Why We Get Fat: And What to Do about It [Mass Market Paperback]

I recommend this book if, like me, you have spent time, effort and money trying to figure out how to remove your excess weight and have better all-round health.

This book is the second from Gary Taubes that I have read. The first `Good Calories, Bad Calories' (or The Diet Delusion here in the UK) is long, at nearly 600 pages, expects a knowledge and understanding of science, is occasionally repetitive and sometimes poorly edited, but makes the point about the wrong road we have been following in pursuit of weight loss and better health extremely well to my mind.

This is a shorter book and took a lot less time to read. It is clear to me that Taubes has tested and honed his arguments and has learned how to get them across better. To my mind the book flows easily. There were one or two technical sections but he led me up to these with background so by the time I got there I was able to understand the point he was making. In GCBC this was not the case and there were some sections that I didn't `get' and had to read a number of times to understand.

The book acknowledges but does not deal with the consequences to the environmental and moral questions that it raises. This is left for others to debate. Here the science behind fat metabolism is the focus of attention.

There is new information in here too. There is a description of Insulin Resistance that I found very useful in furthering my understanding. The unanswered question in the whole book for me is: Can Insulin Resistance be `cured' and if so how long does it take?

`Why We Get Fat...' is not really a diet book. Since starting the diet as prescribed here, though, I have lost 28lbs without hunger or any discomfort.

Thank you Gary for this book and for your perseverance in dealing with the establishment and with the established Diet writers who seem to me to be more interested in defending their own fiefdoms than in solving the issues of weight, diabetes, heart disease and cancer that is the natural outcome of this work. I hope that politicians and the medical establishment will read the book with an open-mind and change the message to benefit us all. Now where's the Lard...'

A very easy read - clear, concise, you'll get the point first time every time.

I'm rereading it, from cover to cover as it's so good, and I want to make certain I've not missed anything.

In a nutshell, if you eat sugar, flour and other hi carb foods, you generate a lot of insulin.

Insulin is a very powerful hormone, that has the following effect...
1. Its stops you burning fat instantly, so if you eat carbs, you literally cannot lose weight.
2. Insulin is known as the hunger hormone, so you're starving and overeating.

Current Dieting advice is to eat 5 portions of fruit and veg. If you eat 4 meals plus 5 fruit, you'll be realising Insulin 9 times a day... so you'll be permanently starving and worse, unable to burn any fat... so won't lose weight at all.
Insulin triggers our overeating.

It's a constant cycle.
This advice breaks that cycle and gives you masses of research to back up it's arguments. It's a stunning piece of work, that blasts government advice for the folly that it is.

All current diets miss the key factor - the influence of hormones.
This book introduces the concept that Obesity is "malnutrition", it's caused by poor quality foods in sugar and flour not by overeating or lack of exercise.

Shifting paradigms (fundamental ways of thinking) seems to have become a way of life for me, at least over the last 12 months. This is basically what Gary Taubes is attempting to do. Having had stents fitted after a heart attack nearly 11 months ago I was left several months later wondering how the hell I was going to recover from feeling as though I was getting older by the day, piling on even more weight (I had gone up from about 15st 4lbs (214 pounds) to 16-2 (226 pounds)), forgetful and unable to concentrate. In the excess weight stakes I appreciate that I am relatively low, but never the less the same principles apply. The hospital had put me on 5 tablets a day and my local GP had continued repeating the tablet prescription which of course included statins (Lipitor). To cut a long story short I asked my GP if he would help me come off at least the statins. "They are for life' was his response. I had already started my own 'lay' research into the statins for I was aware of some controversy in their use. This I continued after my visit to the GP until I bought a number of books on cholesterol and saturated fats. The two seemed to go together but I eventually ended up at Gary Taubes book, and subsequently listened to the audio of this title. Being armed with his research added considerably to what I had learnt from Barry Groves and initially Malcolm Kendrick (on cholesterol). Sufficiently so that I decide to take things into my own hands, reduce the statins and embark on a low carb regime and increasing my fats (especially saturated fats). You will appreciate at this point some pretty hefty life long beliefs being thrown out the window here. I had had another visit to my GP which had ended up a bit of a battle on the good advice stakes, resulting in my totally losing confidence - but leaving me feeling rather vulnerable to say the least. Belief in a doctors advice when your life? seemed at stake?? Shifting paradigms I would suggest. His extensive research has kept me hopeful during a difficult period. More than that. I have lost 27 pounds. I have lost the spasms of eczema which had bothered me for around 5 years. I am now far fitter, think more clearly and have embarked on a mission.

I also believe that forms of stress have a part to play in all this for if we were perfectly attuned with our bodies (which we are rarely) then we would naturally sense what was good for us. I know that this puts a 'cat amongst the pigeons' but this should surely be part of much needed further research. If the reader wants to start at the beginning with the guy who in Victorian times incredulously said similar things to Gary Taubes then look up William Banting on Google. His book about what a low carb diet did for him sold for a shilling, it went to 4 editions and he gave the proceeds all to charity! There must be, a great deal more to this story to come. Many lives must be at stake! There are over 300 reviews to Gary Taubes book on Amazon.com and over 200 of them have 5 stars. Personally I believe that little further research is required to get the ball really moving, not until there are many more on board, and I am convinced that it will come, can a comprehensive research programme be initiated. There are many many many health issues here, indeed it has the potential to rewrite the medical books. Like all 'medicines', this is not for all or all at the same dose but I believe that there are many millions who would get benefit from finding their own 'lower' carb regime and to benefit so many ways not just weight loss. Further reading (again I bought the audio version coz the paperback isn't due out yet) is Wheat Belly' where the author puts the issue firmly at the feet of mega over indulgence of modern day refined wheat products. Genuinely best wishes to all who need that little help, many of you will find it here.