It's been a while since I've come across a book that doesn't tip-toe over the truth about why most of the civilized world still battles with obesity. In my opinion, Gary Taubes hit a home run when it comes to "keeping it real" in his latest book - "Why We Get Fat".
Let me start by saying that I stand hard and fast against eating highly refined, processed carbohydrates. Science has proved they dramatically contribute to obesity and chronic disease and reducing the amount you consume will improve the quality of your health and ultimately…your life. I designed my whole weight loss system around this hypothesis and I’ve experienced the results.
Let me start by saying that I stand hard and fast against eating highly refined, processed carbohydrates. Science has proved they dramatically contribute to obesity and chronic disease and reducing the amount you consume will improve the quality of your health and ultimately…your life. I designed my whole weight loss system around this hypothesis and I’ve experienced the results.
In “Why We Get Fat”, Taubes comes out of the gates with strong observational data addressing examples throughout history of impoverished people with high rates of obesity. People with low income are more likely to consume processed carbs on a regular basis because these foods are more cost-effective when trying to feed a family with little means. Taubes' proposal is straight forward. Carbohydrates makes us fat. Forget about calories, the amount of excess fat you are carrying is not a consequence of how many calories you consume, ultimately weight is purely about carbohydrates when you are sticking with a healthy weight loss diet. More specifically, highly processed carbohydrates.Taubes’ view on exercise is sure to raise a few eyebrows. Hit the gym for your health or do it just for fun, but don’t count on a vigorous exercise routine to help you lose weight if you’re eating the wrong carbs. He goes on to say there are excellent reasons to exercise and a multitude of benefits, unfortunately “little evidence exists to support the belief that the number of calories we expend has any effect on how fat we are.” Case in point, I’ve seen some pretty fat line-backers during NFL Sunday night football, but I would not want to take them on in a fitness test when you consider the amount of physical training these men do on a daily basis. The weight loss industry has made a fortune touting exercise as a viable solution to fat loss, but Taubes stands firmly against the calories in/calories out hypothesis stating that one would be “hard-pressed to find a concept more damaging.” The concept, that burning more calories than you consume will result in weight loss, has fueled the notion that obesity is a function of lazy people that simply lack willpower.
About halfway through, Taubes points most directly to the essence of the book by suggesting the most important question we need to ask is “why?” Why do we overeat? Why do we continue to get fatter? It all comes back to the distribution of macronutrients in your diet (Protein, Fat and Carbohydrates) also considered weight loss foods. If carbs make up the most significant portion of your daily eating habits, than you’ve just found the answer.
“Why We Get Fat” is a well researched, if debatable, read. Perhaps my only issue would be Taubes’ take on eating as much protein and fat as you want - as long as the carbs stay out of your diet. This sounds much like the Atkin’s Diet that became all the rage in the early 2000’s. There is still an element to Taubes’ recommendations that smells like deprivation and restriction, the two things, in my opinion, sure to result in the failure of any diet given enough time. Is it just another “magic” diet book? I’ll leave it to you to decide, but there is definitely enough controversy in this book to make it worthwhile read.
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