Aubrey Gordon & Michael Hobbes

Maintenance Phase

Health EN ↓ 96 episodes

Debunking the junk science behind health fads, wellness scams and nonsensical nutrition advice.

Author

Aubrey Gordon & Michael Hobbes

Category

Health

Podcast website

maintenancephase.com

Latest episode

Jun 10, 2026

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Episodes

Pete Evans Part 1: The Paleo Way 12.07.2022

How a beloved TV chef became one of Australia's most polarizing public figures.  Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! Going Paleo: What Prehistoric Man Actually Ate The Paleo Way (video clip)   Paleolithic nutrition for metabolic syndrome Paleo diet still lacks evidence Atherosclerosis across 4000 years of human h...

The Worm Wars 28.06.2022

In 1998, a researcher rolled out an innovative approach to education. And in 2015, Methodology Twitter had a big fight about it.  Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! The original 2004 paper The 2015 re-analysis The 2015 meta-analysis The Tanzania dissertation Doing Good Better Worm Wars: The Anthology Deworming Debunk...

Calorie Menu Labeling 07.06.2022

This year, the UK implemented a law requiring chain restaurants to list calorie counts on their menus. Where did these policies come from? What impact do they have? And why is a Julia Roberts quote from 1990 the best way to describe them? Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! Calorie Labelling Regulations - GOV.UK Calor...

The Trouble With Calories 24.05.2022

Weight loss is as simple as “calories in, calories out,” right? Or — gasp — could the reply guys be wrong!? This week, we dig in on the surprisingly complex science behind a seemingly simple calculation. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! History of the Calorie in Nutrition Caloric Equivalents of Gained or Lost Weigh...

Diet Book Deep Dive: “How To Take 20 Pounds Off Your Man” 10.05.2022

This week, Mike and Aubrey take on a manual for creep behavior masquerading as a diet book. Along the way, we cover shopping guides, journalism salaries and the proper preparation of Cornish game hens. We love our curvy husbands. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! How to Take 20 Pounds Off Your Man by Kalter, Suzy: (...

Zombie Statistics Spectacular! 19.04.2022

Debunking some of the most widely repeated myths about fat and health. Here's Mike's new video !  Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support the show

Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma" 05.04.2022

How a liberal journalist entrenched a libertarian fantasy. Thanks to Sarah Taber for helping us with the research for this episode! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! Julie Guthman's "Weighing In"  Rachel Laudan's "Cooking and Empire" Heidi Zimmerman's "Caring for the Middle Cl...

Bonus: Fad Diets 29.03.2022

This week's show is still in the oven so we're releasing one of our first Patreon bonus episodes. We asked our listeners for the wildest and wackiest fad diets they've ever tried and ended up doing mini-deep dives into The Rotation Diet, The Shangri-La Diet, The Special K Diet, Bethenny Frankel's "Naturally Thin" plan and the Blood Type Diet. Enjoy, and see you next w...

Jordan Peterson Part 2: The Moscow Diaries 15.03.2022

In 2019, Jordan Peterson disappeared from public life. One year later, he re-emerged with a diagnosis, a story and no self-reflection whatsoever. Thanks to Katelyn Burns and Talia Lavin for help fact-checking this episode and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! Joe Rogan Exp...

Jordan Peterson Part 1: The Carnivore Diet 01.03.2022

Oops all meat: How a '50s bodybuilder, a Grateful Dead roadie and an unreadable professor accidentally launched one of America's wildest fad diets. Here's Mike's "Cancel Culture" video! Note: In our discussion of Jordan Peterson’s political correctness lecture, I made a sarcastic comment about looking “slim in this dress.” After the episode came out, we started hearin...

"Super Size Me" 15.02.2022

Aubrey thought she could swear less in this week’s episode. She was wrong. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! Super Size Me Trailer "Super Size Me" - CBS News Where's the Beef? The Challenges of Obesity Suits Morgan Spurlock on Sexual Misconduct Confession, 'Super Size Me 2' Former Employees...

"Illness Influencer" Belle Gibson 01.02.2022

In 2015, Belle Gibson was an Australian "eco-preneur" with a vegetarian cookbook, a blockbuster wellness app and a terminal cancer diagnosis. Today, she's one of the most hated figures in the country. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! The Woman Who Fooled The World What we know about Belle Gibson The...

Diet Book Deep Dive: The Karl Lagerfeld Diet 18.01.2022

Who’s that Bond villain stroking a cat and yelling at beloved public figures? It’s Karl Lagerfeld! This week, Mike and Aubrey go in on fashion’s favorite turbo troll and his fancy, joyless diet. This episode serves four. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links!: The Karl Lagerfeld Diet Kaiser Karl: The Life of Karl Lagerfe...

Fat Camps 04.01.2022

How America's oldest fat camp — and the inspiration for Disney’s "Heavyweights" — became the symbol of a health intervention that enjoys worldwide popularity despite no evidence that it improves anyone's health. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! The Epic Family Feud Behind an Iconic American Weig...

The "Sleep Loss Epidemic" 14.12.2021

Matthew Walker's "Why We Sleep" was one of the most popular and acclaimed wellness books of 2017. There's just one problem: Much of it isn't true.  Thanks to University of Ottawa Postdoctoral Fellow Dylan Smith for helping us with the research! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! Walker's...

Vibrators 30.11.2021

It's a sexual health episode! This week, Mike and Aubrey dive into the hotly debated medical history of vibrators and ask: who fact-checks the fact-checkers?  Note: A previous version of this episode included language that referred to “the female downstairs,” implying both that gender is linked to genitals (it isn’t) and that vibrators were used primarily by cis women (they weren’t). We love...

Is Being Fat Bad For You? 16.11.2021

For nearly four decades, Americans have heard a simple story about health, longevity and obesity. This week, we learn it's a little more complicated.  Thanks to Katherine Flegal, Paul Campos, Jeff Hunger and Jason Salemi for helping us research and fact-check this episode!  Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! Kat...

Diet Book Deep Dive: Angela Lansbury's "Positive Moves" 26.10.2021

At the height of her "Murder She Wrote" fame, Angela Lansbury released a home workout video full of synth music, peach jumpsuits and ~sensuality~. This week, we’re exploring the anti-Goop-ness of Angela’s fitness book and video, "Positive Moves."!  It gets a little heavy toward the end, but we promise: No one was canceled in the making of this episode.  Support us: Hear bonus e...

Rachel Hollis Part 2: Girl, Start Apologizing 12.10.2021

In the sequel (sorry) to our first installment, we take a deep dive into Rachel's wildly problematic books and deeply weird downfall. Along the way we discuss allyship etiquette, MLMs and Ronald Reagan. We remain convinced that getting matching tattoos was the right decision for us.   Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more...

Rachel Hollis Part 1: Hashtag Relatable 28.09.2021

Girl, stop reinforcing the status quo. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Videos! The infamous Tik Tok Momfession: I get up at 5 am The "bikini mom" talk How To Start A Podcast Support the show

Marianne Williamson 14.09.2021

Last year, spiritual leader Marianne Williamson made headlines when she ran for president.  But 10 years earlier, she wrote a bestselling book that promised to teach readers how to “surrender" their weight forever. This week, Mike and Aubrey take a deep dive into Williamson’s life story and her 2010 book, “A Course in Weight Loss."  Along the way we talk nonprofit drama, Eleanor Roosevel...

The Great Protein Fiasco 31.08.2021

How Nestlé executives, global health institutions and a very racist white lady seeded a series of nutritional misconceptions we're still living with today.  Special thanks to John Nott for helping us out with this episode! Here's his papers on the history of protein and the British Empire. “No one may starve in the British Empire”: Kwashiorkor, Protein and the Politics of Nutrition Betwe...

The Obesity Epidemic 17.08.2021

Over the last 30 years, fatness has been defined as a risk factor for disease, then a disease in itself, then a global epidemic. What caused this rapid shift? Who’s gonna join our group of B-roll vigilantes? And did we just hear Morgan Freeman? Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Books! Fat Politics   Killer Fat   The End of...

The Body Mass Index 03.08.2021

The BMI is EVERYWHERE. But is it scientific or scientif-ish? While many Americans think of the body mass index as an objective measure of health, its history reveals a more complicated story. This week, Mike and Aubrey tackle the first in a two-part series about the BMI and the “Obesity Epidemic.” Along the way they visit 18th century Belgium, learn a gross new acronym and dissect Dracula's f...

School Lunches, P-Hacking and the Original "Pizzagate" 20.07.2021

This week we're diving into one of the biggest-ever scandals in nutrition research. For nearly two decades, Brian Wansink's Food and Brand Lab told Americans that lower weights, healthier workplaces and better school lunches were just a few small tweaks away. Then, in 2015, he wrote a blog post and it all came crashing down.  Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Ge...

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