Today we’re focusing on the “calories out” side of energy balance with a discussion of metabolism, as well as whether and how we can manipulate this “calories out” side of the equation.

We will not discuss diet or nutrition, which is the “calories in” side of the equation. Stay tuned for the next episode. In the meantime, understanding metabolism and especially how to accurately calculate your own energy expenditure sets the foundation for a sustainable approach to diet later on.

In today’s episode, we cover:

What is metabolism in the context of your total daily energy expenditure?
How to estimate your expenditure, which will be useful later for weight management
Whether it’s possible change your baseline metabolism, both short- and long-term
The truth about cardio and its effect on metabolism and fat loss
A more efficient, sustainable way to burn fat

Timestamps:

00:31 - Energy balance and metabolism
05:35 - Does more activity really burn more calories?
08:44 - Measuring your daily expenditure
16:59 - A surprising way to CHANGE your metabolism
21:07 - The truth about lots of cardio
24:03 - The optimal way to burn fat
25:12 - New segment! "The Internet Gets It Wrong Again"
27:25 - Recap and upcoming episodes

RELATED LINKS

Burn: New Research Blows the Lid Off How We Really Burn Calories, Lose Weight, and Stay Healthy by Herman Pontzer, PhD
MacroFactor app for food logging and calculating expenditure (use code "WITSANDWEIGHTS" to extend free trial to 14 days)

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Ep 4: The Truth about Metabolism, Cardio, and Fat Loss