Why You're Not Losing Fat — maybe it's parasites?
Double your fat loss, no math required.
Eight weeks of choosing whole foods instead of ultra processed food-like substance led to double the weight loss, in two groups eating the same number of calories and meet the same nutritional targets — protein, fat, carbs, fiber, sodium. This was just published in Nature Medicine (August 2025). Real food makes a real difference. This is just 8 weeks, what happens when you practice this substitution for 8 months or 8 years!1
If you are aiming to take off in your health and rise above the continual merry-go-round of losing pounds and gaining more pounds a long runway is required.
A short runway looks like fat burning teas, ultra-low calorie diets, 7-day parasite cleanse, cabbage soup, 21 days of juicing, gluten free pastries or like this image I saw outside of a health food store.
Recognize the before and after pictures are not 1, 3 or 5 years a part. I am sure you know how it works. The majority of the population has gone through a fad not meant to create any real health routine multiple times.
Why do we continually run back to buy the lottery card? When research paper after research paper shows there is over a 99% likelihood we will not get the sustained results we are aiming for.
The long runway, that leads to health liftoff is loaded with ugly things like consistency, persistence, hilltops and valleys, accountability, delayed gratification, looking different than family and friends, planning ahead, whole foods, and physical exertion.
When you have been living the opposite of these words and actions for years or decades, the long runway can seem completely overwhelming. This is exactly what the worms you need to cleanse influencers and the take these powders and bars for breakfast, lunch and dinner health coaches hope you keep believing. This belief is what keeps their bank account bountiful.
It is time to flip the script.
Instead of consistently choosing instant gratification or what feels good, start practicing the art of substitution. This removes willpower and deprivation from the table. We are creating a new default that is just as satisfying only so much more nourishing.
Instead of “I can’t have chips,” we live in the space of “I have roasted sweet potato wedges with Herbamare.”
Instead of grabbing a Builder Bar, you have an apple or banana with real peanut butter.
Instead of sitting in our recliner eating snacks while watching a show, we pull our treadmill around the corner so we can walk and watch.
Instead of sitting in the recliner, we sit on the floor and go through a stretching routine.
The substitution health economy requires consistent execution for results in a meaningful time frame. Today you choose substitution because today is all you have. When tomorrow becomes today you will want to choose the substitution economy once again.
Ultra processed or minimally processed diets following healthy dietary guidelines on weight and cardiometabolic health: a randomized, crossover trial | Nature Medicine