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Gary Taubes: Why We Get Fat

lucylocket61

lucylocket61

Expert
Messages
6,394
Location
Wrexham
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
My copy of this book arrived from Amazon today and I have already read the first 106 pages with the explanation of the thinking behind the "Calories in=Calories out" message and the "Exercise To Lose Weight" message.

It has astonished me. His common sense approach and evidence seems undeniable. I have not yet read the second part of the book, I have lots to think about already and will tackle the next bit tomorrow.

Has anyone else read this book and would be up for a discussion and maybe explore any questions I may have or expanding on points he raises?

I have a feeling this is going to be one of those life changing books.

I also ordered "Escape The Diet Trap" as I like to get different ways of looking at a subject. It should arrive next week.

The book which started all my questioning of the received food and exercise advice is one my husband read and kept quoting from: Trick and Treat by Barry Groves

So any discussion of those 2 books as well would be welcomed by me.
 
Here's what I think about Taubes:
  1. I think he is possibly the most readable science around, only Dawkins runs him close
  2. Reading his NY Times article "What if it's all been a big fat lie?" was one of the most staggering moments of revelation of my whole life.
  3. His two books do a very comprehensive job of demolishing the lipid hypothesis.

However,
  1. I think that the debate has moved on a bit since he wrote those books
  2. Most of what he writes is true, but some of it is over-stated.
  3. His insulin hypothesis is part of the obesity jigsaw, but it's just one part of the whole picture.

These are small criticisms, and I would urge everyone to read at least "Why We Get Fat". It's a good grounding in the background to the whole debate, the most important part of which is demolishing the lipid hypothesis. Reading Taubes has converted more intelligent people than me to the low-carb/paleo cause (Kurt Harris being one of the most prominent).

Whatever book he writes next, I'll have it on pre-order and will devour it the moment it arrives.
 
lucylocket61 wrote

Gary Taubes: Why We Get Fat

It has astonished me. His common sense approach and evidence seems undeniable.
Click to expand...


Agree 100%. Guess it's why he gets awards for his Science writing.


The book which started all my questioning of the received food and exercise advice is one my husband read and kept quoting from: Trick and Treat by Barry Groves
Click to expand...

This is how I came across your post. Was doing a forum search for Barry Groves.
I've just got this book from the library, and keep having wow moments, feeling I must share these with the forum.
If you're lucky, I won't bother in the end, but it's riveting stuff :lol:

Geoff
 
I posted about this book
It's brilliant!
Do remember Taubesis a journalist and he gets his ideas from published data not from practical research. Then he makes it accessible.[ many people who could work through mountains of published research for years on end, would come to similar conclusions] He's a graduate engineer Ibelieve, as was Bernstein originally.
perhaps looking at things with an engineer's eyes opens other peoples'.
PS I can't abide Dawkins He simply doesn't convince me of his beliefs.
I remember one of my professors saying [in about1968!] that it takes a special kind of mind to reconcile very different concepts, such as science and faith. Dawkins doesn't have it and won't consider it.
other scientists do
 
I read it straight through in 2 sittings immediateely after downloading it.
Hana
 
lucylocket61 said:
I also ordered "Escape The Diet Trap" as I like to get different ways of looking at a subject. It should arrive next week.
Click to expand...

you'll enjoy that as well...I still can't understand why they keep plugging low-fat diets and saying that saturated fats are bad on the DESMOND courses...
 
PS
I've sent Gary Taubes my thanks for this wonderful book. I've also recommended it to many people, including a University professor of my [slight] acquaintance.
It should be required reading at medical and Nursing schools. Everything in it is backed by research papers, which is more than much we are given as "Fact"
Hana
 
having read the book myself last night, I'm horrified that a lot of the experts had actually got the reasons right about why people were putting on weight and there were effective diets that worked available (The Banting diet for one dating from 1862!!!), but the egos of a few in key positions in the early seventies managed to overrule the actual science and propagated the disastrous calories in calories out theory of weight gain/loss and also pushed the low-fat "paradigm" with carbs replacing fats on us as a means of cutting down on heart related deaths... both completely wrong.
 
Brilliant, one of the best Taubes critiques I have read and again shows how Taubes picks his research only from those sources that appear to back up his theories.

Only one thing seems certain in dieting, that you need to eat fewer calories to lose weight.
 
Noting that of course that Stephan Guyenet is disagreeing with Taubes on the reasons why a low-carb diet are so effective (he prefers his own "food reward" to Taubes' "insulin-hypothesis").

Guyenet in favour of low-carbing for the population in general and especially for diabetics:
Stephan Guyenet said:
When glucose is poison, it's better to eat fat.
Click to expand...
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.co.uk ... -diet.html

It's easy to do the straw-man thing with Taubes, and knock down small pieces of his argument, and then suggest the whole thing is flawed*. That doesn't detract from the brillaint way that he demolishes Ancel Keyes and the Fat / Heart hypothesis.

*Taubes is a journalist and he admits openly that the insulin thing is a hypothesis. It's almost certainly part of the problem, but it probably isn't the whole thing.
 
phoenix said:
A short critque of Gary Taube's thesis.

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.fr/20 ... esity.html
Click to expand...
My response:

Stephen - its seems your fundamental objection to Taubes is in this para:
"The reason insulin suppresses fat burning is because it's a signal of glucose abundance. It's telling tissues to stop burning fat because carbohydrate is the available fuel. If you eat a meal of 500 calories of carbohydrate, you will burn that carbohydrate under the direction of insulin, which will also make sure body fat mostly stays inside your fat cells during the process. If you eat a meal of 500 calories of fat, you will burn fat instead of carbohydrate, but since you just ate fat, you aren't dipping into your body fat stores any more than you were when you ate carbohydrate. So even though insulin temporarily suppresses fat burning and the release of fat from fat cells when you eat carbohydrate, at the end of the day if you ate the same number of calories you end up with the same amount of fat in your fat cells either way. You now know more about insulin than many popular diet gurus."

The assumption is that we are using all the energy we eat. We do convert all the carb energy which is rapidly metabolised. Fat is much more slowly metabolised so we do not overeat.

Exp results:
500 kcals cereal b'fast - B gluc
1 hour 14, 2 hours 5.1, 3 hours 4.1 - HUNGRY again.
370 kcals Nut porridge
1 hour 7.4, 2 hours 5.5, 3 hours 5.7.

Carb calories are fully used, fat cals are sustaining.

I'm T2 diabetic for 12 years. 7-8 years on a low fat, complex carb diet caused crippling complications. 3 months on a low carb diet restored my health.
 
A couple other book I would recommend by Volek & Phinney; The art and science of low carbohydrate living + The art and science of low carbohydrate performance.
 
Well after reading all that, I'm even more confused as to what constitutes a good diet. I know from testing that even a small amount of carbs effects my levels.
I was a skinny before I had a hysterectomy, and now I'm an apple, and nothing I do seems to shift the weight. Which means its my hormones that have been mucked up.
Not a lot of research for women who have had a hysterectomy became fat and got diabetes yet.
 
Great post, yes and about "why do we get fat" term. It is more on how we live our lives or in terms of daily activities, food and beverage intake, lifestyle, work, environment and etc. We need to have a proper diet and regular exercise to avoid getting fat, not all fat people are unhealthy but not all slim people are healthy. Just always have a regular check up with your doctor even if you don't feel something bad just to be aware of our body system's condition. Thank you! :D
 
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