna do is keep researching stuff.
Speaker 1:You're gonna be hit with ads. It's a never ending list of things you think you should be doing and they cost you a fortune. It makes me laugh when people comment in some post. God, it's so expensive. 39 a year.
Speaker 1:39 a year. 13p a day. Some of these companies are charging £501,000 a year. Some coaches will charge you hundreds of pounds a month because they think they can sell you some secret sauce. There's nothing beyond the core.
Speaker 1:If everyone did the core and got the results, these companies would be done for because there's nothing beyond the core that really does anything. So once everyone actually realizes that, what power do they have over you? Because until you realize yourself, if you've been using PowerPal, you know you've got the results from it. People have mentioned they've gone back to doctors, blood work improved, la la la. And they haven't done anything extra on top.
Speaker 1:They've done the calories, the protein and the steps. And then we start thinking, alright, you've had the moment. How does everyone come across this? How do I get it? Because if you don't do this, you're always gonna be susceptible to these companies coming out with huge marketing budgets.
Speaker 1:VC firms are behind them spending tens of millions to burn through cash. They don't care if it costs more money to acquire you than they get back. That's the they're very aggressive. When we look at a company like Zoe, is backed by VCs and people think Tim Spector owns it and he controls it. No way.
Speaker 1:They use him as a front to say stuff to get views. It's based on It's based on the science of twin studies epidemiology and they're trying to say that even identical twins can have different gut microbiomes or that shouldn't be the case, should be the same. But no, they shouldn't be the same. Just because you're a twin and you're identical and you're brought up in the same household doesn't mean you have the same experiences. I'm a twin, my sister.
Speaker 1:Even on the same house, we have a different view with the world, different experiences. Of course, it's going to impact our guts in different ways. We can't go out there and say that everything's down to the change in the gut because of the twin studies. We don't do that. We look at things the other way.
Speaker 1:We go, Alright, there's a bacteria in the stomach in people with obesity. And they looked at this study and they said, Right, is it because the bacteria was at first caused this person to eat more? And that would be huge because that means the bacteria is causing them to eat more, which means it's the cause of obesity. Or is it that obese people have a certain environment in the gut that has the environment to create a certain bacteria? And the answer is the second one.
Speaker 1:People who are obese, there's a certain environment that's built, and in that environment, these specific gut bacteria show. So we could have gone down the wrong path there. And maybe Zoe was hoping, praying to God that he was the first one. Then they could say it's all done to the gut bacteria. But yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1:Do what you want. Do what you want. But you go and look at the randomized controlled trials on weight loss, weight management interventions and health benefits of them, and you come to the same conclusion as me and many others. And if you want to follow the basics and get results and crack on with your life, join us, follow the programme and just be flexible with everything and focus on your mindset and stress management, all that stuff, your friends and your family. Get on with your life, man.
Speaker 1:What are you doing spending hours and hours and hours thinking there's magic bullet out there? Do the fundamentals. Go to sleep, wake up the next day, do the same again, enjoy your days. And that's all I've got to say. So have a good day.
Speaker 1:Any other questions, let me know.
