A book review on the Gary Taubes book WHY WE GET FAT AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT.
I am not happy to just be told to eat a certain type of food, and viola... you will magically lose weight. That is not good enough for me. I want to know WHY. Going further, if I know why fat happens in the first place, I can create my own magical diet, right? Gary Taubes wrote the book "Good Calories, Bad Calories" then followed that work with this book "Why We Get Fat and What to Do About it". The total skeptic in me appreciates the fact the books are based on research and not "paid to produce a result" type research funded by some company trying to promote a product... as far as I can tell. One of the convincing things about the noted research is that after all is said and done, he is not selling anything except this book. Score one for Taubes from the skeptic.
So, let's boil this down. What gets you fat? According to Taubes, it is CARBS The book starts with multiple research reports in which debunk the claim that overeating and sedentary behavior makes you fat. Multiple reports document groups which have labor intensive jobs but still have high body fat percentage and poor communities who cannot afford food, yet are obese. The common factor in both groups is the consumption of carbs, either as a staple of their purchased diets or because they were given carb loaded rations from the government.
Well... doesn't that just throw a monkey wrench in that whole "Tape your mouth shut and get on the treadmill" bandwagon.
According to his book, essentially the carbs are a form of sugar and the body has an insulin reaction. Over time the body develops an insulin resistance and stores the excess as fat. OK, this is an EXTREME summary, but the book debunks the "calories in, calories out" model which so many people live and die by... literally.
The book is an easy read, even for those who are not so interested in the science behind it all. So, where is the diet plan, you ask. Hmmm, no set diet plan per se, but a list of foods to eat and not to eat. Essentially, look up High Fat Low Carb menus on the internet, there are tons of them if you need meals set up. Otherwise, just plan shopping in the outside aisles of the grocery store and avoiding the boxed stuff.
