If low carb works, why are people still fat?
AlabasterVerve
Posts: 3,171 Member
This article is from March but I just read it this morning and thought it was a particularly thoughtful response to a real and valid question.
If low carb eating is so effective, why are people still overweight?
http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/if-low-carb-eating-is-so-effective-why-are-people-still-overweight
Fair Warning: Dr. Peter Attia supports the Alternative Hypothesis* and is associated with Gary Taubes the science writer.
*Alternative Hypothesis – Obesity is a growth disorder, just like any other growth disorder, and fat accumulation is determined not by the balance of calories consumed and expended but by the effect of specific nutrients on the hormonal regulation of fat metabolism.
If low carb eating is so effective, why are people still overweight?
http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/if-low-carb-eating-is-so-effective-why-are-people-still-overweight
Fair Warning: Dr. Peter Attia supports the Alternative Hypothesis* and is associated with Gary Taubes the science writer.
*Alternative Hypothesis – Obesity is a growth disorder, just like any other growth disorder, and fat accumulation is determined not by the balance of calories consumed and expended but by the effect of specific nutrients on the hormonal regulation of fat metabolism.
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Replies
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tl:dr
it's not a diet, its a lifestyle.
stick with it, and you don't get fat!
/shock /awe
you can't go back to eating junk food all day /eyeroll0 -
lol Very succinct.0
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Low carb diets really grind my gears. Im pretty sure this thread has the potential to start a war.0
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Interesting article -- thanks for sharing.
As with most life style changes in life, it seems to me that the mental state has a lot do with why things don't work. People need to want to change for themselves more than they want the pleasure of a certain food. It is about thinking long term, trusting that their attitude will change along with their physical change, and also I believe social support has a lot to do with it as well. Self worth, understanding and awareness has to do with it. Our psychological and emotional states -- stuff that is deep rooted in our ways of thinking which we might not even realize, and simply call "our personality," is the culprit. Why do people do anything that is poor for them? Its a mental game to change, we become too comfortable using whatever we have around us (including food) to cope, instead of enjoy without attachment, and for fuel.
In my opinion there is no one way to "cure" obesity. A cure must be individual to both a person's physical functions and their mental health.0 -
Whatever type of diet you follow, at the end of the day it is still boils down to calories in - calories out = weight loss or gain. It doesn't matter whether you go low carb or low fat but if you're eating more than you burn then you will still gain weight. There is no magic diet that will instantly make you slimmer while at the same time eating as much as you want. If it were true then everyone would be slim & toned.0
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Interesting article -- thanks for sharing.
As with most life style changes in life, it seems to me that the mental state has a lot do with why things don't work. People need to want to change for themselves more than they want the pleasure of a certain food. It is about thinking long term, trusting that their attitude will change along with their physical change, and also I believe social support has a lot to do with it as well. Self worth, understanding and awareness has to do with it. Our psychological and emotional states -- stuff that is deep rooted in our ways of thinking which we might not even realize, and simply call "our personality," is the culprit. Why do people do anything that is poor for them? Its a mental game to change, we become too comfortable using whatever we have around us (including food) to cope, instead of enjoy without attachment, and for fuel.
In my opinion there is no one way to "cure" obesity. A cure must be individual to both a person's physical functions and their mental health.
I absolutely agree. My weight spiraled out of control after the death of my sister. I was depressed and eating constantly which just fueled the depression for almost four years and it's only been this last year where I've finally "woken up". Eating healthier and getting some exercise has helped tremendously--I stopped gaining weight and I've been losing steadily ever since.
But about four weeks ago I stopped eating grains and cut back on the fruit I was eating and -- to me-- a miraculous thing happened. The constant need to eat every few hours went with it. It's only been about a month but I only eat two or three times a day now and I'm not obsessed with food. So even though I'm an emotional eater it sure makes it easy not to binge when I'm not hungry all the time. On average I'd say I'm eating about 300 - 500 calories a day less.
ETA:
There's one part of your excellent post I do disagree with! I have to say that -- for me -- enjoying delicious food is very necessary and the idea of eating only for fuel sounds miserable and not something I could do for the rest of my life.0 -
tl:dr
it's not a diet, its a lifestyle.
stick with it, and you don't get fat!
/shock /awe
you can't go back to eating junk food all day /eyeroll
Agreed0 -
I'm not responsible for the lack of courtesy in others. It's up to the individual -- just like weight loss, yes?Low carb diets really grind my gears. Im pretty sure this thread has the potential to start a war.0 -
If dieting or exercise works, why are people still fat ?0
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The thing is, this article is still written from the POV that Taubes originally took when he made the alternate hypothesis famous. That is that the low carb thing is still relatively fringe and not mainstream.
Which is odd because he was trying to refute the exact line of thinking that really crushes the hypothesis.
Have he and Taubes not yet figured out that a vast majority of fat people that have tried to lose weight unsuccessfully in the past have tried low carb diets? This isn't some fringe concept that only a few people have heard of, pretty much every major fad diet of the 21st century is/was low carb or moderate carb. A low fat diet is arguably a fringe diet nowadays, and it has been this was for a solid 10 years.
Has this guy been on the moon since the 90's? In what world is there a big conspiracy of carb pushers?
If the alternate theory was right, it would have at least made a dent. Not to mention success begets success. The examples of disease he included he forgot to mention that yes there are cures and preventions, and yes the diseases do still exist, however these cures and preventions have made a HUGE impact in the prevalence of these diseases. The low carb diet era of the 21st century hasn't done a thing to the incidence of obesity.0 -
The thing is, this article is still written from the POV that Taubes originally took when he made the alternate hypothesis famous. That is that the low carb thing is still relatively fringe and not mainstream.
Which is odd because he was trying to refute the exact line of thinking that really crushes the hypothesis.
Have he and Taubes not yet figured out that a vast majority of fat people that have tried to lose weight unsuccessfully in the past have tried low carb diets? This isn't some fringe concept that only a few people have heard of, pretty much every major fad diet of the 21st century is/was low carb or moderate carb. A low fat diet is arguably a fringe diet nowadays, and it has been this was for a solid 10 years.
If the alternate theory was right, it would have at least made a dent. Not to mention success begets success.
As with any weight loss method, if it is merely a "diet" and not a lifestyle change a person will always fail.
That goes with low fat, low carb, calorie counting, etc...........0 -
If dieting or exercise works, why are people still fat ?
It is not an alternate hypothesis, nor is it a magic bullet.
Taubes' alternate hypothesis and that regurgitated here is a magic bullet answer. Severely reduce or eliminate your carb intake and you'll fix your problems and be a skinny person.0 -
"Swedes are already among the slimmest people in Europe, and according to the latest statistics the obesity epidemic is slowing to a crawl here."
I'd say in a few years it will be very interesting since the Swedish are starting to embrace the idea of a LCHF diet. The "LCHF-Revolution" is even causing butter shortages. :laugh:
Tons of articles about what's going on although LCHF is still very much in the minority:
http://www.dietdoctor.com/category/science-and-health/the-swedish-revolution?mod=show-categories0 -
If dieting or exercise works, why are people still fat ?
I agree 100% with this.0 -
The article isn't about the alternate hypothesis--it's about answering the question, If low carb eating is so effective, why are people still overweight? Did you have any response to the actual article? I thought it offered logical, possible explanations to questions you're asking here.If dieting or exercise works, why are people still fat ?
It is not an alternate hypothesis, nor is it a magic bullet.
Taubes' alternate hypothesis and that regurgitated here is a magic bullet answer. Severely reduce or eliminate your carb intake and you'll fix your problems and be a skinny person.
ETA: I didn't see this!The examples of disease he included he forgot to mention that yes there are cures and preventions, and yes the diseases do still exist, however these cures and preventions have made a HUGE impact in the prevalence of these diseases. The low carb diet era of the 21st century hasn't done a thing to the incidence of obesity.
Do you think it might have to do with the fact that these cures are promoted by doctors and everyone believes them? In the case of low carb diets -- as this forum very much demonstrates -- they're not mainstream or accepted at all. In fact, it's been my experience in just a few weeks you're belittled and people think you're gullible or just plain stupid.
If you're out and people are looking at you funny because you're pulling apart your sandwich or hamburger or you're holding up ordering when you're out to dinner there's a tremendous amount of social pressure to be normal and just "eat less and exercise more" instead of doing kooky stuff when everyone knows "a calorie is just a calorie".0 -
It's working for me but it is hard to eat out or at work. I swear EVERYTHING takeout for lunch is bread, starches or sugar. I'm hoping as I find tasty meals and get better at cooking it'll be easier.0
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We really need to refine the phrase "calories in - calories out" etc.
Eating deep fried chicken (in) and walking around the block and burning calories (out) has a night and day different end result than eating grilled salmon (in) and exercise followed by cardio (out). The quality of the nutrients make a big difference. I can't support any NO carb solution. I have no problem with LOW carbs as long as they are measured low carbs.0 -
I started eating low carb to hopefully loose weight. It works because I have lost 24lbs already. But I can honestly say that now, if I didn't loose a sigle ounce more, I would still stay with low carb. I just feel so much better, I am no longert hungry all the time, all my joint aches and pains have gone, funny lumps on my finger joints..gone, asthma medication no longer needed, feflux and stomach pain...gone, sleeping well, alert and focused, much more productive, and just generally happier.0
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tl:dr
it's not a diet, its a lifestyle.
stick with it, and you don't get fat!
/shock /awe
you can't go back to eating junk food all day /eyeroll
There is a universe of choices between, low carb and junk food all day. False hypothesis.0 -
I took it to mean that whatever you did to lose the weight is what you need to maintain the weight loss. So if you cut out all the refined carbs to lose the weight you can't add them back in once you reach your goal weight -- this is your diet for life.0
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I took it to mean that whatever you did to lose the weight is what you need to maintain the weight loss. So if you cut out all the refined carbs to lose the weight you can't add them back in once you reach your goal weight -- this is your diet for life.
If so, I'd say you took it in a far more positive light than most would take it in. It's a comparison between 2 extremes. There are many dietary choices that do not involve these extremes. I eat neither low carb or "junk food all day". Kind of offensive really. Although not dissimilar to most of what these kind of theads turn into as you well know.0 -
Really? I find it hard to believe anyone would be offended by a statement saying low carb is a lifestyle and you can't return to your junk food ways in order to maintain it. But I'm continually surprised that anyone would care about anyone else's diet to begin with so I'm probably wrong about this too. :laugh:I took it to mean that whatever you did to lose the weight is what you need to maintain the weight loss. So if you cut out all the refined carbs to lose the weight you can't add them back in once you reach your goal weight -- this is your diet for life.
If so, I'd say you took it in a far more positive light than most would take it in. It's a comparison between 2 extremes. There are many dietary choices that do not involve these extremes. I eat neither low carb or "junk food all day". Kind of offensive really. Although not dissimilar to most of what these kind of theads turn into as you well know.0 -
Totally Agree!! Plus You Must Incorporate Some Type Of Exercise Every Day! Cardio Every Day Plus Strength Training Every Other Day Works For Me!0
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Really? I find it hard to believe anyone would be offended by a statement saying low carb is a lifestyle and you can't return to your junk food ways in order to maintain it. But I'm continually surprised that anyone would care about anyone else's diet to begin with so I'm probably wrong about this too. :laugh:I took it to mean that whatever you did to lose the weight is what you need to maintain the weight loss. So if you cut out all the refined carbs to lose the weight you can't add them back in once you reach your goal weight -- this is your diet for life.
If so, I'd say you took it in a far more positive light than most would take it in. It's a comparison between 2 extremes. There are many dietary choices that do not involve these extremes. I eat neither low carb or "junk food all day". Kind of offensive really. Although not dissimilar to most of what these kind of theads turn into as you well know.
just to add my 2 cents in agreement with Alabaster, there is strong research to support the idea that a calorie is not just a calorie. Carbs do behave differently, have a different glycemic effect in our bodies. this paper that was recently released examined closely three popular diets in obese individuals who had lost significant weight. i'll leave it up to you all to draw your own conclusions.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/study-challenges-the-notion-that-a-calorie-is-just-a-calorie-2012-06-260 -
Isn't the author the war on insulin dope?
anyways, as usual it contains trash like thisThe formal recommendation of the USDA, AHA, AMA, ADA, and others actually tell us to eat the foods that make approximately two-thirds of us overweight.
Yup, there are magic foods that make you fat. It's not how much you eat, it's that there are certain evil foods that make you fat.The results of these actions are particularly devastating on those individuals who are not affluent. If you wonder why the economically disadvantaged are more likely to be obese, ponder this: one can buy ten boxes of ramen noodles for one dollar at most grocery stores. On a per calorie basis, few things are cheaper than sugar and other carbohydrates.
If you’re hungry in an airport or a mall (or virtually anywhere out of your own home), how easy is it to avoid sugars and simple carbohydrates?
Once again, it's not that carbs and sugars make you fat, it's how much you eat.To Dr. Bray and Ms. Kolata: While I respect your commitment to fighting obesity, diabetes, and their associated chronic diseases, I reject your reasoning for why reducing carbohydrates is not one of the most effective treatments.
If obesity is the over accumulation of fat, and low carb diets offer no metabolic advantage then it is no more effective then any other diet for reducing obesity0 -
Fair Warning: Dr. Peter Attia supports the Alternative Hypothesis* and is associated with Gary Taubes the science writer.
Thanks for the warning. I know I can safely disregard anything the author has to say.0 -
just to add my 2 cents in agreement with Alabaster, there is strong research to support the idea that a calorie is not just a calorie. Carbs do behave differently, have a different glycemic effect in our bodies. this paper that was recently released examined closely three popular diets in obese individuals who had lost significant weight. i'll leave it up to you all to draw your own conclusions.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/study-challenges-the-notion-that-a-calorie-is-just-a-calorie-2012-06-26
So, do you also think those who do not eat low carb are not smart enough to realize that they have other healthy choices and will eat only junk food? Also, marketwatch is not considered "research". Please do post any research you have that proves either hypothesis you support: a calorie is not a calorie and eat low carb or you'll be condemded to eat junk food. And FYI, I have drawn my own conclusions thank you!0 -
to the people who get mad at low carb eaters... WTF? everyones bodies are different . i have tried both. and who needs sugar, white bread, and white pasta.. no ty
really makes one feel bettter 0 -
White bread, white pasta and sugar aren't the only sources of carbs. There's green vegetables, fruits, dairy, and whole grains as well. A huge portion of our food supply!0
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Whew! I didn't think you'd ever get it, Acg...so nice to have you on board! :flowerforyou:<snip> Yup, there are magic foods that make you fat. It's not how much you eat, it's that there are certain evil foods that make you fat. </snip>0
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