Real Reasons for Obesity

rosebette

This was posted in the NY Times wellness blog this week. According to Dr. Ludwig, weight loss/gain is not about CICO, but the real causes for obesity is our increasing reliance on processed carbs. Any thoughts? http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/01/07/rethinking-weight-loss-and-the-reasons-were-always-hungry/?ref=health&_r=0

quiksylver296

Here's my thought - that is wrong.

jgnatca

I don't know what in the heck is going on with Harvard, but I think they are backing the wrong horse with the whole weight loss thing.

missblondi2u

I couldn't get past these two little gems right up front:

"The basic premise is that overeating doesn’t make you fat."

and

"Simply cutting back on calories as we’ve been told actually makes the situation worse."

I'd say the millions of pounds lost by the users of this site would disagree.

earlnabby

quiksylver296 wrote: »

Here's my thought - that is wrong.

Agreed !!!!!!!!!!!!

Need2Exerc1se

While I think it sounds like a good enough diet plan, the "basic premise" is ridiculous.

"The basic premise is that overeating doesn’t make you fat. The process of getting fat makes you overeat. It may sound radical, but there’s literally a century of science to support this point."

Seriously WTF is that supposed to mean? If overeating doesn't make us fat, what the heck is the "process of getting fat"? Riddle me that one Batman.

MelaniaTrump

He's a genius (sarcasm):
The quickest way to lower insulin is to cut back on processed carbohydrates and to get the right balance of protein and fat in your diet.
Can you really make money writing books that easily?

PiSquared

Do processed foods contribute to obesity? Of course they do, because they tend to be calorie dense, for little nutrition. Processed foods also tend to be inexpensive and require little, if any, time and effort to prepare and have a long shelf life not requiring refrigeration. There are a lot of socio-economic factors in play for processed foods.

I would say that processed foods in and of themselves will not make you fat, but they probably won't make you healthy, either.

These days, personally, I limit my processed foods. For the most part, I find they have too many calories and far too much sodium for too little taste. Have I completely eliminated them? No, because, let's be honest about our modern lifestyle. I think processed foods, like anything, can have their place in your diet in moderation. Sometimes you need a quick meal. Also, I like chips and cookies.

flaminica

"We think of obesity as a state of excess, but it’s really more akin to a state of starvation. If the fat cells are storing too many calories, the brain doesn’t have access to enough to make sure that metabolism runs properly."

In other news, War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. For his next trick, the author will argue that black is white and get run over at the nearest zebra crossing. (With apologies to George Orwell and Douglas Adams.)

MelaniaTrump

The dress was blue and black.

TheBeachgod

I thought this was why.

acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

DataSeven

I eat processed foods every day and am losing weight. Am I breaking the laws of science here?

Need2Exerc1se

DataSeven wrote: »

I eat processed foods every day and am losing weight. Am I breaking the laws of science here?

That's not what the article suggested. But according to the author you may be making it harder on yourself than if you didn't eat them.

granturismo

This academic has a book to publicise. As with most topics researchers will differ, depending on their biases. He probably has some research to back up his hypothesis but as Twain quoted 'There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics'. Results can be manipulated to fit a hypothesis.

It was accepted that the earth was flat, so maybe CICO is wrong.

Clobern80

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

DataSeven wrote: »

I eat processed foods every day and am losing weight. Am I breaking the laws of science here?

That's not what the article suggested. But according to the author you may be making it harder on yourself than if you didn't eat them.

I would rather make it a little tougher while still losing and enjoying foods I think are delicious than be miserable and give up eating like a rabbit.

rileysowner

TLDR I sounds like more woo, and the dangerous type because MD and PHD are connected to it, sort of like Dr. Oz.

Need2Exerc1se

clobern80 wrote: »

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

DataSeven wrote: »

I eat processed foods every day and am losing weight. Am I breaking the laws of science here?

That's not what the article suggested. But according to the author you may be making it harder on yourself than if you didn't eat them.

I would rather make it a little tougher while still losing and enjoying foods I think are delicious than be miserable and give up eating like a rabbit.

Then do that. Misery should be avoid at all costs IMO. Best of luck to you!

Sued0nim

I thought this was an interesting response to his new book (there will be lots of articles as he is media savvy and hawking his wares)

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/always-hungry-its-probably-not-your.html

strong_curves

Sounds like BS to me.

Sued0nim

clobern80 wrote: »

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

DataSeven wrote: »

I eat processed foods every day and am losing weight. Am I breaking the laws of science here?

That's not what the article suggested. But according to the author you may be making it harder on yourself than if you didn't eat them.

I would rather make it a little tougher while still losing and enjoying foods I think are delicious than be miserable and give up eating like a rabbit.

Narrows eyes

Whaddayamean? I eat lots of delicious foods

:bigsmile:

rosebette

Because this is an interview (as opposed to an academic paper that's couched in more scientific language), I think there is an element of oversimplification at the beginning, but it's important to read through to the end. What he is saying is that due to our overconsumption of processed carbs and sugars, we have become fat, but our brains and even our bodies don't recognize that the calories stored in our fat cells are accessible for energy. Therefore, even though we are fat, we are constantly hungry. He also discusses this theory in conjunction with insulin and Type II diabetes. In a way, I understand it. While I've never experienced this constant hunger and was never more than moderately overweight (around a 26 BMI after an injury), my husband who is overweight and diabetic and makes jokes ("fat cells never go away, they just shrink"), says he is constantly hungry and that when I can just stop eating something because I'm full, he tells me "You don't understand how a fat person thinks/feels." For example, I wear a FItbit HR, and it kind of predicts when I'll be hungry -- if the calories burned are more than I've consumed, say after exercise, I do feel quite hungry. But if I sit around all day and I've eaten what I've burned, I'm not that hungry. However, my husband can be sedentary all day and yet feel much hungrier than I do even if I'm active, and even if he's eaten much more than I have. I think this article captures the reason for that insatiability of the overweight-obese person. Ludwig's solution is to stop eating some of those foods that fuel that craving/hunger -- processed carbs, sugars, etc.

johnnylakis

Want to end obesity? There's a patch. You put duct tape over your mouth.

Need2Exerc1se

rabbitjb wrote: »

I thought this was an interesting response to his new book (there will be lots of articles as he is media savvy and hawking his wares)

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/always-hungry-its-probably-not-your.html

#2 on his list - - Hunger is only one of the reasons we eat. We don't generally eat dessert because we're still hungry at the end of a meal. We don't drink alcohol or put cream and sugar in our coffee because we're hungry. Much of the eating we do in the affluent world has little to do with hunger-- a phenomenon researchers call "non-homeostatic eating".

I think this is the big one for many people. I think hunger is the least of our problems. If we only ate when were hungry there would be very few of us overweight.

moya_bleh

According to that article, my progress is all a lie!!!

Pawsforme

I don't believe he's entirely wrong.

Often the mantra on here of CICO is overly simplistic, IMO. (Well, I actually think lots of posts on here are overly simplistic.)

While I don't disagree that CICO does work ('cause thermodynamics), I think how easily/effortlessly it works can vary a lot depending on the individual and the types of food being eaten.

That's not expressed well. I'm in a hurry and shouldn't even be on here right now. And not interested in/don't have time to debate, either. But I predict within the next few years we'll get more and more research that will prove Ludwig to be more right than wrong.

brower47

rosebette wrote: »

This was posted in the NY Times wellness blog this week. According to Dr. Ludwig, weight loss/gain is not about CICO, but the real causes for obesity is our increasing reliance on processed carbs. Any thoughts? http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/01/07/rethinking-weight-loss-and-the-reasons-were-always-hungry/?ref=health&_r=0

My thoughts:

Ludwig = bad science

It is about CI/CO. That moron has had the audacity to state that someone eating I've 5000 calories will not gain weight if they don't eat the wrong foods. Trust nothing he says. Find a new source for information.

msharrington315

When I was over 400 pounds I ate almost double the calories I do now. In order to sustain that weight, I needed to take in a volume of food to support it. To lose it, I gradually made small changes to my intake over time. I didn't change a lot about what I ate (as I already ate basically the right foods), but how much I was eating.

I have successfully maintained my 200 pound weight loss for almost a year. I do it by being mindful of what I eat and trying to re-learn what it means to be "hungry". I have a binge-eating issue I work to keep under control by ensuring that I do not starve myself. It is a careful balance and takes a lot of strategy in order to avoid the behavior. I do have foods which trigger it, but I am learning to be careful with those as well and have healthier alternatives.

This massive weight loss I have had is not a means to an end, but a journey of learning, experimenting and getting to know myself again.

To all of you who are struggling, I can tell you that the biggest battle has been in the mind for me. Having a food/eating addiction can be one of the hardest to beat as there are so many factors which work against you succeeding. I am taking it day by day, continuing to read, learn, and not let others, including so-called experts, tell me how to live my life. I listen, but I don't always follow. I wouldn't be here today telling you that I lost over 200 pounds in 11 months if I did.

awnurmarc

There are lots of people who didn't lose weight until they cut back on sugar in all it's forms and suddenly gained control of their appetites and metabolism. That doesn't totally contradict CICO but it brings it in reach of many people. When I was 20 I lost weight counting calories and drinking soda. When I was in my forties, that didn't work. But eating mostly fat did. I remember one afternoon suddenly realizing I no longer felt the craving for a snack before supper. Becoming master of my metabolism was amazing. I could fast if I wanted to and stay productive all day. That was new.

And eating butter, ghee, cream, and coconut oil more than makes up for pancakes, waffles, and the like.

Some of my recent weight loss has been with calorie counting and some without. I'm not saying that it's not a tool. If you want to make a (reasonable) goal on a schedule it is probably essential. But getting off the sugar wagon has given me a new life. Even before I lost any weight I maintained the eating strategy because I felt so much better. It was like kicking a drug habit.

The article probably overstates things for marketing purposes and other reasons. But that shouldn't obscure the obvious truth that is discussed.

hsmith0930

I think over dependence on processed carbs CONTRIBUTES to a problem with obesity. It's easier to eat, cheaper to get, and tends to leave you feeling less than satisfied when done, leading to people continuing to eat to fulfill either the emotional need to enjoy tasty food or the physical need to feel full. It makes it more difficult to trust your body to tell you that you've eaten enough calories. Our brains are notoriously greedy *kitten* that will want more more more.

But if I (accurately) count the calories in the neon orange cheesey poofs I'm ramming down my gullet and make sure that I consume fewer calories than I burn each day, I will lose fat at a rate that is directly proportionate to the deficit I create. Period.

I can see where people want to be able to place the blame on something and hit an easy button. Personally, I find when I eat fewer grain-based carbs I tend to feel more full and crave less sugary food. My body is just more satisfied and it makes eating at a caloric deficit easier for me, mentally. But at the end of the day, eating fewer carbs is only a tool I use to meet my desired deficit, not the actual answer to weight loss.

jmule24

Q.
If it’s not overeating, then what is the underlying cause of obesity?

A.
It’s the low fat, very high carbohydrate diet that we’ve been eating for the last 40 years, which raises levels of the hormone insulin and programs fat cells to go into calorie storage overdrive. I like to think of insulin as the ultimate fat cell fertilizer.

And this guy has a Ph. D........... wow.........

CupcakesMom2

Thank you everyone who posted the different web sites. This is a very very interesting topic for me, one that I hope to see more discussion on. I believe there is some truth in all these articles. I do not think weight loss/weight gain is black and white or simple and I think we have alot more to learn on this subject. Every person that I know eats differently, exercises differently, experience hunger differently, and loses and gains weight differently. Gender, health, habits, age all seem to factor in. Yes I think calories are extremely important but I do not think that's the entire picture. I also think we are putting chemicals into our bodies that previously did not exist in the form of sugar substitutes and whatever they decide to put into processed food and probably on the outsides of whole foods. I even read the other day there are chemicals in the pizza boxes to help the pizza slide out easier (which are now in the process of being outlawed). I am sure these chemicals have effects we are not currently aware of in relation to appetite, health and weight gain.