This Just Happened (again):

*I’ve been asked this question al least 20 times in the last month or two….

Client:

“What Do You Think About Apple Cider Vinegar?”

Me:

“What do you mean? I think it makes pulled pork taste good….”

Client:

“Do you think taking a shot of it before you eat does anything for losing weight?”

Me:

“Have you ever taken a shot of Apple Cider Vinegar? I haven’t, but I’m pretty sure you aint eating sh@t after you do.”

Apple Cider Vinegar Helps You Lose Weight?

Really?

Seems too easy right?

Mostly, how the hell did we JUST COME ACROSS THIS NOW?

We’re Drawn to Esoteric, Novel, Unbelievable Sh@t

No matter how unbelievable, illogical or just plain asinine it is.

Too often I find (usually smart) people pulling a Mulder on me:

Know Your Meme

Wanting to Buy into Total B.S.

And the worst part is:

The Health, Fitness, Wellness Industry is Chock Full Of It.

Hell, we sell it, make multi-million dollar empires off of it and live it daily.

How often do we see the new thing? Trick? Super Secret, Newly Discovered, Training Method or Exercise?

Every F-Ing Month….

Yet, NOTHING CHANGES.

The world gets fatter and less healthy.

How the Hell Can This Be?

We Buy Into the Quick Hit Bullshit Because

We Half-Heartedly Think We Can Circumvent What is Actually Effective.

What’s That?

The four letter word that comes with overalls, a hard hat and lots of sweat.

WORK

Achieving ANYTHING worthwhile is REALLY HARD.

Ok, now that we’re all on the same page.

Apple Cider Vinegar:

There may be SOME truth that Apple Cider Vinegar can help with improving glucose levels.

Most of the studies about ACV have been done on animals—or in really small groups of people, explains Eliza Whetzel-Savage, R.D., a registered dietitian at Middleburg Nutrition in New York City. “There is one study of people that showed ACV may slow digestion of food and liquid, which may help stabilize blood sugar,” she says. “But overall, there is not much science to support many of the claims.” – Womens Health Mag

As in:

Some people, maybe, will get a good response…

Why?

Not sure…I mean, looks like it may have worked for some, mostly rats.

But how it worked and the actual, real world relevance..ehhh???????

Wait, But What?

You mean, we should look to actual, QUANTIFIABLE and reliably REPRODUCIBLE, EVIDENCE and not what Miranda Kerr, Katy Perry or Scarlett Johansson says?

But she looks so good, it must do something…….<—–this is another variation of the “because he played fallacy”

She also make MILLIONS of dollars BECAUSE she looks good. <—-that’s called extrinsic motivation

Maybe we’re OVERVALUING the wrong variables and UNDERVALUING the “right” variables.

It’s probably less so that the apple cider vinegar had an effect and more so that the:

Diet
Working out
Superior aesthetic genetics.
General motivation NOT to eat cupcakes when MILLIONS of dollars are riding on movie roles, photoshoots and ad campaigns.

I’m kinda stupid, but I’m gonna put my money on those factors and less on a 99 cent, dollar store, bottle of vinegar.

nice video breaking down the ACV research from Jeff Nippard

But Even the Research Said it Worked:

Yeah, occasionally, research found that ACV might have a small positive or neutral effect on insulin. <—doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to lose weight, but what of that.

There’s certainly no harm in it.

It might help with slow digestion and even have a small effect on blood glucose regulation, and be TOTALLY WORTHWILE.

Lets face it if you can get ANY positive outcome from taking a shot of something that costs you 1 second of time and 2 cents a day….

That’s a REALLY Good Investment.

And hell, maybe it only blunts your appetite and you eat less.

If you’re trying to lose weight and ACV blunts your appetite, for that reason alone, ACV would be a damn God send.

*True story: I had some bodybuilder friends back in the day who used to stash Listerine in their refrigerator. Any time they got hungry they would swish that crap around for a minute and guess what?

You don’t really want to eat anymore.

Editors Note: I may or ~~definitely have~~ may not have done this before. Yes, I’m that stupid.

But ACV, it’s not going to be responsible for those “stubborn” 20lbs, 10lbs or probably even 5.

YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET LEAN BECAUSE OF APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

And You Already Knew That.

You’re not a moron, and didn’t need me to tell you that.

Here’s an easy way to tell if something is probably bullshit.

Would You Bet A Million Dollars on It?

Here’s How You Test This Out:

Which One Would You Bet a MILLION Dollars on To Be an Effective Means For Weight Loss?

Diet and Exercise

Taking a Shot of ACV prior to any or all meals.

See, when someone puts it that way, a million dollar bet, its pretty easy to see the dilemma for what it is.

No Dilemma At All.

Much like the Simply Fit Board, 8 minute abs, detoxes, cleanses and all the weird, esoteric ~~dumb ass~~ Instagram exercises and other low ~~cost~~ investment health and fitness solutions.

They’re all low return at best. <—–yes, I’m trying to be nice here.

And Most Likely:

NO RETURN

Is 8 minute abs better than nothing?

my philosophy, read some more here.

But 8 minutes?

Just that alone?

It’s not going to change the way you look.

And deep down inside,

EVERYONE KNOWS THAT.

8 minutes is not going to make much of a dent in your body fat levels or waistline for that matter.

It’s just not going to burn enough calories or build enough muscle to have much of an obvious effect. #physiology

Just like ACV, even if the effect of 8 minute abs is positive, the overall effect is going to be miniscule at best.

Fun Fact About Supplements:

A LOT of them ACTUALLY work for the RIGHT POPULATION in the RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES.

I know, you don’t believe me.

But if you actually (read the paper) look at the research, you’ll often find that the difference isn’t “statistically significant” or the study sample is done on the “wrong” population.

ie: don’t compare the effect of a hydrogen buffer on sprint track cyclists vs those in a clinical cardiac rehab setting, they are TOO DIFFERENT physiologically to make an accurate comparison.

But does that mean there is NO difference?

Not at all, it just means the intervention group didn’t have a statistically different outcome from the control.

But a lot of times they actually DO have a different outcome.

It’s just the difference is MINISCULE.

It’s the 0.5%.

For 99% of the people reading this, that’s not enough to make a difference in anything at all.

This 0.5% ONLY affects those on the physiological edge of the knife.

And, we’re not there.

But it might make the difference for some.

Like a bodybuilder, on the Olympia stage, that 0.5% might be the difference between 1st and 2nd.

1st and 2nd at the last Olympia, from Dan Hevia

In this case, performing 2 extra reps per workout, that 0.5% difference?

Means the World.

Why Do We Fall For BullS@ht Like ACV?

Everyone is Looking for the Easy Way Out

Very few are willing to accept

You Have to Have The Big Rocks, The 95%, Already In Place before you’re going to ANYTHING out of the small stuff.

Yes, The Hard Parts MUST COME FIRST, to get ANY effect from the easy parts.

The stuff that takes EFFORT and SACRIFICE has to come first.

*Some folks will tell you, “you don’t need to sacrifice anything”.

Well, That’s Bullsh@t Too.

Everyday I sacrifice eating Andy Nelsons Ribs, cornbread and a container of ice cream at the alter of ~~trying not to be a fat ass~~ being somewhat healthy and relatively in shape.

the ONE to rule them all

If It Was As Simple and Easy as Taking A Shot of Apple Cider Vinegar:

Everyone would be in lean.

Everyone would be jacked.

Everyone would be successful.

As a country we wouldn’t be on an average of 4 prescriptions and using countless other over the counter ones.

Esoteric Sh@t: Why We Fall For Stuff Like Apple Cider Vinegar