Secret 1: The Role of Hormones in Getting Fat or Lean

It's a hormonal imbalance, not fat intake, that causes fat accumulation.

The main hormone at play is insulin. Its role is to prevent elevated blood glucose (a dangerous thing). Insulin tells cells to take glucose from the bloodstream and also, as a side effect, not to release any of the fat they already store.

While insulin is elevated, it is not possible for cells to burn their stored fat.

Secret 2: The Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) Diet Principle

The pancreas secretes insulin when we eat foods that elevate blood glucose: sugar, sugary drinks, bread, rice, pasta, cakes, sweets, potatoes... (carbs and starches).

Reducing carb intake (the "Low Carb" part of LCHF) results in lower insulin levels. This allows cells to release stored fat for use as fuel. The "High Fat" part says what else in your diet will provide the calories you are no longer eating as carbs. LCHF makes you leaner because it lets your cells release your stored fat, and burn it.

It's not eating fat that makes you fat: it's storing fat that does.

Secret 3: The Deceptive Nature of 0% Fat Foods

You may have been brainwashed to the contrary but fat is actually full of flavour.

It's an easy sell to offer a "0% fat" version (of a yoghurt, say, or a cookie) to lure customers who want to lose fat. But if the manufacturer removes fat, the product becomes flavourless. So they replace it with... sugar, in some form or other.

That sugar (a carbohydrate) will elevate your blood glucose, hence your insulin, and will prevent your stored fat from being burned.

The "0% fat" version of the food is actually more fattening than the "full fat" one.