I just finished reading the book Why We Get Fat
[Two great books to read if you want to understand why we get fat and how you can get lean. Don't mind my Coors Beer sweatshirt I have on. I know that beer can make you fat. What the hell am I looking at?]
You may have heard of Taubes before for another great book: Good Calories, Bad Calories
This book is not a “diet” book in the traditional sense. There are not a bunch of recipes in there or an exercise program that you need to follow. It is more a treatise on how you have been allowed to get fat by eating a bunch of foods (particularly sugar and refined carbohydrates) that our hunter gatherer forefathers did not. And it is backed up by scientific research and studies (all footnoted and in the sources section) that have been ignored and overlooked by mainstream doctors, nutritionists, Universities and government health agencies.
What I found interesting was how scientists and researchers overlooked this information because they didn’t want to be wrong. They had a hypothesis in their head (eating fat causes heart disease/makes you fat) and then set up studies to prove their hypothesis. But the studies, some of which were massive in terms of numbers, time and cost, didn’t conclusively prove what they were after. They were either inconclusive or contradictory to what they were meant to prove. So what did those scientists do? They said “Let’s do another study!” Brilliant.
[I hope these fellas grab a copy of this book. It looks like they could use some help! The shirt is pretty funny though.]
Why We Get Fat
I had two favorite chapters in Why We Get Fat
Even though this is not a diet book, the appendix does have a “No Sugar, No Starch” Diet for people to follow. Pretty simple stuff really and usually the less complicated a regimen is to follow the more success people will have with it. Give it a shot if want to start losing weight and get healthier. Overall I am really glad that I read this book. If you at all interested in understanding why you get fat or how you can become lean then you should read this book. Let me know if you read this and what your thoughts are.
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Excellent that’s for bringing the book to my attention. I love reading books ( not eBooks) I have about 5 lined up already from Xmas ( finished 2 others) and I love the science behind muscle growth and losing fat.
So I wil definitely look for this book, if I get and read it I’ll let you know what I think
Raymond
Raymond-ZenMyFitness´s last [type] ..Muscle Gaining Secrets- The Fastest Way I Discovered For Increasing Size And Strength
David,
I haven’t read Why We Get Fat, but it sounds interesting. I noticed big changes in my ability to manage my weight once I started limiting carb intake.
Alykhan
Yep,
Cut the bad carbs and your body will burn the fat that it has just like it is supposed to.
David
GCBC is one of my favorite books.
It completely shatters the entire “low calorie, low fat, low cholesterol” paradigm that has been ruining our health for decades now. (But his blanket damnation of ALL carbohydrates is riddled with holes, as well.)
Nice to see he wrote a more “consumer-friendly” version to help get the word out to a wider audience. Would you suggest this to someone who has already read GCBC? Is there any new material?
Darrin – Lean, Mean, Virile Machine´s last [type] ..Eating “Snout to Tail” – A Terrifying Experiment
Darrin,
I didn’t find a blanket damnation of ALL carbohydrates just easily digestible ones (sugar, flour, fruit juices, anything refined). You’ll get the necessary carbs that you need from vegetables and a little fruit and those are okay (just don’t over eat the fruit).
I did get some benefit from this book. There is new commentary and analysis in the book and it is much easier to read. Plus if you get it and give it to someone else to read they are more likely to read it because it is shorter and less technical.
David
Thanks for sharing the books. I’ll have to grab myself some copies. To be honest, I enjoy reading the technical stuff so I’ll probably go with GCBC first.
And the picture is quite amusing to say the least.
Srdjan – Bloom to Fit´s last [type] ..Stay Active this Winter Season
Srdjan,
GCBC is pretty technical at times but it really does a great job of explaining things at a cellular level.
David
Cool stuff. Looks like a valuable read for anyone.
Dave,
If you like the science behind it then it is worth reading (along with Good Calories, Bad Calories).
David
Thanks for pointing those books out. This year I have said I am going to read more and those look like good books to start with. Thanks for the heads up.
Hey David! Thanks for the overview of these books. I saw them in the bookstore the other night but for some reason I couldn’t get myself to read yet another diet book. I guess I should have cracked the cover before I judged? Ooops!
IF is awesome in so many ways! I always have my weight loss clients use one of its variations, whatever works for them best.
Susan@Home Workouts´s last [type] ..Plant Based Diet An Actual Cure For Cancer
I love to read and will check this out on my kindle if I can get them. From what you are saying, it seems like Taubes and Mark Sisson from “The Primal Blueprint” think a lot alike. I learned a lot from Primal Blueprint and actually incorporated some of it (not all) in to my lifestyle. I will check these books out and see what I can get from them.
-Kelly
Kelly-Fitness Overhaul´s last [type] ..Flexibility stretches- My Next Biggest Obstacle
Great tip – I’ll check out the books.
Thanks!
Darren@moreprimetime.com´s last [type] ..FRS Healthy Energy
Hi Dave
Looks like two more books on my list to read. This is a timely post for me to read as I was just looking at why we get fat the other day so this has now made up my mind. Personally when I grew up carbs and in particular refined grains and flour where a big part of my diet and fat was seen as the enemy if you wanted to look good. It took me many years to realize that this was not the case and since this realization getting in shape and staying that way has been so much more successful and easier. Thanks for the post
Cheers
H
This looks like an interesting read. I like books that are able to break down the science since I don’t want to be a muscle nerd, just to look good naked!
That t-shirt is awesome!
Michael