Over the last 30 years, fatness has been defined as a risk factor for disease, then a disease in itself, then a global epidemic. What caused this rapid shift? Who’s gonna join our group of B-roll vigilantes? And did we just hear Morgan Freeman? Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Books! Fat Politics Killer Fat The End of the Obesity Epidemic Folk Devils and Moral Panics Moral Panics Links! American Obesity Association PSA ...
Aug 17, 2021•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast The BMI is EVERYWHERE. But is it scientific or scientif-ish? While many Americans think of the body mass index as an objective measure of health, its history reveals a more complicated story. This week, Mike and Aubrey tackle the first in a two-part series about the BMI and the “Obesity Epidemic.” Along the way they visit 18th century Belgium, learn a gross new acronym and dissect Dracula's facial features. LINKS!: The Bizarre and Racist History of the BMI (Elemental) Adolphe Quetelet, Soci...
Aug 03, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we're diving into one of the biggest-ever scandals in nutrition research. For nearly two decades, Brian Wansink's Food and Brand Lab told Americans that lower weights, healthier workplaces and better school lunches were just a few small tweaks away. Then, in 2015, he wrote a blog post and it all came crashing down. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers, face masks and more Links! A Credibility Crisis in Food Scien...
Jul 20, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Transcript available on Metacast So long, root vegetables! This week, we dive into the strange and surprising history of the 100-year-old ketogenic diet. Along the way, we encounter a Victorian bodybuilder, an infamous podcast bro and the possibility of a bad Meryl Streep performance (!). Get in, loser, we're counting macros! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! What Is the Keto Diet and Does It Work? (NYT) The Ketogenic Diet for Weight Loss (T...
Jul 06, 2021•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Special guest Kimberly Springer joins us to talk about an infamous, dangerous faith healer and his two — two! — appearances on Oprah's talk show. This episode contains, we're sorry to say, detailed descriptions of sexual assault. Buy Kimberly's books: Stories of Oprah: The Oprahfication of American Culture Living for the Revolution: Black Feminist Organizations, 1968-1980 Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Links! Behin...
Jun 22, 2021•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do you have weird feelings about Oprah? So do we, and so does our guest! Kimberly Springer, co-editor of "Stories of Oprah: The Oprahfication of American Culture," joins us to talk about the rise of Oprah Winfrey and her infamous "wagon of fat" weight loss episode. Buy Kimberly's books: Stories of Oprah: The Oprahfication of American Culture Living for the Revolution: Black Feminist Organizations, 1968-1980 Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenanc...
Jun 08, 2021•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do you have viruses? Cysts? Cancer? Are you tired sometimes? According to Instagram, the problem might be a lack of liquefied vegetables! This week, Mike and Aubrey take on a troubling taste test, meet a ghost with bad intentions and encounter the longest list of problematic celebrities we've ever seen. Plus, we start the show with an announcement: We're doing Patreon-only bonus episodes! Sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/maintenancephase Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on ...
May 25, 2021•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Special guest Mike Rothschild tells us how the road to wellness can be an on-ramp to a conspiracy theory. Along the way we debunk oil pulling, explore Instagram aesthetics and bemoan anti-vaxx argumentation tactics . Mike gets the date of the January 6th insurrection wrong and he is sorry. Mike Rothschild is on Twitter and you can pre-order his book here ! Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Thanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistan...
May 11, 2021•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week is our first Diet Book Deep Dive, where we dig into some of the worst and wildest weight loss advice we can find. First up: Tonight Show sidekick Ed McMahon's pun, alcohol and misogyny-fueled diet plan from the 1970s. Hope you like broiled steak and Sanka! Clips! Ed McMahon & Britney Spears on Star Search Ed McMahon for American Family Sweepstakes Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Thanks to Lynn Barbera for editin...
Apr 27, 2021•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast In 1996, Proctor & Gamble launched an artificial fat substitute that promised all of the taste but none of the calories. There was just one problem. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Links! Marion Nestle’s The Selling of Olestra Jeffrey Steingarten's The Man Who Ate Everything The 1996 Federal Register The Trouble With Fries Reduction of the body burden of PCBs and DDE by dietary intervention in a randomized trial Review of...
Apr 13, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Fat people have them too! This week, special guest Erin Harrop tells us about one of America's most under-diagnosed and misunderstood problems. Along the way we talk about elbow bumps, Twitter etiquette and '90s sweatpants. Our content warnings are becoming increasingly threatening. Here's Erin's faculty page and a bunch of her research ! Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Thanks to Mitra Kaboli for production sup...
Mar 30, 2021•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Get your flex point calculators and food scales! This week, Mike and Aubrey are talking about one of America's most iconic diet programs: Weight Watchers. Along the way, we encounter The Rock, the mating habits of straight people and a new James Bond villain. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Links! Jean Nidetch, a Founder of Weight Watchers, Dies at 91 Mass Firing on Zoom Is Latest Sign of Weight Watchers Unrest Weight Watcher...
Mar 16, 2021•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Are your moods too stable? Is your face free of cold sores? Get your lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper ready, because this week we're talking about celebrity favorite THE MASTER CLEANSE! Along the way we roast New Atheism, praise Gwyneth Paltrow (!) and endorse garbanzo bean salads. Mike wishes to clarify that he adores Kate Bush and quips with the utmost affection. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Links!: The Master...
Mar 02, 2021•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we're dissecting "America's Doctor." How did a smart, hardworking surgeon become one of TV's leading purveyors of junk science? Along the way we debunk green coffee bean extract, raspberry ketones, conversion therapy (!) and a salad dressing skincare regimen. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Links: Transcript of the infamous Congressional hearing The Making of Dr. Oz Columbia and the Problem of Dr...
Feb 16, 2021•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast The world of dieting and wellness is full of so-called snake oil salesmen—but what IS snake oil? This week, we take a wild ride through the history of health scams and discover a startling twist about an everyday idiom. Along the way, Aubrey delivers fun facts about sanitation from memory and Mike roasts the state where most of his family lives. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Links: Snake Oil, Hustlers & Hambones by Mary Ande...
Feb 02, 2021•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we dissect the content and impact of one of America's most harmful TV experiments. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Links! Aubrey’s article on The Biggest Loser That's not reality for me': Australian audiences respond to the Biggest Loser "Cheapening the struggle:" obese people's attitudes towards the Biggest Loser The Effects of Reality Television on Weight Bias: An Examination of The Bigges...
Jan 19, 2021•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast WE’RE BACK! A new diet ice cream is taking your grocery store by storm. But what even is it? This week, Mike and Aubrey talk biohacking, dieting for straight dudes and the extremely ill-advised "Halo Top diet." Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Links! What is biohacking? The new “science” of optimizing your brain and body. (Vox) Halo Top Is Now the Most Popular Pint of Ice Cream in America (Food and Wine) What It's Li...
Jan 05, 2021•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast To celebrate the release of her new book, Aubrey takes Mike on a tour through the statistics and debates surrounding weight bias. Anyone interested in body positivity, airline seats, 'skinny shaming' or the sugar content of melons is legally obligated to join us. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Get Aubrey's book in the U.S.: Powell's Books Bookshop.org Beacon Press Buy from your local bookstore on Indiebound Ge...
Nov 24, 2020•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Twinkie Defense has become a shorthand for disingenuous legal defense strategies. But was it disingenuous? (Yes, but not in the way you think!) Thanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Links! Mike's "Victim's Rights" episode on his other show! The Trial of Dan White: The Diminished Capacity ("Twinkie") Defense Har...
Nov 17, 2020•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast What's that Gwyneth Paltrow's drinking? It's MOON JUICE! This week, we're talking adaptogens, brain dust, hot sex milk and the wellness company that's taken L.A. by storm. Be sure to take your quinton shots before you listen to this one. Thanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Links!: How Hollywood's Favorite Juice B...
Nov 10, 2020•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast They hit the market in 1992. Three years later, they were the best-selling cookie in America. This week, Mike and Aubrey dive into the low-fat craze of the 1990s and sample the snack that became the symbol of its rise and fall. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Links! How the Ideology of Low Fat Conquered America “Eat More, They’re Healthy” Anthology of “Cookie Man” ads “What if It’s All Been A Big Fat Lie?” “Ending the War on Fat” ...
Nov 03, 2020•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Fen-Phen & Redux were "the next miracle drugs" in the '90s, claiming to help people lose dramatic amounts of weight in just three months. But within a few short years, they'd been pulled from the market. They were just too effective! (Just kidding, they killed some people.) Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Links! Dispensing with the Truth by Alicia Mundy The New Miracle Drug (Time Magazine) How Fen-Phen, A D...
Oct 27, 2020•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast The shuttle run! The flexed arm hang! The v-sit reach! These terms are seared into the memories of an entire generation of American schoolchildren. But did the President's Physical Fitness Test actually make us fitter? (Spoiler: lol no) Thanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Links! The Report That Shocked The President JFK’s Sports Illustra...
Oct 20, 2020•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to Maintenance Phase! In our first episode, we tell our origin stories and talk about some of the basic ideas behind the show. Here's where to find us: Aubrey: https://www.yourfatfriend.com/ Mike: https://rottenindenmark.org/ Thanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Support the show...
Oct 11, 2020•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
