Diet popularity comes and goes in cycles. The ketogenic diet – aka “keto” – has re surged in popularity to a high point I have not seen seen in 25 years. Keto and other types of low carb high fat (LCHF) diets are being talked about everywhere on social media, on blogs and in mainstream media to the point where it’s hard to ignore. Actually, I’d rather ignore it (especially the zealotry), but all year long, I’ve been getting earnest questions from readers on a weekly basis, so I felt it was finally time to answer them…

What’s the best way to figure out how much protein, carbohydrate and fat to eat (your macronutrients (aka “macros”)?  Well, you can use the classic percentage method (40-30-20, 40-40-20, 50-30-20, etc), and yes – it still works. But knowing which percentage to choose for your goals and circumstances (without a coach) is easier said than done. Having a simpler method for setting your macros is helpful because crunching these nutrition numbers is one of the first steps in meal planning where many people get confused and frustrated. Now there’s a new method – and it’s ultra-simple, it puts nutritional priorities first and it’s customized just for you

It’s incredible that I’m reprinting this article about low carb diets that I originally wrote in 2004. Yet it’s no surprise either that this has become relevant and worth sharing again because I’ve seen how some diet fads come and go, but others run in cycles every decade or so… they keep coming back…

If you’ve ever been confused about what are the best foods to eat for health and fat loss, you’re not alone. No subject has been over-complicated more than “what should I eat?” Fortunately, there’s no subject more easily simplified…

A lot of people have been asking me lately, “Should I be eating more fat?” This post will not only answer that question, you’ll also learn how dietary fat fits into the macronutrient tracking and meal planning system used in bodybuilding and fitness diets designed to build muscle and burn fat…

Every cliché you’ve ever heard about the importance of planning is true. Failing to plan is a disaster waiting to happen. Planning is power.  Planning is confidence. Planning is success. It’s no secret that I’m an advocate of meal planning, and it’s a major part of my Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle system. I’m also a supporter of flexible dieting. If you don’t know what flexible dieting is, or if you do, but it seems like flexible dieting and meal planning don’t go together, then this will be the most important post you’ve ever read… 

Cheat meals have always been a hot topic. After all, who wouldn’t want to learn how to eat pizza or cheesecake and burn more fat? Unfortunately, despite years of discussion and debate about the best way to do it (or whether to do it at all), it appears that the ideal way to incorporate cheat meals into your diet plan without sabotaging yourself hasn’t gotten any clearer. With the spread of conflicting opinions from self-proclaimed experts, and the popularity of IIFYM and various types of “flexible dieting,”  how to cheat seems to have only gotten more confusing…

IIFYM is an acronym for, “If it Fits Your Macros.” “Macros” of course,  is shorthand for macronutrients – protein, carbohydrates and fats. What does this have to do with Pop Tarts?  Keep reading and you’ll find out.  The spread of IIFYM through the online diet world in the last few years has led to some absolutely epic debates, controversies, and misunderstandings, depending on how different people explain or interpret IIFYM

If I told everyone who walked into my offices that if they exercised 30 minutes a day they’d double their weight losses, I have no doubt that no one would so much as blink, and many a gym shoe would be sold. Yet when I tell people that in order to double their losses they’ll need to spend no more than 3 minutes a day keeping a food diary, I might as well be putting needles in their eyes given the pain and anguish I regularly see flash across their faces.

For anyone who hasn’t been  keeping up with all the posts here at Burn the Fat Blog, the team at Examine.com wrote our “most liked’ post ever a few months ago, in which they talked about the actual science behind 10 popular fat burners. They did a great job taking complex science and making it accessible to you, and so for an encore, I asked them to give us the straight skinny on saturated fats. Here’s what they have to say: