00:03
Hey everyone, it's Mikki here. You're listening to Mikkipedia and this week on the podcast, I speak to Dane Fuller. Dane Fuller is a New Zealand based nutritionist, exercise scientist, former lecturer, author and founder of Fuller Foods. With a background in competitive rowing and a passion for performance, Dane has dedicated his career to helping people feel better, move more and live healthier. And Dane and I talk a lot about that athlete mindset.

00:31
He'd also designed the EAT-Fit program, is an evidence-based health and fitness system so effective it was licensed by Global Multinational for their online TV series. And nowadays, Dane's coaching helps clients improve energy, manage weight, and enhance sport performance. And Dane has been featured across TV, radio, and print media, and has worked with celebrities, athletes, and everyday individuals alike.

00:56
His work is grounded in human nutrition, exercise science, and behavior change principles, including neuro-linguistic programming, which we chat about in our conversation. As mentioned, Dane is also the founder of Full of Foods, a line of fast, protein-rich oats designed to support satiety and sustained energy. Dane's mission is to make real, effective nutrition accessible for all. I think you guys are really gonna love this chat. I've got a link to eatfulloffoods.com.

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in the show notes. Before we jump into the interview, I would like to remind you that the best way to support this podcast is to hit the subscribe button on your favorite podcast listening platform and share with a mate. That helps increase the visibility of Micropedia and amongst literally thousands of other podcasts out there. So more people get the opportunity to hear from guests that I have on the show, including Dane Fuller. All right team, enjoy this conversation.

01:53
Dane, Dane Fuller, thank you so much for taking time to join me this morning on Mechapedia. And I was saying to you how excited I am to try your Fuller Oats, which of course we're going to talk about, but I do want to dive a little bit into you and your background as well, obviously. My mate, Rob Dallymore, good friend, he is how I found Fuller Oats, because he started talking about them on social. I'm like, what are these oats? I'm like, oh, it's Dane. And of course, you're a name that

02:23
just goes way back for me. Because I think we must have studied around the same time or something like that. We did, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Amazing. So for those who don't know you, Dane, can you take us back, sort of like, give us a bit of your background. You sort of started growing up in a fish and chip shop, which would have been a dream for anyone in New Zealand. And now you're like, you're a weight loss nutritionist and a product founder, super passionate about health and wellbeing.

02:50
Yeah, it certainly seems like a pretty weird journey when you think of it like that. Like my upbringing was very unhealthy, I would say. And my parents had not one, but two fish and chip shops. And so I grew up in one when I was very young. And then when I was older and at university, my parents bought another fish and chip shop. So I actually worked in that one. So I went from someone who was serving fish and chips.

03:18
to being someone who was advising people not to eat these fish and chips. Now, okay. Do you enjoy fish and chips? Well, we live in situation where you're eating them all the time. You don't. You get sick of it. You get the smell of them and the fattiness and the... Yeah. So after a while, you don't want to eat them anymore. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Sorry. I interrupted.

03:45
Did that actually spark, where did your interest in nutrition come from? It came through exercise first. And so I was always passionate about sport and I really wanted to achieve at a really high level with sport. And I never had any interest in going to university. And I was really surprised to learn that I, find out that I could learn about exercise science at university. It just didn't occur to me. And

04:13
I'm like, man, that's awesome. I really want to do that. And so that's what took me to university. And then when I got there and I started to learn about sports science, and I became really interested in that, then nutrition was the next thing that I wanted to learn more about. So it was through that pathway, through this interest in sport and achieving sport, and then understanding more about nutrition and how important that was. And so I want to learn more about that.

04:41
Yeah, because we were just chatting before I hit record. You're rowing now. That was your sort of primary sport, was it, of through university? Through university, yeah. And it was through school. So I rowed consistently through school. So they have something in New Zealand called the Mardi Cups. So I went to four of those. So right through school, went to university and then got back into rowing at university. And I became a lightweight at university.

05:11
and took it up really seriously so that I could, I became the New Zealand Lightweight Rowing Champion. And we were rowing really hard, rowing twice a day, early mornings, evenings, and working through the holidays as well. So it took a lot out of me. And that's when I realized how important my nutrition was that I needed to change and do a lot better than what I was. And how would you have described your, I mean, I this is several years now,

05:39
So you're probably having to think back quite a while, but how would you have described your nutrition prior to having that light bulb moment and what kind of shifts did you make? There's a couple of light bulb moments. you know, one was about for my sport, wanting to improve in that. And my nutrition prior to that was very poor, was very low in fiber, was very highly processed food. And it was really unhealthy, you know, things like

06:07
We just ate anything, know, pies, cookies, chips, soft drinks. I had rice bubbles and canned peaches for breakfast. And that's all I would eat. I wouldn't eat anything else for a very long time. And so it wasn't until I realized that that type of breakfast wasn't going to sustain me for my rowing, particularly when I became a lightweight, I needed to have a really good, solid breakfast. It going to keep me full for a long period of time.

06:34
which is when I changed over to an oat-based breakfast. So that was sort of a first change. And then my diet still wasn't fantastic. There was a lot of foods I still wouldn't eat. I didn't eat lot of vegetables or whole grains and these types of foods. And then when I became a nutritionist, it was really important to me that I wasn't a hypocrite. And I saw a lot of other people who were.

07:01
I had a job with the Heart Foundation for a short period of time. And that's one thing that changed my own personal diet much more. That was seeing other people who were advising others on public health nutrition, and they themselves were overweight and unhealthy. And I saw what they would eat. And I just couldn't do that. So that pushed me even further. Once I started advising people as nutritionists, then I wasn't going to be a hypocrite. So I started...

07:30
to learn to like some of these foods that I hated. Isn't that interesting? You learned to like it. And I talk to people a lot, and you must as well, Dane, and you'll care about that. Diet is a bit of a skill as well, and tastes change, and you change as you grow. a lot of people come in with these, like, I'm too stubborn to change my diet. Oh no, I never eat that. And it's like, mean, you right now might not, but.

07:59
down the line, these are things that can be changed. And I think a lot of people think that these are inherent traits rather than actually quite malleable. Yeah, of course. And if we want to create change, then we have to have as many options as possible. And the more we narrow those options to only doing, only eating or only exercising, the types of things that we enjoy doing, then the less options we have,

08:25
the more likely that we're going to be knocked over at some stage because it's not a very stable base to work from. the wider base you have with the more options you have, the more flexible you can be, the more malleable you can be. And you can make decisions at difficult times that are still to help you to continue on and change. And so one of the things I really spoke to my clients about was about learning to like. You don't have to love foods. And often people's excuses, well, I don't like that. You give them some advice and say, well, I don't like that.

08:55
And I say, well, what would happen if you ate it? And what would happen if you ate broccoli? And there's so many different things of reason why they may not like a certain food. It's not just that I don't like it. could be I don't like the texture. I don't like the taste or I don't like it cold or don't like it hot. you know, just in one food, there's so many different ways that food can be prepared to make it, you know, more accessible to you so that you may learn to like it over time. Yeah, 100%. And of course,

09:24
You you've got a background in exercise science, nutrition. Do you, also neuro-linguistic programming. Yeah. How has that sort of shaped how you think about food and how you talk to your clients about it? It's become a number one thing for me. So I started nutrition because, sorry, I started exercise because it something I was passionate about. I started nutrition because I knew that something was really important. You couldn't have one without the other. And then when I became, when I began consulting with clients,

09:53
I soon realized that it's not just about telling people what to do. And I remember my very first clients when I started and I had all this information inside my head that I'd learned. And I just thought that I had the key to success. And I just had to tell them what to do, just dump this information on them. It soon became apparent that just telling people what to do isn't enough. I would say all people know enough, particularly nowadays, with accessing internet.

10:23
that they can change. They know the basics and they know enough to change. So I wanted to know how I could make that change happen. I wanted to be a coach to these people and I want to take responsibility for their outcome. I just didn't want to be there pushing people and telling people what to do. I wanted to get inside their mind and rearrange the furniture. I wanted to make sure that any changes that we made were going to be lifelong changes because

10:52
That was a success that I was really wanting to see. And that was really important for me. Yeah. And did that influence, I guess, your direction as well, not from a consultant, but with your business and things like that and the development of your product, in terms of what was possible? Like, I'm curious about your... Because obviously it's a growth behaviour to look at something like NLP, you know, like it's actually, it's an unusual...

11:21
It's so obviously aligned with the work that we do, yet it's not an obvious thing that someone might put with an athletic man who is a nutritionist. I don't know. It almost seems like it's unusual, I suppose is what I'm saying. So you've got a growth mindset, Dame. I love it. How did that change for your product? Absolutely. And that's one of the reasons why I'll do anything, if it's unusual.

11:49
If it's usual and everyone's doing it, then that's not going to set me apart. But if I can find something that is unusual, that's going to be different. And that's what I'll chase. And even if it's a bit weird, like NLP, was a weird. There's some things that they teach that are pretty unusual and pretty crazy. But that's cool. And you can pick up what's important and you can leave some of the other stuff behind.

12:20
And I was definitely willing to do that if it meant that I could make a difference to my clients. I talk to people about this, and you must all of the time as well, is that the diet and exercise stuff, it is actually, it's simple. But the hang ups or the brick walls that people have really are to do with that mindset piece. So it's just so valuable. You're right. It is simple and it's complicated. And our job is to make it as simple as possible.

12:49
And one of those avenues which we spoke about before is making sure that people have enough options so that they can pick a path through a challenge by the different options that we've given them to do that. But it's also difficult in the sense that, again, knowing what to choose is sometimes not enough. And it's just change that people need to be able to create so that they can live a life.

13:17
which is going to result in them becoming leaner and healthier. And that's a different mindset to a weight loss mindset, which people are handcuffed to and have been for such a long period of time. Yeah, 100%. And I think the older that we get, the more the understanding the why is so important, right? Like, because fitting into your genes is actually fine. Like you can have that as a goal, but that's probably not enough when

13:45
the shit hits the fan and things go south. Like those aesthetic goals aren't actually enough to keep you in the game. So I really love that you focus on that, the bigger picture, I suppose, and get people to understand it. Yeah, yeah. you know, fitting with those genes, that's just, that can be one thing. And there has to be, you know, a lot of other things alongside that. And so, you know, I talk to people about, know, painting the picture about what it is that they're moving towards.

14:15
And often weight loss is about what people are moving away from. They don't want to feel a certain way. They don't want to look a certain way. And they're triggered by certain events or images that they've seen in their past, which they then paint a negative picture about themselves and who they are and what they're capable of. And so it's really important that, know, with the conversations that we have with our clients, that we can get them, we don't get to do it, but we get them to repaint that picture of the future of what they're moving to.

14:44
towards and so it becomes rather than run away from motivation, something that they're moving towards because it's much more powerful when things get really difficult, what is it that they are willing to sacrifice to achieve that type of life, the type of life that they want to live and the lifestyle that's required to attain that. Amazing, I love it Dane.

15:08
talk about fuller for longer and your sort of like you, I think you've mentioned something about like a really simple breakfast formula that obviously you talked about a huge difference that it made for you. And for you, it made it so impactful because it kept you fuller for longer and, and, and, you know, and it just made a difference to your overall sort of energy and, and performance outcome.

15:33
I don't think, and if it's all right, if we'd sort of go into this, but it's not just professional for you right now. Like there is a more sort of personal story tied to your sort of breakfast product. And I understand that it's helped your son with his Prader-Willi. Is that, I right in thinking that? Yeah, that's right. So my son has Prader-Willi syndrome. And so for those of you that don't know what Prader-Willi syndrome is,

15:59
One of the main effects of Parallel Body Syndrome is that people who have it, particularly as they get older, they don't have the ability to feel full. And so they are constantly ravenous. And when I explain this to people sometimes, they think that they feel like that as well. I'm always hungry. But it's not hunger, it's ravenous. And it's like, for example, if you were on a

16:28
an island, deserted island, and there was no food there, and you hadn't eaten for days, a whole week, you were ravenous and you eat anything. And so people with Prader-Willi syndrome, feel like that. And they feel like that so bad that they will go through a trash bin and they will eat whatever's in that trash bin because they are so hungry, just like you would do if you had to survive. And you would find whatever you could and you would eat it. But they won't stop. And they can eat themselves to death.

16:57
but they will become morbidly obese and can die in their 20s and 30s. So it's a condition that is serious in that respect when it comes around appetite, but also they have much less muscle mass, so around 60 % of muscle mass of the average person. And so my son, he's now 10 years old, he's quite fine. Like he doesn't have much muscle in him. He's quite inactive. His depth perception is quite...

17:25
So, you when he goes down steps, he's very cautious. He can't really play on the playground and, you know, swing from the bars and those types of things. So he doesn't develop those muscles. And his activity is also very low because he has a low level of muscle mass. His metabolic rate is also low. He doesn't bring a lot of calories. And so having a child like that with Prader-Willi syndrome means that our only way to help him is that we all eat a healthy diet.

17:54
and he eats a healthy diet. And the first thing that he starts the day with, and has done since he was very young, the first food that he was eating, and my other children as well, was an oat-based breakfast. And the oats are just so good because they keep them full for a really long time, and they give them the nutrition and the energy that they need. Dane, how did you discover that he had Prada Willy? what? So it's sort of like, I hope it's all right, I asked, but I'm just super curious as to like what the process would have

18:24
like how it sort of started in the discovery actually. Yeah, well, it's a tough battle. You you're in the hospital and you have a child that is born with obvious difficulties, so obvious that, you know, was obvious that something was wrong. know, the doctors, when they hold your baby up, they're supposed to be moving around and crying. Well, our son wasn't. He was like a floppy fish that was just ice-packed.

18:53
they left him out like this, was no reflex for him to move his body. So, know, I had to go into NICU and it was a period for a number of weeks where they were trying to find out what was wrong and what syndrome he had. And, you know, they finally told us before Christmas, and we were able to come home for Christmas, which was great. Yeah. And, you know, there was Proudly Willie syndrome.

19:23
It's sad for me now, but at the time, know, my reaction when they told me that, because they gave us a couple of options. One was a syndrome which was awful and you wouldn't live long. The second one was Prada Willie. I learned about Prada Willie and I'm man, I can do Prada Willie. You know, exercise and nutrition and fullness. I can cope with this. So, you know, I had a fist pump in that room when the doctors came back and told us the diagnosis.

19:52
I'm sure they were surprised by that. You know, out of everything that was going to come my way, I can take that one. Yeah. Hey, and before we get on to fuller for longer, do like, are you like, do the GLP drugs, are they going to be helpful for your son moving forward? Like, do you know, like with the appetite suppression? I don't think so. I don't think so. Just from the mechanism that

20:23
Like it's a complex, I don't understand fully, you know, this hunger that is unable to be satiated. I know that it's true to ghrelin not being released. I mean, also not having the receptors for ghrelin. So I don't think the new medication will help with it. And they haven't really gone and found anything that can help so much.

20:52
was the hunger at the moment. Yeah, okay. And I mean, I'm clearly ignorant as well. Like I know I haven't looked into Prada Willie and to see if they've, you know, to look at the mechanisms by the hunger, but that was the first thing I thought, oh, I wonder. But I mean, and hey, look, it's early days, I suppose, for your son who's 10, you know, there's probably a lot of advancement along the ways with that. So, okay.

21:18
I've got to say that it's got to be one of the toughest things to bring something like your product to market in a little place like New Zealand and to have the success that you've had to date. So talk me through what took you from oats are a good food to I'm going to create a product. And then also what the process was to actually getting it to market. I'm super curious. Well, yeah, it might be tough to do it here in New Zealand, but I tell you what, it's lot more difficult to do it in US.

21:47
And that's where I learned it. So I developed this product and I launched it in the US. And the reason I did that was because I knew it was going to be difficult, but I was selling to a market that was already educated. They already knew about overnight oaks. And so I knew I could get some really good feedback there. And the mechanism that I would get that feedback would be through Amazon. know, buyers on Amazon, they can post their feedback really quickly and really harshly.

22:16
And it's a really good way to just get that feedback from the market and then develop the product. So that's what I did. I developed the product over there. I got feedback. I had lot of influencers and sports people that would give me feedback as well. So I would send them lots of product out. They would get back in touch with me and let me know their thoughts on the product. So it was much easier for me to do that in the US in terms of developing the product and making some changes.

22:43
So once I was able to do that, then I could bring the product back here in New Zealand, get manufacturing done here in New Zealand, and then get into the supermarkets. And so it took a long time and it cost me a lot of money. But I really want to make sure that I was able to get the product to the point of what the customer wanted and just to get that feedback, refine it before I was ready to put it in the market. And what sets it apart from other oat products?

23:11
One thing is my focus on making a product which makes people feel fuller. And so we're talking about that. But it was really one of the main tenets of my practice as a nutritionist to help people with weight loss was that we could help them to feel fuller. And it's not just about what they eat, but about how they eat and when they eat and why they eat. So it was like a whole encompassing thing. But the main point was to make sure that whatever people are, it helped them be fuller.

23:41
to therefore that they are in a much better place to make good decisions. And then that's how we really made some change. And so, you know, one of the main things was breakfast. then so if I wanted to create a breakfast that's going to be, you know, keep people fuller, then my breakfast I have now is focused on that. So if we look at the particles, for example, the size of the particles in the product, they are bigger and are whole. So a lot of people don't realize this, but now, for example, if you have an instant notes, for example,

24:10
It's really fine if you think of the fine grains of an instant oats. The same is like a soup. You could buy one of those 60 second soup things mixed in there, like a dry powder and put hot water into it. Stuff like that doesn't keep you full. You need to think about the particle size of the food, not just the food itself. So that's one reason. We've got whole pieces of fruit in there and larger pieces of oats that sit in your belly for a longer period of time. Also protein. And so there's a difference between the

24:40
different types of proteins than might be in other products. so whey is very common because it's much cheaper. But whey is a faster digesting protein. So I use a mix of higher casein. So casein is known as a slow release protein. So I have that in there. And then I've got seeds in there. I've got chia. And so chia swirls up. And it means that everything is digesting much slower. I've got cinnamon in two of my flavors. So all these things, they all mix together to make...

25:10
a meal which is slow releasing. And that was what was really important for me. It's really low in sugar, really long and slow to digest. And really important, it has to taste nice. And so my product... I don't mean a bias. It's the feedback from everyone else. It's delicious. You can look to lots of other products out there who don't take the same approach to whole foods and a real natural flavor. And I haven't seen the cost on that.

25:39
and it tastes really good. And so when you were getting the feedback on Amazon, did you have to develop a bit of a thick skin? I don't know. Or probably, actually, you got quite a lot of really positive, helpful critiques. I guess, I mean, think there's always, I mean, whenever you bring something new to market, it, and you've done this. mean, we're talking about your physical product now here, of course, but you've had quite a successful

26:09
I'm trying to remember what the name of it is, but I'm pretty sure you had like a successful weight loss program that was actually picked up by some sort of international, like, so you've sort of been out there for a while. So I suppose you've always had to have a bit of a thick skin, but yeah, how was that process for you? Like you mentioned it was part of it, like, you know, how did that go? I want to win. So if that means that, you know, I look like an idiot sometimes or, you know, people are critical of me, then I don't care.

26:38
So I'll do what's required to win, to win for my efforts with my clients, to do what I need to do to help them. Sometimes, you know, the types of questions that I would ask them could be pretty weird, but if I want to get the results that I want, then sometimes I like to push them in directions that they're not used to. And then when it comes to myself as well, you know, I'll do things that are uncomfortable. And if that means that I get critical feedback about

27:07
the product or things that I've developed that haven't been as good as what they could be, then I know that's what I have to go through. And one thing that's inspired for me is that you have to go through this process of starting. You can't just wait for things to be perfect. If you do, you're never going to get anywhere. And so if I'm getting negative feedback, then I know that I've started. And like I've heard someone say that if you don't get...

27:35
negative feedback about something you've created, then you haven't done it right. You should be able to look back and be embarrassed of what you've created and embarrassed of what you used to say or what you used to do to know that you're advancing and you're getting better and better. And so yeah, and I'm continually looking for feedback. Like was seeing my product out, like to people like you, for example, I've seen it out and I ask for just honest feedback. Tell me what I can do better. Because the other thing that's important for me is that it's not me. It's not about me.

28:05
I'm creating this for other people and I need to know what I can do to make it better. And if I'm coaching other people, then I need to know what I can do to make it better for them. Not about how I feel, what I can do for them. Dane, you've got a real, and I'm unsurprised by this, a very athlete mindset around it actually. It's like the underground actually. when I work with clients, my transition to working with clients is that

28:35
I wanted to treat them like athletes. I wanted to make sure they had a mindset of an athlete because that would help them to be successful. And that means that we need to hold them accountable just like we would for athletes. And I think often when we're dealing with people as nutritionists and trying to help them change, we can be too much of the cotton wool and be very gentle and be too concerned about what they might think of us potentially or that we might lose them as a client.

29:05
But if I want to get to a certain result, I know that if I can come at them from the mindset of being their coach and that they are my athletes, then I'm going to make sure that they have some really good solid goals. And those goals won't allow for excuses. Like, you we can make change along the way. Yeah. No, I love that, Dane. I don't, I don't, we've never discussed this, but I do feel that in the nutrition space, we've gotten a little bit soft.

29:33
If I look at public health messaging or what you see on social media and stuff like that about there's no good or bad foods. obviously we're aligned on some things and we just have differences of opinions on others, is differences make things interesting. But ultimately, you want to achieve the best outcomes for your clients and the people you work with. we have just, think, wrapped our little bit in cotton wool.

30:03
how things are portrayed these days, that I'm, I get a bit of backlash about that actually, like, but hey, I'm here for it, because it's just not helpful at all to anyone if you're like, no, it's fine. You know, like, it's all good. It's like, actually, no, it's not. Yeah, good on you. I've seen some of your posts, you where you call it out. And I applaud you for that because, you know, we don't want to be average. Who wants to be average? Particularly people that have an interest in improving their health.

30:33
I don't want to be average. And I tell you what, the average is not good. The average count in society is not good. And some of the advice that's given to be average, I don't want to be average. No one wants to be average. You want to be better than that. Yeah, 100%. So now I'm interested to know that, so you've talked through the process of the product itself, but what about

30:59
making a product that people will actually stick with? Do you think that the stuff that you've learned through the NLP and just actually your athlete mindset, how has that influenced the products that you've made? Yeah, it's really important because it's all very well making something perfect, but if people don't use it, it doesn't make any difference. And so you need to try and reduce the friction, particularly when it comes to changing habits. Breakfast

31:29
For most people, me included, is like a routine thing that we do every day. So to change that habit can be really difficult, particularly with a product like mine where it's overnight oats. And so the idea is that you make it the night before, so it's ready in the morning. And so you really need to be able to have a reminder to try and start this new habit and change what you're doing previously. Mix the night before, put it in the fridge, and then it's ready in the morning. And so...

31:58
had to make it as easy as possible so that people could change what they're currently doing. And so one thing I thought about was when you want to get your clients to start exercising and you want to do it, again, you want to make it as easy as possible for them. let's do it in the morning before any other interruptions come the way. One of the first piece of advice that you might give that client is get your shoes out the night before. Put them beside your bed. Get your clothes there. So when you wake up, they are right there and you put them on immediately.

32:28
And you know what? Once you put your shoes on, there's no going back. Like once you put your running shoes on, you basically climb 90 % of that mountain and the run is 90 % done. Like everything else is just going to be a consequence of that one behavior. And that came back to the night before, of remembering to put them out the night before. And so the oats are the same thing. Like let's make it as simple as possible. you know, you know, in this pack here, you can add it, can add your milk to the pack. I've got measuring instructions on the back.

32:57
where you can add the milk to so you don't need a measuring cup. Then I've got the seal on the top so you can seal it in here. You don't need to put it into any other container. And then in the morning, when you open it up, we've got the second tear notch here. And so the pouch turns into a bowl. And so you don't need to worry about doing the dishes. And then you can just rinse it and recycle it. So I was trying to take away all those types of friction that people might have to have a really healthy breakfast.

33:26
in the morning, we're gonna make it really fast, really easy, and there's no excuse not to have it. Yeah, no, I love it, Dane, and as you were talking about the exercise thing, like I've got a gym session later on today. And so I I came home from a run this morning and basically I showered or whatever, then put my gym clothes on and my gym shoes. And so like, cause to your point, like I don't want to be an idiot at the end of the day, who's been just hanging out in gym clothes all day and not go to the gym.

33:53
Literally, this is the hardest thing for me is to actually change out of my civvies, if you like, and get into the gym gear. And I think there more people who, and this is someone who just loves training. if these are behaviors that I put in place, because I already know that they're barriers, then it's almost so much more important for people who are just new in this space. Yeah. And they can start off like that. We can start these habits. so when you...

34:22
When you go through this process of starting an exercise habit, that might be the first thing that starts with putting those shoes out or putting your exercise gear in the morning so that you have some incentive to go to the gym. And so we start like that. It doesn't have to always be like that. That's just the start of that habit. And then we can continue it on. And then ideally, what would happen is that same person, as they build up that exercise tolerance, as they build up those habits, then they would join.

34:47
I would join like a club or a group or a new exercise where they are around other people that are doing the same thing. And that is the first step that they can take to changing the media environment around them so they can become someone different. They can be someone different. And that means a change of environment for that person away from the people that they might have been with previously. They've created who they are. The types of people that they go out with and socialize.

35:15
And you know what, when we go and socialize, we're going to eat similar types of foods for other people that are with us. We're going to drink similar amounts of alcohol. We're going to do similar types of activities. So for people listening to this podcast, like if you're at a weight that you're not happy with or a weight that is unhealthy, then take a look at the people around you because it's very likely that those people around you are going to be very similar. And if you stay in that situation,

35:43
it's likely that you will be as well. Cause it's really hard to change when you're surrounded by similar people that you may not want to be like. so there for joining a sports club, taking up a new sport as a really good way to meet those types of people that you want to become like. And then you'll find when you go out with them, you're going to have similar types of foods, drink similar types of things. And you're going to be like, you know, more, you know, like buddies and you're to have support mechanisms to make the change.

36:12
I think it's a really important part of that change. So it might start with getting the gym gear on and putting your shoes out in the morning, in 12 weeks time, 24 weeks time, in a year's time. Hopefully, it is you becoming a regular runner and joining a run club. And also someone who eats breakfast, because I've got to say, introducing a breakfast product in a market where, in a social media environment where so many people would tend to like, know, intermittent fasting, it's not, or time restricted eating isn't

36:42
probably at the height of what it was maybe a few years ago, but a lot of people still think one of the best things they can do is skip breakfast. I am, like, for a couple of years back, maybe 2014 to 2016, that was me. And I'm just, like, overjoyed at the fact that breakfast is one of my three favorite meals. Yeah, I love breakfast. I love breakfast. I just...

37:11
It's a fantastic way to start the day and it sets me up well for the rest of the day. And as a nutritionist, working with clients that came in and were doing nutrition record for me or tell me about their regular diet, it was really always easy to see what the first fix is going to be. And it was breakfast. And I knew that if I could change the breakfast, or at least get them to have something for breakfast, I didn't care what it was.

37:37
As long as we can start the habit of eating something for breakfast and then we just build on it from there, then we can make a really big difference. And so it became really noticeable that the people who were willing to skip breakfast or have a poor breakfast, they struggled later on in the afternoon. Like those midday snacks, and they would reach for energy-dense foods which weren't filling. So they would eat more of them. And then when they did that, they felt terrible. So their self-confidence goes down. And then they go to eat other foods because they feel so bad, self-sabotage.

38:05
So if we could make that one change, then was always, right, let's start with breakfast. We do that, feel good, feel good. You've already achieved something for the day. It keeps you fuller for longer. And now we've set up a foundation which we can actually work on. 100%. And I'm sure you've seen these studies as well, is that when you do kickstart the day with a decent breakfast that sets up your energy levels, like you're actually...

38:28
more active through the day as well. So you're burning more calories. So your metabolism responds better to what you're doing. Whereas what I see in practice and you know, in studies, like it's like a downward slide in terms of energy and output. And we just want to be high energy individuals, like weight loss and weight loss comes with that. Yeah. yeah, everybody can go into starvation mode and see.

38:54
when we're fasting and without even knowing that you will be less active. And I don't mean just the intentional activity like exercise. I mean just like I'm standing there while I'm doing this rather than sitting down. So those are the micro movements. They add up a lot for metabolic rate, a lot more than what people realize. And if we're in starvation mode, our body's going to try and decrease those types of calorie burn. And the other thing that I think with fasting, we just...

39:22
some of this topic for just a little bit longer, is that there are some people who fast and they do it really well and they look fantastic. They're cut, they look amazing. Well, that might work for some people. Typically those people are very dedicated, very disciplined. They may have an after-effect background and they can cope with something like fasting and do really well. For other types of people, people who might be listening to this podcast, who are struggling with their weight or struggling with behavior change,

39:51
then that type of restrictive regime may not be as very unlikely to be the best thing for them long term. They might be able to stick with it for a short period of time, but come on, like how many things have you stuck to for a short period of time? It's not about chasing the next fad. It's really about becoming a different person and doing something that opens up your options, not narrows them. Yeah. And Dane, you've said that a couple of times. This is something which I'm really big on as well as that changing your identity.

40:21
because changing your diet is not just changing your food, it's changing the person you are. And people might go, think that's a bit woo woo, but it's a hundred percent, that's actually where the rubber hits the road for a lot of people, because they've done a plan like mine, they've worked with people like you, and there are definitely people who have been successful while they're on it, quotes, and then they come off it, and that's the problem. so, you and I are very good at

40:51
Like in any nutrition practitioner will be able to tell you the things to eat, but it is absolutely that changing, like that person has to decide that they need to sort of go down that road and that's how you make it long-term, right? Absolutely. We're both smart because we know how important that is. Like it is so key. when I saw a post recently, I was so pleased to see that because I'm like, we're really aligned on that. I think it's really important.

41:21
that people have to be someone different. And that's values and beliefs. It's not easy, but it can happen. But it takes real dedicated work to change those values or beliefs, or at least manipulate them in the way that you can reframe them so that it helps you to be the person that you want to be. Which we won't go into now because it's a lot of detail to do that. But really think about being someone different, not trying to

41:50
not trying to do something, trying to lose weight or I'm trying to be healthy. And so, you know, if our listeners were to go out and, you know, go see some friends and they offered them some cake, you know, what's their response? They say, I'm trying to be healthy. I'm trying to lose weight. You know, because one thing that you need to realize, listener, is that when you say that, someone else is listening to that. Someone really important is listening to what you say. And it's you.

42:19
Everything you are listening to, your brain is listening to. And when you say I'm trying to, your brain hears that. And it's short term, you're not being anyone different. You're trying to do something, trying to lose weight. So what would a lean person say if someone asked them some chocolate cake? Well, sure, they may accept and they may enjoy it. But if it wasn't a part of who they wanted to be, what you going to say? They don't have to make excuses. No, you. 100%. Dane.

42:49
We're running short on time, there is, and I feel like we actually need to have a bigger discussion on the identity thing. So we should probably hook up again to have another podcast on that. However, what I am super interested in is what else is on the cards for Fuller for Longer? Like, have you got other products in the mix? And so can you just briefly let us know that? Yeah, so this is my first product. It's Fuller Protein Overnight Arts.

43:17
and I have lots of other ideas. So I've got one under work at the moment where everything I create will be for the same person. So that's the person who is busy, they're healthy, they're active. I want to make sure that that person can keep fuller for a longer period of time. So all the foods will be really low in added sugar, really sort of whole foods, very filling, high in fiber. I love oats, so ideally,

43:46
as well. as you know, I love breakfast. And so I've got some really cool ideas for breakfast that will be high protein, iron fiber, is whole foods that will help people to be full for a long period of time. So one I'm working at the moment is a breakfast bar. So we all know one square meal. There's lots of things I like about one square meal. And I want to make a breakfast bar which can give people that same type of fullness but not so many calories.

44:15
and something that you could have every day. So when you're rushing out the door, get at a breakfast bar. I've got some other really cool ideas, which should be like really delicious, real yummy, traditionally unhealthy foods, but they'll be super healthy, super filling, and they'll be breakfast foods as well. I love it, Dane. And I love just the innovation behind your ideas. I love the reasons why you've created it. And I'm really looking forward to trying your oats.

44:42
this Saturday before we go out on our super long run. Yeah, we don't know what you're saying. Yeah, 100%. I know. And it is happening. And I am texting you after I do that on Instagram. obviously, are let people know where they can find out more about Fuller for Longer, but also if there's the potential to work with you, like how they get in touch.

45:08
Yes, you can go to eatfulloffood.com. So the website is eat, E-A-T, full F-U-L-L-E-R, food, F-O-O-D, dot com. And there you can find out more about the breakfast option we have, which is our high protein overnight oats. And then for all of our socials, it's simply just at eat full of food. So Instagram, Facebook, TikTok. Go to at eat full of food. And from there, can just DM me. So Instagram's the best, send me a DM.

45:36
And if there's anything that you want to ask about or have any questions, please just send me a message. And if you do buy the product, then please send me a message and let me know what you think. I really want feedback. I want to know how it can change, what can be better, and what can be different. Awesome. Awesome, Dane. Thank you so much for your time. And we'll catch up again soon because I would love to do that other podcast if you're interested. Amazing. That'd be awesome. Thank you so much, Matthew.

46:17
Rani, hopefully you really enjoyed that. I really did. I love just chatting with another nutritionist who is so super goal oriented and really brings that athlete mindset to everything he does. I'm super interested in that behavioral change aspect as well. And as of course we talked about, we use a lot of the same principles to help people make these sustainable changes, which clearly has been super beneficial for Dane and his success with Eat Fuller Foods. And we have

46:46
had a couple of times actually used full of food oats as our pre-run breakfast and I've got to say they're just bloody delicious and I highly recommend them and they really sit well in the gut which I really love and there is dairy free option available as well. Alright team, next week on the show I speak to Dr. Glenn Davies about his success in the reversal of type 2 diabetes. Until then though you can catch me over on X

47:14
reds and Instagram at mikkiwilliden, Facebook at mikkiwillidennutrition or head to my website mikkiwilliden.com. Alright guys you have a great week see you later.