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 57
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 has 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
Podcast Episode 54
Meditation magic
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
Is stress all in our head?
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's the big deal with sugar?
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
We've got a bone to pick!
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
Complicated Basics - Understanding anti-oxidants
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 term oxidative stress and antioxidants.
Podcast Episode 49
Is keto a dirty word?
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 macronutrients, ketones and diet confusion.
Podcast Episode 48
But what about my cholesterol?
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
Inspiration from a doctor's doctor: Part 3
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
Inspiration from a doctor's doctor: Part 2
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
Inspiration from a doctor's doctor: Part 1
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
A low carb epiphany!
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
The 12 week Mind Body Rebalance starts on the 4th of September
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
The Toddler Brain
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
Emotional Eating – Why do we do it?
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
Prioritise protein for real health and weight loss
Join Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson as they discuss the importance of protein for weight loss.
They share tips on how to get more when you’re busy and how low crab real food can be super simple.
Podcast Episode 39
Have you been fat-shamed by your doctor?
The answer is probably yes according 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
Does salt cause high blood pressure?
Podcast Episode 37
It's all about your thoughts!
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
Mingle & medicine
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 anti caking 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 Seasonings. The thing that we love about Mingle is that is one of the few products made by a food company that offers both real food and convenience.
Podcast Episode 35
Should I reduce red meat?
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
Research - No wonder we are confused with Jessica Turton
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 discussed that the treatment of obesity is different to the prevention.
Podcast Episode 33
Jess Turton spreading the Low Carb message to other dietitians
Jess is the founder of Ellipse health. Her passion is providing a platform for other dietitians wanting to practice low carb and 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
The Dangers of Calorie Restriction with Dietitian Jess Turton
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 calories restriction and the dangers associated with and how she too has now achieved food freedom.
Podcast Episode 31
The scales are a false idol
Do you give too much power to the number on the scale? 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
Fight the food shame
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
Does health coaching help?
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 wonderful collaborator and we talk all about her latest project The Low Carb Lifestyle Long Weekend Women’s Health Summit.
Podcast Episode 28
The (Un)Caped Crusader Dr Liz Fraser
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 cofounder 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
Love your Liver
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
A Real Woman’s Real Life Weight Loss Story
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 35kg 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
Running on empty
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 has 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
What should my children eat?
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
Dr Mary ate the icecream and woke up Fluffy.
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
Overweight people are not big thin people.
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
What does a dead chook have to do with weight loss?
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 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
You can't hate yourself thin!
Self-kindness is the secret weapon in weight loss. Self-kindness is proven to help us stay 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
Don't be a victim of diet culture!
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
What is the perfect human diet?
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
Save your gut health in 4 simple steps - part 2
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
Save your gut health in 4 simple steps
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
Heal your gut simply
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
Health at any size...but not any serum insulin level
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
Healthy habit hacks: Work with your brain to form long-term healthy habits
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
Habits form the basis of any change
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 C’s – 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
Reflect for success
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: A powerful strategy for weight lossFasting, 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 biologist into auophagy.
Podcast Episode 9
Healthy sleep, healthy living
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
Too much on your plate
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
A deeper dive into psychological hungerDr 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
Podcast Episode 5
Yo Yo dieting is not your fault
Calorie counting in all its in 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
Myth Busting High Fat
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, reduce inflammation. They also discuss the health benefits of good fats and why we fear of fat.
Podcast Episode 3
Podcast Episode 2
Podcast Episode 1
Overweight Doctors
Meet Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy Burns 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 lose weight and reclaim their health.
