1201: Benjamin Bikman | Insulin Resistance Is Killing Half of America

Fad diets work — until they don't. On this Skeptical Sunday, Nick Pell reveals why a sustainable regimen always beats restriction for lasting weight loss!Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and a guest break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. This time around, we’re joined by writer and researcher Nick Pell!Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1139On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:Most fad diets work primarily through inadvertent caloric restriction, not some kind of metabolic magic. When you eliminate entire food groups (per keto's commandments) or shrink eating windows (as with intermittent fasting), you're essentially performing a disappearing act on hundreds of daily calories. The weight loss isn't mysterious — it's mathematical.These diets often resemble nutritional extreme sports — thrilling at first, but impossible to maintain over the long term. Like trying to hold your breath underwater, eventually you come up gasping for carbs.The Standard American Diet (ironically abbreviated S.A.D.) sets such a dismally low nutritional baseline that almost any structured eating plan looks miraculous by comparison. When researchers celebrate a diet's success, they're often comparing it to a nutritional landscape where frozen pizza qualifies as a vegetable serving.Many of these diets carry surprising biological price tags — keto's potential kidney damage, carnivore's digestive rebellion (pooping "once every three days" is less a feature than a warning sign), and nutritional blind spots that could leave your body wondering what happened to all those essential micronutrients it once enjoyed.The most effective diet isn't the most restrictive or trendy, but simply the one you'll actually maintain. Like finding your soulmate, the best nutritional approach matches your lifestyle and preferences while gently steering you toward better choices. The best diet is the one that you'll stick with. Consider finding your personal sweet spot between nutrition science and real-life application by making modest, consistent improvements rather than dramatic overnight overhauls. Your future self will thank you for the balanced approach.Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/dealsSign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

13 Apr 56min

Your wife was caught kissing her "friend," denied it, then gaslighted you when confronted. Now she swears they're platonic? It's Feedback Friday!And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1138On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:LDL from 119 to 78? Jordan's not saying it's the chia seed pudding, but...it's the chia seed pudding!You've discovered your wife is having an affair with her close female friend. Despite confronting her with evidence, she's gaslighted you and turned things around. Now she claims they're "just friends" while helping her through divorce. Should you trust someone who's repeatedly deceived you, or is it time to rebuild your life?You've repeatedly offered to help plan your sister-in-law's baby shower, only to hear her complain to friends that no one's helping her. This isn't the first time she's created false narratives — she previously scheduled her destination wedding during yours and bullied your sister. Do you confront this pattern of toxic behavior or let it slide?You're a Polish immigrant and Marine Corps veteran with friends who vocally disparage immigrants as "freeloaders" while they themselves live in subsidized housing, receive government benefits, and refuse to work to maintain eligibility. With detailed documentation of their fraud and your imminent move to Europe, should you report them or walk away?Your cousin and his wife are active drug users caring for their four-year-old son in a chaotic home with an ex-convict roommate. Your aunt enables them financially while trying to protect the child, but you're torn between calling CPS or offering to take in your little cousin yourself, despite living three states away. How far should family responsibility extend?Recommendation of the Week: Bose noise-canceling headphones.[An update from the ever-memorable episode 926!] Your abusive ex-boyfriend lost his foot after being attacked with a rubber mallet by his new girlfriend. Despite his life-altering injuries and chronic pain, he hasn't changed his womanizing ways. Meanwhile, you've continued your healing journey, advanced your career, and just bought your first house. Can some people ever truly change after hitting rock bottom?Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi and Instagram @gabrielmizrahi.And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/dealsSign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

11 Apr 1h 14min

By popular demand, former ATF agent Jay Dobyns returns to take us deeper into the logistics of infiltrating the Hells Angels and living to tell the tale! [Pt. 3 of 3 — find 1 here and 2 here!]Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1137What We Discuss with Jay Dobyns:ATF agent Jay Dobyns first infiltrated the Solo Angels gang in Tijuana simply to gain credibility with the Hells Angels in Arizona — an infiltration within an infiltration to establish presence in a culture notorious for extreme scrutiny.The psychological toll of living a double life while undercover was severe. Taking handfuls of Hydroxycut to keep pace, Jay would cry himself to sleep from exhaustion and once signed a check with his undercover name, showing how blurred the lines became.At the Mesa clubhouse, when his hand moved toward his concealed weapon, a Hells Angel asked, "Jaybird, let me ask you something. Can you outdraw my trigger squeeze?" — one of many moments where Jay's survival hung by a thread, with only his wits as a safety net.Despite evidence gathered over two years, prosecutors reduced charges and sought plea deals with criminals in the Hells Angels organization rather than pursuing full prosecution — a profoundly frustrating outcome for Jay after years of risking his life to put these predators behind bars for good.Despite having his home burned down and contract killers sent after him, Jay made a life-changing decision: "I live with concern. I choose not to live in fear because if I live in fear, they own me." This powerful mindset shows that even after facing extreme adversity, we all have the ability to reclaim our power by refusing to let fear dictate our choices.And much more...And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/dealsSign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

8 Apr 1h 18min

You yearn for motherhood, but your husband's always made it apparent that he doesn't want to be a parent. Can your marriage survive? It's Feedback Friday!Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1136And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!On This Week's Feedback Friday:You've built a decade of adventure with someone who made his childless intentions clear from day one, hoping he'd change his mind over time. At 32, your heart yearns for the pitter-patter of little feet, but your husband remains firm in preserving the kid-free status quo. Can (and should) your marriage survive the resentment one of you will feel depending on whatever happens next?Your sister's mother-in-law inherited $500,000 in debt after her husband died, just weeks after losing her brother. Now she's leaning heavily on your brother-in-law to handle this mess and might flee the country. How entangled should you get in this financial and emotional hurricane?You're a millennial dad who grew up with uncensored internet access and saw things you shouldn't have as a kid. Now you have a six-year-old daughter of your own, and you're determined to protect her in an increasingly complicated digital landscape. What tools and strategies can keep her safe without fearmongering?You're a professional bird catcher driving 50,000 miles yearly with half the standard mileage reimbursement, no holiday pay, no overtime, and you don't get paid if another bird enters a store within 48 hours after you've removed one. Your employer actively prevents employees from communicating. What recourse do you have?Recommendation of the Week: The Ikigai vitamin caseYou've started dating a kind, funny guy who makes you feel comfortable in your own skin — but he doesn't brush his teeth regularly, needs to be "pushed in the right direction," and seems more concerned about you liking him than getting to know you. Is this mothering dynamic worth working through?Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi and Instagram @gabrielmizrahi.And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/dealsSign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

4 Apr 1h 16min

Companies harvest 6GB of your data hourly. Psychologist Sandra Matz explains how they predict everything from depression to politics—and how to fight back.Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1135What We Discuss with Sandra Matz:Companies collect ~6GB of data per hour on individuals through social media, credit cards, smartphones, and location tracking, enabling predictions about personality, politics, and mental health.Facebook identified depressed teenagers in 2015 and sold this information to advertisers rather than providing support, prioritizing profit over well-being.Algorithms need just 300 likes to know someone better than their spouse, while facial recognition can determine sexual orientation with 81% accuracy from facial features alone."Anonymized" data isn't truly anonymous — three credit card transactions can uniquely identify a person, revealing unintentional information beyond our curated online personas.Data co-ops offer a practical solution for regaining control. MS patients in Europe and Uber drivers in the US have formed co-ops to collectively manage their data, allowing them to benefit from data aggregation while maintaining ownership and directing outcomes toward their shared interests rather than corporate profit.And much more...And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/dealsSign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1 Apr 1h 22min

Three years into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Ryan McBeth brings us in from Out of the Loop to explain tech advances, geopolitical shifts, and what's next.Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1134Welcome to what we're calling our "Out of the Loop" episodes, where we dig a little deeper into fascinating current events that may only register as a blip on the media's news cycle and have conversations with the people who find themselves immersed in them.On This Episode of Out of the Loop:Three years in, the Ukraine conflict initiated by Russian invasion is deeply intertwined with broader global power plays, shifting alliances in NATO, and the rising influence of China — underscoring that military conflicts today are as much about political maneuvering as they are about battlefield tactics.The speed of technological advances — such as fiberoptic–tethered drones and adaptive intelligence systems — is reshaping modern combat with development cycles dropping from months to weeks.Russia is running low on armored vehicles (with only about 200-400 left from Soviet-era stockpiles), but has become more dangerous due to the combat experience gained during three years of war, making their military more adaptable and effective.Ukraine provides valuable intelligence to NATO through a school in Poland (JATEC), where Ukrainian soldiers share battlefield lessons about Russian tactics, electronic warfare, drone usage, and other combat insights that NATO countries would otherwise have to learn the hard way.Despite multifaceted challenges, Ukraine’s experience provides a live case study in resilience and rapid innovation. By embracing agile production methods, decentralized innovation, and strategic intelligence, Ukraine and its partners can learn to adapt more effectively to modern warfare conditions. Policymakers and military planners can use these lessons to foster systems that are flexible, continuously improving, and better prepared for future conflicts.And much more!Connect with Jordan on Twitter, on Instagram, and on YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on an Out of the Loop episode, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!Connect with Ryan McBeth at his website, Twitter, Instagram, and on YouTube. If you’d like to stay on top of what’s happening in the world, subscribe to Ryan’s Substack!And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/dealsSign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

30 Mars 1h 16min

When your niece revealed her father's affair, you became the custodian of a truth that could detonate your entire family dynamic. It's Feedback Friday!Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1133And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss:Your niece found evidence that her father (your brother-in-law) is having an affair, putting you in an impossible position between family loyalty and moral responsibility. What do you do when every choice seems destined to hurt someone you care about, and the consequences could reshape your family forever?You're teaching a college course where student feedback suggests you're failing them with your outdated teaching methods and questionable content. As enrollment numbers plummet and department chairs circle, you face a choice between defending your academic freedom and adapting to modern educational expectations.You've always dreamed of inheriting your grandmother's charming house, but family complications and your cousin's competing claim have turned this potential windfall into a battlefield of resentment. As inheritance negotiations intensify, you're discovering what truly matters might not be the property itself.You've realized you no longer love your wife after years of marriage, leaving you torn between honesty that could devastate her and a lifetime of emotional deception. As you contemplate separation, unexpected revelations force you to question everything you thought you knew about love, commitment, and what you really want.Recommendation of the Week: Let a stranger know how they've had a positive impact on you. (Witness this in action at the next point!)You were struggling with severe depression and contemplating ending your life when you discovered The Jordan Harbinger Show, which unexpectedly became your lifeline during your darkest moments. The insights and perspectives you gained through listening gradually pulled you back from the edge and transformed your outlook on life. After helping a few of your friends find their way through their own struggles, you’re looking to galvanize the urge for improvement in others. What can you do? [All of us here at the show are humbled and appreciate you for sharing your journey with us!]Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi and Instagram @gabrielmizrahi.And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/dealsSign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

28 Mars 1h 8min

How do ordinary people become dangerous extremists? Former FBI agent Scott Payne infiltrated America's most violent hate groups and reveals their playbook. What We Discuss with Scott Payne: Scott Payne worked as an undercover FBI agent infiltrating various extremist organizations, including white supremacists like the KKK and accelerationists such as The Base, which aimed to trigger societal collapse and establish a white ethnostate. Accelerationist groups differ from traditional white supremacist organizations in that they don't believe in political solutions, but train for violence and "Boogaloo" (race war), preparing with tactical gear and weapons while planning attacks on infrastructure and targeted individuals. During his undercover work, Scott encountered disturbing rituals and behaviors, including a goat sacrifice during which members drank blood and took LSD as part of a neo-pagan ceremony associated with white supremacist ideology. White supremacist recruitment often targets vulnerable individuals from broken homes who are seeking belonging and connection, with online platforms like Telegram and Gab serving as recruitment grounds where extremist content can radicalize disaffected youth. Deescalation and communication skills proved to be Scott's most valuable tools throughout his career. His experience shows that even in hostile environments, the ability to talk through situations and remain calm under pressure is often more effective than physical confrontation — a skill anyone can develop and apply to their own difficult interactions. And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1132 And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally! This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course! Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom! Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

25 Mars 1h 28min