Kindle Freebie: What is Fat For?
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wabmester
Posts: 2,748 Member
I love freebies. I haven't finished this one, but I found the introduction surprisingly fresh and compelling.
What Is Fat For?: Re-Thinking Obesity Science
From the blurb:
Obesity science has reached a crossroads: The carbohydrate hypothesis is poised to overtake “calories in, calories out” as the predominant understanding of weight gain. Physicians, dietitians and trainers have come to treat “carbs are bad” as a new gospel, preaching a lifestyle that strays very far from the true scientific consensus. In "What Is Fat For?" Ignatius Brady, a weight loss physician and science writer, presents a fresh perspective on obesity based on critical new research that has gone largely overlooked.
The protein leverage hypothesis holds that neither dietary fat nor dietary carbohydrate “cause” us to gain weight. The obesity debate is re-framed as an imbalance between “protein” and “non-protein” energy. This imbalance has caused a widespread human adaptation: the obesity epidemic.
In a thorough yet readable style, the book takes the reader through normal human weight regulation, the time frame needed for weight loss, and what’s missing in the “carbs are bad” thinking. This is not a diet book, but a scientific exploration of the inner workings of human biology and our interactions with the modern nutritional environment. The question, “What is fat for?” drives this narrative, which takes nothing for granted, analyzes all possibilities, and presents detailed evidence for the reader’s best judgment. Biases are overturned, accepted wisdom is re-considered and new answers are discovered.
What Is Fat For?: Re-Thinking Obesity Science
From the blurb:
Obesity science has reached a crossroads: The carbohydrate hypothesis is poised to overtake “calories in, calories out” as the predominant understanding of weight gain. Physicians, dietitians and trainers have come to treat “carbs are bad” as a new gospel, preaching a lifestyle that strays very far from the true scientific consensus. In "What Is Fat For?" Ignatius Brady, a weight loss physician and science writer, presents a fresh perspective on obesity based on critical new research that has gone largely overlooked.
The protein leverage hypothesis holds that neither dietary fat nor dietary carbohydrate “cause” us to gain weight. The obesity debate is re-framed as an imbalance between “protein” and “non-protein” energy. This imbalance has caused a widespread human adaptation: the obesity epidemic.
In a thorough yet readable style, the book takes the reader through normal human weight regulation, the time frame needed for weight loss, and what’s missing in the “carbs are bad” thinking. This is not a diet book, but a scientific exploration of the inner workings of human biology and our interactions with the modern nutritional environment. The question, “What is fat for?” drives this narrative, which takes nothing for granted, analyzes all possibilities, and presents detailed evidence for the reader’s best judgment. Biases are overturned, accepted wisdom is re-considered and new answers are discovered.
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Replies
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Intriguing! Just downloaded it. Thank you!0
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Thanks for the heads up!0
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I got it free, too. thanks0
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Thanks @wabmester I was pleasantly surprised to see it was free here in the UK as well, so have downloaded it. Hope it will help get me re-focused after Christmas. It was "readable style" that sold it!0
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I got it just now....but Amazon UK charged me for it!0
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Anyone read it yet?0
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Yes!
Loved it on an intellectual level, but it's not a book that's going to change your lifestyle.
It's written by a doc who ran an obesity clinic for 10 years. He's a science geek (has a blog on Science 2.0), and he read 1000+ studies trying to understand obesity. The book is basically a distillation of his current beliefs, and it highlights a few of the more interesting studies he digested.
Most (all?) of the take-home messages run counter to prevailing wisdom, but they are based on some pretty good science.
He's not a huge fan of low carb, but he seems to grudgingly accept that it works. His problems with it seem to stem from 1) he's extremely carb tolerant himself, 2) his patients had trouble sticking to low carb, and 3) they all regained weight when they went back to their old eating patterns (and he suggests that almost 100% do).
It left me wanting a sequel. I want a book that focuses on that small population of successful long-term weight loss maintainers.0 -
2.99 now? Free on unlimited kindle though I don't have that0
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I don't understand the idea behind ever going back to any version of the previous way of eating. That's the way that made the person sick and fat to begin with. What's the point in going back? Besides the simple desire for those foods. That's not enough reason for me personally.0
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ettaterrell wrote: »2.99 now? Free on unlimited kindle though I don't have that
It was only free on the day I posted. Still worth $3 IMO.Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »I don't understand the idea behind ever going back to any version of the previous way of eating. That's the way that made the person sick and fat to begin with. What's the point in going back? Besides the simple desire for those foods. That's not enough reason for me personally.
He argues that weight gain is usually a LONG process. We might gain 1 lb per year on average.
That resonated with me -- I put on an extra 35lbs over a period of about 35 years.
And he argues that the food environment is stacked against us.
So it's a long-term fight to keep from gaining weight.0 -
It finally resonated with me with this woe that returning to eating the way I always have will return me to the terribly unhealthy me, who couldn't work and hurt all the time! I don't know why it took so long for it to "click", but I'm so glad it did! No, I do know why! It's because I never had the healthy results from any woe before LCHF to motivate me to continue with it! Even weight loss from weight loss surgery didn't give me the health I was seeking! I'm happy that I'm here!0
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