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 101
Can diet help with chronic pain?
In this amazing episode Dr Lucy Burns chats with Dr Rowena Field about chronic pain. Rowena is a physio and she herself suffered from chronic back pain. So frustrating as a physio to have back pain despite doing all the usual physio techniques. She commenced a ketogenic diet and incredibly her back pain resolved. Rowena has gone a step further and actually done research on this! She now has a PhD after doing a trial on low carb and ketogenic diets and chronic pain and has had several papers published.
Podcast Episode 100
Join Dr Lucy as she chats with physiotherapist Trisha Cashmere on the importance of the common problem of knee pain. They chat about ways to not only prevent knee pain but also on how to manage it without surgery.
Trisha Cashmere is a physiotherapist and the owner of The Healthy Body Company. She and her team have designed a wonderful 12 week recovery program so you can rid yourself of knee pain and live your life without the need for medications and surgery.
Podcast Episode 99
Dr Deepa Mahananda is an expert in women’s health. She runs the Sydney Low Carb Specialists Clinic with her husband and helps many women on their low carb journey. Today she shares her story with Dr Lucy. Deepa discusses her diagnosis of severe endometriosis at the age of 23 and how by following a low carb real food diet, she has had 2 children and now lives symptom and medication free. Deepa shares her passion for nutrition and some of the reasons why a real diet may be helpful in this chronic condition.
Podcast Episode 98
Motherhood and burnout
Dr Lucy chats with Dr Ali Young about burnout. Burnout is a phenomenon that is increasing in prevalence. It is well known amongst health care workers but is also on the rise in mums. Burnout has massive implications on our health and weight management.
Dr Lucy and Dr Ali talk about the reasons why this occurs, the neurotransmitter response, the metabolic hormonal response and most importantly the things you can do about it..
They chat about the barriers to self care, in particular the all-too-prevalent mum guilt.
Podcast Episode 97
Join Dr Lucy as she chats with another real life woman. In 2018, Louise was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. She discovered low carb and lost 35 kgs (over 75pounds). Unfortunately she found herself highly stressed during covid as the manager of an aged care facility and put it all back on, plus a bit more. She became extremely unwell with very bad type 2 diabetes and extremely high blood pressure. Listen as she tells her story to Dr Lucy about her recovery and what she did differently this time around to lose the weight and reclaim her health.
Podcast Episode 96
Join Dr Lucy as she chats with a real woman, Lisa-Marie. Like many of us, she grew up thinking she wasn’t thin enough, that her body wasn't good enough. She spent her life dieting. They talk about traditional dieting and the emphasis on weight loss at any cost. They chat about the processed food that is encouraged by many of the big dieting firms. Finally, they chat about Lisa-Marie's experience in the 12 week Mind Body Rebalance and the mind changing experience she encountered in the coaching calls.
Podcast Episode 95
Join Dr Lucy as she chats with another real-life woman, Bec Mills. Bec has been off and on a diet for 25 years. She is an expert dieter. She discusses the brutal regimes she put herself through in the quest for thinness. Like many women she was trapped in the calories in, calories out game.
She did daily gym sessions (sometimes multiple) and survived on 1200 calories a day, until that all become too much and she would binge on all the things. She lived a life of deprivation and scarcity mindset trapped in all or nothing thinking. Bec chats about the incredible mind shift that she has experienced doing the 12 week Mind Body rebalance.
Podcast Episode 94
Join Dr Lucy as she chats about her favourite topic, sugar. This topic gets a fire in her belly and she discusses her two pet peeves. One is junk food and the other is “health” food. She talks about the dopamine effect of sugar, food engineering and the billions of dollars the processed food industry puts into advertising, all designed to get us hooked from a young age.
Dr Lucy then chats about the underhanded tactics of the health food industry who use health-washing designed to trick us into buying their products because we think they are good for us and good for our kids.
Finally, if you want to have a break from sugar then come and join our 7 day No Sugar Challenge.
Podcast Episode 93
This week Dr Lucy chats with US based surgeon and carb addiction specialist Dr Robert Cywes. Dr Cywes treats hundreds of patients with carbohydrate addiction and sees obesity as the result of addiction not the actual problem. Like Dr Lucy and Dr Mary, he is really interested in helping people get to the root cause of their relationship with food. In his practice he treats obesity and metabolic disease by using an addiction model rather than a diet model. Interestingly, in addiction medicine, we use a range of medications, many of which are now being used in obesity.
Podcast Episode 92
Podcast Episode 91
The majority of people want to make other people happy. This is of course, the beautiful, kind and empathic part of human nature.
However, many of us do this at a cost to our own health.
Join Dr Lucy as she chats with business coach Donna Hann. Donna helps women find balance and reduce overwhelm and burnout so they can achieve the things they want to do in their businesses. There is so much parallel to what we do helping people find balance in their lives so they can achieve their health goals.
Donna shares some practical strategies so that you can implement to reduce overwhelm including a downloadable time planner.
Podcast Episode 90
Today is Dr Lucy’s Birthday! For many people birthdays and celebration can cause them to go off track and lose their way. The story for our society is that birthdays equal cake and lollies. Dr Lucy shares with you her strategies on celebratory eating. She gives you 3 options on how to manage your celebration and goes through the pros and cons of each strategy. She breaks through some of the myths including some of her favourites such as “If you don’t eat junk food, you are not fun" and of course her famous one on food wastage-"Your body is not the bin".
Podcast Episode 89
Join Dr Lucy as she chats with another low carb doctor. She is joined by Dr Alex Petrushevski from Sydney Low Carb Specialists.
Alex has a wealth of knowledge and has a particular interest in nutrition and cancer. They chat and debunk the myth on red meat increasing the cancer risk.
They also go on to talk about the mechanism behind obesity and cancer and most importantly what you can do to decrease your cancer risk.
Podcast Episode 88
Do you find night time eating a problem?
You’ve been “good” all day but after dinner you find yourself on the couch eating chocolate or ice cream or even both! Every day you tell yourself you’re going to stop but it’s just too hard.
Join Dr Lucy and Dr Mary as they discuss this very common scenario and give you practical tips to overcome this issue and achieve your health and weight loss goals.
Podcast Episode 87
In this wonderful episode Dr Lucy chats with Brian Keane, a leading nutritionist and personal trainer in Ireland.
As you all know, one of Dr Lucy’s favourite things to talk about is mindset. Brian has a wealth of experience in this area, has written a best-selling book and you are sure to fall in love with his beautiful Irish lilt.
Brian and Dr Lucy chat about self-care, weight loss and of course ways to manage your mind!
Podcast Episode 86
Is it possible to overeat healthy foods? The short answer is yes! It is possible to overeat any food.
In this episode Dr Lucy and Dr Mary discuss the definition of overeating. They chat about the reasons that we can overeat and the reasonable stories our brain can give us to enable overeating.
Whilst it is much easier to overeat hyperpalatable processed food, we can indeed overeat real food, even low carb real food. Dr Lucy and Dr Mary share some stories about their own issues with overeating and give you practical tips to overcome this, so that you can continue your journey to real health and weight loss.
Podcast Episode 85
Dr Lucy chats with another lifestyle medicine doctor today about the importance of habits. Dr Orlena Kerek is a habits expert.
They chat on the importance of habits and how forming good habits make your life easy!
Habits become automatic and then there is no decision fatigue. Just like brushing your teeth, they happen without any internal discussion.
Podcast Episode 84
Dr Lucy and Dr Mary chat today about the very popular practice of juice cleanses and juice detoxes. Many people think that doing a juice cleanse will help them lose weight.
They challenge some myth-information on this topic and explain why juice detoxes are in fact not a detox. They also explain why for many people drinking large quantities of juice is in fact harmful to our bodies.
With so many players in the “health” arena, some with a hugely vested interest, we think it is important to bust through the hype and sort out the facts from the fiction.
Podcast Episode 83
“The Fat Ginger Nerd” is the title of a book written by Brendan Reid. This is a book of inspiration and hope written by someone who was overweight his whole life.
Join Dr Lucy Burns as she chats with Brendan about his weight loss journey. Brendan has lost 50 kg and maintained his weight loss for 5 years by eating low carb.
This podcast is full of emotion as Dr Lucy discusses the stigma and bullying Brendan encountered as a child, his retreat from society and now his glorious re-emergence.
Podcast Episode 82
We’ve all heard the phrase, “just look on the bright side”. Whilst this phrase is often said with well-meaning intent, it can make us feel unheard and that our feelings aren’t valid.
Dr Mary and Dr Lucy chat about this today. They explore the difference between toxic positivity and positive psychology. Using some of the tools that fall under the umbrella of positive psychology can be extremely health enhancing but denying our feeling by looking on the bright side can be harmful.
Denying and suppressing some of these more difficult emotions is associated with overeating and binge eating as we use food to “medicate” them. Learning to sit with and process your emotions is why we always say, “weight loss is more than a meal plan".
Podcast Episode 81
You have heard us say time and time again that many people have the knowledge but implementing that knowledge is the sticking point. This is all about understanding how your mind works.
It is only once you know the stories in your head and the thought processes that lead to those stories, that you can truly change the way you think and the behaviour that follows.
Join Dr Lucy as she chats with mindset expert and coach Michelle Johnson. Michelle is an impressive woman and has achieved an enormous amount through the balance of calm, focused thinking.
Podcast Episode 80
In today’s episode, Dr Lucy and Dr Mary chew the fat on dogmatic thinking. They discuss Dr Mary’s recent diagnosis of gestational diabetes and that despite her low carb lifestyle, she may still require insulin.
Lifestyle changes and medications are not mutually exclusive. Good health and self-care are not an either/or situation. Optimising lifestyle may mean a reduction or even a cessation of medications but requiring medication is not a failure.
They discuss the fact that many support groups espouse rigid thinking. Dietary dogma is rife but humans are not a one size fits all. Many people have felt shamed and marginalised by some support groups. Dr Lucy and Dr Mary discuss the principles of an effective support group and the things necessary for a support group to provide help and not harm.
Podcast Episode 79
At Real Life Medicine, we strongly believe in not just giving you the highlight reel. Too often, weight loss stories are curated and shared as success stories but rather than inspiring us, they can just make us feel bad for not being able to achieve the same results.
Join Dr Lucy as she chats with Raelene Stratton, a real woman who, in her thirties, found herself staring down the barrel of a life of chronic disease.
Rae is a successful career woman and a mum to two young boys. She shares her journey with Real Life Medicine, the highs and the lows. She truly embodies our philosophy that permanent weight loss is more than a meal plan. It really is a journey of self-discovery.
Podcast Episode 78
Join Dr Lucy as she chats with one of her mentors, Emma McQueen. Emma taught Dr Lucy and Dr Mary so many things that they now incorporate into their lives as thriving women!
Emma McQueen is a business coach, an author and runs a wonderful program empowering female business owners. Dr Lucy and Emma chat about how many of the things people need to do in business are also the things we need to lose weight and live a happy and healthy life. Emma has been the inspiration for Dr Lucy’s fabulous fancy teacup addiction!
Emma gives some wonderful tips on mindset, meditation, and habit formation. She has a fabulous book called Go-getter where she busts some myths that women believe about themselves…. (Hello perfectionism!).
Podcast Episode 77
What is the difference between hypnotherapy, mindfulness, and meditation? How can these tools help you gain health and lose weight?
Continuing on from their discussion on hypnotherapy last week, Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns talk through how you can master the powerful tools of meditation and mindfulness to improve your health and empower your weight loss journey.
Although not necessarily easy, these tools are learnable, and when practiced regularly open up a world of good health, improved mindset management, easier weight loss and improved quality of life.
Podcast Episode 76
Despite its long-standing use and strong evidence base, hypnotherapy is often cloaked in mysticism and myth.
Weight loss experts and medical doctors Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson are both trained medical hypnotherapists. They frequently use this powerful and safe tool to empower their patients and clients to lose weight and gain health.
As skilled hypnotherapists they harness the power of the subconscious mind, enabling helpful and healthy choices that facilitate great changes including permanent weight loss. Join Dr Lucy and Dr Mary as they debunk hypnotherapy myths and explore this powerful tool.
Podcast Episode 75
How can you navigate the over-abundance of chocolate eggs, hot cross buns and sugary high carb food available during Easter? How do you deal with the social pressure to eat unhealthy foods?
Medical doctors, experienced mindset coaches and weight loss experts Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns share their highly-skilled advice to navigate Easter festivities without “falling off the wagon”.
They share their brilliant tips that will empower you to manage Easter in a way that best serves your health and happiness.
Podcast Episode 74
Do bubble baths count as self-care? Does buying those expensive shoes mean you are looking after yourself? What about wine, chocolate and watching TV on the couch?
Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson examine the difference between self-care and self-soothing.
To truly care for your mind and body now and in the future, you need to engage in self-care not just the self-soothing.
Podcast Episode 73
Many of us are waiting for the right time to start a lifestyle change.
We have a story in our head that it has to be perfect, or we can’t do it. “The diet has to be perfect or it's not going to work”. “My life has to be perfect - I can’t have any distractions”. These are some of the “reasonable stories” that keep us stuck.
Join Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns this week as they unpack some of the “reasonable stories” that our brain offers us that may no longer serve us. Unpacking these stories and then working out if they are helping or hindering you is crucial for long term heath and weight loss.
Podcast Episode 72
Do you use food or alcohol to reward yourself after a hard day? So many of us do! This is often a learned response since childhood. Just think of the children getting lollipops after vaccinations. Do you ever restrict food as a punishment?
Often this is something that happened to us as children. Using food as a reward and food-restriction as a punishment can keep us trapped in unhealthy patterns.
In this episode, medical doctors and weight loss experts Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson unpack the ways you can overcome the reward/punishment cycles with food and alcohol and start living your best most healthy life.
Podcast Episode 71
Dr Lucy Burns chews the fat with nutritionist Aaron Day.
Aaron is a low carb practitioner from Brisbane. He helps people bring carbohydrates back into their diet after they have been low carb and like us is a fan of busting through the “all or nothing” mentality.
He shares some great tips on how to increase your carbohydrate intake without fear of regaining all the lost weight. Join us to learn how to safely reintroduce some carbohydrates back into your eating plan.
Podcast Episode 70
Join Dr Lucy in this week’s episode as she chats with the most fabulous Tracey McBeath. Tracey aka “The Health & Healing Coach” is an expert in mind management and creating space to be able to see things differently.
Many of us have knowledge but implementing that knowledge is where we get stuck. Tracey’s new book “You Have Today: 100 Insights that will change your life” is a beautiful resource that can shed some light on our thoughts and allow us to change the way we view things.
As you know, if we want to change, then we have to change something.
Podcast Episode 69
What are food cravings? Why do we get them? What can we do about them?
Medical doctors, and weight loss experts, Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns, break down the physiology and psychology of food cravings in easy-to-understand terms.
They discuss how you can deal with cravings, reduce their frequency and intensity, and simply get on with your healthiest life.
Podcast Episode 68
Nothing ever changes if nothing ever changes. Challenging our thoughts is key to changing our behaviour. And of course, it is the behaviour change that ultimately leads to long term weight loss.
Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns discuss how to cultivate a growth mindset and how doing so is the most important change we all must make if we want to reclaim our health for good.
Embracing our failures, lapses and slips is a key part of learning a new mindset. When viewed with kindness failure is our best teacher and driver for change. Let’s start celebrating out failures together!
Podcast Episode 67
We almost, but not completely, align with the intuitive eating and health at any size movements. These movements put forward many wonderful and healthy ideals that align well with our philosophy.
We are very strong believers that self-worth is not dictated by the number on the scales. We believe that tuning into our bodies and treating ourselves with kindness is key to long term health. There is, however, more to this story.
Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson discuss how they have found total “Food Freedom” and improved mental and physical wellbeing (as well as permanent weight loss) through their system of healing the metabolic hormones and managing the mind with kindness and compassion. You can also get your ticket to “Food Freedom”!
Podcast Episode 66
Join Dr Lucy as she chats with Monique, a super high achieving woman who has spent years on the diet rollercoaster. Monique was on boards, committees and even climbed to Everest base camp!
She shares her story where as a busy mum of five, working and studying full time, she lost herself. As menopause approached, she found herself overweight, overwhelmed. She was pre-diabetic, suffered intense joint pain and reflux. She had social anxiety and decreasing self-esteem.
By a chance encounter she heard about the 12 Week Mind Body Rebalance. She has turned the clock back and reclaimed both herself and her health.
Podcast Episode 65
Dr Mary Barson is joined by the fabulous Nicole Mitchell. Nicole has had life-long struggles with body image, and her relationship with food. As an early developer, she can recall feeling deep shame about her body from a very early age.
Despite finding success in many spheres of her life, she has persistently struggled with her weight and with self-acceptance. Having a trusting doctor-patient relationship with Dr Mary, Nicole took the plunge and did the 12 Week Mind Body Rebalance Program in September 2021. Her results were nothing short of transformative.
Not only did she lose a significant amount of weight and normalise her blood sugars and lipids, she also transformed the way she treats and views herself. Nicole shares her powerful story of finding the all-important self-love and self-compassion that is key to long term health, weight loss and well-being.
Podcast Episode 64
As humans, we often look for a clean slate to “start again”.
If we go off track with our healthy eating (like eating the Tim Tams after a stressful day at work) we will often tell ourselves: “It’s OK, I’ll just start again tomorrow/Monday/next week/January”. However, it is actually possible to start again at any time.
Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns discuss how our brains work and how you can change your beautiful brain one thought at a time and be empowered to take control of your health and your life.
Podcast Episode 63
Weight loss plateaus are common.
It is extremely important to remember that weight loss is not a straight-down linear process and that there are many other important indicators of health that we should focus on beyond the simple number on the scales.
If you are having a weight loss stall, there are many things you can do about it. Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson discuss the best ways to break through weight loss plateaus for continued permanent weight loss, so that you can reach your goals and live your very best, most healthy life.
Podcast Episode 62
Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns explain inflammation in the latest instalment of their “Complicated Basics” series.
Inflammation is one of the most significant drivers of poor health.
It is complex, and Dr Lucy and Dr Mary untangle this knotty subject, making it easy to understand so you can be empowered to reduce your chronic inflammation and take control of your health today.
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!
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 10
Fasting, combined with a proper diet, is a liberating and purposeful strategy to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
But don’t confuse fasting with starving! You don’t want to starve yourself.
Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson discuss what fasting means and examine research undertaken from cell biologists into autophagy.
Podcast Episode 9
Do you get a good night’s sleep?
Many people don’t – and that affects the way they function, and it can also affect their craving for food.
Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns discuss what you can do to ensure you receive the restorative health benefits of proper sleep.
Podcast Episode 8
Long-term, low-grade stress is one of the mechanisms of fat storage.
Dr Mary Barson breaks down this concept in an easy-to-understand way and discusses fight and flight as well as rest and digest.
Podcast Episode 7
Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson discuss non-hungry eating and explain how our emotions can drive the desire to eat.
Understanding the thought model is the first step to conquering emotional eating.
Podcast Episode 6
Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson discuss the tools necessary to unlock your mind around weight loss.
Weight loss requires managing the physiology and the psychology for permanent results.
They unpack the thought model and show you that mindset is more than willpower.
Podcast Episode 5
Calorie counting in all its forms is the backbone of the dieting industry and does not work for long term weight loss.
Be ready to unlearn everything you were taught.
Weight loss is chemistry, not maths.
Podcast Episode 4
Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson discuss the red list and green list.
These are the foods they recommend for long term sustainable weight loss. They are low carb real food which will help you lose weight and reduce inflammation.
They also discuss the health benefits of good fats and why we should not fear fat.
Podcast Episode 3
The lynchpin to good health and weight loss is insulin reduction.
Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson discuss the macronutrients carbohydrates, protein, and fats and how the dietary guidelines have contributed to the current obesity crisis.
Podcast Episode 2
Permanent weight loss involves addressing both physiology and psychology.
Dysregulated metabolic hormones are the driver to overweight and obesity. High insulin is the major player in fat storage.
Dr Lucy Burns gives a beautiful analogy, and yes, it involves a woodshed.
Podcast Episode 1
Meet Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns, who have both been overweight and metabolically unhealthy.
Listen to their stories of polycystic ovarian syndrome and insulin resistance.
Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns share their insights on their individual paths to losing weight and reclaiming their health.
