If you exercise and cut carbs you'll lose more weight, right? Wrong! Pontzer reveals how human metabolism really works: exercise does not increase our metabolism. Instead we burn calories within a very narrow range, no matter our activity level. Pontzer examines a variety of modern diet trends and explains how they succeed or fail: for shedding pounds, a calorie is a calorie. Exercise won't make us thinner, but it does keep our body systems functioning optimally. Discover how you really eat, move, and live.

The invisible hand -- What is metabolism anyway? -- What is this going to cost me? -- How humans evolved to be the nicest, fittest, and fattest apes -- The metabolic magician: energy compensation and constraint -- The real hunger games: diet, metabolism, and human evolution -- Run for your life! -- Energetics at the extreme: the limits of human endurance -- The past, present, and uncertain future of Home energeticus.