
Maintenance Phase
Debunking the junk science behind health fads, wellness scams and nonsensical nutrition advice.
Latest episodes

Nov 24, 2020 • 55min
Anti-Fat Bias
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 PatreonDonate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreGet Aubrey's book in the U.S.:Powell's BooksBookshop.orgBeacon PressBuy from your local bookstore on IndieboundGet Aubrey's book outside the U.S.Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Nov 17, 2020 • 49min
The Twinkie Defense
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 PatreonDonate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Mike's "Victim's Rights" episode on his other show!The Trial of Dan White: The Diminished Capacity ("Twinkie") DefenseHarvey Milk: His Lives and DeathThe Myth of the Twinkie Defense: The Verdict in the Dan White Case Wasn’t Based on His Ingestion of Junk FoodPsychiatric Testimony and the Insanity DefenseCalifornia’s Proposition 8 (1982)Support the show

Nov 10, 2020 • 58min
Moon Juice
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 PatreonDonate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks!:How Hollywood's Favorite Juice Bar Owner Eats Every Day (Elle)How Amanda Chantal Bacon Perfected the Celebrity Wellness Business (NYT)What Are Adaptogens? (NYT)Wellness Brand Moon Juice Has Plenty of Haters - And Its Founder is Cool With That (Entrepreneur)The Moon Juice Gospel of Self (The New Yorker)How Wellness Got Whitewashed (Glamour)Support the show

8 snips
Nov 3, 2020 • 57min
Snackwell's Cookies
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 PatreonDonate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks! 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” Support the show

Oct 27, 2020 • 51min
Fen Phen & Redux
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 PatreonDonate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks! Dispensing with the Truth by Alicia MundyThe New Miracle Drug (Time Magazine)How Fen-Phen, A Diet 'Miracle,' Rose and Fell (the New York Times)Blowing the Whistle on Fen-Phen (Journal of Business Communication)Purdue OxyContin settlement would rank among largest in pharma history (Reuters)National Trends in Antiobesity Medication Use (JAMA Network)The Fen-Phen Finale: A Study of Weight Loss and Valvular Heart Disease (Obesity Research)Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Oct 20, 2020 • 58min
The President's Physical Fitness Test
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 PatreonDonate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks! The Report That Shocked The PresidentJFK’s Sports Illustrated article, “The Soft American”1958–2008: 50 Years of Youth Fitness Tests in the United StatesThe President's Council on Physical Fitness and the Systematisation of Children's Play in AmericaWhy is there so little critical physical education scholarship in the United States? The case of FitnessgramThe Modern Era: Blossoming of the Olympic Movement and the Conquest of Acute DiseaseThe President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: The First 50 YearsDo Fitness Test Performances Predict Students’ Attitudes And Emotions Toward Physical Education?Support the show

4 snips
Oct 11, 2020 • 57min
What's Our Deal?
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 PatreonDonate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreSupport the show