Fans of the Dr. Oz Show no doubt caught the recent episode where he interviewed Gary Taubes, the author of Why We Get Fat.
The two couldn’t disagree more when it comes to the factors contributing to obesity and the method in which people should use to lose weight. Needless to say, the show was pretty heated in discussion as Taubes defended his somewhat controversial theories concerning weight loss.Dr. Oz is a firm believer in healthy eating and getting exercise. He promotes eating complex carbs, limited healthy fats, moderate protein, and encourages people to get moving. Taubes, on the other hand, says that people are fat as the result of hormones and that eating a high fat diet doesn’t make someone fat.
Why We Get Fat promotes a very low carb diet, high in protein and fat with little to no exercise required. Dr. Oz compared his diet to the original Atkins and about the only thing the two did agree on was the danger of transfats.
So who’s right? With such contradictory information always being thrown at us and the lucrative nature of the diet industry, it can be hard to tell.
Who do you think is giving dieters the right advice? Participate in the poll and comments below.
One word: Endorphins. Ever wonder why heroin addicts are so skinny?
a low carb diet is the best way to regain ur lost pounds as soon as u start eating “normal”. I recommend eatin 5-7 meals a day substituting carbs with veggies as far as the last 2-3 meals are concerned.
Actually, the preffered fuels are, in order: alcohol, carbs, fat. This is for the average person. No reason to start drinking instead of eating healthy meals, though.
Afer you follow a low-carb diet for long enough (2-8 weeks), fat becomes the preffered source, with numerous advantages on the long term, provided that you eat healthy fats and from a “clean” source.
Yeah, as a male I was eating 2000-2500 calories a day and became anorexicly thin at 5’10” eating whatever I wanted. I did move, though.
Actually, the root cause of heart disease in India is the huge amount of oil (mostly processed vegetable oils replacing traditional home-made butter based “ghee’) used in the vegetarian food (have a look at our breakfast menus to rethink the term “healthy breakfast”). Diabetes of course is a no-brainer … ever eaten a sampling of Indian desert? The sugar high could kill the average westerner
The eskimos are a small group living in harsh conditions & may of had genetics to live in that manner that typical man cannot. However,there is a consequence.Eskimos suffer a high rate of osteoporosis due to high protein. They also don^t appear to be slim or lean but rather bulky if not overweight
CarbSane has an agenda all her own, obviously not in the interest of science, more like avenging her jealousy or something.
Gary did publish his blood lipids and they’re pretty damn near perfect. Smush that one in your face.
http://www.garytaubes.com/blog/
They live longer because they don’t smoke and they don’t drink. Mormons eat meat and are just as long-lived. Neither do Mormons smoke and drink.
Its called MODERATION people!
You know what, I absolutely agree with you! Gary Taubes never wrote or said that exercise is bad for you. Its just not the efficient way to lose weight. There is an imbalance of energy and since your body does intend to remain in homeostasis, you might feel more hungry after working out. I like to walk a lot before walking, makes me enjoy my food even more
“He didn’t wrap hot dogs in bacon…”
Dude!!! I’ve never tried that!
Hi Matthew,
What you did sounds very interesting. Was it just something you did or did you have some guidance? It is my experience that high carb/low fat has been disturbing my metabolism as well and I really would like to know, what you did and how you did it.
And yes, I agree that the discussion has turned into something not very constructive.
Gerry Taube who read what ever he could lay his hands on about research into obesity. After reading all the research he concluded that carbohydrates spike insulin and that the bodies production of insulin makes you fat. That’s it. He just stated the obvious. He didn’t go into it wishing to show that Atkins was right! But the result of all he found was that yes, Atkins was closer to the truth then Susan Powter.
Strangely enough it has been rather difficult for him to get through with his message. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that there is a billion dollar industry providing us with all the things we think we need, to get in shape, when in reality we need none of it?
Taubes is not really making any money out of this. I actually think his life would have been a lot easier, if he had decided not to keep on telling his story. But he does, and for that I honor him. He is a kind of David against Goliath. Way to go Gerry!
Meat doesn’t need processing? Funny, I never see a person eating roadkill, or ripping apart a squirrel. Hint: meat is cleaned, cooked. Plenty of veggies need cooking to be digestible. Fruit, however, can be eaten straight off the tree, in many cases.
Paranoia is not defending oneself from baseless accusations and deliberate twisting of my words. Now you’ve dragged this crap to another forum deliberately misquoting once again.
As to who doesn’t understand science, this is utter nonsense:
WEIGHT LOSS OCCURS ON LOW-CARB DIETS BECAUSE THEY PRODUCE LESS SURPLUS CALORIES IN THE FORM OF GLUCOSE DURING METABOLISM THAN HIGHER CARB DIETS.
Shouting fairy tales doesn’t make them any more true.
I’ve stated repeatedly that the only carb implicated in IR is fructose, so too, dietary fat.
I’ve yet to see where Oz’s diet would cause IR in any way shape or form.
That was my point Matthew. That level of consumption would destroy a liver. But even the sucrose-fed rats didn’t develop the degree of glucose intolerance that the high fat fed ones in a recent study: http://carbsanity.blogspot.com/2011/03/why-we-get-sick-fat-lessons-from.html
Carbohydrate per se, especially those that elicit an insulin response, do not cause diabetes. I welcome the deluge of studies – epidemiological or otherwise – to prove that wrong.
I love Lindor truffles, they are my sweet treat. Three balls = 11g sugar = 5.5g sucrose. I might eat one or two. But if I ate the whole bag we’re talking 44g sugar = 22g fructose. I would have to eat how many bags? I also enjoy the – occasional – single serving slice of Edwards pie contains 22g sugar = 11g fructose. Again, how many slices … every day?
Just to keep things in context.
I found this quote from Ken Kifer’s Bike Pages. It pertains to me, since I commute to work by bike, that is, whenever it doesn’t rain- I have a stationary bike for those days. Low carbohydrate diets don’t support aerobic, intense exercise, so this kind of diet could explain some of the effects bicycling had on you. High protein diets could support weight lifting, however. Since my diet is neither low fat, nor low carb, I have not experienced any of your symptoms from exercise. Here is the quote from Ken Kifer,
If walking is good, bicycling is better. Pedalling Health (you can also read my review in this directory) reports that in Finland, those who chose to walk for exercise had a maximum heart rate of 60% and a VO2 max. of 38. Those who chose to bicycle had a maximum heart rate of 70% and a VO2 max. of 57. Although starting from a higher level, the cyclists improved more over a ten week period than did the walkers.
According to All-Cause Mortality Associated With Physical Activity During Leisure Time, Work, Sports, and Cycling to Work, the largest study ever undertaken on the benefits of exercise, bicycling to work on a regular basis had the greatest health benefit discovered: “Even after adjustment for other risk factors, including leisure time physical activity, those who did not cycle to work experienced a 39% higher mortality rate than those who did.”
People sometimes complain that they are too tired to exercise. The fatigue is caused by a sedentary lifestyle. I bicycle 120 miles and walk 12 miles a week (about two hours of exercise per day), and I never feel tired, although I often did while working at my sedentary job. People also complain that they don’t have time to exercise. Go for a walk instead of watching TV at night, and you will have an interesting time. Ride your bike or walk to the store, and you can accomplish your errand and get your exercise at the same time. Even better, use a bicycle to get to work. The time spend walking or cycling will be more than compensated by a longer and more energetic life.
So, my suggestion to anyone who wants to lose weight and/or to improve health is to improve the fruit and vegetable content of your diet, reduce your saturated and hydrogenated fats, and spend more time walking, bicycling, and working around your home. The more exercise you get, the better you will feel and the less trouble you will have maintaining the proper weight.
>I don’t feel tired since I started bicyling. I also eat more fruits and vegetables and less saturated and hydrogenated fats, although more monounsaturated fats from nuts. Since I started to bicycle to work, I have never had to call in sick to work, whereas I used to every 6 months or so. I also have a lot more energy. I hope people reading this will take my example and not yours and therefore they might lose weight and improve their health. If they try a low carb diet along with the “chronic cardio,” then ONLY then will they get bad results, as long as their health wasn’t bad in some other way that caused problems.
What you said is absolutely not true for me. Selene Yeager wrote a book called “Riding Your Way Lean” and she gave MANY examples of persons who have lost weight riding a bike, so therefore your experience is not typical at all. I bike about 140 miles a week and lost close to 90 pounds and I am at the lowest weight I have been since high school-161 at 6 foot even. I also used to be on a HIGH dose of statin drugs and now my total cholesterol is 170, my triglycerides are 55 my HDL has been risen to 75 by the exercise and my LDL is 84, ALL without greatly restricting carbs, fats or calories. I eat very little animal fat, but eat a lot of nuts, but also starches from oatmeal. “Chronic” cardio has been such boon for my health, that I don’t think what you said has any truth in my case, and in fact your notions are very dangerous for many who could be greatly helped by a lot of exercise. Of course bicycling does not really build muscle mass, but weight training does not burn fat either.