Mikki Williden, PhD, Auckland (2026)

25/03/2026

If you want a biscuit, have the biscuit.

Trying to “outsmart” a craving with a substitute doesn’t always work. In fact, it often backfires. You tell yourself you’ll have yoghurt, or fruit, or something “healthier”… and then 30 minutes later you’re still thinking about the biscuit. Eventually, you eat it anyway and this may end up as more food than if you would have if you’d just had it in the first place.

Fat loss isn’t about perfect food choices. It’s about consistent adherence.

When you allow foods you actually enjoy within your calorie target, you reduce the mental load of dieting. Less restriction → fewer cravings → better long-term compliance. And consistency will trump perfection every time.

However, if one biscuit easily turns into a packet, that’s useful information. For some people, one of anything will trigger an entire cascade of poor choices, which isn’t helpful for long term consistency and adherence (not to mention feeling good about yourself). If you do get the lack of control around a certain food, then it can be good (at least in the first instance) to abstain altogether.

And in that case, having ‘just one’ isn’t a good idea and you’ll be better off finding something else to have with your cup of tea OR removing the expectation for anything with the tea.

It might not be forever - but it might be! Some people can moderate, some people can abstain. Know yourself.

For most people though, a biscuit can just be… a biscuit.

24/03/2026

Society has decided for us that exercise is optional. A “nice to have.” Something you fit in if there’s time left over. Even looking around in some buildings there aren’t visible staircases, (and what they have is dark, dingy and smell terrible), and every innovation is geared towards conserving as much energy as possible.

It’s often the very first thing to go when life gets busy.
Which is unfortunate, because if you look across the entire body of evidence: mechanistic, preclinical, epidemiology, case-control, clinical trials etc, regular movement is one of the few things that consistently shows up as non-negotiable for long-term health.

Not supplements. Not perfect macros. Not the latest protocol.

Movement.

It’s the strongest lever we have for maintaining independence as we age. Muscle mass, strength, balance, cardiovascular fitness, these are the things that determine whether you can get off the floor, carry groceries, climb stairs, or recover from illness or injury. Lose those, and life gets very small very quick.

Exercise buys you more years where your body actually works the way you need it to. And unlike many other interventions, the effect size is large. We’re not talking about marginal gains here.

And yet we treat it like a luxury. And we think of it like a chore. Something we’ll “get back to” when work settles down, when the kids are older, when things are less chaotic.

Look, I don’t have the answer for you. I don’t know how you specifically, if you are reading this and recognising this as part of your block, are going to make time to exercise if everything in your life is beholden to a schedule that doesn’t make room for you and what you need.

Snacktivity? Getting up 20 min earlier? Walking meetings? Squats while brushing your teeth? Press ups while the kettle boils? Installing a chin up bar? Committing to a gym or a friend?

Martin Gibala’s research looks at VILPAs: one minute vigorous activity. Is this what you need? And do you need to consider: what happens if you don’t?

PMID: 22811911
PMID: 28648951
PMID: 40772837

22/03/2026

If the deficit is less than expected, because energy expenditure is lower through peri menopause and menopause, it isn’t the time to throw away your macro spreadsheets and step counters.

If anything, it is time to double down.

Yes, there is a lot to consider here, and non of it is easy, but being considered about non exercise activity (NEAT), of sleep and stress which impact on energy intake and spontaneous activity, and of nutrient rich food which supply amino acids, vitamins and minerals, essential fatty acids, fibre and phytochemicals to support energy metabolism, neurotransmitters, stress pathways etc is essential.

And having no awareness of (or ignoring) your intake or your voluntary expenditure is not the answer.

21/03/2026

I’m on board with protein yoghurt (though 💸 💸). I’m not sold on protein granola.

Protein yoghurt does what you want from a high-protein food: it helps keep you full, supports muscle, and is hard to overeat.

Protein granola is still granola.

Even with added protein, it’s a calorie-dense mix of carbs and fats. It’s easy to eat quickly, portions creep up, and it doesn’t keep you full for long.

You can eat a lot of calories without realising it… and still be hungry later.

From a physiology standpoint:
✅ Protein + volume = better satiety
✅ Energy-dense + crunchy = easy to overconsume

So while both are labelled “high protein,” they have a different effect on your hunger and appetite.

A better way to use them:
Base your meal on protein yoghurt
Add some berries, maybe some fruit for volume, perhaps some chia seeds, some other type of nut or seed.
If you want granola, keep it small, more of a condiment than the main event.

21/03/2026

Want to know why Dr Libby zoned in her focus on iron? Here it is. So often we can’t see the forest for the trees when trying to figure out why we feel tired, why we’re lacking energy, why we feel less resilient than we used to. It’s easy to turn to expensive testing and supplements and hormones without thinking about the basics.

Was stoked to have the opportunity to chat to Dr Libby who has informed a lot of my knowledge and thoughts over the years as a practitioner. This conversation is so valuable for women, mothers, or anyone who knows a woman 🤩

Link https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/mikkipedia/id1538311674?i=1000752900963

20/03/2026

As your nutritionist, I don’t just look at what’s on your plate—I look at what your body is doing with it.

Because fat loss isn’t just about creating a calorie deficit on paper. It’s about how your physiology responds to that deficit.

Exercise changes that physiology.

Here’s why it matters:

• Muscle is metabolically protective
Resistance training preserves lean mass during a deficit. Without it, a greater proportion of weight loss comes from muscle, not fat. Less muscle = lower resting metabolic rate = harder long-term maintenance.

• Energy flux > static restriction
Higher activity allows you to eat more while still losing fat. This improves adherence, reduces hunger, and supports better hormonal signalling (think leptin, ghrelin, thyroid).

• Improved nutrient partitioning
Exercise, particularly resistance training and aerobic work, increases insulin sensitivity. Nutrients are more likely to be directed toward muscle tissue rather than stored as fat.

• Appetite regulation
Regular movement helps stabilise appetite signals. Sedentary + dieting often equals “white-knuckling” hunger. Movement gives you a buffer.

• Fat oxidation capacity
Aerobic work increases mitochondrial density and the ability to utilise fat as a fuel source. You literally become better at burning fat.

• NEAT is a silent driver
Non-exercise activity (steps, movement through the day) can account for hundreds of calories. When dieting, NEAT often subconsciously drops unless you’re intentional about it.

Bottom line:
You can lose weight without exercise.

But if the goal is:
→ better body composition
→ sustainable fat loss
→ less hunger
→ and a metabolism that doesn’t fight you every step of the way

Then movement isn’t optional. It’s foundational. And I want you to not need me long term. This is absolutely the path to being there.

19/03/2026

If your diet has you eating every 90 minutes just to keep hunger under control… that’s not a great strategy.
Hunger is a physiological signal. One of the most effective ways to manage it is getting enough protein at your meals.

Protein:
• Increases satiety (via GLP-1, PYY, CCK)
• Slows gastric emptying
• Helps stabilise energy intake across the day
• Preserves lean muscle mass when dieting

Even if you ARE eating protein, if you’re doing it every 90 minutes, you’re essentially drip-feeding it.

Small, frequent doses don’t give the robust signal your brain needs to preserve muscle (of at least 30g in a hit).

They also don’t create the same satiety response as a properly constructed meal. You’re never fully satisfied, just temporarily held over.

That often leads to:
• Ongoing hunger
• Constant food focus
• Reliance on willpower to stick to the plan
And that’s not a long-term strategy for success.

Because you can willpower and discipline your way to lose weight, I’ve seen hundreds of photos of this ‘success’ on the internet. But no amount of emotional support will help you hold onto muscle while losing weight if you don’t have this dialled in*. And this is important to help you KEEP that weight off. That’s what REAL success looks like.

Real success is ALSO having the ability to not only keep the weight off but to build a resilient body while you’re at it (otherwise, what’s the point?)

A better approach: → Anchor meals around ~30–50g of protein → Eat meals that actually satisfy you → Create enough space between meals for hunger to rise and fall naturally

*and strength training. Trumps everything.

18/03/2026

You don’t need to earn the right to eat.

But how you structure your day does matter.

We’ve overcomplicated fat loss by turning fasting into a magic bullet when in reality, it’s just one tool to help manage energy intake and appetite.

And here’s the part that often gets missed by fasting experts who might not move enough themselves.

👉 Movement changes your physiology in ways fasting alone simply can’t.

When you train:
• You increase skeletal muscle mass → your primary site for glucose disposal
• You improve insulin sensitivity → nutrients are handled better
• You increase total daily energy expenditure
• You upregulate pathways involved in mitochondrial function and cellular turnover
• You improve sleep, mood, and appetite regulation

Fasting?

It can improve:
• Insulin sensitivity
• Blood glucose control
• Appetite signalling (in some people)
• Energy intake (if it helps you eat less without white-knuckling it)

But fasting without movement is like owning a Ferrari and never taking it out of the garage.

The real overlap between fasting and exercise is this that both create periods where your body is relying more on stored fuel.

But only one builds capacity.

👉 Muscle is metabolic currency.
👉 Movement is a signal your body actually responds to.

So if you’re not active:
Yes, tightening your eating window might help.

But if you are able to move (even a little)
that’s the lever with the biggest return.

Because the goal isn’t just to eat less.

It’s to become a body that handles energy better.

17/03/2026

Ingredients
30 g rolled oats
5 g pumpkin seeds
5 g chia seeds
5 g sunflower seeds
10 g almonds
5 gcranberries, dried
300 ml water
200 gr egg whites
30 g vanilla protein powder

Add rolled oats to a pot with the pumpkin seeds, the chia seeds, the sunflower seeds, the almonds, the cranberries, the water, and salt and mix to combine.

Before you start cooking, measure the egg whites out and have close at hand to the stove.

Pop your protein powder into another glass with a small amount of water and mix to a paste.

Warm the oat mixture in the pot on a high heat, stirring frequently. The oats will thicken and become viscous after a few minutes (a little longer than normal as there is a bigger quantity of water to oats).
Once viscous and runny-thick, slowly add the egg whites while you are stirring like your life depends on it (your breakfast does, you do not want scrambled eggs). As you stir the mixture will become thicker and fluffier and after several minutes will be really thick.

Remove from the stove top, transfer to a bowl, top with the protein powder drizzle and enjoy.

Serves 1. Per serve: Cals: 464; Fat: 15.6g; Pro: 55.3g; Carbs: 22.1g

17/03/2026

If you strip this back, you’re essentially buying expensive creatine monohydrate with a couple of add-ons doing a lot of marketing heavy lifting.

The citrus extract (Eriomin) is positioned around “GLP-1”, blood sugar regulation and metabolism if you go looking on the website (which I did lol)… but the dose sits at the lower end of what’s been studied, and even in research settings the effects are modest and context-specific. This isn’t something that’s going to meaningfully shift body composition.
Throw in GLP-1 though and it gets people excited.

This can’t be compared to a GLP-1 agonist medication which bypasses our own GLP-1 system entirely.

If we compare this to Calocurb (for example) which genuinely does increase both GLP-1 (600%) and Peptide YY (another appetite hormone), the effect of this citrus extract is minimal at 22% increase.

Then there’s the probiotic. Fine for general gut health but you can get similar (or better) benefits far more cheaply from actual food: → yoghurt or kefir → fermented vegetables → fibre-rich whole foods that support your existing microbiome

None of these ingredients meaningfully enhance fat loss beyond what you’d get from:
• adequate protein
• appropriate energy intake
• resistance training
• consistency
So what are you really paying for?
👉 creatine (which is great… and very cheap on its own) 👉 a lightly dosed polyphenol 👉 a generic probiotic

There’s nothing inherently wrong with the formula. 
It’s just over-positioned for what it delivers. And at $79 it isn’t cheap. Commenting on this as I was asked about it.

Don’t confuse a well-marketed stack of ingredients with something that actually moves the needle.

15/03/2026

Cholesterol often dominates the conversation around cardiovascular disease. But in reality, heart health is influenced by a much wider set of factors that affect the arteries, metabolism, and overall physiology.

Blood pressure is one of the biggest drivers. Chronically elevated pressure places stress on arterial walls and accelerates vascular damage.

Blood sugar regulation is another key factor. Insulin resistance, elevated glucose, and frequent blood sugar spikes contribute to inflammation, oxidative stress, and damage to the lining of blood vessels.

Inflammation also plays a central role. Markers such as hs-CRP reflect the inflammatory processes that drive the formation and instability of atherosclerotic plaques.

Body composition matters as well. Visceral fat, liver fat, and low muscle mass are all associated with increased cardiovascular risk.

Clotting tendency is another piece of the puzzle. Platelet activation and factors involved in coagulation influence the likelihood of plaque rupture leading to a heart attack or stroke.

Lifestyle factors strongly shape cardiovascular risk. Physical inactivity, smoking, poor sleep, high stress, and diets dominated by processed refined foods (devoid of nutrients) all influence vascular health.

Hormonal changes can also play a role. Thyroid function, menopause, testosterone levels, and chronic elevations in cortisol can all affect cardiovascular physiology.

Kidney function is closely tied to heart health, as the kidneys help regulate blood pressure and fluid balance.

And of course genetics and environmental exposures including air pollution and heavy metals can contribute to cardiovascular risk.

When we think about heart health, it’s worth remembering that cholesterol is only one piece of a much bigger picture.

Bottom line:
Cardiovascular risk is shaped by metabolism, inflammation, blood pressure, lifestyle, genetics and environment, not just cholesterol.

Mikki Williden, PhD

25/03/2026

24/03/2026

22/03/2026

21/03/2026

21/03/2026

20/03/2026

19/03/2026

18/03/2026

17/03/2026

17/03/2026

15/03/2026

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