The cracker test is a 30-second test that (supposedly) tells you if carbohydrates make you fat – and if you should cut down or eat more. In short, the 30-second cracker test is supposed to tell you how much amlyase – the enzyme that initiates starch digestion – you have in your saliva. The length […]

Confession: I don’t use a fitness tracker. I have no idea how many calories I burned yesterday, how many steps I did, or how many miles I walked. Nor, quite frankly, do I care. What got me thinking about the subject of fitness trackers was a book I was reading the other day, about a […]

In 1944, the Office of Strategic Services – the precursor to the CIA – distributed a secret pamphlet that described ways to sabotage enemies of the US during World War II. The Simple Sabotage Field Manual provided instructions for “citizen-saboteurs” in occupied countries like Norway and France who wanted to “sabotage” their own workplace, creating […]

Here, in no particular order, is a list of things that don’t matter when it comes to losing fat. 1. Fasted Cardio I like to start the day with some caffeine, followed by a morning walk with my dog. I used to think that doing so would help with fat loss. But, the research on […]

Earlier this week, I came across a forum post about a guy who got a DEXA scan for the first time. He’d estimated his own level of body fat, based on the way he looked in the mirror, at around 18-20%. But the DEXA scan told him that his body fat was 28.6%, and he […]