Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It
Written by Gary Taubes
Narrated by Mike Chamberlain
4/5
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Currently unavailable
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About this audiobook
An eye-opening, myth-shattering examination of what makes us fat, from acclaimed science writer Gary Taubes.
In his New York Times best seller, Good Calories, Bad Calories, Taubes argued that our diet's overemphasis on certain kinds of carbohydrates-not fats and not simply excess calories-has led directly to the obesity epidemic we face today. The result of thorough research, keen insight, and unassailable common sense, Good Calories, Bad Calories immediately stirred controversy and acclaim among academics, journalists, and writers alike. Michael Pollan heralded it as "a vitally important book, destined to change the way we think about food."
Building upon this critical work in Good Calories, Bad Calories and presenting fresh evidence for his claim, Taubes now revisits the urgent question of what's making us fat-and how we can change-in this exciting new book. Persuasive, straightforward, and practical, Why We Get Fat makes Taubes's crucial argument newly accessible to a wider audience.
Taubes reveals the bad nutritional science of the last century, none more damaging or misguided than the "calories-in, calories-out" model of why we get fat, and the good science that has been ignored, especially regarding insulin's regulation of our fat tissue. He also answers the most persistent questions: Why are some people thin and others fat? What roles do exercise and genetics play in our weight? What foods should we eat, and what foods should we avoid?
Packed with essential information and concluding with an easy-to-follow diet, Why We Get Fat is an invaluable key in our understanding of an international epidemic and a guide to what each of us can do about it.
Editor's Note
Packed with info...
From explaining metabolic function, to dissecting the current dietary guidelines and how they contribute to obesity and heart disease, <i>Why We Get Fat</i> tackles deeper questions and offers practical advice for people looking for a lifestyle change.
Gary Taubes
Gary Taubes ist investigativer Journalist in den Bereichen Wissenschaft und Gesundheit sowie Mitbegründer der gemeinnützigen Organisation Nutrition Science Initiative (NuSI.org). Er ist Autor der Bücher Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It und Good Calories, Bad Calories. Taubes ist Preisträger des Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Investigator Award in Health Policy Research und hat für seine journalistische Arbeit zahlreiche weitere Preise verliehen bekommen.
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Reviews for Why We Get Fat
369 ratings40 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What I appreciated most about this book was the comprehensiveness of Taubes’ assessment. He leverages multiple historical findings, complete with questioning about why modern researchers ignore some of the same. The arguments in this book also leverage biochemistry, empirical research, and basic logic. If lowering carbs isn’t a universal solution, there’s at least enough here to make the reader want to take a step in that direction and to expect medical researchers to do so as well.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5In a nutshell: the author wants you to avoid all carbs and eat lots of meat and minimal fruits (because they'll make you fat like carbs) and minimal veggies. Sounds like a heart attack diet to me. This entire book had me wondering how much money the author was getting paid from the meat industry. I dog eared the pages of the book with every intention of writing about each problem in his theory, but I don't have the time. Let me just say, not every carb is created equal, obviously it's healthier to have a potato than a pastry, but according to the book it isn't even okay to eat a potato or corn or certain beans. This book gets zero stars from me, because it could be potentially dangerous for someone to follow this misleading book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Taubes reveals the bad nutritional science of the last century, none more damaging or misguided than the "calories-in, calories-out" model of why we get fat, and the good science that has been ignored, especially regarding insulin's regulation of our fat tissue. He also answers persistent questions: Why are some people thin and others fat? What roles do exercise and genetics play in our weight? What foods should we eat, and what foods should we avoid?
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent review of medical studies of obesity over the last 100 years in different cultures, countries,economic groups and proves that over eating. lack of exercise, are not the cause, rather carbohydrates, increased blood sugar and insulin resulted in the storage of fat. Borrow audio version of this book once per year to remind myself of what works and what doesn't. Taubes book "Good Calories Bad Calories" is too scientific to read comfortably. This audio version of Why We Get Fat is the best
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A very interesting view of nutrition and why we get fat. I plan to aggressively follow the guidance in this book and see if it works. Calories in vs calories out does not work for me. Now I know why.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Best book for people who want to loose weight and eat more.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lots of science-based studies to back up findings. Relatively simple-to-understand concepts.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is one if the most informative.. books i have ever. listen to. why we are not taught in are school years. baffles me.. it is a must. big business dont make $ if we eating carbs
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very well documented book presenting a lot of studies and researchers made over time regarding the subject and the strengths and weaknesses of each theory
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Everyone should read this book! Hard science you can not ignore. Great analogies to help you understand. This book has been referenced in many other books I have read.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Been vegan for quite some time, learned from this book the dangers of carbs, sugars and starches, the importance of low carb and low GI food, and noe going to be implementing and testing the science in this book.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This book did not add much to my knowledge base. It was a push for a carb-free (not just low carb) diet. He spoke a lot about insulin resistance, which is an issue my family deals with, as well as diabetes. He gave a lot of research proving that the eat less, move more plan promoted by doctors did not work in most cases. He even gave a shout out to Pennington Biomedical Research in my hometown for their research on insulin resistance and nutrition. However, he did not give enough research, in my opinion, to prove that a high meat and high fat, carb-free diet would not cause problems with heart disease. This is an area of concern for my family and I would have liked more research about that. He briefly mentions that cholesterol could increase temporarily, but should go down. Not factual enough for me.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent book very useful and informative, Strongly recommended for all who interested in this subject
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I agree with the author's central premise: that the rise of the original "Food Pyramid," with its recommendation to base our diets on "whole grains," also known as carbohydrates, is a primary cause of overweight in the U.S. Taubes provides study after study, some going back a century or more, in support of his hypothesis. It's hard to conclude anything else, when all of the evidence is considered. The question then becomes what to do about it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Definitely worth reading!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5So very glad I read this book. I'll never look at a loaf of bread or a bowl of pasta quite the same way again. A must read for anyone struggling with weight issues. I found information relating to Alzheimer's of particular interest.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I gave up. He has a complete inability to recognize that, while CI/CO isn't his tenet, it can lead to weight loss for some people. I forgot how militant he can get. He's digestible in blog post/article length but not in book form.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gave me a better understanding of how to use the stored energy in my fat, and I had a productive conversation with my new endocrinologist as a result. I can't see extreme low carb as a lifestyle for me, but I am inspired to make some changes.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A very interesting view of nutrition and why we get fat. I plan to aggressively follow the guidance in this book and see if it works. Calories in vs calories out does not work for me. Now I know why.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Problem is that a lot of the myths about how healthy Inuit and other meat eaters are/were, have been debunked. This key assumptions underpinning the book makes it pretty much useless. The author invests a lot of words into proving why certain diets are wrong but is very light on the all meat diets he proposes as healthy
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I cannot stress enough how important this book is in our diet and weight-obsessed culture. This book takes the message from Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories and distills it to the basic concepts. That concept is that the diet advice we've been given over the last 60+ years is wrong. Not only wrong, but has had dire adverse effects on the health of our world. With clear and concise words, Taubes demonstrates how our current advice came into being, tracing it from the beginning and explaining the science in easy to understand terms. From this, the reader clearly learns how carbohydrates, proteins, and fat interact with the endocrine systems and how they provide energy to the body. The science indisputably shows that when insulin works correctly, the body maintains a proper weight (based on genetics). But if the insulin processes in the body are damaged, then carbohydrates directly caused the accumulation of fat, leading to weight gain. It is the carbohydrates in our food, not the fat, that causing obesity. Taubes proves that using science. The end result for the reader is the knowledge that the diet advice given by the government to prevent obesity and diabetes may be the very thing that has caused the epic rise of both in our society. If you have every struggled with your weight, ever been confused by the difference between the advice and the results, ever doubted your willpower and blamed yourself for your failure to lose weight - READ THIS BOOK.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It seems like common sense. Someday it will make sense.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A game changing book that exposed the dreadful lies we have been told. It confirms what Scott Adams (of Dilbert cartoon fame) said. People are stupid. Not individually but collectively. The book reveals how we have been duped by the low fat high carb meme. I feel sorry for people who have been made unwell through the arrogance of a few people (psychopaths) who loved the power and control of putting their personal agenda forward. The fact that other scientists especially doctors and nutritionists did not challenge the lies (on purely scientific or even statistical grounds) is amazing. Taubes was very brave to write this book I the first place and I am so glad he did.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5way longer than it needs to be
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a better-written and shorter version of Good Calories, Bad Calories.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5When 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 blame firmly back on to the types of food we are eating. Cheap, refined carbohydrates (particularly sugar) are the bad guys, not the humans who eat them. And it's the poorest people who are the most vulnerable. I had never thought of obesity as being a sign of malnourishment before, but this book spells out the reasons for it.Taubes's writing style is clear (if a little humourless) and he has a firm grasp of a broad swathe of research on the subject. I thought he was rather dismissive of vegetarian and vegetable-rich diets, which troubled me a little. I'm not sure encouraging everyone to eat lots of meat is a sustainable way forward. And although I agree with him that exercise isn't much use as a weight-loss mechanism without dietary change, I think he could have made it clearer that it's still a good thing to do for other reasons. I can imagine a lot of people reading this book and taking it as permission not to do any exercise at all.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Extremely persuasive, although a more detailed eating plan would have been helpful.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I just skimmed the beginning and the book is due - basically no white flour, refined sugars and processed foods. It is just so much easier to eat a cookie than an orange!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stupid library ebook time limits, also wish I could renew ebooks. IOW, I wasn't able to finish this. Anyway, as for the book, as much as I read: fascinating stuff, especially on the hormonal aspect of weight gain and loss. Good reminder for me, too, after gradually gaining back some of the weight I lost a few years ago, of what I did that worked, and how to go back to that. (Salad & steak FTW.) Definitely want to read it again all the way through.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A must read for those with little time for Good Calories, Bad Calories.