I finished Burn! Not the easiest read but so worth it for the information. My husband and I listened to a podcast where Herman Pontzer was interviewed. The idea of fixed calories astonished me as it goes against everything I thought I knew about calories and matabolism. I knew I had to read his book. Six months later and many library checkouts later, I'm done!

This was not the easiest or most interesting read. There was a lot of science covered. I didn't always follow the flow of the text. I also missed the chapter on how to lose weight??? However, there was so much good information and I learned tons. I also enjoyed learning about the Hadza people.

4 Stars

Some random sections I highlighted:

That means you burn the same number of calories to run three miles at your fastest pace as you do to jog it casually--you just burn the calories faster (and finish sooner) when you run fast.

At around 5mph, the cost of walking exceeds the cost of running; it's actually cheaper to run at that speed than it is to walk.

...The total number of heartbeats in a lifetime are the same across species, from the tiniest shrews to the mightiest whales. We all get about one billion heartbeats.

Exercise is one way to maintain weight loss in a constrained energy expenditure world, allowing people who've lost weight to retain their old, pre-weight-loss daily intakes and expenditures without regaining weight. Exercise also seems to help the brain do a better job matching eating and expenditure.

We should all take responsibility for our diets, but overeating isn't simply a failure of willpower or discipline.

This book is sooo interesting on many levels. I really enjoyed it. The only part I didn’t like was near the beginning when it goes into details about how our body metabolizes food (the science of how we metabolize carbs, fat and protein). Don’t let that bog you down. I learned a lot from this book.

3.5 rounded up.

Amazing! it's just how I want it to be, exactly what I wanted!! pure knowledges.
He explained humans evolution in metallic perspectives. There are no meal plan or exercises plan etc.
It simply explained metabolism and how we evolved into who we are now by explaining it in scientific details and researches.
its indeed a very interesting read. I have learnt a LOT! I have to rethink about how our body works.
It could be a tough read if you are not interested in this field or if you just want to have a solution on weight loss. It offers no such thing, simply knowledges. But by understanding how our metabolism works, it will surely impact on our lifestyle and our planet.


A Lot to take away. I will read it again.