Celebrity Trainer Reveals His Weight Loss Playbook And Why Cutting Carbs Might Be Hurting Your Goals with Harley Pasternak

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Aug 13, 2025

Harley Pasternak, a celebrity trainer and author of six bestselling diet and fitness books, dives into the pitfalls of restrictive diets. He debunks myths about carbs, emphasizing their essential role in longevity and performance. Harley shares his PATH protocol for sustainable weight loss, revealing why cutting out certain foods can backfire. He stresses the importance of balanced nutrition, the dangers of added sugars, and encourages flexibility in dietary practices for long-term success.

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INSIGHT

Short-Term Diets Cause Long-Term Harm

Removing entire food groups for short-term results often causes long-term harm and is unsustainable.
Overly complicated meal plans and reliance on single supplements are common mistakes Harley Pasternak sees.

ANECDOTE

Japan Made Him Question Carbs

Harley noticed Japanese meals included white rice yet had very low obesity and disease rates.
This observation prompted him to research carb consumption and health across populations.

INSIGHT

Fast Weight Loss From Carbs Is Mostly Water

Cutting carbs yields fast scale drops mostly from water loss, not fat.
Low-carb can help specific conditions (e.g., epilepsy) but often fails long-term for most people.

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This episode is brought to you by Fatty15, Levels, and Ollie.

When it comes to diet mistakes and fad diets, social media is full of trends and extreme ideas. But what works, stands the test of time, and is sustainable in the long run? Today’s guest shares his experience and top tips without leaving you feeling deprived.

Today on The Dhru Purohit Show, Dhru sits down with celebrity trainer and evidence-based educator Harley Pasternak to discuss the biggest diet mistakes he’s seen with his clients. Harley shares his controversial take on cutting out entire food groups and following overly restrictive diets. He also breaks down the top reasons why people overeat, introduces his PATH protocol, and explains the success his clients have experienced using it. Plus, Harley reflects on how his views have evolved over the years and highlights the research that now supports his current beliefs on sustainable weight loss and healthy living.

Harley Pasternak is the author of six popular diet and fitness books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Body Reset Diet and The 5-Factor Diet. He holds a Master of Science degree in exercise physiology and nutritional sciences from the University of Toronto and an honors degree in kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario. He is an adjunct professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Harley Pasternak lives with his wife and two children in Los Angeles.

In this episode, Dhru and Harley dive into:

Breaking down the biggest diet mistakes (00:24)
Why removing carbs from our diet is detrimental to our health (2:31)
The PATH protocol (20:35)
Excess fat consumption and how to balance calories in and out (25:05)
Why are we overeating? (37:41)
Harley's carb hierarchy (47:36)
Things Harley changed his mind on (56:15)
Harley’s perspective on health: the art of moderation (1:05:59)
Toxin exposure, social media, and living an active lifestyle (1:09:09)
Final thoughts and takeaways (1:14:18)

Also mentioned in this episode:

THE CARB RESET: Store Less Fat, Burn the Rest, and Harness the Power of Carbs to Lose Weight

For more on Harley, follow him on Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, or visit his Website.

This episode is brought to you by Fatty15, Ollie, and Levels.

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