Why are we told to "eat less" and "exercise more" when the science doesn't support it? Gary Taubes answers that question and explains how our fat cells work. Once we understand what makes us fat and what will make our fat cells smaller, we can do something about it.
The idea that eating more and lack of exercise are the effects of fat rather than the causes is an old one. Taubes explains how that knowledge was "lost" and why there is resistance to rediscovering it.
While this book addresses the same topics as Good Calories, Bad Calories the treatment is very different. It is much more readable though still well documented. This book is the take home message from Good Calories, Bad Calories.
The idea that eating more and lack of exercise are the effects of fat rather than the causes is an old one. Taubes explains how that knowledge was "lost" and why there is resistance to rediscovering it.
While this book addresses the same topics as Good Calories, Bad Calories the treatment is very different. It is much more readable though still well documented. This book is the take home message from Good Calories, Bad Calories.
Why are we told to "eat less" and "exercise more" when the science doesn't support it? Gary Taubes answers that question and explains how our fat cells work. Once we understand what makes us fat and what will make our fat cells smaller, we can do something about it.
The idea that eating more and lack of exercise are the effects of fat rather than the causes is an old one. Taubes explains how that knowledge was "lost" and why there is resistance to rediscovering it.
While this book addresses the same topics as Good Calories, Bad Calories the treatment is very different. It is much more readable though still well documented. This book is the take home message from Good Calories, Bad Calories.
The idea that eating more and lack of exercise are the effects of fat rather than the causes is an old one. Taubes explains how that knowledge was "lost" and why there is resistance to rediscovering it.
While this book addresses the same topics as Good Calories, Bad Calories the treatment is very different. It is much more readable though still well documented. This book is the take home message from Good Calories, Bad Calories.
Helpful Score: 1
This is an excellent book, it's so affirming and gives you a really good premise on which to build your good health. I am a strong proponent of the Atkins Diet for Life. I've been living low-carb for a few years, and I have so much energy and maintain my optimal weight. I'm 42, and can see this life style for myself for years to come. My husband also 'gets' it and likes the meals I prepare, which includes lots of fresh veggies. This book is really, really good if you are a low-carb fan. And if you are not yet, it may convince you to be. It is thoroughly researched, and gives good arguments for living low-carb. It's fascinating how we are completely brain washed to believe that measuring 'calories in, calories out' and eating low fat is the only way to be healthy. Trying to excercise, eat low fat, and guilt yourself into being healthy just doesn't work. My one critique is that this author doesn't site excercise as necessarily being a piece of the puzzle, and I think regular excercise is critical to good health and maintainance of a stable weight.
Apart of the writing being impossibly painful, the book has little merit. It repeats all kinds of low-carb misconceptions which can be summoned into two words: IMBALANCED dieting.
I lost 250lb, so I know what Im saying, when I note that the carbs are not the problem. The problem is unhealthy, unmindful lifestyle. As in if one has a serious sweet tooth, like my self (hello chocolate moose cake yummmmmmmmm) one needs to "find room" for the sweets. If for example I want to have a double cheeseburger, then the same principle follows. FIND ROOM FOR IT. As in: If I have 2 fried eggs, hash, 3 sausages and 2 waffles with heaping helping of maple syrup and chocolate nutella spread, there is no way in hell I can have say... fish and chips or fried cheese for dinner, even if I do 2h of treadmill (I hate the gym). Two light meals, one heavy meal a day. No snacking, which leads to binges. Eating at a table, sitting down, even if Im eating Cadburry chocolate egg. It turns snack into bonnified desert, making your brain believe you had yummy desert, not just a mini snack.
I also know that any sort of short term dieting just preps your body for spikes in insulin leading to migraines, depressions, unhappiness, denials... consequently leading to binges, guilt trips and more dieting. What the book doesn't address is balancing your activity level and eating nutritious food in moderate portions (portions is a key word here) that allows you certain room for carb rich foods. Fat is important to our bodies. Animal fat and red meat rich in B12 is essential for our internal system to work properly.
Overindulgence, large plated portions, second and third helpings, super fast eating without awareness and actual enjoyment of the food we eat is our enemy. I should know, I used to be like that. Eat faster then speed of light, then get more so that I can eat as much as I can stuff in me, before I feel the "full" signal.
Based on a friends advice and the book "Atkins diet for beginners" she gave me, I tried removing sugar from my diet, and loose weight that way. I discovered 3 things: 1; I hate the taste of artificial sweeteners and can pick on it in any food, 2; apparently Im one of the few people alive, that have artificial sweeteners allergy. My body rejects the indigestible sugar compounds that most people expel without batting an eye. For me it is quite literally poison. So though most people should be OK, it does not mean artificial sweeteners are good for you. 3; it didn't work. I have NOT lost any weight. With the exception to my 3 day allergy reaction, with violent agonizingly painful stomach sickness and all that comes with that. Which cant be counted as weight lost, since it evened out few days later...
Again I stress that balanced eating habits-lifestyle, tailored to your needs, health issues, and activity levels will ultimately help you reduce weight, if that is your goal. No amount of sugar/carb reduction, dieting you hate, short term drastic non-eating, or removing portions of different kinds of foods (like sugar, fats, or gluten) will be the answer.
I include copy of a review (not mine) from Amazon, which I found very informative and with which I wholeheartedly agree, though Im not able to put it as eloquently or with the professional experience as the "LM" reviewer:
Copy-Pasted:
Please note that my perspectives on this book review come as an Assistant Professor of Nursing with a PhD in Public Health. I say this only because I've been around the block long enough and read enough research to question many of the claims that have become so main stream these days. Any of my claims below can be substantiated with a quick search of PubMed (the US government's research database). Here is what I found discreditable about this book:
1) Losing weight is treated as end result, regardless of the means. Losing weight should be treated as a side effect and never the ultimate objective. Your goal should be health and wellness, in which case weight loss usually balances out. If you carry around 5-10 extra lbs but eat whole foods, rich in antioxidant and nutrition, most likely you will avoid the chronic diseases that follow the Standard American Diet. Take France for example (or any of Europe really) who have longer life expectancies but eat carb-rich diets.
2) It is a promotion of the Atkins Diet, which in all its fame and glory still promotes Nutrasweet and artificial sweeteners. Research has shown these affect gut bacteria and weight gain. I would not give any person who still promotes artificial sweeteners as a weight loss technique any credibility.
3) This brings me to my next point, which is there is no mention of gut bacteria's effects on weight gain/loss. Research has shown that our microbiome influences our weight, in which case replenishing our healthy gut microbes should promote better weight control.
4) For as much discussion as there is about exercise and calories/debunking calories in and calories out, he treats exercise as only a means to decrease calories and burn fat. What about exercise's role in insulin resistance, glucose control, and inflammation, all of which are regulators of weight? He should be harping on the fact that exercise increases insulin sensitivity as this seems to be the focus of his argument.
5) Anyone who seriously makes a claim that an apple or a grape has too many carbs has missed the boat entirely. Fruit is full of antioxidants and fiber, which blunt insulin response. He makes absolutely no claims about how other foods (such as green tea, spices, herbs, FAT, etc.) influence our body's blood sugar and subsequent insulin response. This is a major flaw in his theory and should be viewed with skepticism.
Now, I do agree that fat, both saturated and unsaturated, has not given rise to our obesity epidemic and has unjustly been demonized as contributing to weight gain. I personally cook with pastured lard, schmaltz, pastured bacon fat, etc. and have found that the more fat I add to my diet, the less I worry about weight gain (partially because of the satiety that comes along with eating so much fat). The lipid hypothesis continues to fall apart.
Take what Gary Tabues says with a grain of salt. He isn't a health guru and only repeats (self-admittingly) what others have already said. Will I be getting rid of all carbohydrates in my diet because I fear of some unknown potential weight gain? Absolutely not. There is some wonderful research on how Resistant Starch (found in potatoes, WHITE rice, pasta) plays a role in weight control and cancer prevention.
Read the Dirt Cure by Maya Shetreat-Klein, which I also just finished for a balanced perspective, or even Michael Pollan's books, which are far better researched and less dogmatic. Another winner is Real Food by Nina Planck. Just don't put all of your (pastured) eggs in one basket...this guy doesn't have all the answers and isn't promoting a well-rounded perspective on weight or health.
I lost 250lb, so I know what Im saying, when I note that the carbs are not the problem. The problem is unhealthy, unmindful lifestyle. As in if one has a serious sweet tooth, like my self (hello chocolate moose cake yummmmmmmmm) one needs to "find room" for the sweets. If for example I want to have a double cheeseburger, then the same principle follows. FIND ROOM FOR IT. As in: If I have 2 fried eggs, hash, 3 sausages and 2 waffles with heaping helping of maple syrup and chocolate nutella spread, there is no way in hell I can have say... fish and chips or fried cheese for dinner, even if I do 2h of treadmill (I hate the gym). Two light meals, one heavy meal a day. No snacking, which leads to binges. Eating at a table, sitting down, even if Im eating Cadburry chocolate egg. It turns snack into bonnified desert, making your brain believe you had yummy desert, not just a mini snack.
I also know that any sort of short term dieting just preps your body for spikes in insulin leading to migraines, depressions, unhappiness, denials... consequently leading to binges, guilt trips and more dieting. What the book doesn't address is balancing your activity level and eating nutritious food in moderate portions (portions is a key word here) that allows you certain room for carb rich foods. Fat is important to our bodies. Animal fat and red meat rich in B12 is essential for our internal system to work properly.
Overindulgence, large plated portions, second and third helpings, super fast eating without awareness and actual enjoyment of the food we eat is our enemy. I should know, I used to be like that. Eat faster then speed of light, then get more so that I can eat as much as I can stuff in me, before I feel the "full" signal.
Based on a friends advice and the book "Atkins diet for beginners" she gave me, I tried removing sugar from my diet, and loose weight that way. I discovered 3 things: 1; I hate the taste of artificial sweeteners and can pick on it in any food, 2; apparently Im one of the few people alive, that have artificial sweeteners allergy. My body rejects the indigestible sugar compounds that most people expel without batting an eye. For me it is quite literally poison. So though most people should be OK, it does not mean artificial sweeteners are good for you. 3; it didn't work. I have NOT lost any weight. With the exception to my 3 day allergy reaction, with violent agonizingly painful stomach sickness and all that comes with that. Which cant be counted as weight lost, since it evened out few days later...
Again I stress that balanced eating habits-lifestyle, tailored to your needs, health issues, and activity levels will ultimately help you reduce weight, if that is your goal. No amount of sugar/carb reduction, dieting you hate, short term drastic non-eating, or removing portions of different kinds of foods (like sugar, fats, or gluten) will be the answer.
I include copy of a review (not mine) from Amazon, which I found very informative and with which I wholeheartedly agree, though Im not able to put it as eloquently or with the professional experience as the "LM" reviewer:
Copy-Pasted:
Please note that my perspectives on this book review come as an Assistant Professor of Nursing with a PhD in Public Health. I say this only because I've been around the block long enough and read enough research to question many of the claims that have become so main stream these days. Any of my claims below can be substantiated with a quick search of PubMed (the US government's research database). Here is what I found discreditable about this book:
1) Losing weight is treated as end result, regardless of the means. Losing weight should be treated as a side effect and never the ultimate objective. Your goal should be health and wellness, in which case weight loss usually balances out. If you carry around 5-10 extra lbs but eat whole foods, rich in antioxidant and nutrition, most likely you will avoid the chronic diseases that follow the Standard American Diet. Take France for example (or any of Europe really) who have longer life expectancies but eat carb-rich diets.
2) It is a promotion of the Atkins Diet, which in all its fame and glory still promotes Nutrasweet and artificial sweeteners. Research has shown these affect gut bacteria and weight gain. I would not give any person who still promotes artificial sweeteners as a weight loss technique any credibility.
3) This brings me to my next point, which is there is no mention of gut bacteria's effects on weight gain/loss. Research has shown that our microbiome influences our weight, in which case replenishing our healthy gut microbes should promote better weight control.
4) For as much discussion as there is about exercise and calories/debunking calories in and calories out, he treats exercise as only a means to decrease calories and burn fat. What about exercise's role in insulin resistance, glucose control, and inflammation, all of which are regulators of weight? He should be harping on the fact that exercise increases insulin sensitivity as this seems to be the focus of his argument.
5) Anyone who seriously makes a claim that an apple or a grape has too many carbs has missed the boat entirely. Fruit is full of antioxidants and fiber, which blunt insulin response. He makes absolutely no claims about how other foods (such as green tea, spices, herbs, FAT, etc.) influence our body's blood sugar and subsequent insulin response. This is a major flaw in his theory and should be viewed with skepticism.
Now, I do agree that fat, both saturated and unsaturated, has not given rise to our obesity epidemic and has unjustly been demonized as contributing to weight gain. I personally cook with pastured lard, schmaltz, pastured bacon fat, etc. and have found that the more fat I add to my diet, the less I worry about weight gain (partially because of the satiety that comes along with eating so much fat). The lipid hypothesis continues to fall apart.
Take what Gary Tabues says with a grain of salt. He isn't a health guru and only repeats (self-admittingly) what others have already said. Will I be getting rid of all carbohydrates in my diet because I fear of some unknown potential weight gain? Absolutely not. There is some wonderful research on how Resistant Starch (found in potatoes, WHITE rice, pasta) plays a role in weight control and cancer prevention.
Read the Dirt Cure by Maya Shetreat-Klein, which I also just finished for a balanced perspective, or even Michael Pollan's books, which are far better researched and less dogmatic. Another winner is Real Food by Nina Planck. Just don't put all of your (pastured) eggs in one basket...this guy doesn't have all the answers and isn't promoting a well-rounded perspective on weight or health.
