Real world implications

The Twinkie Diet and the clinical study demonstrated something that many people refuse to believe – the type of food does not matter for weight loss.

Common knowledge about nutrition, as told by social media, is so deeply ingrained into society that despite the evidence, Haub has discovered that many people do not believe in his findings.

In Haub’s observations, public schools that teach the minimum amount of required nutrition education may be partially at fault. The lack of education may cause people to seek dietary guidance from social media influencers who likely have no nutrition education.

“People are easily persuaded by either letters after somebody’s name or how somebody looks, and they want to emulate that look, or they trust the letters after that name,” Haub said. “They come out of high school, become independent, and then all of a sudden be making food choices when they’re 18. They’re making those choices based on ‘Well, I saw a video on Tik Tok this person looked fit and so I’m gonna follow their diet plan without having any context of potential harm or health.’” 

Diet plans from social media or recommended by the USDA can be restrictive so following them and cutting out enjoyable foods can harm overall well-being, according to Haub. 

“I’m afraid that sometimes we get into a scenario where people eat with shame and guilt because they ate something they weren’t supposed to because they liked it,” Haub said. “And it’s due to poor relationships with food.”

Haub recognizes that all diets will work if they are done a certain way, but it is different from person to person and everyone should be educated adequately in nutrition before following an influencer’s diet plan. There is not one specific diet to lose weight or get healthier.

“If you want to lose weight, then whatever goes in has to go out, so burn the calories in the gym, and that way you’ll maintain your figure,” said Jon Arikata, a fitness enthusiast who has been weightlifting for 34 years.

A calorie-deficit diet is not sustainable long-term. This was something Haub struggled with when interpreting the Twinkie Diet results – What is a sustainable diet? Is anyone eating the same things they ate 10 years ago? Probably not, so how does one sustain weight loss?

“Depending on how you’re handling the diet itself, if it feels challenging or unsustainable to you, you might rebound,” Tilsen said. “After a certain point, you hit a plateau and have to challenge yourself to do something else.

A sustainable diet, a diet that doesn’t restrict food or calories and contains adequate nutrients, coupled with exercise is the key to a healthy lifestyle, according to Arikata. Eat a good amount of any food and burn it off. 

“I think it’s more around being disciplined to stay the course,” Arikata said. “And you know go in and do your time in the gym, get your exercise in. It’s just a combination of diet and exercise and you change the exercise routine to fit what you are trying to accomplish.” 

For Arikata, there is no difference between a high-nutrient or low-nutrient diet in muscle building or athletic performance. His performance is negatively affected if he doesn’t eat enough, not if he doesn’t eat certain foods. 

“I don’t see much difference between high-nutrient and low-nutrient foods,” Arikata said. “I eat fast food, I’ll eat anything. So I don’t think there’s anything to that. I think you just have to be conscious and know your foods and know what it’s high in and what it will provide your body.”

A healthy lifestyle can look different from person to person. As an expert in nutrition for several years, Haub wants healthy to mean enjoying food but keeping metabolic health at a strong and stable level. 

Similar to what Haub teaches, Carlmont courses like BTI and human biology have taught junior Alison Mao and senior Shaila Mehta that healthy means “sustainable and balanced” and to live a healthy life, people should “take care of their body and stay mentally healthy.”

“Someone who is healthy is comfortable with what they’re doing and doing their best and doing what works for them,” Tilsen said. “So whatever fits into the lifestyle that you’re able to make work, I think is healthy.”