Shortform Books

Intermittent Fasting: How to Lose Weight Naturally

Have you tried dieting for weight loss but found that the excess weight always comes back? Are there weight loss methods that work long-term? Dieting for weight loss rarely works in the long term. When the diet is over, many people find that the weight comes back. Some people even pack on more excess weight than they had before the diet. If this sounds like you, it’s time to leave a dieter’s mindset and instead adopt an intermittent fasting (IF) mindset. Here’s how to lose weight with intermittent fasting.

Brené Brown: Emotions and Their Near Enemies

What are “near enemies”? What are some examples of emotional near enemies? According to Brené Brown, emotions and traits have “near enemies”—states that feel similar but come from a different place. For example, the near enemy of hope is blind optimism, and the near enemy of self-sufficiency is hyper-independence. Here are some of the common near enemies you might fight within yourself.

Giulia Enders: What Do Carbs Do for Your Body?

What do carbohydrates do for your body? Should you avoid eating carbs altogether? Many diets require you to cut out carbohydrates (carbs) to lose weight. But carbs play some important roles in the body, apart from providing energy. Moreover, not all carbs are villains. Keep reading to learn what carbs do for your body.

How Does Insulin Cause Weight Gain?

What triggers insulin release? How does insulin cause weight gain? Insulin is released every time you eat. Most people eat every few hours, which leads to chronically high insulin levels. Constant feeding means a constant influx of glucose, which is the body’s preferred fuel—there’s no need to tap into fat stores for energy. Keep reading to learn about the role of insulin in weight gain.

3 Devastating Problems in Developing Countries

What problems are developing countries facing? What are the causes of these problems? Hunger, population control, and famine are among the most concerning issues in less developed countries. Amartya Sen in Development as Freedom says that the underlying causes might not be what you think they are. Let’s look at these particular problems in developing countries and why Sen believes they became problems in the first place.

Slip-Box: The Best Way to Organize Your Notes

Are your notes all over the place? What is the best way to organize notes? If you find it difficult to organize your notes, you should try the slip-box note-taking system. Slip-box is a method of taking notes and organizing them that fosters the creation and publication of original ideas. Here’s how to organize your notes using the slip-box method.

The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem: Review & Reception

Is Nathaniel Branden’s The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem worth reading? How did readers rate the book? In The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, psychotherapist Nathaniel Branden challenges the prevailing assumption that self-esteem is unconditional love for yourself. Instead, he argues that your self-esteem depends on your behavior—and that only by behaving according to certain tenets, or pillars, can you improve your self-esteem. He also examines the role external influences play on your self-esteem and how you can influence others’ self-esteem with the right behaviors. Keep reading for The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem review and commentary.

“Pull Yourself Up by the Bootstraps” Saying Explained

What does “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mean? Why is Stephanie Land so critical of it? Stephanie Land, the author of the memoir Maid, criticizes the “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mentality in America. The saying insinuates that people in poverty are lazy and make bad choices. Read more about why this mentality is outdated and offensive to people living in poverty.

Assessing the Market: Why It’s Important for Business

What does assessing the market mean? How can you tell how profitable your intended market is? By assessing the market, you can determine how much profit you can potentially make from selling your product. In The Marketing Plan, marketing expert William M. Luther explains how to conduct a full market assessment by defining your market size and share. Let’s walk through why assessing the market is important and how to do it.

Identity Cues: Meaning and Examples

What are identity cues? How does the Stanford Prison Experiment show how identity cues can change your morals? Psychologist Philip Zimbardo says it’s normal to adapt our identity to our environment. However, he says that certain identity cues can influence us to do things that aren’t rational or morally good. Read more about identity cues, as explained in The Lucifer Effect.