Dr. Sylvia Tara is a biochemist and the author of The Secret Life of Fat. After experiencing her own struggles with weight loss, she spent five years deep diving into the topic of fat in order to learn everything about how it works and how to shed excess body fat. Dr. Tara explains how fat uses hormones to communicate within your body and why some people have the tendency to store more of it. Listen to learn the science behind this complex system so that you can outsmart stubborn body fat and get rid of it for good!    Key takeaways: [:29] Dr. Sylvia Tara’s career briefing [2:31] How did Dr. Tara become interested in researching body fat? [3:45] Fat is not just fat -- it’s an organ and it’s very active in our body. [4:40] When you lose fat, you end up losing leptin. That drives your appetite forward and decreases your metabolism.  [6:09] Women store fat much more efficiently than men. [7:24] Women have higher ghrelin levels after exercising, which increases hunger. [8:15] Fat produces estrogen. [8:50] There is a tendency to gain weight with age due to the loss of some of our fat-busting hormones. [10:09] Fat becomes a primary supplier of estrogen as women age. [10:50] Not all fat is equal. [12:06] Exercise helps fat release adiponectin, a hormone that helps clear the blood of fat and put it where it belongs. The more we exercise, the healthier our fat is. [12:45] There are different kinds of fat -- the key is to be healthy with your fat. [14:10] Top tips to lose fat: losing fat is hard and it’s designed to stay on you. You have to find a diet you will want to stay on for the long run.  [16:25] Weight loss is very individual and our sensitivity to foods is very different. It’s important to keep a food journal to find out what works for you. [19:30] Check out all of Dr. Tara’s resources on her website and social media.  [22:20] Get better quality of sleep with JJ’s Sleep Candy! [23:05] Listener’s question: I want to try intermittent fasting -- what do you recommend?  Get your blood sugar balanced, work on your eating window during the day and a 12-14 hour overnight fast.   Mentioned in this episode TheSecretLifeOfFat.com @sylviataraphd on Twitter @sylviataraphd on Facebook JJVirgin.com/products