Speaker 1: 0:02

If you're a whiny snowflake that can't handle the truth, is offended by the word fuck and about 37 uses of it in different forms gets ass hurt. When you hear someone speak the absolute, real and raw truth, you should leave Like right now. This is Shut Up and Choose, the podcast where we cut through the shit and get real about weight loss, life and everything in between. We get into the nitty gritty of making small, smart choices that add up to big results. From what's on your plate to how you approach life's challenges. We'll explore how the simple act of choosing differently can transform your health, your mindset and your entire freaking life. So if you're ready to cut through the bullshit and start making some real changes, then buckle up and shut up, because we're about to choose our way to a healthier, happier life. This is Shut Up and Choose. Let's do this Now. Your host, jonathan Ressler.

Speaker 2: 1:16

Hey everybody, welcome back to Shut Up and Choose the podcast that cuts through the noise, the bullshit and all the crap that the nutrition and diet industry is throwing at you. I am your host, jonathan Ressler, and today we're going to talk about something that you're undoubtedly going to see, and that is more noise, the extra noise that happens in January, about all the ridiculous shit that's bad for you, that's going to kill you. But anyway, I hope everybody had a really nice Thanksgiving. I had a great Thanksgiving, a lot of fun. I ate everything that I wanted to eat and I feel absolutely no guilt about it. Hopefully you're doing the same. But if you're feeling guilty today about what you ate last week, well then, get the fuck over it. Man, yeah, it was one meal, one meal in over 350 meals, whatever the number, thousands of meals you're going to eat this year. So get over it, get back on track and get started again, or just pick right up where you left off. Did I gain a pound or two? I'm sure I did. I didn't weigh myself because it doesn't matter to me, because I don't have a number goal. But I'm getting right back on track and as we enter into this holiday season it kind of starts In fact, really it's all year, but it starts at Thanksgiving.

Speaker 2: 2:22

You start to get these crazy people selling crazy shit online and telling you all kinds of crazy myths and lies and just ridiculous shit, and the bottom line is none of it's true, you don't need any of it. You just need to make small, smart choices. So I mean, the bottom line is navigating the health and nutrition advice out there. Today it feels like you're stepping into a fun house, except, honestly, it's just it's not fun. Everywhere you turn, someone's yelling that whatever you're eating is wrong, it's bad or it's downright deadly. Eggs are poison. I saw that the other day. Red meat is the grim reaper in food form. Bananas will make you obese, carbs will ruin your life and, for the love of God, don't drink too much water because wait for it it could get toxic and kill you. You could overdose on water. You could drink too much water.

Speaker 2: 3:12

I don't know if anybody else feels like screaming, because I fucking sure do. Here's the truth, though. Most of that stuff is just bullshit, nonsense. It's noise, plain and simple, and it's shouted by people who either have no clue about what they're talking about which is probably half of them or it's about someone trying to scare you into buying something they're selling Meanwhile, like normal people like me, and you are sometimes left paralyzed until you figure it all out. But you're staring at your plate and think, holy shit, this thing is like a landmine. What do I do? But deep down, you know, I know we all know what to eat. I always tell you that you know what to eat. No one has to tell you. You've always known what to eat. The problem isn't the food, it's the never-ending circus of crazy and contradictory advice. So today I want to break down the madness a little bit and laugh a little bit and show you how ridiculous it is and get back to basics. So before we tackle the specific foods, let's take a look at how we got here, today.

Speaker 2: 4:13

Obviously, one of those things is social media. It lets people reach all over. But let me go into it. So every time you think or I thought I figured out what's healthy, someone pops up to tell me it's killing me. I mean, I did paleo, people told me, oh, you can't eat meat, it's killing you. I did the juice cleanse oh, you got to eat real food. I ate eggs oh, eggs are going to kill you. There's nothing you're going to do that some asshole isn't going to tell you it's going to kill you.

Speaker 2: 4:37

The first thing is definitely what I would call the clickbait epidemic, because we're all on social media, whether we admit it or not, and we look at that shit and even though we kind of blow it off, it does get you to click on. You look at it. So eggs will kill you gets a lot more clicks than eggs are perfectly fine in moderation. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to look at that. When I see eggs will kill you, don't eat eggs I click on it every fucking time. Right, those headlines, those hooks, are designed to grab your attention and really not give you the full story.

Speaker 2: 5:08

Like I said before, the second part is definitely the rise of these social media experts anybody with an iphone or an android, if you're an android person but anybody with a camera phone is an expert, because there's no way to vet them, there's no way to know that what they're saying is accurate. I generally generally I find the people that are out there on social media talking about this crazy shit are thin people who have never been fat. They don't understand what's really going on. They claim that they're an expert. They claim they did this and that, but when you ask them to show you their fat picture, they can't do it. So everyone with a six pack and an Instagram account thinks they're a nutritionist. I tell you right up front I'm not a nutritionist. I don't know shit about nutrition. I only know how to lose weight, what worked for me and what's worked for thousands of years. But the result of everybody being a nutritionist, an expert, an exercise guru, is a constant flood of this half-baked advice, presented though with 100% confidence. Right, no one ever goes? I think no. They say it like it's the gospel.

Speaker 2: 6:11

So the third thing is that obviously, fear sells. When people are scared, they look for solution that works, whether the solution is true or false. I was scared that I was going to die. So I found the solution. But if you think that eggs are going to kill you, you're going to maybe take a look at it and guess who conveniently has that solution. Basically, it's the same people telling you that fruit is making you fat or the eggs are going to kill you.

Speaker 2: 6:31

And the last reason and this is more the diet industry. But the diet industry thrives on confusion, right? They don't want you to succeed, they want you to be confused, so you go to them for the solution. So if you're confident in what to eat, you won't feel the need to buy their shit, right? You won't buy the detox teas or the meal plans or the overpriced supplements. You know, I don't sell any products. I don't do any meal plans because I believe you know what to eat, and I certainly don't sell any supplements. I don't take any supplements.

Speaker 2: 6:57

Keeping you confused is part of the business model. That's how they make money. It's keeping you confused and making you think model. That's how they make money. It's keeping you confused and making you think gee, should I not eat eggs? Is meat like death? Next week I'm going to do something on plant-based diet that you're going to be shocked by because plant-based diet is fucking poison. But I'll get into that Now. I sound like one of those guys, but I'll give you the reasons behind it, in my opinion anyway. So let's look at some of the most absurd claims floating around and why they're just total fucking garbage. So number one I mentioned already eggs are bad for you.

Speaker 2: 7:30

For years, eggs have been the poster child for foods that are secretly trying to kill you. Why? Because they contain cholesterol, and someone somewhere decided that dietary cholesterol equals heart disease. There's a million. There's pages and reams and libraries full of research that says that's just not true. The truth is, eggs are one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. They're packed with protein, healthy fats and vitamins like B12 and choline.

Speaker 2: 8:02

For the majority of people, dietary cholesterol has little to no effect on blood cholesterol levels. Remember, there's dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol. Let me tell you that again, for the majority of people, dietary cholesterol has little to no effect on blood cholesterol levels, unless you're frying your eggs in a pound of bacon grease which, by the way, I do like to do I love cooking with bacon grease but unless you're frying your eggs in a pound of that shit and eating a dozen or more a day. You're fine. Eat eggs. They're incredible. I eat four to six eggs a day. Some days I don't eat any, but I eat a lot of eggs and I got to tell you eggs keep you full and they're not bad for you. They are not killing you. And that brings us to the next one, which is red meat is going to send you to an early grave.

Speaker 2: 8:46

There's so many people out there talking about red meat and red meat has been demonized for decades and, honestly, they often put it in the same category as processed food like hot dogs and pepperoni. But here's the truth Not all meat is created equal. A juicy, grass-fed steak isn't the same as the meat you're eating in a fast-food burger. I will never tell you to go eat fast food burgers. That's not true. If you want to eat one, go eat one. I mean feed your soul, but I don't think a diet of fast food burgers is what you want. If you're eating good meat, clean meat, it's absolutely fine.

Speaker 2: 9:27

Red meat, again, is a fantastic source of protein, iron, zinc and B vitamins, not to mention that the more protein you eat, the more weight you will lose. I know that sounds crazy, but the more protein you eat, the more weight you lose, because you'll remain full for longer. You don't want to lose, just muscle mass. Protein is the building block of muscle mass. So the problem isn't the meat itself. It's the overconsumption of that low quality dog shit at processed meats and all the junk that people eat alongside of it. If you're having a burger with French fries and all kinds of shit, yeah, that other shit is what's bad for you. It's not the burger, even if it's one of those shitty processed burgers. I'm not.

Speaker 2: 10:00

Like I said, next week I'm going to talk about plant-based. I will tell you that. An incredible burger or beyond burger that's fucking poison, but I'll tell you about that later. Humans were not meant to eat those chemicals, but anyway. So if you're grilling a steak and putting it with a salad, I promise you're not setting yourself up for disaster. Look at all the people that lose weight and get healthy with the carnivore or the caveman diet or Atkins whatever that are. Meat-based Protein is great for you. The next one kills me. It just fucking makes me laugh.

Speaker 2: 10:29

There's so many people on Instagram saying fruit makes you fat. Somehow fruit, which is probably the original health food, has been turned into a villain. People are saying fruit makes you fat. Why do they say that? Well, because it contains sugar, and sugar in some circles is seen as pure evil. I'll tell you, processed sugar is fucking pure evil, but the sugar that's in fruit no, natural sugar no, it is not evil at all. It's great for you. The truth is fruit, yeah, it does contain sugar, but it's natural sugar. But it's also got a ton of fiber and vitamins and antioxidants. So, unlike the candy or the soda which I say I'll eat it occasionally, but unlike that shit, fruit digests very slowly in your system and it keeps your blood sugar stable. So, unless you're eating, like I don't know, a couple dozen bananas a day, fruit is not the problem.

Speaker 2: 11:20

I defy you to show me a person that got fat eating fruit. That person does not exist. Show me and I'll change my mind. But there has never been a person that got fat by eating too much fruit. Here's a reality check. If fruit is what's making you fat, then what's the explanation for all those soda-drinking, candy-eating people who don't touch an apple all year? What's making them fat? Maybe is it the fruit juice in the fucking candy they eat? Come on, give me a break, it's ridiculous.

Speaker 2: 11:53

So the next one is carbs are the devil. Carbs have become the scapegoat for everything from weight gain to chronic disease. Cut out carbs, they say, and you'll be healthy forever. And I bought into that shit. I did it. I cut all carbs out of my diet and I lost a lot of weight, but I certainly craved them. Forget the fact that carbs are your body's primary source of energy and have been a staple of human diets for thousands of years. Give me a break. Cutting out carbs, that's just fucking ridiculous. I will say that not all carbs are created equal. Refined carbs and when I say that, you think of like white bread and sugary cereal, like Captain Crunch or Froot Loops which, by the way, I love but I don't eat them. But those refined carbs, they're not great, but complex carbs, like oats I eat oatmeal all the time quinoa, which Vicky has taught me to actually love, and sweet potatoes those are nutrient powerhouses. So cutting out carbs entirely also is not sustainable or really necessary for most people. Also, let's not pretend that ancient civilizations fueled by bread and rice were dropping dead from obesity. I must have missed that somewhere.

Speaker 2: 12:58

The next one is don't mix this with that. Don't mix carbs with protein. Give me a fucking break, will you? Don't eat fruit after dinner. Don't combine dairy with citrus. Come on, who comes up with this shit? Apparently, your stomach is some kind of diva that can't handle multitasking. That is the most. Don't eat with this, with that. Don't mix this. That just kills me. Let me tell you, your digestive system is a well-oiled machine that's been processing mixed meals since the dawn of time. Right? There's no part of our civilization that only ate one type of food. You can eat a balanced plate of protein and carbs and fat without throwing your body into chaos. Stop over complicating this shit. It's just, it's incredible. And then the last one I'm going to talk about today is just mind-blowing. I, I don't. I don't even know this one is. I don't even know this one. I don't even know how to address it.

Speaker 2: 13:50

Too much water is toxic. Yes, water toxicity is a real thing. There's no question about that. But the amount of water you need to drink to reach that point is absurd. It's ridiculous. You couldn't drink that much water without throwing up.

Speaker 2: 14:05

So, yeah, somehow the rare phenomenon has people second-guessing whether they should sip from their water bottle. I promise you you're not going to get water toxicity. I drink close to two gallons of water every day. Some people say that you should drink one ounce of water for every pound of your body weight. That would be a lot of water, but that's perfectly healthy. So the truth is, most people don't drink enough water.

Speaker 2: 14:28

I told you I've read this statistic all over the place that I don't know. 50, 60% of the people in the world are walking around drunk, dehydrated, drinking not enough water. That's incredible, and the number is equivalent to third world nations where they don't have water, as it is in the United States. People are walking around dehydrated. Most people just don't drink enough water. So unless you're competing in some like water drinking contest, can't imagine why you would, but maybe it'd be like a college fraternity hazing thing. But unless you're competing in a contest, staying hydrated is one of the easiest and the best things that you can do for your health. So I started thinking about it. Why do people fall for this shit? And you might wonder how we got to a place where people are scared of bananas and bread. Well, here's why.

Speaker 2: 15:15

Number one is we all love a quick fix. It's easier to believe that cutting out carbs will solve all your problems than to accept that real change takes time and it takes some effort. That's it. Everybody wants it to be done now. But the truth is, if you want to lose weight and keep it off and live your life and love your food and lose weight, it takes time. Quick fixes don't work, period.

Speaker 2: 15:40

The second one is that fear is a powerful motivator. Right, when someone tells you that something is toxic or dangerous, it's hard not to look at it. It's hard not to panic a little bit. And even if you know the claim is baseless, you think about it a little bit. Could eggs be killing me? Or could water really be that bad for me? It's just a natural human response. And the third one is we're overwhelmed. I know I am.

Speaker 2: 16:03

There's so much contradictory advice out there that people don't know what to believe anymore. If I believed everything that I saw on Instagram, I should eat meat. I shouldn't eat meat. I should eat eggs. I shouldn't eat eggs. I should drink water. I shouldn't drink water. I should eat plant-based. You would have to eat air. That's all that's left. There's no food or food group out there that there aren't people demonizing it. We're just we're overwhelmed.

Speaker 2: 16:29

The diet industry and really the so-called gurus thrive on that confusion. But the truth is and you've heard me say this a million times over and over and over again deep down, we all know what to eat. You know the basics of a healthy diet. You may choose not to follow those basics, but you know the basics and you know what to eat. You know the basics of a healthy diet. You may choose not to follow those basics, but you know the basics and you know what to eat and you've known since you were a kid, since you could form a thought about what you were going to eat. Look, I'll give it to you. It's pretty straightforward Eat whole foods, period Fruits, vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, nuts and seeds. How much easier. I'm not telling you eat this fruit or that fruit or this vegetable or that vegetable. That's up to you, because everybody's taste is different. Don't eat this protein or that protein. Eat what you love, okay.

Speaker 2: 17:08

The second thing is obviously this is not going to come as a shocker but limit the processed junk food you eat. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that, like chips and soda, candy and all the fast food, shouldn't make up the bulk of your diet. I'm not saying you can't eat every now and then because I'd be a fucking hypocrite, because I eat it every now and then. I eat it sometimes, but it shouldn't make up the bulk of your diet. When I was 411 pounds, it did make up the bulk of my diet because I was so fat I couldn't walk and I would choose to get things from a drive-thru because it was easier than walking to the restaurant or the grocery store. Don't let it make up. Don't let processed food make up the bulk of your diet.

Speaker 2: 17:45

Number three is practice moderation, something I had to learn. I always tell you a donut's not going to kill you, but a couple dozen donuts every week. That might be an issue. I had that issue where I would literally go get six donuts and then I would eat two or three in the car so I could come back with six donuts. That's a problem. So practice moderation. Eat a fucking donut, eat a Whopper if you want, just don't eat it all the time.

Speaker 2: 18:10

Number four is stay hydrated. Drink water. I don't know what else to say. It's not rocket science. There's not a lot to say there.

Speaker 2: 18:19

And number five, which again is something that I had learned, is actually listen to your body. Eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full. That's not sexy, it's not trendy, it's not going to get a million views on Instagram or TikTok, but it fucking works. And if you want to lose weight, you should do what works, not what you find on the internet, because that shit doesn't work. Just listen to your body. Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full. I don't know how to make it any simpler than that. So I guess for me and hopefully for you, here's a way that you can tune out some of that noise.

Speaker 2: 18:57

Bottom line trust your common sense. Does the advice that you're hearing sound overly complicated or extreme? Then chances are. Honestly, it's bullshit. If someone's telling you to do something extreme in any one direction, the truth is they're probably full of shit. I'm not saying they haven't done it and haven't experienced success with it, but I'm saying it's not sustainable and it's probably fucking ridiculous. And, by the way, I've done every extreme thing you can do caveman juicing, nutrition you name the diet. I've been on it and they're all extremes and they all set you up for failure.

Speaker 2: 19:32

Number two is stop following every trend. That's what I had to do. I had to stop going on the latest and greatest diet. You don't need to jump on every new diet bandwagon. Focus on the habits that are sustainable for the long term. So eating a balanced meal, eating some junk every now and then that sets you up for success, not for failure. You can't live in a constant state of deprivation, okay. So stop following every trend and use your common sense and focus on the habits that are sustainable.

Speaker 2: 20:00

Next one is think critically. Before you buy into some claim you got to ask yourself is this backed by an incredible science or someone trying to sell me something? I can tell you I don't think you could find anybody out there that will tell you that eating a balanced diet is not sustainable and is not backed by science. I can tell you there as many people that are pro-caveman diet, there's just as many who are against it, who say it's killing you, as many people say eat eggs. As many people are saying don't eat eggs. As many people that are telling you the only way is intermittent fasting. I just read an interesting article on intermittent fasting and I'll follow up on that In a couple weeks. It said they did this long study of intermittent fasting and it doesn't have any of the scientific benefits that people say, other than you lose some weight because you have less time to eat. But all the things that they said were happening with intermittent fasting and it wasn't. It's not like it wasn't an incredible source, it was in the fucking Wall Street Journal. So, again, think critically Before you buy into any claim. Just think about who's telling you and is it backed by science.

Speaker 2: 21:03

And the last one is keep it simple. To me that's the most important one. If your diet feels like a full-time job, if you have to track calories and write shit down and don't mix this with that. Or use an app. I had an app for when I was on paleo that I would check if things were paleo. It was work. It was hard work. So keep it simple. If it's too complicated, don't do it, because you won't do it in the long run. You'll do it now for a month or two months or six months, but over time you'll lose that motivation if it's too complicated, health is supposed to fit into your life, not take it over. So if you're doing some diet where you're measuring food and you're meal prepping and you're not mixing this with that, you're cutting out whole food groups. Yeah, maybe, like I said, maybe you're getting the results now, but it's not sustainable.

Speaker 2: 21:57

I eat whatever I want, whenever I want, wherever I want, with whoever I want. Okay, and I've been doing it now for close to two years Actually, it's probably more than 19 months and I'm maintaining. Right now I'm in a place where I'm probably not losing a lot of weight, but I am maintaining weight, I'm not putting on weight, and that's really what matters. And it's simple. I don't think at all about what I'm eating. I think if I want to have a piece of apple pie, I'll have a piece of apple pie. I'll look at the rule of four and I'll say you know, by the time I eat the fourth bite, really I am satisfied. If you don't remember what the rule of four is, I have a podcast that explains the whole thing. It's pretty simple, but the net net is by the fourth bite, you're pretty much satisfied. Any bite after that, you're just eating to eat. So anyway, keep it simple, because the simpler it is, the more likely you are to stay on it.

Speaker 2: 22:48

And it's about persistence and consistency, not perfection. No one's ever been perfect on a diet. Never happened, never, never, never. Never in the history of the world has anybody been perfect on a diet for their whole life. So be consistent.

Speaker 2: 23:02

So here's the bottom line. It's that constant fear mong. It's ridiculous. It's what's making you crazy. Eggs won't kill you, carbs aren't the enemy and fruit isn't the problem. And water? Well, you're probably safe there too. You feel free to drink water.

Speaker 2: 23:17

So stop overthinking every single bite that you put in your mouth. Think about it and say is this in line with my goals? But stop overthinking it. Eat real food, pretty easy. Stay active, move, move more. Park further away in the parking lot, take the steps instead of the elevator. These are simple fucking things. So stay active and, most importantly, enjoy the occasional truth how guilt.

Speaker 2: 23:39

You already know what to do. I always tell you this you know what to do. You're just being tricked into doubting yourself by the internet and the diet industry. That's all a bunch of shit. So the next time someone tells you that everything you're eating is wrong, either you got two choices you can tell them to go fuck themselves, which is my choice, or you can just smile and nod and move on. I don't remember what movie it was Smile and wave boys. That's it. It's that simple. You know what should be going into your body. You've always known what should be going into your body and that's the only way to go on a sustainable weight loss journey. So that's it for my thoughts on the fear-mongering, scumbag diet industry and Instagram gurus and all those fucking idiots who tell you that everything you're eating, if you're not eating anything other than air, you're going to die. It's going to kill you, you're going to put on weight. Like I said, the one, the crazy one, fruit. I defy you to show me a guy that got fat by eating fruit. But anyway, it's all a bunch of shit.

Speaker 2: 24:38

So again, I'll just remind you that my book, shut Up and Choose, is available on Amazon. People are still buying it. People are still writing me. You know, maybe next week I'll discuss a couple emails, because it's exciting getting rave reviews. Still also want to remind you about my online course. My video course is 23 videos all short, less than about five minutes apiece. You watch it in a couple hours. It outlines my entire plan, gets you in the right mindset, tells you what to eat, but not what specifically what to eat, but how to eat and what to eat. Things that you can um. They're going to help you on your weight loss journey and that's available online. You do it at your own pace. You pay one price and you have it for the rest of your life. And you can find that at learnshutupandchoosecom. That's learnshutupandchoosecom.

Speaker 2: 25:23

Great holiday gift for somebody. There's no better gift than health. Yes, am I selling? Yes, I am, because I want the whole world to know that the diet industry is full of shit, that you have everything you need, that you don't need to spend hours in the gym, you don't need to cut out food groups, you don't need to do any of that stuff. You just need to get your head in the right place and understand that you already know how to do this. So that's it for today, and I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. I hope you have a great holiday season coming up. I hope you have a great new year. You'll hear from me before then, obviously, but I just I'll do that for the next few weeks and as I always tell you there's nothing left to do but shut up and choose.

Speaker 1: 26:05

You've been listening to Shut Up and Choose. Jonathan's passion is to share his journey of shedding 130 pounds in less than a year without any of the usual gimmicks no diets, no pills. And we'll let you in on a little secret no fucking gym. And guess what? You can do it too. We hope you enjoyed the show. We had a fucking blast. If you did, make sure to like, rate and review. We'll be back soon, but in the meantime, find Jonathan on Instagram at JonathanWrestlerBocaRaton. Until next time, shut up and choose.