Delulu Podcast: The Calorie Lie, The Craving Truth & the Weight of Secrets

I was sitting at my kitchen window in Kraków, fingers wrapped around a cup of peppermint tea, when the whisper came—not from the room, but from my phone. It was Dr. Giles Yeo, speaking through The Diary of a CEO, unspooling truths I didn’t know I needed to hear.

You see, this was never just about weight. Not mine, not yours. It was about control. The illusion of it. The obsession with numbers on a scale or in an app—calories in, calories out. But as Dr. Yeo, Professor at Cambridge and world-class expert in genetics and obesity, calmly explained in one of The Diary of CEO episodes, the truth had been hiding beneath our skin all along.

You’ve Been Lied To…

We’ve been told for years that weight loss is simple math. But Dr. Yeo dismantled that lie with the grace of a scientist and the sass of someone who’s seen too many juice cleanses. Calories don’t tell the whole story. In fact, they’re a blunt tool, not a precise measure. Why? Because the calorie value on food labels is just an estimate, and how your body digests that food depends on your genes, gut, and metabolism.

What we eat, how we process it, even how hungry we feel—is not fully in our control.

And then, he drops a truth bomb: “Our perception of food is manipulated by marketing, society, and misunderstanding of biology.” We don’t just eat because we’re hungry. We eat because our brains have been trained to want certain things—sugar, salt, fat—and because our environment makes them easy to reach.

And just when I thought I was starting to understand, he said it:

“Our brain hates us losing weight.”

The Brain’s Secret Sabotage

Yes, your brain is not on your side in this journey. Evolution wired us for survival, not swimsuit season. When we try to lose weight, our brain responds by increasing hunger and slowing metabolism—convinced we’re starving in the savannah, not sipping matcha in a modern flat.

Scams, Science, and Strange Truths

Dr. Yeo tackled myths like a silent warrior:

• Calorie counting? Useful to a point—but limited.
• Gluten-free diets? Only if you’re actually intolerant.
• Lactose intolerance? Totally normal in many cultures.
• Juice cleanses? A sugar trap in disguise.
• Alkaline water? A scam. (Seriously, your body regulates its own pH.)
• Veganism? Ethically sound, but not a weight loss miracle.
• Exercise? Amazing for your brain, heart, and strength—but not the magic wand for weight loss.

And somewhere between the myth-busting and science deep-dives, Dr. Yeo reminded me—and maybe you—that body positivity isn’t the enemy of health. It’s the beginning of it.

So Where Do We Go From Here?

It’s not about fighting our biology, but understanding it. It’s about shifting the goal from “thin” to thriving. From shame to science. And from fear to freedom

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Key Takeaways from Dr. Giles Yeo’s Episode:

1. Calories are a rough guide, not a precise science. Digestion varies from person to person.

2. Our brains are wired to resist weight loss. Hunger hormones increase when we diet.

3. Genetics play a huge role in body weight and food response.

4. Exercise is vital for health, but not the main key to weight loss.

5. Juice cleanses, alkaline water, and other trendy diets are misleading.

6. Focus on sustainable habits, not extreme restrictions.

7. Body positivity is compatible with health goals.

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Somewhere out there,  where my journey continues, this knowledge will come in handy—at a dinner party, a delulu daydream, or a moment of truth in front of a mirror.

But for now, I leave you with this thought:

What if the key to your health isn’t in your willpower, but in understanding your wiring?

See you in the next chapter.