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Most people who try to lose weight and keep it off end up failing. But what if the problem isn’t you – it’s the diet?
In this episode, we cut through the noise of weight loss fads to explore a science-backed method that’s helped countless people make real, sustainable changes. It’s called flexible dieting, and it’s built around the idea that personalised macronutrient targets, food quality, and consistency matter more than restrictive rules or trendy plans.
Our guest is Alan Aragon, a leading expert in fitness nutrition who’s spent over 30 years coaching clients and publishing research that’s reshaped how the industry thinks about fat loss. Alongside Alan is Professor Sarah Berry, ZOE’s Chief Scientist, who brings deep insight from her studies on metabolism and how our bodies respond to food.
Together, they unpack what actually works for long-term fat loss – and how you can get started with a realistic, effective approach that doesn’t require cutting out the foods you love.
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Timecodes
00:00 Forget crash diets
03:42 The REAL reason we’re all gaining weight
10:50 Does the keto diet work?
13:15 High-carb or high-fat diet for weight loss
18:22 The biological reason you regain weight
19:26 What is the ‘YOLO margin’ and how can it help you lose weight?
22:53 How a single treat becomes a daily habit
24:22 The mindset trick to stop binge eating for good
27:53 How to turn your body into a metabolic engine
29:26 No.1 rule for PROTEIN intake
33:53 A surprising take on Ozempic
38:00 The hidden danger of weight loss drugs
39:23 Step one is NOT diet or exercise
42:02 Why poor sleep makes you crave junk food
47:50 Optimal protein for fat loss
49:07 The easiest way to hit your daily protein goal
51:17 The only 3 exercises you really need
53:58 How to do 80 squats a day without even trying
56:32 This simple eating trick can cut 15% of your calories
59:50 A final warning for anyone trying to lose weight
📚Books by our ZOE Scientists
The Food For Life Cookbook |
Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati |
Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector |
Free resources from ZOE:
Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition |
Gut Guide – For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks |
Mentioned in today’s episode
Resistance Training Combined With Diet Decreases Body Fat While Preserving Lean Mass Independent of Resting Metabolic Rate: A Randomized Trial
Effects of meal frequency on weight loss and body composition: a meta-analysis
Does Timing Matter? A Narrative Review of Intermittent Fasting Variants and Their Effects on Bodyweight and Body Composition
International society of sports nutrition position stand: diets and body composition
New insights in the mechanisms of weight-loss maintenance: Summary from a Pennington symposium
Have feedback or a topic you’d like us to cover? Let us know here:
Episode transcripts are available here:
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I think this guy from LA is very unrealistic. I will listen to the whole program in hopes of learning something new, but I take some of his advice with a huge grain of salt. The mindset trick may work for someone who is not triggered by sugar. But when sugar hits your brain like fireworks, there is no mindset that stops the desperate need for another hit.
I’m afraid I stopped watching after the recommendation for protein powders in fruit smoothies twice a day to obtain sufficient protein . This contradicts previous Zoe podcasts stating that fruit smoothies are a bad idea…..
Valter Longo who promotes the Prolong fasting diet cautions older people against high protein diets as they increase mTOR and can lead to increased cancer risk. He notes that 90% of muscle gain comes from resistance training with slowly increasing resistance and only 10% of muscle gain is due to diet.
They talk ' wishy washy'. No scientific research. Is he saying just build muscles and eat what you want? Humm.
It's true, there is no research about the blood type diet, yet many of my clients got spectacular results. It was developed by a medical doctor (yes, they can be wrong, I admit), and is continued by his son, as far as I remember …. so lots of evidence-based experience. Studies are expensive, and the investors who finance them often come from an … investing perspective, not primarily focused on the best possible health outcomes for the public. (Compared to Dr. Peter D'Adamo, who developed the Blood Type diet) Believe me, I know what I am talking about, living in a hotspot of the pharmaceutical industry. (. I am always surprised to hear that a scientific nutritionist like Prof. Sarah Berry knows that something is crap when there is no proper science behind that opinion expressed in several YouTube videos by Prof. Berry.
The only people who need protein supplements are body builders.
What’s the eating plan for 3rd shift workers (overnight) ? Other than getting off that schedule lol*
The more you avoid the food the more you wanted
Why are the recommendations on protein so different from every speaker. It's still confusing. Christopher Gardner said 0.8-1 gram per kilo bodyweight and this guy is saying start by 1.2-1.6 per kilo or higher. Who do I have to believe?! I don't want damaged kidneys over time by eating way too much protein. 🤔😡
just what i needed, thanks for sharing
made me rethink my whole approach to eating
finally someone gets it, i hate crash diets
this flexible dieting thing sounds interesting
I've struggled with crash diets for years, but since I started using Dietornia, I’ve lost 11lbs in just 3 weeks! The personalized meal plans really help me maintain my progress without feeling deprived.
made me rethink my whole approach to eating
just what i needed, thanks for sharing
I've struggled with crash diets for years, but since I started using Dietornia, I’ve lost 11lbs in just 3 weeks! The personalized meal plans really help me maintain my progress without feeling deprived.
this flexible dieting thing sounds interesting
What about those people who identify as food addicts? How would you accommodate your recommendations to that condition regarding your yolo margin?
People lose all credibility when they still cite the extremely often falsified evolution theory. It's so stupid. Ask microbiologists how possible that is… right. It's not. Darwin's "simple cell" was a complex plant of intricate factories, where factory A builds what's needed for factory B and VICE VERSA. Impossible to have 'evolved'… The other day an eye doctor abandoned the simplistic and 1000s of times patched up evolution theory. Darwin already feared that the eye might disprove him and so it did. That theory was the biggest hoax of the 20th century. Needs to be buried.
Hope you work on sinusitis soon. It’s a prevalent issue. I wonder if there’s any relation among sinusitis and diet.
This is perfect for me right now.
Avoid Processed and worse Ultra Processed Food it does get better after a few months or so stop craving anything with sugar etc
I’ve noticed most people eat way too fast!! What benefit can that give you? I’d say it’s detrimental as most feel instructed xx they gave the body no chance to signal which it does .
Genetics play an important role, I function best on complex Carbohydrates, i eat mainly potatoes 🥔, every day, been eating this for many years, also Swiss muesli and fruit 😋 no special diet just that a lower protein / fat and high starch / sugar is perfect for my biology, age 61 slim , no health issues, no wrinkles on Face , full head of brown hair, regular fitness / running, Carbohydrates from " Real whole foods " are absolutely fine, 😊
8:26
As we all worry about losing weight we are faced with 2 million humans in Gaza starving…I find this very difficult to reconcile…I love Zoe and know this is a great episode but will listen another day…
Alan missed mentioning that a major source of fat in the keto diet is our body fat and that the key to accessing body fat for fuel is getting insulin low enough to unlock it.
A "well formulated ketogenic diet" as described by Phinney and Volek includes high nutrition value, low starch green veggies.
I've been on it since Feb this year. Hard to resist the pizza and chips, and sometimes I give in 🙂 but it's achievable with a bit of knowledge and application
This was good food psychology. I was feeling guilty about eating 4 crackers. Kind of silly. I like the exploring of new things
This is very American, my problem I love rice too much. No junk food in my daily menu, but rice lists of
Can we please move on from the obnoxious intro music?
Went to the doctors the other day because I was concerned about weight gain. He said…just don’t eat anything fatty. I said…what like fast food and such. He said, no fatty…just don’t eat anything.
Hej, when talking about training nd resistence training, I would like to know what the effect of changes in daily movements counts? I live on the second floor, and have for some time now often taken the stairs 2 at the time, instead of one. I
That can be enhanced when also carrying the shopping! Would that not be a good daily habit to exercise in a natural way on a daily basis? In the same wayI train my balance by standing while putting on socks, shoes and trousers, and or kneeling when havingto pick something up from the floor instead of just reaching forit from standing. I believe daily habits must make a difference! Besides that I go to the jym to-3 times a day and walk inimum 7000 steps, not having a car, avoid elevators etc. I eat home made food, a mix og protein (meat, cheese, eggs, fish, nuts etc), veggies and karbohydrates mostly whole ones.
Really not a big fan of everybody pushing protein powder.
I found episode so helpful. Alan's advice on eating what you enjoy, within a diet plan, plus getting enough protein make it easier fir me to envision committing to a weight loss plan.
Sarah's information about alternative ways to strength train was most heartening, as finding the time to go to the gym isn't easy.
46:45 This! When I see a video of someone claiming they lost 10-30kg in few months, my first question is always: How long did it take them to gain the excess weight? Turned out, some only gained from recent pregnancy/injury (less than 2-3 year). It’s still admirable that they were doing things to get back their health, their fit bodies, but their plans won’t work the same on me, as I have been gaining weight gradually for over 20 years, my latest big 10kg gain was from a pregnancy 7 years ago!
Absolutely sick of experts telling us to just 'fix' our sleep! As if it was so easy !!
I like to work out with resistance bands and small weights! I used to walk all the time it got boring because I can’t walk outside too easily since I have to be on oxygen and have been 16 years. Must work out because of osteoporosis and it helps me breathe better!
I know that the Zoe's programme certainly doesn't work, shame I've realised it after so much wasted money
So nearly 3 times the daily intake that Christopher Gardner recommends… Who do we listen to??
I am troubled by the protein recommendation and feel that needed more probing. I am 80kg so 1.2g/kg means I need about 100g of protein per day. That seems like a lot, especially as I am a vegetarian. 100g of protein is 400kcal so I have 1600kcal left. That means even if I eat no fat at all, my food needs to be 20% protein. With some fat in there as well, that rises to maybe 24% protein? That sounds hard even eating a balanced meat diet. Alan said such a regime requires protein powders but this wasn't discussed. In fact it felt like the elephant in the room. What's going on? Do I have my maths wrong?
Regarding YOLO, I really enjoy my coffee and cake treat at a café a couple of times a week. If I have this sort of treat in the morning my body feels ok the next day, but I find that eating anything like this after about 3pm makes me feel bloated the next day. Thanks for more great information.
But…if I eat only those foods that I really like or even love — most probably I will eventually begin to overeat those foods. It is hard for me to control consumption of foods I really like, because I do not get enough — ever! I want more.