Rejoin the carnivors, ditch the chips?

[Drewish]

http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2012/0 ... why_w.html

Gary Taubes, author of Why We Get Fat, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about why we get fat and the nature of evidence in a complex system. The current mainstream view is that we get fat because we eat too much and don't exercise enough. Taubes challenges this seemingly uncontroversial argument with a number of empirical observations, arguing instead that excessive carbohydrate consumption causes obesity. In this conversation he explains how your body reacts to carbohydrates and explains why the mainstream argument of "calories in/calories out" is inadequate for explaining obesity. He also discusses the history of the idea of carbohydrates' importance tracing it back to German and Austrian nutritionists whose work was ignored after WWII. Roberts ties the discussion to other emergent, complex phenomena such as the economy. The conversation closes with a discussion of the risks of confirmation bias and cherry-picking data to suit one's pet hypotheses.

[maiforpeace]

Subject: Obese Man to Sue NHS for letting him get fat.

I'm not making any kind of point here, just asking a question.
Do we shit any calories? Or does every human digest and use every available calorie in their food?
Some people seem to perform miracles. They eat like a horse and never put on weight.
Do they just lose more energy in heat? I can't see how they can do that, unless their skin temperature is much higher than others.
.

Yes, calories are shat, cried, sweated, spit and pissed. Calories "out" includes those burned and used by the body, and those excreted, defecated, urinated, etc.

More calories in than calories out = weight gain. That weight can be muscle, bone, fat, etc.

As for some people eating like a horse and performing miracles - it's not miraculous. It's chemistry and biology.

People's metabolic rates can differ: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_metabolic_rate People with higher metabolic rates burn more calories faster, all else being equal.

Also, sometimes people who claim they aren't eating too much aren't accurately accounting for the amount they really eat. A person who doesn't exercise and who eats 3 sensible meals totally 2000 calories in a day, but adds five coca-colas, 3 coffees with loads of cream and sugar, a big glass of orange juice, and a bowl of ice cream while watching t.v. most likely is consuming too many calories.

I'll get back to you when I'm done reading the book I posted earlier. In the meantime I leave you with the book's Amazon synopsis, that should get you going.

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.

[Bella Fortuna]

Scooped by Mai!

[maiforpeace]

Scooped by Mai!

Andrew and I agree on something!

[amused]

A person who doesn't exercise and who eats 3 sensible meals totally 2000 calories in a day, but adds five coca-colas, 3 coffees with loads of cream and sugar, a big glass of orange juice, and a bowl of ice cream while watching t.v. most likely is consuming too many calories.

Well, duh. I found that when I pushed caloric intake down to 1500/day to lose weight, I had to budget those calories to make sure I was getting enough protein, fiber and other necessary nutrients. The easiest thing to cut back was carbohydrates, which is what is in that quoted list of extra calories. They should also add alcohol as an obvious offender. Of course cutting back carbs will help, they contain lots of calories and no nutrients.

[Graculus]

They should also add alcohol as an obvious offender. Of course cutting back carbs will help, they contain lots of calories and no nutrients.

Beer has nutrients!

[laklak]

Beer IS nutrients. That is all ye know, and all ye need to know.