The Only 3 Rules You Need to End Cravings & Reset Your Body

1. 0:00 – 0:23

   Case study: How sugary cereal drives all-day hunger, mood swings, and brain fog

   1. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee0:00

      I had a patient once, um, he was in his m- early 40s, and he came in to see me. And he had a bit of weight around his belly, he was struggling in the day with his mood, and he said, "Doc, you know, I always feel like eating," and there was all kinds of things going on, but in essence, he was starting his day with sugary cereal, okay?

   2. SPSpeaker0:22

      Hmm.

2. 0:23 – 1:53

   “Eat dinner for breakfast”: switching to protein + one-ingredient foods

   1. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee0:23

      And I could track his day and his mood and his energy and his fatigue and his focus, and I thought, "I'm pretty certain that the way he starts his day is impacting the rest of his day, and he doesn't realize this," okay? So we did an experiment. I said, "Okay, you've been starting your, your days for years with this sugary bowl of cereal. You've read the marketing, you think it's healthy. Would you be interested in doing something that I call eat dinner for breakfast?" And he said, "What do you mean?" I said, "What do you have for dinner?"

   2. SPSpeaker0:56

      Yeah.

   3. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee0:56

      He goes, "Well, you know, I like a good, uh, good dinner." So he was pescatarian, Mel.

   4. SPSpeaker1:02

      Mm-hmm.

   5. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee1:03

      And he would eat salmon and roasted vegetables in the evenings. I said, "Okay, could you make extra in the evening and then have the leftovers for breakfast?" He goes, "Well, yeah, I could do that. I haven't done that before." I said, "This is just an experiment." And this is a big principle of my entire approach, Mel. I sort of, I offer them to my patients as experiments, not as prescriptions. What I wanna do is inspire that patient to go, "Hey, listen, you know what it feels like to start your day like this."

   6. SPSpeaker1:36

      Right.

   7. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee1:36

      "What does it feel like for you when you start your day with something else?" So then for the next week, he literally did this. And I... You know, it would be often in the morning he'd have salmon and roasted vegetables, like sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts, whatever. He just-

   8. SPSpeaker1:50

      One ingredient

   9. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee1:51

      ... one-ingredient foods.

   10. SPSpeaker1:52

       Yep.

3. 1:53 – 2:37

   Results and the bigger principle: experiments create self-motivation

   1. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee1:53

      The salmon, protein, which is satiating, okay, can keep you full for longer. And he came in to see me a few weeks later. He goes, "Dr. Chatterjee, I feel like a completely different person." Right? "I'm better at work now. I have more concentration, more focus. I'm not actually hungry till 2:00 PM," right? And this is the thing people don't realize about hunger. People think they're not eating enough. The thing is you're eating the wrong thing, which is making you hungry. So literally that one change for him taught him how important it was to start his day with these one-ingredient foods. And then what's so important about that, Mel, is that he is paying attention to how he feels.

   2. SPSpeaker2:36

      Hmm.

4. 2:37 – 3:51

   Coaching philosophy: show impact, don’t prescribe or shame

   1. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee2:37

      So then what happens later is that he wants to continue doing that, not because I asked him to, but because something else has happened. He has felt the difference, and that's always been my approach. You can take alcohol, right?

   2. SPSpeaker2:50

      Yeah.

   3. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee2:50

      Or caffeine. The, the sort of things people are always struggling with.

   4. SPSpeaker2:54

      Right.

   5. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee2:54

      My job with a patient has never, ever been to tell them, "You must give up alcohol," or, "You must give up smoking," or whatever it might be. My job has always been to show that person what impact it's having. And so I think one of the reasons I've always had really good compliance with my patients is I don't talk down to them. I see them as equal partners and I say, "Hey, listen, I think this is what's going on. Why don't you experiment this way and see how that feels?" Does, does that all make sense, Mel?

   6. SPSpeaker3:23

      Oh my... Not only does it make sense, you've actually handed the power back to us, and you have also activated this internal drive to wanna feel better, and I would love for you to share your framework around cravings. 'Cause you have this three F framework when it comes to craving.

5. 3:51 – 4:13

   Why change fails: trying to stop a behavior without knowing its role

   1. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee3:51

      One of the reasons that people struggle, Mel, to make changes that last is because too often they try and change the behavior without understanding the role that behavior plays in their life.

   2. SPSpeaker4:03

      Hmm. Yeah.

   3. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee4:03

      So let's talk about that through the lens of sugar.

   4. SPSpeaker4:05

      Okay.

   5. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee4:06

      But you could just as easily apply that around alcohol or three hours doom scrolling Instagram in the evening, whatever it might be, okay?

   6. SPSpeaker4:13

      Okay.

6. 4:13 – 6:27

   The 9 PM sofa trap: environment and association trigger cravings

   1. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee4:13

      So let's, let's take a typical scenario that I've seen thousands of times in my practice, and maybe you've experienced before, Mel. I don't... I, I've not been to your house, so I don't know if you've experienced this, but a lot of people when they're trying to reset their relationship with sugar, find that they can be really good in the day.

   2. SPSpeaker4:31

      Yes. Yes.

   3. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee4:33

      But somehow at 9:00 PM on the sofa-

   4. SPSpeaker4:36

      Oh my God. Yes

   5. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee4:37

      ... with Netflix on, they're like, "I really feel like ice cream."

   6. SPSpeaker4:40

      That's where I just screw it all up, Dr. Chatterjee. I can be so good all day, and it... and, and then I'm like, "Why didn't I go to bed earlier? If I had just gone to bed at 8:30 and started reading, I wouldn't have eaten half a bag of this salty, buttery popcorn."

   7. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee4:56

      Yeah. It's, it's so important, and this... there's a couple of things to say there. First of all, the brain is a, is an associative organ, right? Are you tired of waking up exhausted even when you've technically had enough sleep? Do you feel like you're constantly doing everything right, yet you still feel stuck? You're not broken. You're just running the wrong habits. I've taken everything I've learnt from helping thousands of patients and boiled it down into five tiny daily habits that can transform your life in just 30 days. No overwhelm, no pressure, just small shifts that reset your energy, mood, and mind. If you're ready to stop surviving and start feeling like yourself again, download my free guide now. Just click on the first link in the description box below or scan the QR code on screen. You've got absolutely nothing to lose except the version of you that's been running on empty for far too long.So we associate certain behaviors in certain locations, right? So if you've got a habit for 10 years of having ice cream on the sofa-

   8. SPSpeaker6:10

      Yes

   9. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee6:10

      ... whilst watching TV-

   10. SPSpeaker6:12

       Yep

   11. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee6:13

       ... yeah, you're right. Had you gone to bed or moved to a different location in your house, if you have the room, you'll probably find that the behavior naturally starts to change, because it often is associated with that particular location, right? So I don't know if you've experienced that before, but-

   12. SPSpeaker6:27

       Of course

7. 6:27 – 7:17

   3F Framework overview: Feel, Feed, Find

   1. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee6:27

      ... many people have. But the three F framework does something really powerful for people. It helps them understand, why do I keep on doing this?

   2. SPSpeaker6:37

      Okay.

   3. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee6:38

      Because... So let me go through those three Fs, okay? The three Fs are feel, feed, and find.

   4. SPSpeaker6:44

      Okay, feel, feed, and find.

   5. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee6:47

      Yeah, I'm gonna walk people through it. Okay, so for the person listening right now who thinks that this applies to them, I want them to imagine that they're on their sofa in the evening and they feel the urge for ice cream. Okay, I want you to take a pause just for a few seconds. Before you go and open the fridge, and that spoon's in your mouth-

   6. SPSpeaker7:05

      [laughs]

   7. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee7:05

      ... take a pause.

   8. SPSpeaker7:06

      You know we're standing in front of the fridge-

   9. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee7:09

      Yeah

   10. SPSpeaker7:09

       ... with the thing and the spoon.

   11. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee7:10

       The thing is, I've been there before myself, so I'm not doing this from a point of lecturing or judging, right? I've been there-

   12. SPSpeaker7:16

       Uh-huh

8. 7:17 – 8:53

   F1 — Feel: name the feeling and distinguish physical vs emotional hunger

   1. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee7:17

      ... and I know that you can change your life. You can absolutely change your behaviors if you know why the behavior is there, okay? So you take a pause, and before you eat it, you say, "What am I feeling?" That's the first F. Is this physical hunger or is this emotional hunger?

   2. SPSpeaker7:35

      Hmm.

   3. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee7:36

      Oh, yeah, you know what? I had a full meal one hour ago. I'm actually not hungry.

   4. SPSpeaker7:41

      How do you know the difference, though? 'Cause I c- I, I'm a good talker, so I can be like, "I think I'm actually hungry. I think I need a little."

   5. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee7:46

      Well, you know the difference by practicing, okay?

   6. SPSpeaker7:48

      Oh, okay.

   7. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee7:48

      You don't know the difference by suddenly doing it once and going, "Oh, no, no, I really am hungry." No, it's, it's all these things. We need to develop the skill by turning inwards.

   8. SPSpeaker7:59

      Okay.

   9. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee7:59

      Okay? So we have to ask ourselves regularly. It's not as hard as you think. I've done this with thousands of patients, okay? The most important thing is when you, you create that pause, so you, you're literally creating a little gap between the stimulus-

   10. SPSpeaker8:13

       Yep

   11. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee8:13

       ... the desire for ice cream, and the response, okay? So you ask yourself, "What am I feeling?" And you might go, "Yeah, well, I, you know what? I shouldn't really be hungry, 'cause I had a huge meal. I'm a little stressed. I had a row with my partner. The children's bedtime took too long. I've been on Zoom calls all day and I feel a bit yucky. This is a bit of time for me." Okay, no problem. You now have done the most important thing, Mel, which is you're starting to develop the self-awareness-

   12. SPSpeaker8:40

       Yep

   13. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee8:41

       ... of why you're going to that behavior. Then go and eat it. I don't have a problem with someone eating it, as long as they've done the first F, okay? Now, the next time you're on the sofa at 9:00 PM, I want you to go to the second F. So you go through the first F again, what am I feeling?

9. 8:53 – 9:31

   F2 — Feed: how sugar ‘feeds’ stress, loneliness, or the need for a treat

   1. SPSpeaker8:53

      What am I feeling? Yep.

   2. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee8:54

      The second F is feed. How does food feed that feeling? Ah, okay, I feel stressed. When I have ice cream, in the short term at least, I feel less stressed. Oh, that's why I'm going to ice cream. I'm not actually hungry. Okay, so you're starting to build up that awareness. Oh, I've been on Zoom calls all day. I feel a bit lonely. I've not had any conne- connection with another human being today. I feel a bit less lonely-

   3. SPSpeaker9:21

      Hmm

   4. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee9:21

      ... when I have some ice cream, okay? And you start to build up that self-awareness. And if you wanna go and have it, sure, go ahead and have it. The next time you come, you go through the first two Fs.

   5. SPSpeaker9:31

      Yeah.

10. 9:31 – 12:19

    F3 — Find: choose an alternative that meets the same need

    1. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee9:31

       So first F, feel, second F, feed, then you go to the third F, find. Now that I know the feeling, now that I know how sugar feeds the feeling, can I now find an alternative behavior to feed that same feeling? Okay, so what, what does that look like? Oh, I feel stressed. Sugar helps me feel less stressed. Well, what else could I do to make me feel less stressed? Oh, I love yoga. Okay, well, I like yoga. Maybe I can put YouTube on and do a 10-minute yoga sequence from YouTube. Maybe you're feeling lonely, 'cause you've been on Zoom calls all day, or maybe your family are away, or you're in a hotel room, right?

    2. SPSpeaker10:11

       Hmm. Mm-hmm.

    3. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee10:12

       One of the most important pillars for our health is, of course, nutrition. But I think because of our busy, stressed out lives, so many people are struggling despite their best intentions. So many patients over the years have told me that they know what they should be doing, but they're struggling to actually do it, and that's why I'm a fan of AG1. AG1 is a daily health drink that contains over 70 vitamins, minerals, and other ingredients that are designed to make nutrition really easy. It's been in my own life for over six years now. It's simple, it's tasty, it's convenient, and it forms a part of my morning routine. People will routinely tell me that taking AG1 regularly has improved their focus, their cognition, their energy. Some people even tell me that they drink less coffee when they're taking AG1. And there's research out there showing us that taking AG1 regularly can improve specific markers of your gut health, which is really good for your immune health. So if you're looking to upgrade your own nutrition in a simple, tasty, and convenient way, try AG1. To get a free bottle of vitamin D and five free Travel Packs, go to drinkag1.com/livemore. Okay, well, instead of going to sugar to feed the loneliness, maybe you could phone a friend. Maybe you can phone one of your parents if you're lucky enough to have one of them still alive, right? If you have not had any time to yourself all day and sugar's your little treat to yourself-

    4. SPSpeaker11:46

       Yes, I think that's a big one for a lot of us.

    5. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee11:48

       Yeah.

    6. SPSpeaker11:48

       Especially if you're, like, constantly stressed, you're caring for other people.

    7. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee11:51

       Yeah. What, what else can you do? Well, you could run yourself a bath-

    8. SPSpeaker11:55

       Mm

    9. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee11:55

       ... and nourish yourself in a different way. So-

    10. SPSpeaker11:57

        Hmm

    11. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee11:58

        This 3F framework can be applied to sugar, to alcohol, to social media, to online pornography, frankly, to anything, Mel, because it does something very powerful. It creates a gap between the stimulus and the response, and then you do the most important thing, which is you start to understand yourself better.

    12. SPSpeaker12:19

        Hmm.

11. 12:19 – 14:34

    Internal vs external knowledge: you don’t need more info—you need self-awareness

    1. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee12:19

       Mel, this is why we're so confused in the world at the moment with health information, right? We keep thinking that, that there's an expert out there who knows what's right for me. The person who's eating too much sugar in the evening, right? Let's say you're trying to stop ice cream in the evening, uh, on your sofa.

    2. SPSpeaker12:35

       Yep.

    3. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee12:36

       Mel, you don't need another book on sugar.

    4. SPSpeaker12:39

       [laughs]

    5. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee12:40

       Right?

    6. SPSpeaker12:41

       'Cause I'm probably gonna put it down anyway and go get the popcorn-

    7. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee12:44

       Yeah

    8. SPSpeaker12:44

       ... and ice cream. [laughs]

    9. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee12:44

       But most people who are trying to cut back on sugar, alcohol, they don't need another book telling them, "Oh, sugar's gonna affect your teeth. It's gonna put on weight. You're gonna have low energy. It's gonna increase your risk of diabetes." No, I would say in the world today, we have so many health podcasts, so many health books, so many online articles. We've got more information than ever before, yet despite that, our physical health is getting worse, our mental health is getting worse. So the case I make in this new book, Mel, is that we don't need more external knowledge necessarily. We need more internal knowledge-

    10. SPSpeaker13:21

        Hmm

    11. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee13:21

        ... more self-awareness, more insights. That's how you change your life for good, right? You listen to experts like you, Mel, or me, but then you put it through your own filter and go, "Does this work for me? Is this the right approach for me?" And that's what I've found to be the most useful thing throughout my entire career, Mel. The patients who've changed their life for good, somewhere along the line it stopped being my plan and it became their plan.

    12. SPSpeaker13:50

        Oh, I love that.

    13. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee13:51

        It's such a key point, Mel. People will often ask me, "Well, are each of those three Fs as important as the other?" No, they're not. The most important F is the first F, feel. What am I feeling?

    14. SPSpeaker14:04

        Hmm.

    15. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee14:04

        I would say that's 80 to 90% of it. When you break the loop of this patterning of sofa, I want some ice cream, open the freezer, spoon in my mouth.

    16. SPSpeaker14:15

        [laughs]

    17. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee14:16

        Right? We've all been there, Mel, right?

    18. SPSpeaker14:19

        [laughs]

    19. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee14:20

        With that first F-

    20. SPSpeaker14:20

        I literally, since I've been in your house and I've met your wife and your kids, I can see you standing in your kitchen and imagine your wife coming in and being, "What are you doing?" [laughs]

    21. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee14:32

        You know what? On another note-

    22. SPSpeaker14:33

        [laughs]

12. 14:34 – 15:28

    Willpower strategy: don’t fight cravings at home—control the environment

    1. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee14:34

       ... like, we don't have that stuff in the house.

    2. SPSpeaker14:37

       Yes.

    3. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee14:37

       Because one of my principles that I've been sharing with patients for years is try not to use up your willpower in the house.

    4. SPSpeaker14:44

       Hmm.

    5. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee14:44

       Okay? You have to use up your willpower as soon as you step out the front door these days, right? So in the UK, if you wanna buy a coffee, you have to walk past the pastries, the pain au chocolats, the, you know, the biscuits, whatever it might be. I have a rule that if I don't want to eat it, I don't bring it into the house.

    6. SPSpeaker15:02

       Hmm.

    7. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee15:02

       That makes it much easier, and I think that's a great rule for many people to think about. But I... That, that first F, Mel, where you just start to understand yourself, I've seen it with patients. It starts to change everything. You may not change it straight away, but I tell you, within a week, you're coming there, you're on the sofa, you're thinking, "Wait a minute. I don't need this. I know what's going on here." And you feel the sense of control.

    8. SPSpeaker15:27

       Yeah.

13. 15:28 – 21:12

    Stop blaming yourself: if a diet fails, the diet may be wrong for you

    1. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee15:28

       Mel, in y- I, I read your new book recently, um, The Latham Theory, and I love it, and in that book you write a lot about control, okay? This, this base human need that we want to feel in control. Why the 3Fs work so well, and why listening to lots of external advice and not owning the advice for yourself becomes problematic is you feel out of control.

    2. SPSpeaker15:52

       Yes.

    3. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee15:52

       Right? When you can't decide between a low-carb diet, a plant-based diet, a keto diet, a paleo diet, when you try them and you feel it doesn't work for you, but it worked for your best friend-

    4. SPSpeaker16:03

       Right, or the people that are telling you to do it online.

    5. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee16:06

       Yeah.

    6. SPSpeaker16:06

       Yeah.

    7. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee16:06

       You never think... Well, you rarely think that the diet was the failure. You think you're the failure.

    8. SPSpeaker16:14

       Stop. That is something that everybody needs to hear.

    9. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee16:21

       Yeah.

    10. SPSpeaker16:22

        You don't think the diet was the failure. You think you're the failure.

    11. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee16:26

        Yeah, and that leads to guilt, shame, regret. That leads and reinforces these feelings that I'm not good enough, okay? I can't get the right plan for me. And sometimes I would argue that some people are better off having not started that diet than having started it, failed, and then feeling even worse than before-

    12. SPSpeaker16:48

        I-

    13. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee16:48

        ... they'd even started

    14. SPSpeaker16:49

        ... I'm having this huge epiphany, um, Dr. Chatterjee, that I can't tell you how many times I've started keto or I've tried to manage more protein, or I, you know, I've tried pescatarian, or I've tri- y- like, I've just been chasing one fad and one diet and one thing that I hear on the outside. And it's not to say that those changes don't work, but I'm realizing for the very first time listening to you right now, that the key ingredient in all of those situations where I tried something and I felt like it failed for me, or I c- I couldn't stick to it, I don't have the willpower, this is too complicated, is that I didn't have the most important ingredient that you're talking about right now, which is part of the first pillar of food, which is feel. I wasn't saying to myself, "How is this making me feel?" And I can tell you that I recently did this kind of, like, five-day protocol-That I was just looking for some sort of reset to do, and it was this five-day intermittent, you know, you're eating-

    15. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee18:07

        Yeah

    16. SPSpeaker18:07

        ... while you're doing it, fasting protocol. They send you a kit, and it was one of the hardest things I've ever done. But the interesting thing that was different is that I was very much paying attention to how would I feel every day as I was doing it. And as I started to notice that my mood got better, I wasn't as hungry, I felt sharper in focus. It has made a change stick because of what you're talking about, which is, you know, when you start focusing on this first pillar of your health, really trying this as an experiment, and then going, "How does this feel for me?" That's the piece that-

    17. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee18:50

        It's-

    18. SPSpeaker18:50

        ... actually will make it work

    19. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee18:51

        ... it's the biggest piece, right? It's not just doing it, it's doing it and then going, "Oh, yeah, I'm noticing now that I'm feeling different." So let's say someone listens to your podcast, Mel, or mine, right? And one week they hear an expert talking about the benefits of a plant-based diet.

    20. SPSpeaker19:08

        Yep.

    21. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee19:09

        And the next week they hear another well-credentialed experts talk about the benefits of a ketogenic diet. And the problem is people get confused, right? 'Cause they're like-

    22. SPSpeaker19:18

        Yes

    23. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee19:19

        ... "I'm only gonna listen to experts." Oh, but here's the problem with that. You can have well-credentialed experts from really good institutions saying two different things, right? So how do you navigate that conflict and that confusion? The way you navigate it is by starting to trust yourself, right? And so I say to people, when that's happened on my show before, I said, "Okay, both of them have got credentials, both of them have got research to back up what they're saying-

    24. SPSpeaker19:44

        Yeah

    25. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee19:44

        ... and case studies. They could both be right for different people. So why don't you try one diet for four weeks, and as you're trying it, pay attention. What's your energy like? What's your sleep like? What's your focus like? What's your guts like? What are your bowels like? What is your bloating like? Okay, and you pay attention. Then for another four weeks, you try the other one's diet, and you pay attention to those same things. You will very quickly realize, "Actually, you know what? I think at this stage in my life," because that's the other thing, things can change throughout your life. "At this stage in my life, I think this is probably the right approach for me." And it's life-changing for people 'cause it gives them the power. Like you write in your book, Mel, it's about control, right?

    26. SPSpeaker20:31

        Yes. Well, you know what?

    27. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee20:32

        This gives you a sense of control.

    28. SPSpeaker20:34

        Totally, and what I love about this, and I'll just add this from my own experience, is I've always felt this pull to want to be vegetarian or plant-based. And when I have tried it, I have felt so low energy, and it has been a chore to get in the protein, that I'm realizing as you're talking, that's why I've never done it. It's because I realize that I actually feel better on a different type of eating program and getting more lean protein from sources other than plant-based foods.

    29. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee21:12

        Yeah.

14. 21:12 – 24:45

    How long to test food changes + the ‘for who, in which context’ lens (fasting example)

    1. SPSpeaker21:12

       And I have a question, though, before we move on to the second pillar of movement. Um, how long do I need to try something in the food pillar or a change in my diet and really paying attention to how am I feeling? Because I would imagine you change anything, whether it's you're-

    2. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee21:33

       Yeah

    3. SPSpeaker21:34

       ... reading labels, one ingredient, less sugar, that you will go through a withdrawal period.

    4. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee21:39

       Yeah.

    5. SPSpeaker21:39

       It will feel worse before it feels better. So what's your recommendation in the food pillar for how long you would recommend us trying this thing, going, "How do I feel?"

    6. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee21:49

       I, I would say a minimum of three weeks.

    7. SPSpeaker21:51

       Three weeks.

    8. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee21:51

       Okay?

    9. SPSpeaker21:52

       Okay.

    10. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee21:52

        I would say three to four weeks, generally speaking, is the kind of time you wanna be trying something for. It's enough time for your taste buds to start adapting to the new flavors. It's what people don't realize. You know, if you're used to having a lot of sugary foods, for a few days, you know, you're gonna really miss them. You're gonna go through withdrawal. You have to go through that and come out the other side. A key point, Mel, I wanna make is that I'm not saying ignore external experts, right? I'm not saying that.

    11. SPSpeaker22:19

        You didn't say that.

    12. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee22:20

        I'm saying that something's happened in society now with all this information where we put all of our faith in external experts at the expense of ourself, okay? And I'm saying we need to bring up our own inner expertise as well.

    13. SPSpeaker22:36

        Mm.

    14. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee22:36

        Yes, listen to the external experts, but also know that, hey, you know what? My life is unique. I've got unique pressures, unique stresses. What works for someone else may not work for me. So again, I don't mean to confuse the issue.

    15. SPSpeaker22:50

        You're not, actually. You're simplifying it. You're doing exactly what you said, and it is very clear to me food is medicine. Food is part of your plan and a required part of the pillar for you to feel less stressed, to have more energy, to be happier, to be healthier, and you're the expert. And so take the things that you feel called to try, that you know are true for, or you trust, and do it for three weeks-

    16. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee23:17

        It, it's like-

    17. SPSpeaker23:17

        ... and see how you feel

    18. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee23:18

        ... it's like fasting, Mel. Fasting becomes this really controversial topic, right? Should I fast? Should I not fast? Is fasting better for men? Is it better, you know, is it not so good for women? People are getting confused, right? But even the fundamental premise, is fasting good or bad, it's the wrong question.

    19. SPSpeaker23:35

        What's the right question?

    20. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee23:36

        The right question is, for who and in which context, okay? The two most important questions we can ask ourselves whenever we're hearing advice, okay? For some people, fasting is a game changer. If you have been carrying excess weight for a while, if you have type 2 diabetes, if you've been ingesting excess calories for, you know, 10 plus years, a form of fasting that suits you and your life may be game changing.

    21. SPSpeaker24:05

        Yes.

    22. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee24:06

        If, on the other hand, you're underweight, you have an eating disorder which you are suffering from or recovering from, well, fasting might not be the best solution for you. But these days online, we wanna say, is it good or bad? It's like, well, it's neither.

    23. SPSpeaker24:22

        It's an option.

    24. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee24:22

        It can be amazing, but it's an option that you may wanna play around with. If you enjoyed that short clip, I think you are really going to enjoy the full conversation, which you can check out here. [outro music]

Episode duration: 24:47