On this livestream episode of “Listen In With KNN”, a sports podcast and FOX Sports radio show, host and executive producer Kelsey Nicole Nelson welcomed special guest Robert Ferguson to the show. Ferguson is a certified nutritionist, researcher, and author from Ventura, California. He focused on health, wellness and nutrition for 30 years.
Ferguson is the CEO of Diet Free Life, a weight loss and health improvement methodology program. He also published a book called “Diet Free For Life: A Revolutionary Food, Fitness, and Mindset Makeover to Maximize Fat Loss”. This was in addition to authoring two evidence-based and clinically proven studies on weight loss and improved overall health.
People turn to medicine and medical procedures to lose weight. Almost 280,000 bariatric surgeries were conducted in 2022, according to recent data from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
Diabetic drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy have grown popular among people who want to lose weight. In a Gallup survey from March, 6% of Americans have used or are currently using injectable weight loss drugs.
Ferguson said his program differs from others because it helps people improve their health without resorting to diets, medicine, or medical procedures. Instead, Diet Free Life approaches food as medicine rather than an obstacle to losing weight.
Ferguson talked about how one of his clients in the medical field lost over 160 pounds.
“It’s been over 10 years, and she hasn’t put the weight back on and she’s eating pasta, bread and rice,” he said. “She just knows how to eat because it comes to how you combine it with something else. Once you have that knowledge, you own that for the rest of your life.”
Throughout his career, Ferguson worked with many celebrities using the Diet Free Life program, including Toni Braxton, Ricki Lake, Boris Kodjoe and Reggie Theus. Today he’s looking for everyday people to coach.
Nelson said losing weight is easier said than done because as humans we often find excuses to skip a gym because of our busy schedules or stick to a diet because of the ease and convenience of unhealthy food. She then asked how Diet Free Life helps people get into that mindset. Ferguson said they provide a coach to give built-in accountability and motivation at an affordable price because they recognize not everyone can afford a coach.
“We have a program right now called the ‘VIP Discounted Program,’” he said. “I make it where it’s affordable so you’re getting the same thing that Toni Braxton would get; you’re just not paying the same amount of money Toni Braxton’s paying.”
Before nutrition and business, Ferguson was a professional athlete. He was known as the “Prince of Leglocks” in the UFC/MMA-sphere until his last match in 2002 (not to be confused with Robert Ferguson who played for the Green Bay Packers). After that, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He said higher-ups assigned him to create a presentation around nutrition. He also mentioned how watching his mom’s weight loss process, he wanted to pursue a career in nutrition.
“I saw the joy of losing 100 pounds, but I also saw the pain and frustration in gaining it back,” he said. “I saw my mom do it many times. I’m a mama’s boy, so I always had my heart in it for my mom.”
He previously earned a Master’s degree in psychology, but after being discharged, he went back to school to study diabetics. From there, he shared what he learned to people who want to lose weight the right way.
For instance, he strictly embedded the “3-dubbed stool” into the Diet Free Life program: nutrition, mindset and how and when to eat. Ferguson also shared how important Omega-3 fatty acids are for human development and theorized that people will become more deficient in them in the next 2-5 years.
Omega-3 is commonly found in fish and seafood, plant oils, nuts and seeds, edamame and dietary supplements. A National Institute of Health study recommends adults take 1.1-1.6 grams daily. The American Heart Association recommends adults eat two servings of fish per week to get 3 grams of fatty acids.
Though the FDA found inconclusive evidence of omega-3 reducing high blood pressure, studies showed that omega-3 intake is beneficial for/has the potential to improve mental health, skin and nails and autoimmune systems.
Ferguson is working on a campaign to spread awareness and bring this conversation to the NFL. “This ties into football players, rugby players, and people with head injuries,” he said. “They’re not getting enough omega-3s, and it’s playing a big role in why they’re having a hard time coming back.”
Switching topics, Nelson asked Ferguson about his new role as a chief nutrition officer for iCoura Health, a nutrition education and coaching company. He co-founded the company with Darrik Erikstrup and Brian Dobbins. They partner with insurance companies and teach employers, members or patients how to eat more healthily and make them feel better.
“As long as they have constituents, they want to get healthier or [they want to] offer that, that’s what we do. We bring that to them.”
Ferguson is also an NAACP nominee for the Outstanding Literary Award in 2011. Nelson asked Ferguson how he felt to receive a new title, and what the journey was like. He said it felt great to present, hang out with Cicely Tyson, and spend a lot of time with everybody in entertainment.
“Unfortunately I didn’t win,” he said. “but I am writing a new book at this very moment, and I’m very confident I’m going to win.”
The main points of the new book are to give real, solid science and encourage people to be their health advocates when talking to doctors.
“I think more people would live longer, less people would find themselves sick and losing their quality of life if they knew what to ask for,” he said.
Nelson then asked if people target one area during workouts for weight loss. Ferguson said it’s not true, but where you gain weight first is the same place you’ll lose it last. He also advised that when going on a scale, you should measure your waist, too.
“What happens is your waist will get smaller and your weight will stay the same. If your waist is smaller, that means you’re smaller. Then it comes down to ‘Am I more interested in being smaller, or more interested in seeing the number on the scale go down?’”
To watch the full conversation, visit the episode below on YouTube.
