Imagine if everything you had been told about weight loss was wrong!
Welcome to the Real Health and Weight Loss Podcast, where you get real advice from real doctors to help you lose weight and revolutionise your health, not just now, but permanently.
We are here to bust through some myths and give you actionable advice.
Real health and weight loss is a journey and we, your hosts Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns from Real Life Medicine, are here with you every step of the way.
You can change your future starting now!
Podcast Episode 11
Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson discuss why setting New Year’s resolutions often fail.
Wishing, wanting, and waiting are not weight loss plans.
Setting intentions with clarity, commitment, courage, and compassion is the real way to lose weight and improve your health.
Podcast Episode 12
It takes 21 days to form a new habit, right? Actually, there is no science proving this. It takes a lot longer than 21 days.
Applying the 4 Cs – courage, commitment, consistency, and compassion, are the keys to forming and maintaining new habits.
Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson take a deeper dive into habits and give you some practical tips.
Podcast Episode 13
Get great habits for great health and weight loss.
Medical doctors and weight-management experts Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns show you how to work with your natural human psychology to make healthy habits fun, attractive and achievable.
Podcast Episode 14
You can be healthy if you are carrying extra weight, provided your metabolic hormones are healthy and in balance.
Medical doctors, Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson discuss what it is to be metabolically healthy.
Elevated insulin and insulin resistance are at the heart of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, strokes, and heart attacks.
Podcast Episode 15
We discuss the simple, yet powerful changes you can make to improve your gut health today.
Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson discuss the key lifestyle changes we can all make to improve the health of this most vital of organs, our gut.
Our gut affects the health of every other organ in our body. The modern lifestyle of processed food, stress, and poor sleep, damage our gut and microbiome.
Podcast Episode 16
Take action today to heal your gut. Come along with medical doctors Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns as they talk through the first two steps of their four-step process for improving gut health.
Our gut health is of major importance. Gut function is inextricably linked to our overall health and wellbeing. Modern lifestyle (processed food, antibiotics, stress, and poor sleep) can damage our gut lining and disrupt the gut microbiome.
But there is good news! There is plenty to be done to improve our gut health with the choices we make today.
Podcast Episode 17
Heal your gut with these simple and powerful strategies. Medical doctors Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns continue their discussion on the 4R Framework for healing your gut.
This podcast focuses on the role of fermented foods, probiotics, and how finding balance in our lives also rebalances our gut health, helping us achieve and maintain good health lifelong.
Gut function is inextricably linked to our overall health and wellbeing.
Podcast Episode 18
Are you confused about what to eat? You are not alone. Join medical doctors Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns, as they cut through the dogma and get down to the basics of healing your metabolism and losing weight using real food.
For years, the food industry and other vested interests have muddied the water and sent out confusing and contradictory messaging. One day eggs are bad, the next day eggs are good. One minute red meat is evil, the next it is healthy. Plant-based is best, or is it carnivore?
The truth is there is no one perfect human diet.
Podcast Episode 19
Are you one of those people who seems to have tried everything to lose weight? You’ve been on so many different diets and nothing has worked. Perhaps you now feel that diets just don’t work for you.
But wait! You don’t have to be a victim of diet culture. In this episode, Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns help you transform from diet culture victim to weight loss victor.
It’s about building trust with yourself and following their simple guidelines.
Podcast Episode 20
Self-kindness is the secret weapon in weight loss. Self-kindness is proven to help us stay on track with healthy behaviour change, and yet many of us find self-kindness very hard to do. Have you ever felt like giving up your weight loss efforts after slipping and eating just one piece of cake?
Luckily, self-compassion is a learnable skill. Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson discuss three simple steps to building and maintaining self-compassion.
You can learn to change your eating behaviours without self-hatred, and without giving up.
Podcast Episode 21
Are you drawn to the fridge when you are feeling down? Do you use food to suppress or soothe stress and negative feelings? You are not alone! Emotional eating is a very common problem, so often infused with guilt and shame.
Emotional eating is not your fault, it is a conditioned response. There is hope! Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson light the way to overcoming emotional eating. You can learn new tools to deal with negative emotions, you can even learn to tolerate negative emotions.
Listen to this episode and start breaking free from the negative spiral of emotional eating today.
Podcast Episode 22
Have you ever struggled with your weight? Has the standard weight loss advice let you down? Medical doctors Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson explain why the old advice of “just burn more calories than you eat” is wrong.
The treatment of obesity is not the same as the prevention. People who are overweight or obese generally have insulin resistance and high insulin. As insulin is our master fat-storage hormone, elevated insulin is at the heart of unhealthy weight gain and metabolic disease.
Overweight people have different metabolisms to lean people. If you are overweight or have metabolic disease you need to get your insulin down. Let Dr Mary and Dr Lucy show you how.
Podcast Episode 23
We can’t be perfect! Slip-ups are a natural part of life. Dr Mary shares her ice cream-related stumble and shares her tips for getting back on track. She ate some sugary ice cream but did not let this lapse derail her healthy eating lifestyle.
Let Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns introduce you to Fluffy. Fluffy is a metaphor for your inner sugar and carb cravings. Fluffy lives in your brain and is your carb-craving monster. Keeping your sugar and carb intake low keeps this carb-craving monster asleep. Eating carbs wakes Fluffy up.
Putting Fluffy back to sleep is a vital skill to learn. Listen to this episode to learn how.
Podcast Episode 24
Feeding the family can be stressful. This is especially true when you are on a healthy eating plan. But it does not need to be! Most children do not need to eat a low carbohydrate diet, however all children will benefit from eating a real food diet.
Dr Mary Burns and Dr Lucy Barson share their simple strategies for feeding their children real food. It is all about focussing on real food and reducing processed carbohydrates, aka junk food. We learn our habits around food from a very early age. One of the best things we can do for our children is to take food out of the emotional equation. Change the narrative!
As parents, we can let go of guilt, and we can learn to empower our children not to use food to soothe emotions.
Podcast Episode 25
Dr Lucy Burns chats with one of the Real Life Momentum Inner Circle Members, Elane, about her low carb journey and how changing what she eats has revolutionised her running.
Elane is a long-distance runner who had always used exercise to manage her weight. She followed the standard advice of carb loading pre-run and was fuelled by gels in her run.
She is now a fat burner. She has lost 15 kgs. Her running has improved. Her relationship with food and exercise has changed forever and she is now healthy, fit and thriving.
Podcast Episode 26
Robyn Devon is a member of the Real Life Momentum Inner Circle. She has struggled her whole life with yoyo dieting. She’s done every diet under the sun and in 2017 underwent a gastric sleeve. She lost 35 kgs but the weight came back on.
She now found her way. She follows a low carb real food approach, is free from diet mentality and the weight is falling off.
She shares with you her tips for feeding her family and the transition for the whole family to low carb real food.
Podcast Episode 27
Is your liver sick? Up to 30% of Australian adults have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Many people with this illness do know that they have fatty liver. Although non-alcoholic fatty liver disease can have dire consequences to our health, it can also be easily improved with the right dietary advice.
Medical doctors, Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson, show you how to love your liver back to health with a low-carbohydrate lifestyle.
Podcast Episode 28
Dr Liz Fraser quietly goes around championing the low carb cause. Join Dr Lucy Burns as she chats with the phenomenally humble Dr Liz Fraser who is a practising GP in Canberra.
Dr Liz along with Tracey Kimberley is the co-founder of Low Carb Canberra. Her passion apart from gardening, reading, and interpreting scientific articles, is educating other doctors on the benefits of recommending low carb to their patients. She is the author of many articles and even sings a low carb jingle.
Podcast Episode 29
Do you know what a health coach is? Join Dr Lucy Burns as she chats with her good friend and colleague Tracey McBeath.
Tracey lives a low carb lifestyle and is trained in health coaching. Tracey gives us a great summary on what health coaching is and what it isn’t.
Tracey is also a wonderful collaborator, and we talk all about her latest project “The Low Carb Lifestyle Long Weekend Women’s Health Summit”.
Podcast Episode 30
Do you ever feel pressured into eating food you did not want to? Do you get peer-pressured into that extra glass of wine? Do you eat the cakes at a party because you don’t want to be awkward?
There is an odd tendency in our society to shame people for their healthy food choices. “Food-shaming” is common and takes on many guises. Food shame can be a significant roadblock to healthy change.
Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson discuss how to break free from food shame. They give simple, powerful strategies to take control of your food choices and not let others dictate your diet and your health.
Podcast Episode 31
Do you give too much power to the number on the scales? Weight loss is not a linear process, and the scales are not your king. Weight loss is not maths, it is chemistry. Losing body fat is a biochemical and hormonal process that happens differently in every individual.
Medical doctors Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns show you how to put the scales out of your mind (and perhaps away in the bathroom cupboard).
Don't be a slave to the scales!
Podcast Episode 32
Jessica Turton is a low carb dietitian and discusses why she deviates from the current Australian Dietary Guidelines.
In this episode we dive into Jess’s story with body image and disordered eating.
She tells a personal story on calorie restriction and the dangers associated with it and how she too has now achieved food freedom.
Podcast Episode 33
Jess is the founder of Ellipse Health. Her passion is providing a platform for other dietitians wanting to practice low carb and she works closely with gastroenterologist, Dr Pran Yoganathan.
We discuss all things low carb, gut health and transitioning to a low carb real approach.
Progress not perfection.
Podcast Episode 34
Jess Turton is doing a PhD in low carb nutrition for type 1 diabetes. She discusses research and the biases involved in nutritional research.
Sensationalised headlines do not mean quality research. She discusses how the Australian Dietary Guidelines are not appropriate for any person with a chronic disease.
Dr Lucy Burns discusses that the treatment of obesity is different to the prevention.
Podcast Episode 35
Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson examine some of the evidence surrounding red meat. Does red meat cause bowel cancer?
The answer is not as clear as you might think.
Podcast Episode 36
Join Dr Lucy Burns as she chats with one of her favourite humans, Jordyn Evans. Jordyn, at the tender age of 25, noticed that the majority of herbs and spices in the food aisles at the supermarkets were filled with sugar, seed oils, anticaking agents and preservatives.
She wanted herbs and spices that were just what they say they are - real food. She then sold her car, moved back home, and set about creating Mingle Seasoning.
The thing that we love about Mingle is that it is one of the few products made by a food company that offers both real food and convenience.
Podcast Episode 37
Join Dr Lucy Burns as she chats with health and weight loss coach Tanja Shaw. Dr Lucy and Tanja discuss that weight loss is not 80% diet and 20% exercise. It’s 5% knowledge and 95% mindset.
Having good knowledge is one thing but knowing how to implement that knowledge is the missing link.
Podcast Episode 38
Join Dr Lucy Burns as she chats with Dr Karen Dwyer about low carb and kidney health.
Karen is a renal physician and is the clinical director at Kidney Health Australia.
She is a passionate low carb doctor and answers the curly question about high blood pressure and salt.
Podcast Episode 39
The answer is probably yes according to a recent study.
Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson take a dive into this topic that is close to their hearts and remind you that guilt and shame have no place on any weight loss plan.
Podcast Episode 40
Join Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson as they discuss the importance of protein for weight loss.
They chat about all the emotions, the good, the bad and the ugly!
They share tips on how to get more when you’re busy and how low carb real food can be super simple.
Podcast Episode 41
Join Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson as they discuss further the causes of emotional eating.
They chat about all the emotions, the good, the bad and the ugly!
Emotions are designed to keep us safe. Awareness and acceptance are the first steps to gaining food freedom.
Podcast Episode 42
When the toddler rules the roost, things can go astray.
The toddler brain, also known as the amygdala, is our emotional epicentre.
Learning to parent your toddler brain is another skill that takes caring, commitment and compassion.
Podcast Episode 43
This week the doctors take a deep dive into the nuts and bolts of the 12 Week Mind Body Rebalance.
We have many people asking: "Is this program right for me”? Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson give you all the details and a cheeky discount code at the end of the episode.
Podcast Episode 44
Dr Lucy Burns chats with long term dieter Susan Hanmore. Like many women, Susan had years and years of yo-yo dieting.
In 2017 Susan embarked on her own low carb journey, shedding 50 kgs, reversing her fatty liver and restoring her metabolic health. Finding a supportive community through Real Life Medicine has been the low carb cherry on top!
Susan, a wonderfully wise woman, now supports other women on their journey back to health.
Podcast Episode 45
Join Dr Lucy this week as she chats with one of her inspirations in her journey of sustainable weight loss, Dr Katrina Ubell.
Katrina is a medical doctor from the USA, and she helps doctors on their quest for Real Health and Weight Loss.
There may even be a bit of fan-girling going on!
Podcast Episode 46
Dr Lucy continues her chat in part 2 this week with Dr Katrina Ubell in her journey of sustainable weight loss.
Katrina is a medical doctor from the USA, and she helps doctors on their quest for Real Health and Weight Loss.
Podcast Episode 47
This episode concludes Lucy’s three-part conversation with Dr Katrina Ubell on her journey of sustainable weight loss.
Katrina is a medical doctor from the USA, and she helps doctors on their quest for Real Health and Weight Loss.
Podcast Episode 48
The role of cholesterol in chronic disease is far more complicated than you may realise.
Most of us grew up being told that foods like eggs, butter and red meat are bad because they will raise our cholesterol and in turn, raised cholesterol will cause heart disease. But is this really true?
Dr Lucy and Dr Mary unpack the cholesterol myths and truths.
Podcast Episode 49
What is the difference between a low carb diet and keto? What does keto actually mean? Do you need to count carbs? Where does real food fit in?
Join medical doctors and weight loss experts, Dr Mary and Dr Lucy as they unravel the world of macronutrients, ketones and diet confusion.
Podcast Episode 50
In this new series called “Complicated Basics”, Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson discuss frequently used terms and break them down so you can understand what they actually mean.
This is an important part of myth-busting to help you as a consumer make informed choices.
Today they discuss the terms oxidative stress and antioxidants.
Podcast Episode 51
Join Dr Lucy as she chats with a superstar, Dr Kate Gregorevic.
Dr Kate is a physician, geriatrician, and an expert in aging well. She's a published author and a regular contributor to major media publications.
She shares some gems with us around movement, strength training, and overcoming some barriers to exercise. She is on a mission to empower women to age well and age strong.
Podcast Episode 52
What is the big deal with sugar?
You hear people say sugar is harmful to our health. But how is it harmful?
In their second instalment of the “Complicated Basics” series, Dr Mary and Dr Lucy dive into Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs), why you need to know about them and what you can do to protect your health and prevent premature ageing.
Podcast Episode 53
The negative impact of long term stress on our health cannot be overstated.
Long term stress contributes to weight gain, makes us more prone to infections, and contributes to the development of virtually all chronic diseases. Stress is a really big deal.
In this episode of “Complicated Basics”, Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson simplify this complex topic and discuss what you can start doing today to limit the damaging effects of stress.
Podcast Episode 54
Learning and consistently doing meditation is a key way in which we can reduce the harmful (and fattening) effects of chronic stress.
Regular meditation exerts a plethora of beneficial effects on our health.
In this episode, Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns unpack the powerful and ancient practice of meditation and give simple tips on how you can start including some “meditation magic” into your daily life.
Podcast Episode 55
Dr James Muecke is an eye surgeon and was awarded Australian of the Year in 2020 for his philanthropic work in treating eye disease both overseas and in Australia. Join Dr Lucy as she chats with him about his experience in managing the eye complications of type 2 diabetes.
James is a staunch advocate of eating real food. He has used his platform to raise awareness of the complications of type 2 diabetes and the fact that it does not have to be a progressive disease. Type 2 diabetes can be put into remission using low carb, real food.
He has been lobbying the government and the processed food industry for change and like us, is sick and tired of profits over health.
Podcast Episode 56
This week Dr Lucy Burns talks with the lovely Lynn, who has undergone a radical health transformation. Like many of you, Lynn had tried many, many things in the past.
She had type 2 diabetes with some severe consequences to her health, including diabetic retinopathy. Lynn thought she was too far gone, a lost cause.
She was taking 9 different medications, as well as 135 units of insulin a day. She was sick, tired, and overwhelmed. Lynn’s story is so powerful. In an emotional podcast she describes the turnaround which is far beyond weight loss. She truly has reclaimed her life and her future is now full of hope.
Podcast Episode 57
Imagine where you could be in 12 months’ time.
This is exactly what one woman did as she took the leap of faith and joined Momentum in January 2021, the membership program with Real Life Medicine.
Join Dr Lucy Burns as she chats with Jodie about the incredible changes that have occurred in her life, not just with her physical health, but her mindset, her identity, and her self-worth.
Podcast Episode 58
Shari Ware has had an incredible transformation.
She has changed her physical appearance and altered her future health pathway.
Shari's biggest transformation though has been in her mind. She has been on a journey of self-discovery and learnt the power of self-worth, self-love and is now helping others do the same.
Podcast Episode 59
Dr Lucy chats with Dr Kate Gregorevic about ageing well.
Together they discuss the negative messaging society has around ageing.
Dr Kate highlights some issues that affect women in particular, and our favourite quote from Kate: “The older I get the smarter I get!”
Podcast Episode 60
Join Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns as they chat about your plans for Christmas.
Christmas kilos are not a given. You can decide how you want to approach Christmas remembering there is no right or wrong answer...
Plus, Dr Mary has a super exciting announcement that we are all thrilled about!
Podcast Episode 61
Evidence shows us that New Year’s resolutions rarely work and this is largely because they are made without any plan in place.
Join Dr Lucy and Dr Mary as they discuss their thoughts and plans for 2022. Intentions, planning and developing actions are a helpful way to approach your goals.
Being resolute without a plan is unhelpful. Managing your plan with kindness and compassion is essential, knowing that it is never too late to start again and that simply wishing doesn’t work!
