Why we get fat and what to do about it

bluebird321

Meh, low carb worked for me... and then I remembered that I really like bread, and fruit, and all sorts of other tasty things. Low calorie and exercise works fine for me too. I also lost weight right before my husband came home from Iraq by eating oatmeal for all three meals with no snacks. lol the point of this is that I think loads of different things work. Each body is gonna respond differently to different things, also each person is going to respond differently too. I don't want to only eat oatmeal, and I do want to eat bread, so calories and exercise it is.

I think this is a great perspective to have. Think of the different theories out there as OPTIONS. If one thing doesnt work, you can try others. Don't struggle to figure out which is the most right, or scientifically accurate. It's not about winning an argument on the internet. It's about your body and your health. Try to find what works best for YOU.

This...

My wife is vegan, eats a lot of carbs and grains, but keeps the weight off -- I tried it her way and it didn't work for me at all. Obviously, my way wouldn't work for her either.

pstaub70

Gary Taubes:
1. Pick your hypothesis so a book can be written.
2. Cherry pick data to support hypothesis.
3. Ignore OVERWHELMING evidence that contradict hypothesis.
4. Receive money from book proceeds.

T. Colin Campbell:
1. Pick your hypothesis so a book can be written.
2. Cherry pick data to support hypothesis.
3. Ignore OVERWHELMING evidence that contradict hypothesis.
4. Receive money from book proceeds


This is not an attack post directed at the poster of this list. (I have no idea what diet you follow) I just felt that there was another author deserving similar accusations and sharp wit.

bcattoes

Anyone that says cutting calories and exercising won't help you lose weight is an idiot, a liar, or just plain crazy. There are millions, maybe billions, of people who have lost weight by cutting calories and exercising. I am one of them.

But, hey, whatever sells a book and pads the bank account.

I doubt he says that in his book. I'm going to buy it and read it and search hard for where he says that. The OP said it seems like thats what he is saying. But from reading his other material i cant seem to remember anytime that he said someone who cuts calories and exersizes will NOT lose weight. I agree that someone that says cutting calories and exercising won't help you lose weight is MAY be an idiot, a liar, or just plain crazy. Have you read the book? just curious

I have not read the book, but if it says that cutting calories and exercising won't help with weight loss it's crazy.

sooh2011

Gary Taubes:
1. Pick your hypothesis so a book can be written.
2. Cherry pick data to support hypothesis.
3. Ignore OVERWHELMING evidence that contradict hypothesis.
4. Receive money from book proceeds.

T. Colin Campbell:
1. Pick your hypothesis so a book can be written.
2. Cherry pick data to support hypothesis.
3. Ignore OVERWHELMING evidence that contradict hypothesis.
4. Receive money from book proceeds


This is not an attack post directed at the poster of this list. (I have no idea what diet you follow) I just felt that there was another author deserving similar accusations and sharp wit.

I'd never heard of Taubes before reading this interesting thread but having read this thread and looked him up, I would say this comment is extremely unfair.

Taubes: Studied physics and engineering, then journalism...then develops an interest in nutrition and writes a book.

Campbell: Spent entire career as a researcher in nutrition, now Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, author of 300 research papers.

If I had to pick one of the two, I know who I would rather trust.

MrsPhan11

I read Why We Get Fat and then went and bought Good Calories Bad Calories. The latter is more technical with argument and evidence directed at healthcare providers and researchers. Both present arguments (1) not enough science was in place before Dietary guidelines were established back in the '60s--the government barrelled ahead based on insufficient data and we have what we have today because of confirmation bias in nutrition research that continues (this was my impression), and (2) there is plenty of research in place that is ignored that indicates low fat, high carb is not the way to go, yet the government persists in its endorsing and enforcing same through dietary guidelines, school lunches and the like. For reasons one can only speculate upon; one of which could be no one wants to say, "we were wrong".

It's long been understood that weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise--the purpose of which is fitness. Movement is important to health and well being, over and above any calorie burning. He presents an interesting argument regarding human physiology, calories and food choices. If people still believe calories in = calories out (this makes me crazy when I hear this and was delighted when Taubes agreed), they need to learn what the law of thermodynamics is rather than parroting catchy phrases. This blogger explains it way better than I could http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/10/first-law-of-thermodynamics-in-real.html

Why are we all here? Because the number one, seriously ... the number one reason why any weight loss progam is successful is support of peers. Proven time and again successful, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, et al all have counsellors and support as part of their process. Pick any diet and if you have buddies, family, and friends helping you make exercise goals, stay committed to food choices and feeling good about your progress, plateaus and set backs ... I guarantee that diet would be successful. That's why we're here ... for each other.

I respectfully disagree with your theory that the number one reason is any weight loss program is successful is support of peers. I lost ALL of my weight by myself, my own program and surrounded by family that wasn't dieting and did not care to forgo their favorite foods to support me.

Motivation may not be the #1 factor but it definitely helps! I love the encouragement and support here on MFP. That is awesome that you did it all by yourself and it's a shame that your loved ones didn't support you. Congratulations on your loss!

pstaub70

Gary Taubes:
1. Pick your hypothesis so a book can be written.
2. Cherry pick data to support hypothesis.
3. Ignore OVERWHELMING evidence that contradict hypothesis.
4. Receive money from book proceeds.

T. Colin Campbell:
1. Pick your hypothesis so a book can be written.
2. Cherry pick data to support hypothesis.
3. Ignore OVERWHELMING evidence that contradict hypothesis.
4. Receive money from book proceeds


This is not an attack post directed at the poster of this list. (I have no idea what diet you follow) I just felt that there was another author deserving similar accusations and sharp wit.

I'd never heard of Taubes before reading this interesting thread but having read this thread and looked him up, I would say this comment is extremely unfair.

Taubes: Studied physics and engineering, then journalism...then develops an interest in nutrition and writes a book.

Campbell: Spent entire career as a researcher in nutrition, now Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, author of 300 research papers.

If I had to pick one of the two, I know who I would rather trust.

Academic credentials do not prevent cherry picking and ignoring of of contradictory evidence.

The same could be said about Ancel Keys' academic record. Would you trust him despite the large amount of evidence that his lipid hypothesis isn't true?

mtntrailrunner

Disclaimer: I've only read "GCs BCs"

These books are about why we got fat in the first place.

yes, dieting and exercising will drop pounds.

but that's not what these books are about, they are about the WHY (Good Calories Bad Calories(the scientific one)) and HOW (Why We Get Fat: and what to do about it(the not so scientific one)) of being overweight.

Just read either book and form your own opinion.

You can't form an opinion about either book based on a few lines of summary from any of the commenters here.

I'm only reading this post because I was curious about what others who have read the aforementioned book actually thought about it but it seems as other people here are sharing what they think about it without ever reading either one.

To say, "cutting calories and exercising won't help with weight loss" is doing the book an injustice. What it really should say is something like: "cutting calories and exercising isn't the end all be all when it comes down to weight loss, at least not weight loss as we'd like to think about it" We don't want to merely lose weight, we want it to go away for good and stay away.

These books are about why we got fat in the first place.

EDIT: see that cupcake in my hand? that's why I'm fat. Sugar and empty carbs ... bad calories ... problem is sugar and empty carbs are so ingrained into almost everything we eat it's hard to get away from it all.

martinah4

Disclaimer: I've only read "GCs BCs"

These books are about why we got fat in the first place.

yes, dieting and exercising will drop pounds.

but that's not what these books are about, they are about the WHY (Good Calories Bad Calories(the scientific one)) and HOW (Why We Get Fat: and what to do about it(the not so scientific one)) of being overweight.

Just read either book and form your own opinion.

You can't form an opinion about either book based on a few lines of summary from any of the commenters here.

I'm only reading this post because I was curious about what others who have read the aforementioned book actually thought about it but it seems as other people here are sharing what they think about it without ever reading either one.

To say, "cutting calories and exercising won't help with weight loss" is doing the book an injustice. What it really should say is something like: "cutting calories and exercising isn't the end all be all when it comes down to weight loss, at least not weight loss as we'd like to think about it" We don't want to merely lose weight, we want it to go away for good and stay away.

These books are about why we got fat in the first place.

EDIT: see that cupcake in my hand? that's why I'm fat. Sugar and empty carbs ... bad calories ... problem is sugar and empty carbs are so ingrained into almost everything we eat it's hard to get away from it all.

I agree. I read Why We Get Fat, and it made total sense to me. It also confirms what I've suspected about my body for a long time...that I'm sensitive to carbs, and how easy it was for me to lose 62 pounds in 9 months by cutting them out.

SeattleGrl

I just started reading "why we get fat" per the suggestion of my Dr.
Personally I know my body is very sensitive to carbs, so these findings are of interest to me. I agree it's a good idea to read the book before making a conclusion, I also agree do what works for you!

lloydrt

150 lbs lost here by a 56 year old male eating between 1500 - 1900 calories a day, using this website and exercising 5 - 6 days a week, from 1 - 2.5 hours a visit

no gimmiks, no pills, no secrets, just did it the correct way, slow and easy and stayed focused

and I saved myself the cost of his book...........Its all inside you and you can do it if you stay focused..........Lloyd

neanderthin

EDIT: see that cupcake in my hand? that's why I'm fat. Sugar and empty carbs ... bad calories ... problem is sugar and empty carbs are so ingrained into almost everything we eat it's hard to get away from it all.

If that were true then everyone that eats sugar and empty calories in the world would be obese. Overconsumption of sugar is documented to cause problems, and a multitude at that......otherwise they make a good energy source for a lot of the worlds population and athletes of every description......Everytime one of these debates erupts, context and dosage is tossed out the window and extremes are uses as examples and templates of justification. Sugar and carbs in NA are the foundation of the general population, which needs to be changed to a diet that has less processed and fast food to a diet that is more naturally processed, it isn't rocket science.

I agree that it isn't as simple as saying calories in vs out for people that are obese and have a problem losing weight. Limiting refined carbs and refined sugar is a step in the right direction, which in a lower carb diet that that change facilitates, satiety is elevated and people consume fewer calories by default. But to say people aren't obese because they eat too much and that carbs are the reason we get fat is like replacing the lipid hypothesis, with the carb hyposthesis.......extremes lke that are the scape goat of confirmation bias.

Acg67

EDIT: see that cupcake in my hand? that's why I'm fat. Sugar and empty carbs ... bad calories ... problem is sugar and empty carbs are so ingrained into almost everything we eat it's hard to get away from it all.

If that were true then everyone that eats sugar and empty calories in the world would be obese. Overconsumption of sugar is documented to cause problems, and a multitude at that......otherwise they make a good energy source for a lot of the worlds population and athletes of every description......Everytime one of these debates erupts, context and dosage is tossed out the window and extremes are uses as examples and templates of justification. Sugar and carbs in NA are the foundation of the general population, which needs to be changed to a diet that has less processed and fast food to a diet that is more naturally processed, it isn't rocket science.

I agree that it isn't as simple as saying calories in vs out for people that are obese and have a problem losing weight. Limiting refined carbs and refined sugar is a step in the right direction, which in a lower carb diet that that change facilitates, satiety is elevated and people consume fewer calories by default. But to say people aren't obese because they eat too much and that carbs are the reason we get fat is like replacing the lipid hypothesis, with the carb hyposthesis.......extremes lke that are the scape goat of confirmation bias.

wait are you saying a single macronutrient is not the cause of obesity!?

neanderthin

EDIT: see that cupcake in my hand? that's why I'm fat. Sugar and empty carbs ... bad calories ... problem is sugar and empty carbs are so ingrained into almost everything we eat it's hard to get away from it all.

If that were true then everyone that eats sugar and empty calories in the world would be obese. Overconsumption of sugar is documented to cause problems, and a multitude at that......otherwise they make a good energy source for a lot of the worlds population and athletes of every description......Everytime one of these debates erupts, context and dosage is tossed out the window and extremes are uses as examples and templates of justification. Sugar and carbs in NA are the foundation of the general population, which needs to be changed to a diet that has less processed and fast food to a diet that is more naturally processed, it isn't rocket science.

I agree that it isn't as simple as saying calories in vs out for people that are obese and have a problem losing weight. Limiting refined carbs and refined sugar is a step in the right direction, which in a lower carb diet that that change facilitates, satiety is elevated and people consume fewer calories by default. But to say people aren't obese because they eat too much and that carbs are the reason we get fat is like replacing the lipid hypothesis, with the carb hyposthesis.......extremes lke that are the scape goat of confirmation bias.

wait are you saying a single macronutrient is not the cause of obesity!?

Actually i'm writing a book that proves that 1 specific technically advanced device is the cause of obesity, and especially in NA due to it's enormous availability and potential user saturation which is growing exponentially. :devil: soon to be released.

neanderthin

Gary Taubes:
1. Pick your hypothesis so a book can be written.
2. Cherry pick data to support hypothesis.
3. Ignore OVERWHELMING evidence that contradict hypothesis.
4. Receive money from book proceeds.

T. Colin Campbell:
1. Pick your hypothesis so a book can be written.
2. Cherry pick data to support hypothesis.
3. Ignore OVERWHELMING evidence that contradict hypothesis.
4. Receive money from book proceeds


This is not an attack post directed at the poster of this list. (I have no idea what diet you follow) I just felt that there was another author deserving similar accusations and sharp wit.

I'd never heard of Taubes before reading this interesting thread but having read this thread and looked him up, I would say this comment is extremely unfair.

Taubes: Studied physics and engineering, then journalism...then develops an interest in nutrition and writes a book.

Campbell: Spent entire career as a researcher in nutrition, now Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, author of 300 research papers.

If I had to pick one of the two, I know who I would rather trust.

Ask yourself why the china study was never used by his peers for supporting data? Campbell was also a vegan and through cherry picking his raw data supported his hyposthesis that a vegan lifestyle showed better health. Someone actually took a look at that raw data, and came to a different conclusion. Here you go, take a look. http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/07/07/the-china-study-fact-or-fallac/

CLA2801

At 125 pounds the doctor didn't put me on a diet..............I started gaining weight for no reason and then he put me on the low calorie low fat diet and it made me gain faster.

Yes, there were some medical issues that the Doctor did not diagnose - but I was in no way overeating to make me fat.

So there was an underlying medical issue causing your weight gain. That being the case, wouldnt you expect that traditional dieting methods might not be helpful? Of COURSE traditional dieting won't help someone whose weight gain is caused by an untreated medical problem.

Thank you. I kept thinking to myself---wth, why isn't anybody else pointing this out???

That being said--- I totally support low-carb if it works for you. And I support high carb. And medium-carb. Seriously, we are all very different, and our bodies (and minds) all respond drastically different to different methods.

For those who couldn't lose weight on a more traditional higher-carb, lower fat plan, then I can see where Taube's book is a real eye-opener and very helpful.

mtntrailrunner

wait are you saying a single macronutrient is not the cause of obesity!?

being a smart *kitten* is not conducive to anything except ignorance. no one pointed out a single entity by itself. And I highly doubt you've read GCs BCs in it's entirety, either that or you simply didn't understand it.

Barneystinson

Gary Taubes:
1. Pick your hypothesis so a book can be written.
2. Cherry pick data to support hypothesis.
3. Ignore OVERWHELMING evidence that contradict hypothesis.
4. Receive money from book proceeds.

T. Colin Campbell:
1. Pick your hypothesis so a book can be written.
2. Cherry pick data to support hypothesis.
3. Ignore OVERWHELMING evidence that contradict hypothesis.
4. Receive money from book proceeds


This is not an attack post directed at the poster of this list. (I have no idea what diet you follow) I just felt that there was another author deserving similar accusations and sharp wit.

I'd never heard of Taubes before reading this interesting thread but having read this thread and looked him up, I would say this comment is extremely unfair.

Taubes: Studied physics and engineering, then journalism...then develops an interest in nutrition and writes a book.

Campbell: Spent entire career as a researcher in nutrition, now Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, author of 300 research papers.

If I had to pick one of the two, I know who I would rather trust.

Academic credentials do not prevent cherry picking and ignoring of of contradictory evidence.

The same could be said about Ancel Keys' academic record. Would you trust him despite the large amount of evidence that his lipid hypothesis isn't true?

Let's all do ourselves a favor and start reading peer-reviewed research and stop continually citing hacks like Dr. Oz, Taubes, and T. Colin Campbell.

...Stinson OUT.

bcattoes

That being said--- I totally support low-carb if it works for you. And I support high carb. And medium-carb. Seriously, we are all very different, and our bodies (and minds) all respond drastically different to different methods.

So true! The best diet for you (whoever you are) is the one that works best for your body and your life and you will adhere to long term.

Acg67

wait are you saying a single macronutrient is not the cause of obesity!?

being a smart *kitten* is not conducive to anything except ignorance. no one pointed out a single entity by itself. And I highly doubt you've read GCs BCs in it's entirety, either that or you simply didn't understand it.

I've read both GCBC and Why We Get Fat and other then his stuff on the lipid hypothesis, it's easily debunked nonsense