It's All Sugar's Fault

ladyhusker39 · October 2017

This is what my doctor told me today is the reason people are overweight/obese today. It's a very commonly used explanation on these boards so I wanted to open it up for discussion.

He said that we (I assume he meant Americans, but I guess it could be expanded to Westerners in general) eat about the same number of calories our parents and grandparents used to, but now everything has sugar and unrefined carbohydrates in it. And that's why we're so fat now.

The only sources he cited were a couple of documentaries I eventually got him to admit were the ones on Netflix.

I think this is a load of hooey and had to try hard to keep a straight face and a closed mouth.

But what do you think?

Tacklewasher · October 2017

Full of crap. Ask him to stick to what he knows and learned in medical school, and to stop watching stupid documentaries.

VintageFeline · October 2017

Calling @mmapags as I think he had that nifty sugar consumption vs obesity graph I saw recently.

I think it's wilful ignorance to assert we eat the same and even if we did our daily activity levels are significantly lower with household gadgets and cars and machinery taking up much of the physical load we'd have exerted ourselves daily.

mmapags · October 2017

VintageFeline wrote: »

Calling @mmapags as I think he had that nifty sugar consumption vs obesity graph I saw recently.

I think it's wilful ignorance to assert we eat the same and even if we did our daily activity levels are significantly lower with household gadgets and cars and machinery taking up much of the physical load we'd have exerted ourselves daily.

It was @anvilhead2. I just loved it. Let me see if I can find the thread it was in. But basically, for the past 5 years or so, sugar consumption has dropped markedly and the obesity line kept growing.

mmapags · October 2017

Your doctor is wrong.

Tacklewasher · October 2017

It's on this page.

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.ca/2015/11/carbohydrate-sugar-and-obesity-in.html

Carlos_421 · October 2017

This proves that doctors are as clueless about nutrition and weight loss as the general populace.

richln · October 2017

Here is another neat one, from USDA data. Americans are eating more total calories, more added fats, and more flours/cereals than their parents and grandparents:

Source: http://geeksta.net/visualizations/calories-us/

mmapags · October 2017

ladyhusker39 · October 2017

richln wrote: »

Here is another neat one, from USDA data. Americans are eating more total calories, more added fats, and more flours/cereals than their parents and grandparents:

Source: http://geeksta.net/visualizations/calories-us/

Great graph. When he said we eat about the same number of calories I thought that was crazy and I wouldn't have luck having a real discussion about it.

What's funnier still is that I was there today to get a referral for a MRI of my shoulder because I have a rotator cuff injury that's taking a while to heal. I have no idea what that has to do with my diet. I've lost 35lbs this year btw. But every time I go in he seems to need to tell me how I should change my eating or take weight loss pills.

cmriverside · October 2017

It seems like that colored graph is all kinds of wonky to me. Average daily for all Americans? Kids and adults? Must be.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I go through a LOT of sugar feeding the wild hummingbirds. Like between a cup and a half to three cups per week. I don't use granulated cane sugar for anything at home besides that.

I don't see hummingbirds represented.

I do agree that grains are a problem in my life. They're so easy and so high cal, and they make me want moar.

richln · October 2017

cmriverside wrote: »

It seems like that colored graph is all kinds of wonky to me. Average daily for all Americans? Kids and adults? Must be.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I go through a LOT of sugar feeding the wild hummingbirds. Like between a cup and a half to three cups per week. I don't use granulated cane sugar for anything at home besides that.

I don't see hummingbirds represented.

I do agree that grains are a problem in my life. They're so easy and so high cal, and they make me want moar.

It is from USDA per capita data sets, so that includes all Americans:
https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-availability-per-capita-data-system/loss-adjusted-food-availability-documentation/
They didn't normalize for hummingbird feeding, but this is probably some of the most accurate data you are going to be able to compile on the subject at a national level.

g_poleman · October 2017

Question. Who puts these graphs together?? And how are they getting their data???? By asking people?? News flash. Over weight people tend to lie (or just don't know) about how much they eat. How can carb consumption be down when walk into any major super market and the whole place outside of two depts are full of carbs??? Look at all the prepared food they sell now. No one cooks. Oh the people in shape do. But most obese people are not cooking. I promise you that they are consuming tons of carbs in most cases. Just look at people's carts in supermarkets. Yes sugar alone does not cause you to get fat. True statement. But it ain't Making you lose either.

Alatariel75 · October 2017

g_poleman wrote: »

Question. Who puts these graphs together?? And how are they getting their data???? By asking people?? News flash. Over weight people tend to lie (or just don't know) about how much they eat. How can carb consumption be down when walk into any major super market and the whole place outside of two depts are full of carbs??? Look at all the prepared food they sell now. No one cooks. Oh the people in shape do. But most obese people are not cooking. I promise you that they are consuming tons of carbs in most cases. Just look at people's carts in supermarkets. Yes sugar alone does not cause you to get fat. True statement. But it ain't Making you lose either.

Holy generalisation batman. The irony is you pooh-poohing actual research while spouting completely unsubstantiated statements is fascinating.

Dvdgzz · October 2017

g_poleman wrote: »

Question. Who puts these graphs together?? And how are they getting their data???? By asking people?? News flash. Over weight people tend to lie (or just don't know) about how much they eat. How can carb consumption be down when walk into any major super market and the whole place outside of two depts are full of carbs??? Look at all the prepared food they sell now. No one cooks. Oh the people in shape do. But most obese people are not cooking. I promise you that they are consuming tons of carbs in most cases. Just look at people's carts in supermarkets. Yes sugar alone does not cause you to get fat. True statement. But it ain't Making you lose either.

No food "makes" us lose anything. I personally eat 50+% carbs daily while losing and that includes sugah.

ladyhusker39 · October 2017

g_poleman wrote: »

Question. Who puts these graphs together?? And how are they getting their data???? By asking people?? News flash. Over weight people tend to lie (or just don't know) about how much they eat. How can carb consumption be down when walk into any major super market and the whole place outside of two depts are full of carbs??? Look at all the prepared food they sell now. No one cooks. Oh the people in shape do. But most obese people are not cooking. I promise you that they are consuming tons of carbs in most cases. Just look at people's carts in supermarkets. Yes sugar alone does not cause you to get fat. True statement. But it ain't Making you lose either.

Just because carbs are in demand and popular in the grocery store doesn't mean carbs make you fat. The important word in your statement is "tons". People eat too much and they don't burn it off. It's really not carbs per say. I do think it's easier to overeat carbs than either protein or fat but again, it's not carbs that make you fat. It's taking in more than you work off.

NorthCascades · October 2017

I think you should trust your doctor on medical questions like do you have a cold out the flu, etc. But why people get fat or what horse to bet on, your doctor's opinion isn't any better than anyone else's.

lemurcat12 · October 2017

g_poleman wrote: »

Question. Who puts these graphs together??

The carb chart says on it: Stephan Guyenet. http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2015/11/carbohydrate-sugar-and-obesity-in.html

Many packaged products (especially so called junk food) are high in refined carbs (not only sugar or necessarily sugar) AND ALSO fat, and of course fast food is high in fat. This idea that it's all about sugar is so silly. Do Americans consume too much added sugar and refined carbs and added fat and too few vegetables and fruit and, probably, whole grains and fish (vs. other kinds of meat) on average? IMO, yes, but that's not why we are fat.

And I am someone who cooked from whole food most nights (including vegetables, which I learned to enjoy when growing up and consider an intrinsic part of a meal) when gaining weight and who never ate many of the stereotypical fat people foods (I rarely go into those areas of the supermarket because they don't interest me, eat more ice cream since deciding to lose weight, and dislike most fast food). That I was fat didn't make me not an annoying food snob or not vain about my cooking skills, heh! On the other hand, I have always been thin co-workers who have microwaveable meals (Lean Cuisine or whatever) or buy lunch daily. (I have no reason to think they don't also cook, of course.)

estherdragonbat · October 2017

g_poleman wrote: »

Question. Who puts these graphs together?? And how are they getting their data???? By asking people?? News flash. Over weight people tend to lie (or just don't know) about how much they eat. How can carb consumption be down when walk into any major super market and the whole place outside of two depts are full of carbs??? Look at all the prepared food they sell now. No one cooks. Oh the people in shape do. But most obese people are not cooking. I promise you that they are consuming tons of carbs in most cases. Just look at people's carts in supermarkets. Yes sugar alone does not cause you to get fat. True statement. But it ain't Making you lose either.

I got up to 254 lbs on a mix of home-cooking and convenience foods. I'm now down to 165.2 on a mix of home-cooking and convenience foods. Apart from portion control, the major changes I made?

I stopped buying a couple of my favorite vegetable dips that I find impossible to moderate
Limited my 'substantial' (i.e. containing beans, quinoa, or other non-low-cal-veggie ingredient) salads to one per meal
Resolved to only make desserts that come in at 200 calories or fewer per serving

I eat 50% carbs and have pretty much for the past year. No clue what my macros were before MFP.

Let's not generalize or demonize okay?

kevinkehres7 · October 2017

Get a different doctor.

CharlieBeansmomTracey · October 2017

ladyhusker39 wrote: »

richln wrote: »

Here is another neat one, from USDA data. Americans are eating more total calories, more added fats, and more flours/cereals than their parents and grandparents:

Source: http://geeksta.net/visualizations/calories-us/

Great graph. When he said we eat about the same number of calories I thought that was crazy and I wouldn't have luck having a real discussion about it.

What's funnier still is that I was there today to get a referral for a MRI of my shoulder because I have a rotator cuff injury that's taking a while to heal. I have no idea what that has to do with my diet. I've lost 35lbs this year btw. But every time I go in he seems to need to tell me how I should change my eating or take weight loss pills.

if he is pushing weight loss pills I would find another dr to be honest. weight loss pills can be dangerous and come with lots of side effects,although all things can have side effects.pushing weight loss pills instead of diet and exercise is a red flag to me.

It's All Sugar's Fault

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