Why We Get Fat

Mar 07, 2013 Richard marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Recommended to Richard by: People that eat.

Shelves: my-best-reviews, food, non-fiction, science

Gary Taubes, the author of Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It, wrote a moderately lengthy article in the New York Times Sunday Magazine on April 17, 2011, with the title “Is Sugar Toxic?” The evidence seems to be accumulating steadily that the amount of sugar that the average American consumes is profoundly unhealthy, and the article does a very good job explaining why.

I’m not sure if that article covers the same grounds as this book, but I can very briefly recap the article:

• Increasing s...more

27 likes · like · see review

Trevor "a “Texas-sized Big Gulp” is reported to consist of a 60-ounce Coca Cola, a Snickers bar and a bag of Doritos, all for 99¢."

Wow, an entire 'meal' for...more
Apr 22, 2011 03:20pm

Helen (Helena/Nell) This is all rather alarming to poor me. I love carbohydrates. I persuade myself they are good for me and that meat isn't. But generally my body works...more
updated Feb 18, 2012 11:41am

Aug 27, 2012 Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yeah I know New Directions didn't put this one out, it's not the fancy German dead white male lit I tend to like, but it does an admirable job of weaving more than a century of medical literature -- some of it German -- into a convincing argument that's at times stunning (I said "wow" aloud once or twice) and even heart-breaking on a grand scale -- for example, all those low-fat foods you see in the supermarket have extra carbs to replace reduced fats, so people buy low-fat stuff thinking it has...more Yeah I know New Directions didn't put this one out, it's not the fancy German dead white male lit I tend to like, but it does an admirable job of weaving more than a century of medical literature -- some of it German -- into a convincing argument that's at times stunning (I said "wow" aloud once or twice) and even heart-breaking on a grand scale -- for example, all those low-fat foods you see in the supermarket have extra carbs to replace reduced fats, so people buy low-fat stuff thinking it has less fat so it won't make them as fat as the full-fat stuff (makes perfect sense!), but according to the thesis of this book, the opposite is true: carbs make you fat, not the fat you consume. You'd think that shoving lard down your gullet wouldn't be better for you (your weight and your heart and triglyceride levels and blood pressure) than an equivalent amount of bread, even whole grain stuff, but it's counterintuitively true -- this book includes a few really interesting, counterintuitive, scientificially proven again and again assertions (eg, we don't get fat because our metabolism slows; our metabolism slows because we're getting fat). All of this is heartbreaking when talking about how the obesity epidemic snowballs as overweight/obese mothers prenatally increase their unborn children's insulin resistance, which leads to fatter children who more easily become obese when eating typical western carb/glucose diet, who then grow up to have metabolically worse off children, on and on (human bodies are literally snowballing thanks to carb-freaked metabolisms). The structure read sort of like a wonky thriller: initial hook followed by lots of history up front followed by pop science reviews of 100+ years of studies followed by easily vanquished anti-low carb arguments (ie, the impact of potentially higher LDL "bad" cholesterol levels) followed by a representative high-protein/high-fat/low-carb diet, which apparently is nothing new -- it's been popular pretty much forever, especially among native Americans and eskimos, as well as among 19th century physicians up till the 1960s -- only recently have we associated this sort of traditional human diet with some dude named Atkins. Sucks to have grown up during the food pyramid era, with its fattening base of grain. Recommended to me by my mama whose own mother was done in by carbs/sugars and a genetic predisposition for insulin resistance she passed down to her daughter and now to me. Easy to eat this way now that it's summer but the test will come when it's time for stouts and pizza in the fall and winter. Oh if only porters were brewed from porterhouse steak instead of grains . . . and if meat didnt come from cute cuddly animals or require massive suboptimum land used to fatten these animals with grain, land covered in ever-increasing tonnage of environmentally awful excrement et cetera etc (less)

15 likes · like · see review

Mar 26, 2012 Trish rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is packed with studies and information that dispell the information we've been served up by government bodies for the past 50 years. Simply put, carbs and sugars are the cause of weight gain, not fats or calories per se. You may feel this goes against the grain - :-) - but it would be difficult to refute the arguments presented in this book. I certainly feel that the only thing I have to lose from following the guidance in this book is 20 unwanted pounds and a point or two off my blood...more

7 likes · like · see review

Dec 10, 2012 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: culture, foliage, fitness-diet, health-medicine, sometimes-i-take-a-stand, this-drink-is-watered-down

This will kill you:

I had recently put on some weight. Not a lot of it, but enough where a recent long distance 'chum' asked me for a bikini photo and I screamed. Literally. Right out loud in the middle of a computer lab. So, definitely fat enough that there was no bikini photo sent, and now there is no 'chum.' What an asshole request, really. Did he feel the responses via phone after spin class: "Oh GOD, I feel like a wet noodle" were beginning to tell him something sinister was happening in my...more This will kill you:

I had recently put on some weight. Not a lot of it, but enough where a recent long distance 'chum' asked me for a bikini photo and I screamed. Literally. Right out loud in the middle of a computer lab. So, definitely fat enough that there was no bikini photo sent, and now there is no 'chum.' What an asshole request, really. Did he feel the responses via phone after spin class: "Oh GOD, I feel like a wet noodle" were beginning to tell him something sinister was happening in my kitchen? Was he feeling the invisible weight of my growing thigh upon his conscience?

Why do we get fat? I thought the answer was clear: too many Friday night champagne and tonic water aspertifs; a late night pizza call; extra toppings and dipping sauces. Nom, Nom, Nom. And then, most obviously, the Sunday morning half hungover breakfast which usually consists of whatever has the most "options" on the menu. Bacon? One Pancake? An English Muffin? Cottage Cheese? Yes, I'll take it! The Spanish Omelette it shall be!

Gary Taubes, author or "Good Calories, Bad Calories" would probably not like my weekend eating choices. That's fair; I'm beginning not to like them so much myself. Which is why when complaining to a friend that I was beginning to get one of those "inner tube bellies" around the "actual belly"--she suggested I read this book. Maybe I should mention that said friend is a librarian and knows such things.

I really do think it's a grand book, as far as a book on teaching one how to be less fat goes. Taubes explains things scientifically while clearly keeps the layman in mind (me). His suggestion is really quite simple: cut out the bad carbs. What is making us fat, essentially, is the insulin build up that occurs when we consume too many carbohydrates. Seems easy enough. Seems like I could be skinny in no time. Thank you, Mr. Gary.

Mr. Gary also goes in to such subjects as genetics and what role that plays in how we carry our weight and how our family genes predispose us to certain "fat deposits." Ugh. Words like "blood sugar", "glucose", and "secretions" make appearances. It is very informational while at the same time gives the reader enough pervy words to make it actually enjoyable. Nice touch.

So, bottom line is this: if you don't want to get fat like me, don't eat carbs. Don't drink beer. Don't stop on the way home from business trips and get french fries at the first seven eleven and sour patch kids at the second. In fact, give up most everything you find enjoyable. It may make you hateful, smug, hungry, and angry--but hey, at least you'll look good in a bikini again. Cheese!(less)

16 likes · like · see review

Nov 08, 2012 Jonathan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I heard the author on NPR one day, and he caught my attention when he said that exercise, while an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, was basically useless for losing weight. (There are lots of studies that show that exercise increases one's caloric needs.) Taubes is an award-winning science writer from Harvard and he makes a compelling case for cutting out (or cutting back on) carbohydrates and sugar as the only realistic way to lose weight. I just finished the book and I'm going to try to...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 17, 2012 Alison rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

I don't often read books about dieting and I'm not sure how I came across this one - someone must have recommended it, I guess! it's an interesting book that suggests that the accepted diet regime of eating less and exercising more doesn't actually work, and the recommended healthy diet of low fat and extra carbs, fruit and veg actually makes us fat because the carbs cause insulin imbalance which makes us retain fat. The theory is backed up wtih lots of evidence which made sense to me, even with...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 17, 2011 Scott rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

I didn’t realize this when I started it (though I probably should have), but this book is a 272-page advertisement for low-carb diets. My main criticism is that Taubes comes across as condescending. He’s so convinced himself that low-carb diets are the best that he’s unwilling, and in fact does not, consider compelling counterarguments against that contention.

The first half of the book criticizes the conventional wisdom that, in order to lose weight, people must consume fewer calories than they...more I didn’t realize this when I started it (though I probably should have), but this book is a 272-page advertisement for low-carb diets. My main criticism is that Taubes comes across as condescending. He’s so convinced himself that low-carb diets are the best that he’s unwilling, and in fact does not, consider compelling counterarguments against that contention.

The first half of the book criticizes the conventional wisdom that, in order to lose weight, people must consume fewer calories than they expend. He cites numerous studies and research that establish that doing one of either exercising or reducing calories does not typically result in weight loss. When people exercise more, they eat more. When they eat less, they expend less energy. The major flaw in this position is that virtually none of the research addressed the efficacy of diets that require both diet and exercise. Clearly, both in conjunction can work and have worked; otherwise programs such as Weight Watchers would have no success, and the TV program Biggest Loser would not exist. I don't care how obese a person is, if that person accurately account for calories expended, even if sedentary, and then eats less than that, that person will lose weight. Even if that person eats almost entirely carbs. How else could Mark Haub’s (of Kansas State) Twinkie diet have worked? Taubes lost a lot of credibility by failing to acknowledge this fact.

And while it makes sense that diets which severely restrict calories, such as 1500-per-day diets, wouldn’t catch hold, what about diets that restrict only a moderate amount of calories? Say, the amount of energy a person a day expends minus 100 calories? I actually lost 15 pounds last year by doing something similar, and I ate desert almost every day. I’ve kept the weight off by closely watching to ensure that I don’t consume more calories than I burn.

That’s not to say, however, that some people aren’t more predisposed to becoming obese or that it isn’t easier for some people to stay lean. But with sufficient motivation, weight loss can be achieved, even while eating carbs.

I acknowledge that many people can't, or won't, life a lifestyle requiring both diet and exercise in the long term, which is a valid criticism I suppose.

But will people live a low-carb lifestyle in the long term? A low-carb diet is boring. How many breakfasts of bacon and eggs in a row can someone stomach? Are people really going to stay motivated, in the long-term, to avoid potatoes, beer, pasta, and sweets? Do you know how many places low-carb dieters can’t eat at with their friends? Low-carb diets are also expensive; many can’t afford to eat meat at nearly every meal. And what’s the success rate of those who begin low-carb diets in the long-term? Astoundingly, Taubes doesn’t even address that question.

I’m somewhat perplexed at the unusually high ratings this book has received, given that it hasn’t addressed the issues above. It’s almost as if the low-carb diet is a form of religion about which supporters will not allow others to blashpeme.
(less)

37 likes · like · see review

Jan 03, 2012 Eva rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Notes from Kindle:

“More than in any other illness,” as Bruch said about obesity, “the physician is called upon only to do a special trick, to make the patient do something—stop eating—after it has already been proved that he cannot do it.”

as Voltaire pointed out in his Dictionnaire philosophique, common sense isn’t all that common,

Can it be possible that the obesity epidemic is caused by prosperity, so the richer we get, the fatter we get, and that obesity associates with poverty, so the poorer...more

5 likes · like · see review

Mar 05, 2012 Betty rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reading this book completely changed the way I look at food and nutrition. I deliberately held off from writing a review until I had followed Taubes' recommended regime and food intake for some time. Having started the book almost a year ago, my husband and I began eating in a whole new way and it took nearly a month for us to "lose" our lust for carbs and get used to our new lifestyle. The weight came off slowly but steadily and more importantly, we both lost inches (I dropped three dress sizes...more Reading this book completely changed the way I look at food and nutrition. I deliberately held off from writing a review until I had followed Taubes' recommended regime and food intake for some time. Having started the book almost a year ago, my husband and I began eating in a whole new way and it took nearly a month for us to "lose" our lust for carbs and get used to our new lifestyle. The weight came off slowly but steadily and more importantly, we both lost inches (I dropped three dress sizes in six months - this is really significant because I am quite short and any amount of weight I carry makes me look the size of a house). It has been slow - I have lost nearly 15kg in 9 months - but this does not bother me, as Gary Taubes has made me realise that it took years to put the weight on and it will take time to lose it. Not only do I feel fantastic, but nearly a year down the line I am still losing and enjoying being able to wear lovely clothes again - and that's with very little exercise! My brain is quicker, I don't forget things like I used to and I have so much more energy and positivity! And as for the health benefits, I am far healthier than I have been in years. My friends are incredulous because I eat so much cheese, butter and cream! After following my new eating plan (I do not consider myself as being on diet) for three months, I started experiencing dizzy spells and weird leg cramps. I visited my doctor who ran a full series of blood tests, including all thyroid tests (I have been suffering from hypothyroidism for years and have been taking thyroxin for nearly 7 years). The results were astonishing - the cause of the dizziness was my thyroid. My new eating plan had kick-started my thryoid again and because I was still on medication, I was over-producing the hormone. My doctor immediately halved my dose of medication and retested me a month later, then the month after that. The dizziness and cramps disappeared. I have been completely off the medication for four months now and a recent blood test has confirmed that my thyroid function has returned to normal! As for the rest of my test results - my doctor told me that my full blood count is that of an 18 year olds! Although my overall cholesterol was higher than it's ever been, there were no red flags because my cholesterol to HDL ratio is very good. I have also suffered with low blood iron following years of regular blood donation and marathon running - at one stage having to give up blood donation because my iron reserves were so low. My iron levels are now extremely healthy. My doctor is 100% behind me on my new eating plan.
I had to laugh at a review of this book that said that's its greatest downfall is that you have to follow this "diet" for the rest of your life and that that's impossible to do. Well, we all know carbs are bad for us, so that's like saying "the problem with giving up smoking, is that you have to give up cigarettes for life!". Taubes' book has truly hammered home the message that refined starch and sugar is poison.
Thanks to this book, I have experienced a complete paradigm shift and am all the better for it!(less)

37 likes · like · see review

Feb 29, 2012 Jessi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: weight-loss, non-fiction

First Line: "In 1934, a young German pediatrician named Hilde Bruch moved to America, settled in New York City, and was 'startled,' as she later wrote, by the number of fat children she saw - 'really fat ones, not only in clinics, but on the streets and subways, and in schools.'"

Taubes takes everything that I have spent the last several years learning about weight loss, fat gain, diabetes, and eating and turns it on its head. I am not yet certain whether I am willing to buy into his arguments, b...more First Line: "In 1934, a young German pediatrician named Hilde Bruch moved to America, settled in New York City, and was 'startled,' as she later wrote, by the number of fat children she saw - 'really fat ones, not only in clinics, but on the streets and subways, and in schools.'"

Taubes takes everything that I have spent the last several years learning about weight loss, fat gain, diabetes, and eating and turns it on its head. I am not yet certain whether I am willing to buy into his arguments, but there are three things that are making me at least consider that he might be right or partially right. 1.) He begins the book by asking all readers to analyze the material (his book and any others) and to make decisions for them. Most fad diet books tend to just take the stance that they are absolutely right and never remind us to use our brains. 2.) For every argument that I came up with while reading this book, he addresses it at some point and provides data to back up his theories. 3.) I have been trying to lose weight through recommended methods (low-fat diets, calorie cutting, and exercise) for almost nine years and have watched many of my family and friends with the same struggle. I recently read that of the people currently and actively trying to lose weight, only ten percent or so will actually be successful and of those, 96% will fail to keep off the weight they lose. With chances like that, I am willing to consider a different method and give it a try.

I will also say that this book is simply a fascinating read. I don't think I have ever been so enthralled with a non-fiction book (especially one steeped in science) that I literally couldn't put it down, so this was a first for me.

Update 2/29/12
I followed up this book by reading the New Atkins Diet, Primal Blueprint, and the Paleo Diet. From these four which sometimes contradict each other, I constructed a diet with unlimited meats and veggies, no processed sugars, grains, or legumes and limited amounts of nuts, berries, dairy, and root vegetables. I am exercising but only in ways that I enjoy, specifically yoga and hiking. Since Jan 2012 I have lost 24 lbs, 1 pant size, and I feel much more energetic. I have had a few slip ups, but not many and when I do eat sugar or carb heavy items I'm almost immediately exhausted and grouchy. I am at the lowest weight I have been in nine years and my success makes it much easier to stick with it. I've got 66 lbs to go and for the first time I have hope that I'll actually make it and maintain it. (less)

10 likes · like · see review

Oct 15, 2012 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-as-audiobook, health-and-fitness

This was much better than Taubes' first book (Good Calories, Bad Calories). Both had good information but this one was written in a much more reader-friendly fashion. If you've ever wondered why following the conventional wisdom of low-fat, low calorie eating, based on whole grains, fruits and vegetables, doesn't give you significant, long-lasting weight loss, this book will set you straight. Taubes is a science writer and has pulled together all of the nutritional studies done over the last hun...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 02, 2013 Rawa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: from-the-library, health

Although I already had faith in a low-carbohydrate lifestyle, as I've been eating in such a way for six months now, reading this book helped me completely understand the scientific evidence in why it works - and why, exactly, it is the way we should all be eating in order to keep ourselves healthy. In short, this book blew my mind.
With what I think was a sarcastic flair (which I loved), Gary Taubes took a complex understanding of the reasons why the obesity epidemic is full-blown, and explained...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 02, 2011 Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh Lord. The Omnivores Dilema and now this....

Interesting, but as with all "diet" books to be taken with a grain of salt. Ultimately this just tells us that Atkins is not all that bad and to eat less starch.

6 likes · like · see review

Apr 13, 2013 A.J. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When you've been told for years that eating fat is what makes you fat, it takes quite an effort to undo all that conditioning. Gary Taubes's book is a good introduction to the physiology of weight gain and the history of scientific thought on the subject. It's also an important work in that he makes it clear that having a lot of fat makes people sedentary and makes people eat more, not the other way around.

It's easy to blame overweight people for their condition: what this book does is move the...more

like · see review

Feb 27, 2013 Christina Dudley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urbanfarmjunkie

Very compelling, well-argued and well-researched discussion of why we gain weight. As recent research has shown, it's not from the fat in our diets, and that nonfat/low-fat craze failed to reduce the incidence of heart disease. Taubes points the finger instead at carbohydrates. YES, that includes sugar, as Lustig targets in FAT CHANCE, but when it comes to trying to derail the runaway train of weight gain, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and the suite of "Western diseases," Taubes doesn'...more Very compelling, well-argued and well-researched discussion of why we gain weight. As recent research has shown, it's not from the fat in our diets, and that nonfat/low-fat craze failed to reduce the incidence of heart disease. Taubes points the finger instead at carbohydrates. YES, that includes sugar, as Lustig targets in FAT CHANCE, but when it comes to trying to derail the runaway train of weight gain, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and the suite of "Western diseases," Taubes doesn't like many other carbs either. Not even whole grains or fruits. Super bummer.

My Kindle tells me I highlighted and bookmarked 26 pages of notes(!), but I'll try to hit some highlights for you:

- Weight is NOT about calories in/calories out, and trying to take fewer in or burn more.

- Exercise may have benefits, but they don't include weight loss, generally. When you use lots of energy exercising, your body compensates by making you hungrier so you eat more and/or lowering the amount of energy you burn at rest.

- Fatness is not about lack of willpower or other psychological problems. It's a physiological defect in how our bodies regulate fat tissue.

- Fatty acids flow in and out of our cells, but when they bind with a triglyceride within a fat cell, they're then too big to get back out. They are stored!

- If insulin levels are high (from processing carbohydrates), fatty acids are not taken up to be burned by muscle cells and end up back in the fat tissue. Insulin also suppresses the enzyme HSL whose role it is to break down triglycerides in fat cells and bring those fatty acids out of storage.

- Because insulin prevents the body burning fat for fuel, our cells think they're starved and make us eat even more. And the more fat we put on, the higher our fuel requirements.

- When insulin levels are consistently elevated, insulin resistance results. This triggers "'lipid' abnormalities"--low HDL, high triglycerides, and small, dense (plaque-causing) LDL. In other words, metabolic syndrome.

- Metabolic syndrome is tied not only to obesity and diabetes and heart attacks, but also Alzheimer's and most cancers.

Taubes' recommendation: cut the carbs, all or most of them. When it comes to meat, fish, poultry, and eggs, go for it. Green vegetables are fine, as is cheese.

What I really wish the book would talk about--and I kept reading anxiously to see the topic addressed--was how on earth this meat-heavy, Atkins'-y diet could work nowadays, except for the fairly wealthy. There are just too many people on the planet for us all to eat this way, and if we did, there would be no planet left to speak of. Taubes didn't object to corn-fed beef, but he never addresses the environmental consequences. I suppose fruits and vegetables are pretty darned expensive, too, so switching from some of them to more meat might come out in the wash, but many people can afford neither the meat nor the produce. Just the cheap carbs. Therein, I suppose, lies the problem. If we could get the government subsidies away from grains and sugars and into meats and green vegetables...yeah, right. About as likely as me giving up carbs entirely!(less)

like · see review

Feb 18, 2013 David Weir rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought this was an extremely easy read and it only took me a few days to get through it. I may be a little biased as I am a follower of the paleo diet and it has changed the way I feel, eat, look, etc. It has all been positive for me and the blood work that I've had done has only gotten better since I started, and not worse.

Taubes brings in research to basically say that carbohydrates are bad and that lean protein (meats and poultry) and fresh vegetables are good. He mentions other research t...more

like · see review

Jan 26, 2013 Caleb rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have multiple family members who've embraced the Paleo diet. I was skeptical before I read that book and no less now.

Taubes is clearly a very smart man who has his take that fat, meat and butter are never bad and carbohydrates, sugars, (and sometimes fruit and a surprising number of veggies) are always bad. He has his evidence, which I found ultimately unpersuasive. He uses straw men and strange reasoning in places. He also dismisses massive counterfactual proof (Asian cultures, the French) an...more

like · see review

Dec 29, 2012 Shannon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So I'd seen Taubes's lecture before picking up the book. In person, he's a bit of a dick at times, but when he writes, that element goes away. Really, the writing here is concise and elegant, and you can feel the building outrage as he goes through the history of the "science of nutrition" over the past few centuries and then gets to our current clusterfahck.

My favorite bits:

1. the fat rats. how, if your body is programmed to gain weight (like the rats in this study), an animal can starve itself...more

like · see review

Dec 10, 2012 Isa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nifty-fitness, good-eats

I had recently put on some weight. Not a lot of it, but enough where a recent long distance 'chum' asked me for a bikini photo and I screamed. Literally. Right out loud in the middle of a computer lab. So, definitely fat enough that there was no bikini photo sent, and now there is no 'chum.' What an asshole request, really. Did he feel the responses via phone after spin class: "Oh GOD, I feel like a wet noodle" were beginning to tell him something something sinister was happening in my kitchen?...more I had recently put on some weight. Not a lot of it, but enough where a recent long distance 'chum' asked me for a bikini photo and I screamed. Literally. Right out loud in the middle of a computer lab. So, definitely fat enough that there was no bikini photo sent, and now there is no 'chum.' What an asshole request, really. Did he feel the responses via phone after spin class: "Oh GOD, I feel like a wet noodle" were beginning to tell him something something sinister was happening in my kitchen? Was he feeling the invisible weight of my growing thigh upon his conscience?

Why do we get fat? I thought the answer was clear: too many Friday night champagne and tonic water aspertifs; a late night pizza call; extra toppings and dipping sauces. Nom, Nom, Nom. And then, most obviously, the Sunday morning half hungover breakfast which usually consists of whatever has the most "options" on the menu. Bacon? One Pancake? An English Muffin? Cottage Cheese? Yes, I'll take it! The Spanish Omelette it shall be!

Gary Taubes, author or "Good Calories, Bad Calories" would probably not like my weekend eating choices. That's fair; I'm beginning not to like them so much myself. Which is why when complaining to a friend that I was beginning to get one of those "inner tube bellies" around the "actual belly"--she suggested I read this book. Maybe I should mention that said friend is a librarian and knows such things.

I really do think it's a grand book, as far as a book on teaching one how to be less fat goes. Taubes explains things scientifically while clearly keeps the layman in mind (me). His suggestion is really quite simple: cut out the bad carbs. What is making us fat, essentially, is the insulin build up that occurs when we consume too many carbohydrates. Seems easy enough. Seems like I could be skinny in no time. Thank you, Mr. Gary.

Mr. Gary also goes in to such subjects as genetics and what role that plays in how we carry our weight and how our family genes predisposes us to certain "fat deposits." Ugh. Words like "blood sugar", "glucose", and "secretions" make appearances. It is very informational while at the same time giveson e enough pervy words to make it actually enjoyable. Nice touch.

So, bottom line is this: if you don't want to get fat like me, don't eat carbs. Don't drink beer. Don't stop on the way home from business trips and get french fries at the first stop and sour patch kids at the second. In fact, give us most everything you find enjoyable. It may make you hateful, smug, hungry, and angry--but hey, at least you'll be fuckable.

(less)

like · see review

Dec 09, 2012 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science

The answer is: because we eat too many simple carbohydrates. Breads, pastas, treats and anything with sugar added. Basically everything I love.

This is the 'readable version' of his earlier book "Good Calories, Bad Calories" which was much more scientific, and harder to digest (sorry).

I thought the premise of the book was plausible, and made excellent points. His hypothesis rests on ancillary data and logical observations for now, which many detractors will seize upon as the main weakness of th...more

like · see review

Oct 21, 2012 Maggie Heim rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is the self proclaimed "Dummies" verison of Taubes earlier book "Good Calories, Bad Calories". It relies on anthropological like analysis of weight gain in different cultures and some analysis of the hormone and protein activity such as insulin and LPL (lipoprotein lipase) to conclude that genetics predestine us to being fat or lean, hunger and exercise are driven by the activity of our fat cells rather than the reverse, and a low carb, high protein, high fat diet is the only solution...more

like · see review

Sep 18, 2012 Ben Nesvig rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads

This book goes against the grain (good one Ben!) of traditional beliefs that to lose weight all you need to do is burn more calories than you consume. For much of the first half of this book, Gary takes that notion and clubs it to death, leaving little skepticism in his arguments. In the later half, he further dissects we people get fat and how to deal with it, as the title makes extremely clear.

This book didn't ruin bread for me (two others already did), but it's likely it will ruin it for you....more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 12, 2012 Bonnie Vasko rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the best book I've read about what's gone wrong in the American diet, and what to do about it. I can't recommend it highly enough. Me and my fiancee have completely changed the way we eat after reading this book. If I had to only own one book about diet, this would be it. I've actually started re-reading it and taking down some notes to better absorb the information, so I can explain it more clearly to others. I've passed on much of the info to my sister (who did not read the book) and s...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 04, 2012 Pete rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, health

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Jul 27, 2012 John rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the best books I've read in a long time. It is amazing how somebody that really knows how to write can make even a rather overdone subject interesting. Taubes is absolutely convincing that a low carb diet is the secret to losing weight...and he cites the research to back it up. In my opinion, he downplays the role of fat in our diet too much. However, all his arguments make sense and are logical and easy to follow. I was motivated by the end of the book to really try to cut the carbs in m...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 29, 2012 Abigail rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

We’ve been duped. All of us. Well-intentioned people have told us that if we just eat fewer calories than we burn, we’ll lose weight. In fact, I know people who’ve used that technique successfully. But this book explains the science behind why counting calories is pointless, and reducing carbohydrates is the only way to lose weight. (If you’re smart about counting calories, you probably reduce sugar first, which is why it seems to work to reduce calories.) If you’re willing to take my word for i...more We’ve been duped. All of us. Well-intentioned people have told us that if we just eat fewer calories than we burn, we’ll lose weight. In fact, I know people who’ve used that technique successfully. But this book explains the science behind why counting calories is pointless, and reducing carbohydrates is the only way to lose weight. (If you’re smart about counting calories, you probably reduce sugar first, which is why it seems to work to reduce calories.) If you’re willing to take my word for it, go buy Dr. Atkins or your favorite high-fat, low-carb diet book; otherwise read this book first.

“Why We Get Fat: And What To Do About It” is the book I was kind-of hoping the author’s “Good Calories, Bad Calories” would be, but I’m actually glad they’re separate books. If you’ve already read GCBC, then you only need to read the last chapter and FAQ section of WWGF; otherwise it’s all the same information, but shorter, with more analogies and fewer researchers’ names, and presented with conclusion first and arguments after. However, I’m what they call a “high convincer,” so I appreciated the detail of GCBC (on both the science and history) that explains how we came to believe things that aren’t, as much as science can say it, true. Most people don’t need that level of detail and will be fine reading this one. Taubes does fall prey a little to the idea that we should get this message out even though more research is going on — the very same notion for which he criticizes the low-fat folks, who did a lot of harm by deciding on an answer before they did the research — but I’ll forgive him because he acknowledges it, and because the science of the body is uncontroversial and the science about diet is both consistent so far and resolves a lot of the seeming paradoxes in the previous research.

On the one hand, I’m glad that I now understand why the Atkins diet works. On the other hand, without bread and chocolate, life isn’t worth living, so I know I won’t be able to go completely carb-free (although most people don’t have to do that except to start out the diet). Back to the first hand, I really would like to avoid cancer, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and the host of other “diseases of civilization” that are beyond reasonable doubt associated with the increased intake of white flour, white sugar and white rice that comprises so much of the modern Western diet. Chocolate cake now or Alzheimer’s later? It’s a conundrum, honestly — a test of the conscious mind and delayed gratification over the sugar craving. For me, so far sugar is winning, but at least I feel guilty about the right things now.

I hope people read this book, so that we can stop arguing about things that are pretty well proven false now (e.g., high-carb diets are good for you) and start figuring out how we can turn around the epidemic of diseases that’s plaguing our nation. In fact, this book sticks to its title thesis admirably well. I wish it had emphasized the association of refined carbohydrates with “Western” diseases even more, so that lean folks would know the message is for them, too. (less)

5 likes · like · see review

Jun 26, 2012 Jennie Tichich rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Paradigm shifter for sure. I found myself so confused while reading this- cognitive dissonance, as the author Taubes calls it.
Wow! Years of inconclusive medical studies on the true impact of high-fat diets yet we adopted the low-fat, high-carbohydrate as a dictum of healthy behavior!
You have to believe that the science of metabolism is more complicated than: Calories/in = Calories/out. Taubes does an excellent job of demonstrating how fatting, or Adiposity 101, really works. Constantly high ins...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 16, 2012 Stephen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The secret of weight, we are told, is as simple as physics, as the laws of thermodynamics. If we take in more energy in eating than we expend in exercise, we gain weight. If we use more energy than we eat, we lose weight. Hence the constant advice to those concerned about their bellies is to eat less and exercise more. Simple, right? ...then why doesn't it work? Why do millions of people go on diets every January and struggle so mightily to do make any progress? And how can there be so many soci...more The secret of weight, we are told, is as simple as physics, as the laws of thermodynamics. If we take in more energy in eating than we expend in exercise, we gain weight. If we use more energy than we eat, we lose weight. Hence the constant advice to those concerned about their bellies is to eat less and exercise more. Simple, right? ...then why doesn't it work? Why do millions of people go on diets every January and struggle so mightily to do make any progress? And how can there be so many societies in history and at present where obesity is linked not to abundance, but to poverty? How can obesity and malnutrition exist in the same family at the same time? Gary Taubes has an answer, one which explains in full the link between obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiac problems while turning everything you think you know about diet on its head.

Insulin is the key. Taubes writes like a volleyball player, delivering his argument with a bump, a set, and finally the spike. He begins by dismantling conventional explanations about weight control, pointing out that even studies done by institutions which dearly wanted to demonstrate an incontrovertible link between exercise and diet and weight loss have failed to do so. He then prepares the reader by pointing out that we already know that fat is managed substantially by hormones, pointing out the role estrogen plays in shifting body fat around at the onset of puberty. He also points out the way we observe fat utilized in other animals: is a Jersey cow lean because it eats lighter and runs laps around its field? Hardly. Jersey cows are bred as milk cows because their hormones prioritize turning food into milk, and Angus cows are bred as beef because their hormones emphasis turning food into fat and muscle. Calories and exercise have nothing to do with it – not in cows, not in rats, and not in humans.

In humans, insulin is the chief hormone that manages fat. We’ve known this for decades, but somehow in the WW2 period the United States lost sight of the consequences. Essentially, when insulin is present in the bloodstream, we accumulate fat, and can’t get rid of it. When insulin is absent, our bodies are free to convert fat into fuel. To avoid gaining weight, then, we must avoid foods which stimulate the secretion of insulin, particularly carbohydrates and sugar. No carbs means no grain, no corn, and no rice. The idea of going “carbless” may strike modern readers as positively abnormal, but in truth the diet we’re “used” to is the strange one from the perspective of natural history. Humans evolved eating meat, fruit, and the occasional greens – our dependence on grains is relatively recent, historically speaking. That dependence is one promoted by the idea which currently holds sway over dietary belief in America, that carbs are good and fat is bad: in most supermarkets, low-fat brands are the only option available. Not only is our love affair with carbohydrates fattening us up, says Taubes, but we've declared anathema a vital part of our diet. We’re supposed to be eating fat, he says. The more fat in our diet, the more efficiently our bodies run -- and there's nothing to the idea that fatty diets lead to exercise, studies indicate.Here he and Michael Pollan concur.

The effective way to losing weight, then, is to avoid carbohydrates and eat heartily the diet of our ancestors – meat and greens. Fruit is more problematic because modern stocks have been bred to be far more sugary than their antecedents. This approach has been advocated by others; the famous Atkins Diet is based on it, for instance, and it’s very similar to the “Paleo” diet which is now gaining in popularity. Why is there a link between obesity and poverty? Because poor societies rely on cheap foodstuffs – carbohydrate-rich foodstuff like bread and rice. Why is the Fast Food nation an obese nation? Because carbohydrates are the appetizer, main course, dessert, and drink under the golden arches.
.
Why We Get Fat is a book of tremendous importance. In the United States today, diets low in fat are emphasized even as sugary sodas are sold in the public schools. Little wonder that despite the prolonged ad campaigns of the past decades, obesity and its related diseases continue to become worse. Not only are we missing the point, but our attempts to address the problem only exacerbate it. Consider diabetes, a disease defined by our bodies’ inability to manage its blood sugar. The dominant form (Type 2) of diabetes is caused by our bodies becoming resistant to insulin: that is, it is less effective at moving sugar out of the bloodstream and into cells. Thus, our bodies have to produce more of it to do the job, and naturally the body becomes even more resistant to insulin, rather like we build a tolerance for alcohol. When the body’s demand for insulin product exceeds its ability to do so, we recognize diabetes…but our solution is to inject more insulin into the bloodstream. This is a ‘solution’ that guarantees the problem will never be addressed at its root. The lesson of Why We Get Fat is that we become insulin-resistant because our diet demands we produce an abnormal amount of the hormone. Change the diet to minimize insulin demand, and our bodies won’t develop that resistance.If that weren't enough, Taubes also pins the blame for high blood pressure and heart disease on it, though the latter is only a correlation.

Taubes has written two books in this vein; Good Calories, Bad Calories and this, Why We Get Fat. As I understand it, Good Calories, Bad Calories is the more substantial of the two, while Why We Get Fat is intended for a larger audience (har har) and emphasizes more application of the research. While Taubes doesn't promote a specific diet, the appendix does list various others (like Atkins) and provides general guidelines to eating. I've been doing my homework on Taubes' work for the last few months, since I first heard him in an extended interview on EconTalk, and I believe Why We Get Fat may be one of the most significant books I have ever read. Definitely recommended.

Related:

Interview with Gary Taubes on EconTalk: how I found Taubes in the first place.
Good Calories, Bad Calories; Gary Taubes
In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan
Wheat Belly, William Davis(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jun 10, 2012 Ryandake rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

wow, i am not sure what to think.

i am not a scientist of any stripe, nor a nutritionist, don't know zip about biochemistry... but i thought he made a pretty compelling case.

the gist is: don't eat carbs in any form. not even vegetable form. because it causes your insulin to spike, which causes you to lay on more fat, particularly abdominal fat. eat all the meat and fats you want. and oh ya, the calories-in/calories-out theory doesn't work well. so just restricting your consumption will not cause...more wow, i am not sure what to think.

i am not a scientist of any stripe, nor a nutritionist, don't know zip about biochemistry... but i thought he made a pretty compelling case.

the gist is: don't eat carbs in any form. not even vegetable form. because it causes your insulin to spike, which causes you to lay on more fat, particularly abdominal fat. eat all the meat and fats you want. and oh ya, the calories-in/calories-out theory doesn't work well. so just restricting your consumption will not cause you to lose weight.

i have never been a dieter--i was very lucky to be naturally thin as a rail most of my life--but alas, the older i get, the tubbier i get. and i loathe it! i read a NYT article of Taubes' and decided it was time to dive in to the seemingly endless stream of food advice.

a couple of things bothered me in this book: Taubes seems to make no distinction between whole-grain and refined foods. like, brown rice vs white rice. yet as i understand it they do have radically different effects on insulin, his black-hatted culprit.

one sentence in the book also lit up every alarm i possess on this subject. in a survey of contemporary hunter-gatherer populations, he reports that those groups "...consumed 'high amounts' of animal food. In fact, one in every five of these 229 populations subsisted almost entirely by hunting or fishing."

what about the other four? what did they eat? how did they fare?

still, i think Taubes makes some pretty good points, stuff that should have some medical attention paid to it. like, why most dieters fail. why exercise is not a cure-all. what happens at the nexus of aging/diet/metabolism/insulin resistance. and best of all, his debunking of the sin/sloth cause of fatness.

for myself? i don't think i can do a meat/veggie diet (which he ultimately recommends) because i can't stand to eat that much meat. meat is just kind of gross. but i will take the middle ground: cut out most refined grains (goodbye, bagels!) and sugars, and eat more veg. and enjoy possibly guilt-free bacon again :-)
(less)

like · see review

May 28, 2012 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Over the past few years I have started to question the whole as-long-as-you-spend-more-calories-than-you-take-in-you'll-lose-weight paradigm. I just wasn't seeing it translate in practice with my patients. This book does a great job of reviewing the research that shows where that misguided concept got started and why it is wrong, as well as the science behind how fat accumulation happens and why some people get fat and others don't. The book really resonated with what I've found in my own experi...more

4 likes · like · see review

title link	preview: Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It
avg rating	preview: Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It Goodreads rating: 4.05 (4304 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10049922-why-we-get-fat?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1293548874l/10049922.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10049922-why-we-get-fat?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It by Gary Taubes[/url]

Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (11)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by Gary Taubes

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Why We Get Fat: A...

Quotes from Why We Get Fat: And Wh...