Burn

New Research Blows the Lid Off How We Really Burn Calories, Lose Weight, and Stay Healthy

By: Herman Pontzer PhD

Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan

One of the foremost researchers in human metabolism reveals surprising new science behind food and exercise.

We burn 2,000 calories a day. And if we exercise and cut carbs, we'll lose more weight. Right? Wrong. In this paradigm-shifting book, Herman Pontzer reveals for the first time how human metabolism really works so that we can finally manage our weight and improve our health.

Pontzer's groundbreaking studies with hunter-gatherer tribes show how exercise doesn't increase our metabolism. Instead, we burn calories within a very narrow range: nearly 3,000 calories per day, no matter our activity level. This was a brilliant evolutionary strategy to survive in times of famine. Now it seems to doom us to obesity. The good news is we can lose weight, but we need to cut calories. Refuting such weight-loss hype as paleo, keto, anti-gluten, anti-grain, and even vegan, Pontzer discusses how all diets succeed or fail: For shedding pounds, a calorie is a calorie.

At the same time, we must exercise to keep our body systems and signals functioning optimally, even if it won't make us thinner. Hunter-gatherers like the Hadza move about five hours a day and remain remarkably healthy into old age. But elite athletes can push the body too far, burning calories faster than their bodies can take them in. It may be that the most spectacular athletic feats are the result not just of great training, but of an astonishingly efficient digestive system.

Revealing, irreverent, and always entertaining, Pontzer has written a book that will change how you eat, move, and live.

This audiobook edition contains a downloadable PDF of charts included in the print edition.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Herman Pontzer (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A wide-ranging romp through evolutionary biology, physiology, and anthropology, Burn will make you question what you think you know about metabolism and your waistline." (Stephan Guyenet, PhD, author of The Hungry Brain)

"Burn is science writing at its best: big ideas, wild and often hilarious stories from the field, and deft explanations. The result will reshape what you thought you knew about how our metabolisms work." (Alex Hutchinson, New York Times best-selling author of Endure)

"An absorbing, instructive lesson for anyone concerned about their health." (Kirkus starred review)

Excellent!

This book was incredibly informative. I went into it with a bit of dread that it would be a bit too "scientific" for me to understand. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I plan on buying it for wife to read. The book was well written and easy to follow. The author had some witty yet nerdy humor scattered throughout(my personal style of humor as well!).
It was truly eye opening and I learned much and I recommend it for anyone who is curious about how our body handles food, excercise, stress, and challenges. The book was recommended to me, I am not an individual seeking to lose weight.

The narrator also did a great job. I especially enjoyed the part when discussing the results of a study showing that people who are generally less informed or ignorant on a subject are the ones who have the most confidence in being correct. The American people are aware of this and would never elect a Politician to high office who, while very confident, is totally unqualified. That had me chuckling! The irony!

A fantastic book!

Just stick with it through the chemistry dissertation. Chapters 6, 7 and 9 are amazing!

Information worth digging for

I was not a fan of this narrator, however, the topic was very informative so I stuck with it.

loved it

THIS IS MY GO TO AUDIBLE TO LISTEN TO WHEN BICYCLING ALL THE TIME. THANKS.

Fantastic research presented in a fun way

It was very thorough and thoughtful. More than that, it was a fun read for how informative it is.

Captivating story beautifully told

What do we have to learn about ourselves from studying hunter-gatherers in the East African bush? Lots. The author combines his research with the Tanzanian Hadza tribe with solid laboratory work and his studies of our fellow primates around the world to create a fascinating picture of what makes us run. Or...walk, which is just as good. One of the surprising revelations for me (as I age) was that I get as much benefit from walking a mile as I do from running a mile -- which I do much less often these days. And another is that the food I eat is not just part of a weight-loss effort, it's pretty much the whole game! You don't lose weight from exercise. What?! But Herman Pontzer's solid science makes that case convincingly, while at the same time reminding us about the other great benefits we get from exercise. it's all presented in an very readable (OK, I had to really concentrate for a couple of chapters because he delivers the science without flinching) story that teaches us humans how we're like other primates and what sets us apart. I loved the factual de-bunking of what so many of us think about food, fad diets, and our weight. And I love the continual references to hunter-gatherers who have contributed their time to this researched and helped us understand ourselves so much better.

Solid Material Despite Weak Narrator

Narrator cadence and inflection doesn’t carry the author’s voice very well. Can be dry. But the material is well organized and made interesting. No regrets getting it, wouldn’t mind a rerelease though.

Decades of confusion gone.

Many times the results of a careful balance of diet exercise baffled me. Why didn’t I lose weight when I trained for and ran a marathon? Why did diets and exercise plans seem to have diminishing returns when trying to avoid weight gain? After listening to this book the fog has cleared. Expecting my future plans and results to improve from the understanding provided.

Landmark

It brings together for all of us the reasons why diets fail and we need to support ourselves and others in a healthy lifestyle for us, them and the planet

Great perspective on how we need to live a healthy lifestyle

The last hour of the book was an eye opener. I really enjoyed this book!