Feel the Burn – The Truth about Calories & Exercise

Join Dr. Danielle Belardo and her expert of the week, Evolutionary Biologist and author of Burn, Dr. Herman Pontzer. Get ready for what you thought you knew about weight loss, metabolism and exercise to be completely turned on its head as Dr. Ponzter breaks down his latest findings on the physiology of humans and how diet, activity, and other ecological factors influence health. Danielle and Herman discuss the evolution of diets, the truth about losing weight, the energy budget, and the benefits of exercise. Dr. Ponzter shares his experience living with the Hadza hunter-gatherers in northern Tanzania and the ground-breaking research that came from it. This is one of those gasp-out-loud episodes, packed full of shocking truths about calories, weight loss, and the human body. The good news is, you can toss those fad diets out the window! 

Dr. Herman Pontzer is an Associate Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology and Global Health at Duke University and is an internationally recognized researcher in human energetics and evolution. His lab research focuses on energetics and metabolism, including respirometry and doubly labeled water methods. Dr. Pontzer’s work has been covered in The New York Times, BBC, PBS, Washington Post, The Atlantic, NPR, Scientific American, and others. 

They address myths and misconceptions in regards to: 

• Metabolism, energy expenditure, and aging  
• Exercise and calories burned 
• The starvation response, low calorie diets and weight loss  
• Basal metabolic rates and body fat percentage 

Thank you so much for taking the time to contribute to a generation that values fact over fiction! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let us know which not-so-wellness trend you’d like to hear debunked. Follow your host on Instagram @daniellebelardomd and the podcast @wellnessfactvsfiction. Follow Herman on Twitter @hermanpontzer. 

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