Podcast Episode #51: Ben Greenfield & John Gilbert Answer Your Best Burning Questions About Fat Loss, Nutrition & Human Performance

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The story behind the highly unconventional Podcast Episode #51 (NOT podcast episode #52 as I accidentally say in the introduction!):

This week I made a big mistake. I accidentally erased the recorded audio interview on “natural topical anti-inflammatories”. So I put the future of Podcast Episode #51 into the hands of the Ben Greenfield Fitness newsletter subscribers.

Here’s what I asked: write down the one burning question you have about fat loss, nutrition or human performance (try to make it relevant and unique). Then just e-mail it to [email protected].

The FIRST question I received was promised a brand new midnight black and lime green BenGreenfieldFitness t-shirt. And here was the official FIRST question:

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“Hey Ben, I’ve been charting my meals online to monitor calorie intake now that I’m not training for long-distance events, and the most frustrating thing I find is estimating your base metabolism and how many calories you truly should be eating in a day. There is a HUGE amount of variance from site to site, depending on your normal daily activity level and amount of exercise. Is it worth being tested or consulting a “real” nutritionist/dietitian, or is there a reliable do it yourself source for this kind of information? And, relatedly, many of these sites also estimate amount of calories you burn in exercise, which also seems entirely arbitrary and potentially inaccurate, but I know my Polar is “off” too, so I only use it for estimating purposes. This gets frustrating when you’re trying to balance diet and exercise more closely. The bottom line: is good enough really “good enough” for using these systems for weight loss? I’m curious as to your opinion. Thanks for the podcasts and newsletters. They are always a good source of information.”

-Nicole

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Congratulations, Nicole! Your BenGreenfieldFitness t-shirt will go out just as soon as you e-mail in your mailing address (by the way, that picture above is a girl getting one of those resting metabolic tests I mention in the answer). But following Nicole’s question, I was then bombarded with a barrage of questions. So many questions, in fact, that I had to give an emergency call to my colleague John Gilbert, the metabolism mastermind over at Human Wellness Solutions to help field these questions. John and I sat down in our Spokane metabolic laboratory to record this podcast and answer your questions, which were all fantastic! We decided to start by awarding the THREE top questions with a free exercise DVD from “100 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism”.We like this first question because it really strikes at the heart of what alot of people struggle with. Go ahead and send us your mailing address, Buddy!

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“How do you stay motivated when you know what to eat, how to lift and the amount of cardio that is necessary to lose weight but you can’t seem to “stick with it”. I have approximately 20 lbs to lose and when I lose 10 lbs I seem to notice that I feel better, my clothes fit better and I receive compliments from friends and family. Then I fall off the dedication wagon and quickly put the 10 lbs back on. A month or two of dedication lost in a matter of weeks. I’m trying to understand the psychology side to my self sabotage, any suggestions? I know you’re not a psychologist but any suggestions you have would be helpful.”

Sincerely, Buddy – Going mental in Southern California!

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