Misapplications of Popular Weight Loss Advice, and Identifying the “Healthiest” Diet

After Eric’s first earthquake experience, today’s episode begins with a brief discussion of natural disasters. That’s followed by Greg’s segment, which covers popular weight loss advice that may do more harm than good. While most of the ideas that catch on and get popular originate with bodybuilders and physique athletes, they are often misapplied when generalized to other populations (that is, most people). Finally, Eric presents a segment that addresses a very common question: what is the healthiest diet? This yields a discussion about evidence-based guidelines for structuring a diet that supports general health, wellbeing, and longevity, while addressing some common misconceptions along the way.

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TIME STAMPS

Intro/Announcements (0:00)

Natural disasters (1:37)

How to support the show (17:03)

Popular weight loss advice that may do more harm than good (21:16)

Characteristics of an effective long-term weight loss diet (29:56)

Rigid macro counting (31:07)

• https://www.strongerbyscience.com/goal-setting/
• https://macrofactorapp.com/cheat-meals/

Really high protein targets (50:08)

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6GRoE7SYmI

Eat bland foods (59:33)

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15930436/

Focus on outcome (1:11:25)

• https://www.strongerbyscience.com/goal-setting/

Summary and conclusions (1:23:14)

What is the healthiest diet? (1:35:35)

Major health issues that are impacted by dietary habits (1:45:14)

The purpose and value of broad dietary guidelines (1:51:12)

2015 Healthy Diet Indicator criteria (1:54:29)

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30364851/

2020 Healthy Diet Indicator criteria (1:57:46)

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33344879/

General overview of healthy dietary pattern characteristics (2:04:03)

“Named” diets that meet many of the Healthy Diet Indicator criteria (2:15:11)

• https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/education/dash-eating-plan
• https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/a-practical-guide-to-the-mediterranean-diet-2019032116194

Popular perspectives that are unsupported by evidence (2:21:11)

Summary and conclusions (2:27:09)

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• MASS Research Review: Subscribe to the MASS Research Review to get concise and applicable breakdowns of the latest strength, physique, and nutrition research – delivered monthly.