Welcome to Debate Club! Please be aware that this is a space for respectful debate, and that your ideas will be challenged here. Please remember to critique the argument, not the author.

Best and Worst Weight Loss Experts

Options
ATLadonis
ATLadonis Posts: 2 Member
in Debate Club
In your opinions, who are the best and worst weight loss experts/gurus out there?
«13

Replies

  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    edited August 2016
    Options
    Best: Yoni Freedhoff. I consider The Diet Fix to be one of a very few diet books actually worth reading.

    Worst: So hard to decide, as there are so very many terrible "experts" out there.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Options
    Another vote for Freedhoff. I include food/nutrition/eating/living experts in my list, which continues like this:

    Brian Wansink
    Mark Schatzker
    Marion Nestlé
    Michael Pollan
    Isabel Foxen Duke
    Ellyn Satter
    David Aaron Kessler
    Allen Carr
    Eric Schlosser
    David L. Katz
    Michael Moss
    Gillian Riley
    Doug Lisle

    I'm not sure about whether I regard Kelly Brownell as a "guru" anymore :s
    I like Ursula Philpot (the Supersize vs Superskinny dietitian) - sometimes she "tells" me when I have had enough :D
  • ouryve
    ouryve Posts: 572 Member
    Options
    Dr John Briffa can go on the terrible "expert" pile. I'd maybe give him more credibility if he was more sound on his sources. The summary of his "Diet Trap" book seems to be avoid all these evil carbs and eat all this low fat, low calorie stuff, instead.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    Options
    Best: John Berardi

    Background:
    http://www.precisionnutrition.com/about/john-berardi

    Worst: List goes on and on.
  • laur357
    laur357 Posts: 896 Member
    Options
    Good - Judith Beck (Beck Diet Solution)
    Not so much diet and nutrition, but cognitive behavioral techniques for those struggling with overeating and making permanent/consistent changes to achieve and maintain weight loss.

    Good - Michael Pollan
    Again, not necessarily prescribing to specific diets or an expert, he thinks a sensible, whole-food based approach to eating most of the time is a good idea. And the man likes to eat food.

    Good - the USDA & NIH and registered dieticians who use evidence-based science to create guidelines
    Yeah, they aren't perfect - but nutrition science is new and wildly complex. They're trying, and they put out some decent free resources for families needing basic nutrition education and help with diabetes, obesity, etc.
    (And they're hopefully not taking too much cash from lobby groups or corps. with ulterior motives.)

    There are too many bad to list.
  • Lizarking
    Lizarking Posts: 507 Member
    Options
    best: Lyle McDonald
    worst: Menno
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Options
    Lizarking wrote: »
    best: Lyle McDonald
    worst: Menno

    I legit lol'd at listing Menno as the worst.

    Curious what topics he has that cause you to say this.
  • Verdenal
    Verdenal Posts: 625 Member
    edited August 2016
    Options
    BillMcKay1 wrote: »
    IDK that he is considered a guru in the mainstream kinda way, but I'm a big fan of Lyle McDonald.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/

    I like Lyle McDonald, but he can be erratic and nasty. Well over a year ago, he wrote that he was almost done with a book on women's fat loss issues. Not long ago, I asked in a public forum when it was coming out. Unspeakably rude.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,394 MFP Moderator
    Options
    Favorite: Alan Aragon, Eric Helms, Brad Schoenfeld, James Krieger

    Worst: Taubes, Lustig, Dr. Oz
  • WillpowerBurton
    WillpowerBurton Posts: 65 Member
    Options
    Dr Oz is THE worst. Peddles a whatever the newest snake oil is and then hides under the statement that what he does is "just entertainment".
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    Options
    Tracy Anderson, Freelee, Oz are among the worst.
  • SKristianM
    SKristianM Posts: 11 Member
    Options
    Lyle McDonald is good, no ones perfect.

    Worst, pretty much all celebrities peddling anything health related.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    Options
    psulemon wrote: »
    Favorite: Alan Aragon, Eric Helms, Brad Schoenfeld, James Krieger

    Worst: Taubes, Lustig, Dr. Oz

    Pretty much hits it on the nose for me, but I'd add:

    to the 'Best' list: Lyle McDonald

    to the 'Worst' list: Mercola and Hyman.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Options
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    psulemon wrote: »
    Favorite: Alan Aragon, Eric Helms, Brad Schoenfeld, James Krieger

    Worst: Taubes, Lustig, Dr. Oz

    Pretty much hits it on the nose for me, but I'd add:

    to the 'Best' list: Lyle McDonald

    to the 'Worst' list: Mercola and Hyman.

    ^Agreed. Criticisms of Lyle's actions are valid, but that dude's knowledge and contributions to the field are ridiculous.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    Options
    Best: Lyle McDonald.

    Worst: Most celebrity fitness 'gurus', tumblr/bloggers/most youtubers, Mercola, Dr Axe.

Categories