meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The Rich Roll Podcast

Kevin Hall, PhD On The Science & Politics of Weight Loss

The Rich Roll Podcast

Rich Roll

Self-improvement, Society & Culture, Education, Health & Fitness

4.812.9K Ratings

🗓️ 18 December 2025

⏱️ 121 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Kevin Hall, Ph.D., is a physicist-turned-nutrition scientist whose rigorous research has upended some of our most sacrosanct beliefs about metabolism, dieting, and weight loss. This conversation explores why diets fail, the truth behind the "slow metabolism" myth, how ultra-processed foods hijack our biology, and why the 800-pound gorilla driving the obesity epidemic isn't willpower—it's our toxic food environment. He also opens up about his decision to leave the NIH after 20 years due to political interference with his research. Kevin is an honest actor, always trying to set matters to rights amidst a hurricane of nutritional misinformation. Enjoy! Show notes + MORE Watch on YouTubeNewsletter Sign-Up Today’s Sponsors: On: High-performance shoes & apparel crafted for comfort and style👉🏼https://www.on.com/richroll Momentous: High-caliber human performance products for sleep, focus, longevity, and more. For listeners of the show, Momentous is offering up to 35% off your first order 👉🏼https://www.livemomentous.com/richroll Seed: Use code RICHROLL20 for 20% OFF your first order👉🏼https://www.seed.com/RichRoll Roka: Unlock 20% OFF your order with code RICHROLL👉🏼https://www.ROKA.com/RICHROLL BetterHelp: Get 10% OFF the first month 👉🏼https://www.betterhelp.com/richroll Check out all of the amazing discounts from our Sponsors👉🏼https://www.richroll.com/sponsors  Find out more about Voicing Change Media at https://www.voicingchange.media and follow us @voicingchange

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

The holidays are here.

0:02.0

And if you're still figuring out gifts, I get it,

0:04.0

because finding something meaningful is genuinely hard when most stuff just ends up forgotten.

0:10.0

Here's what helps.

0:12.0

Think about what someone actually does, what they love, what makes them feel like themselves,

0:18.0

and then find something that supports that instead of just filling space.

0:22.6

For people who run or hike, On makes gear that does exactly that.

0:26.6

Shoes like the Cloud Ultra for trails, the Cloud Runner 2 for roads, the club hoodie for recovery days,

0:32.6

accessories like performance socks, caps and bags for stocking stuffers, all designed to enable movement and explore nature without getting in the way.

0:44.3

And here's the thing. The gift really isn't the gear. It's the runner's high, the silence at the summit, those experiences that remind you why getting outside matters.

0:56.6

So head on over to on.com slash richroll to explore gifts, the give movement.

1:05.3

Every New Year's people talk about losing weight. And I always say, well, whatever you're going to do,

1:11.6

make sure that you can keep that as part of your life

1:14.6

because otherwise, as soon as you stop doing it,

1:17.6

the weight is probably going to increase.

1:19.6

Too often people around the new year

1:21.6

and they kind of come up with some New Year's resolution

1:23.6

to join a gym or start an exercise program

1:26.6

or hire a personal trainer, and they tie their success to what's happening on the scale. People will lose weight and they'll keep it off as long as they continue that level of effort. And so yeah, you're right. If people are white knuckling it and saying, you know, I'm just going to do this and it's a temporary thing and I'm going to get to my goal weight and then I can relax. It's like, yeah, that's not the way it works.

1:45.0

Nutrition isn't rocket science.

1:46.4

It's harder.

2:00.5

Well, we're in the thick of it now, aren't we? Right smack in the middle of it. It's all happening.

...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 21 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Rich Roll, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Rich Roll and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.