This month we watched Tucker Carlson's documentary "The End of Men" and WE HAVE THOUGHTS. We're tackling the REAL questions posed by this documentary: is this the series finale of men? Is there an entire generation of American children who simply don't know how to walk? And why is anyone talking about scrotal red light therapy??
As always, you can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. 2023-09-29 09:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Edited to add: we've recorded this episode for release in the next few months! Thank you all so much for sending us your many audacious, impactful wins.
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Hey, dreamboats!
For an upcoming bonus episode later this fall, we want to celebrate the change you all are making in your communities, big and small. Did you get your work to drop its "biggest loser" weight loss challenge? Did you have a hard conversation with one of your parents about t...
2023-09-10 18:38:24 +0000 UTC
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We miss you! We had to take a break this month because Mike developed a (humiliatingly Zelda-related) hand condition. He's figured out how to research episodes using voice commands but we're still working on a solution for editing. We'll be back on the main feed as soon as we can and of course we'll be here next month with another bonus. Schedule
Anyway, on to this month's episode: It's a listener mailbag! We dive into your questions about our burning questions for Gwyneth Paltrow, how ...
2023-08-31 09:01:00 +0000 UTC
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This month we're digging into a 1965 classic that dares to ask: Have you considered that the reason you don't get boners is that your wife is TERRIBLE? Plus, Aubrey gives Mike a pop quiz about aphrodisiacs.
As usual, you can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. 2023-07-31 09:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Hey, team--
For August's bonus episode, we're taking your questions! If you've got questions for us, send them our way. Send your listener questions to maintenancephase@gmail.com. Please include your pronouns, your first name, and whether/how you'd like to be identified on the show.
And stay tuned for an absolutely unhinged diet book deep dive bonus l...
2023-07-19 23:46:25 +0000 UTC
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Aubrey's been on a whirlwind tour the last few weeks promoting "Your Fat Friend" so we decided to turn on our mics and catch up.
As usual, you can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. Here are the instructions fro...
2023-06-30 09:00:06 +0000 UTC
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This month we're using Mike's return to America as an excuse to talk about our experiences with the US healthcare system. How do fat people find a doctor? What's the best way to navigate the weigh-in? And what's the prognosis for a man with Obamacare and a wack skeleton?
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. 2023-05-30 09:01:00 +0000 UTC
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For this month's bonus episode we watched Gwyneth's sex show and it seemed ... fine? We're as mystified as you are.
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. Here are the instructions from Patreon. As ever, leave a comment if you've got requests for future bonus episodes!&...
2023-04-28 09:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Our March bonus episode is a watch club and a "where are they now?" Aubrey's sharing some updates on Pete Evans and walking Mike through "The Magic Pill," the now-infamous documentary that turned Paleo Pete into Keto Kevin. Plus, as a little treat, we're closing with this clip of a daytime talk show cardiologist showdown.
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to...
2023-03-31 09:01:00 +0000 UTC
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This month, we're taking a tour through Aubrey's ever-expanding diet book collection, starting with politically conservative diet books. That's right—we're taking on The I Heart America Diet (written by the former First Lady of Kentucky), The Love Diet (foreword by king gremlin James Dobson) and Kill It & Grill It, a wild game cookbook from noted racist horror show Ted Nugent. Let's dunk on jerks!
You can play the episode directly ...
2023-02-27 10:00:03 +0000 UTC
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This month we're digging into some of the 700 (!) personal stories you shared about the worst, wackiest and weirdest wellness programs at your jobs. You'll laugh! You'll cry! You'll want to punch a 19-year-old's boss!
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. Here are the instructio...
2023-01-17 10:00:03 +0000 UTC
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It's the most wonderful time of the year: Mike and Aubrey yell about wellness grifters! In our second annual Grifties, we're honoring (?) the best, worst and weirdest of wellness and weight loss in 2022. We're also bestowing our first-ever LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD on a grifter for the ages. And we're answering a truly groundbreaking question: "what if I told you we could turn regular food ... into squares?"
Some links we talk about along the way:
2022-12-29 10:00:12 +0000 UTC
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A cornucopia of happenings!
First, for this month's bonus episode we're talking about The Podcast Payola Scandal and taste-testing some of the ~wellness foods~ advertised heavily on podcasts — including the worst thing we've tried so far.
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app.&...
2022-11-29 10:00:06 +0000 UTC
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This month we're taking another deep dive into our inbox for listener questions, little victories and terrible guest pitches. Along the way we discuss one of Aubrey's articles and why we're so reluctant to cover one of our most frequent topic requests.
You can play the ...
2022-10-31 09:01:00 +0000 UTC
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It's bonus episode time, and there is news to discuss! This month, we're talking through some recent fat- and diet-related media:
Sadiq Khan's tweet
Washington Post: What if the calories and energy balance model is simply wrong?
2022-09-29 09:00:05 +0000 UTC
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We first covered Moon Juice a couple of years ago and YIKES ARE THERE SOME UPDATES. This month, Aubrey's walking Mike through some new revelations, courtesy of this Insider piece.
Plus, we've always wanted to know what dust tastes like, so we ordered the Fu...
2022-08-30 09:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Mike has updates for Aubrey on Jordan Peterson, who has been working overtime to be a colossal jerk. Again! This time, he's peddling COVID misinformation and taking aim at fat people and trans people. WHAT A CHILL DUDE.
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. Here are the in...
2022-07-28 09:00:05 +0000 UTC
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This month, Aubrey takes Mike on a guided tour of one of pop culture's weirdest internet corners: Harpers Bazaar's "Everything I Eat In A Day" video series.
This episode features detailed breakdowns from Antoni Porowski, Kelly Ripa and Tiffany Haddish, plus cameos from Nadiya Hussain, Kumail Nanj...
2022-06-30 09:01:01 +0000 UTC
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It's bonus episode time! This month we're talking about "Wall-E," a peak moment in anti-fatness on film. And then, as a palate cleanser, the Melissa McCarthy classic "Spy." It's a weird combination!
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. Here are the instructions from Patre...
2022-05-31 09:00:04 +0000 UTC
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For this month's bonus episode, we assigned each other some homework. As years-long Gwyneth obsessives, we've always been curious about the content of her Netflix show, "The Goop Lab." It's advertised as a kind of Consumer Reports for woo-woo health treatments, a quasi-reality show where Goop staffers try to figure out whether energy healing, juice cleanses and vampire facials work as well as their boosters (and, in many cases, Goop's own website) say they do.
So we decided to wat...
2022-04-28 08:57:17 +0000 UTC
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You've got questions, we've got answers! On this month's (well, last month's) bonus episode we answer listener inquiries about former-fat allyship, "fatshion" and 2017's infamous internet kerfuffle about Curvy Wife Guy. Thank you all for asking such great questions and making this so much fun!
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. 2022-04-12 09:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Hey gang, just a quick note to let you know that this month's bonus episode is delayed by a few weeks. We wish we had a better excuse, but the month just got away from us. Mike ended up going down a deep rabbit hole (you'll know what we mean when you hear our next few main-feed episodes) and Aubrey's been on a book deadline.
We recorded the AMA last night, though, so it should be out soon. And we've got a banger of a bonus episode coming up in April too! Apologies for the delay an...
2022-03-29 04:10:01 +0000 UTC
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On the heels of our Belle Gibson episode, we're talking about the many "illness influencers" Mike came across while researching Australia's most infamous cancer grifter. This includes the Warrior Eli hoax, a "cancer bride" and Jess Ainscough, a friend and contemporary of Gibson's — with one major difference.
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. 2022-02-22 10:00:03 +0000 UTC
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It's January bonus episode time! This time, we're going through our inbox. Mike responds to common questions from listeners; Aubrey roasts publicity firms that clearly don't know what the show is about. There's something for everyone!
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. ...
2022-01-27 16:03:20 +0000 UTC
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It's December bonus episode time and we've got a real treat for you: The 2021 Grifties!
As promised, we're celebrating the best and worst (mostly worst) of the wellness and weight loss industries this year. This episode's got it all: Adaptogens! Krispy Kremes! Parasites! Plus celebrity cameos from Aaron Rodgers, Ashton Kutcher and, of course, Nicki Minaj's cousin's friend's testicles.
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast a...
2021-12-28 10:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Hey gang, just a little announcement that this month's bonus episode is going to be an AWARDS SHOW where we where we (dis)honor the influencers, trends, diets and grifters that defined 2021.
We're looking for nominations in the following categories:
- What was the BEST health & wellness take from a celebrity or influencer in 2021?
- What was the WORST health & wellness take from a celebrity or influencer in 2021?
- What was the WEIRDEST wellness tre...
2021-12-08 16:42:33 +0000 UTC
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It's November bonus episode time!
In our Marianne Williamson episode we touched on some classic (terrible) nonprofit dynamics and we got a flood of requests to talk about our experiences in the NGO world. So this month, we're talking about grassroots lobbying, corporate social responsibility and how to give and advocate more effectively for the causes you care about.
Let us know in the comments if there's other things we've mentioned on the show that would make good bonus ep...
2021-11-29 10:00:00 +0000 UTC
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Hot off the presses, and by very popular request, it's our October bonus episode!
HBO Max's The Way Down tells the story of Gwen Shamblin Lara, who they introduce as a charismatic and controversial cult leader who demanded piety and thinness of the members of Remnant Fellowship. Despite its focus on abusive weight loss tactics, Aubrey wonders what this documentary delivers for fat people, or for critiques of anti-fatness. And despite the documentary's splashy plot p...
2021-10-28 05:51:35 +0000 UTC
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It's September bonus episode time!
Fat suits are having a weird renaissance--and so is criticism of them. As a follow up to our August bonus episode on Shallow Hal, this month, we're talking fat suits. Mike talks through what Gwyneth Paltrow had to say about her experience in a fat suit for Shallow Hal, and the strange, disappearing photos of Julia Roberts in America's Sweethearts. And Aubrey's got some hot takes on Sarah Paulson
2021-09-30 19:11:16 +0000 UTC
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It's August bonus episode time, dreamboats!
You know how good people are always hideous and hot people are always terrible? The Farrelly Brothers sure do, and they made a whole movie about it! This month we watched the "Citizen Kane" of anti-fatness, "Shallow Hal," and spent more than an hour talking about Hollywood representation, romantic comedy tropes, Jumbotron proposals and the uggos who work for nonprofits.
But despite all the ground we cover in this ...
2021-08-30 08:00:04 +0000 UTC
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