Gary Taubes on "Why We Get Fat"

San Francisco Gate ^ | April 4, 2011 | Debra Levi Holtz, Special to The Chronicle

[Altariel]

Ten years ago, science writer Gary Taubes exercised an hour a day. He avoided fat in his diet, never even using milk in his oatmeal. But he kept gaining weight. As an experiment, the self-described carnivore tried the high-protein, low-carbohydrate Atkins diet - eating bacon and eggs for breakfast, pepperoni with melted mozzarella for lunch, and a steak for dinner - and lost 20 pounds in six weeks.

Since then, Taubes, an award-winning journalist and best-selling author, has stuck with the diet and spent countless hours collecting evidence to prove that it's not how much we eat but what we eat that makes us gain weight. In his fourth book, "Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It" (Knopf; 257 pages; $24.95), Taubes argues that an apple a day will not keep the doctor away. In fact, if your biological fate is to be overweight, that apple will tip the scales against you.

[Darnright]

>So, two cups of vegetable juice would just about cover it.<

I’m not sure about vegetable juice, but I do know I can eat a heck of a big bowl of salad and have plenty of leeway to get to 20 grams of carbohydrate. Perhaps substituting the whole veggies for juice would satiate you more effectively.

[death2tyrants]

Yes, I’ve been Paleo for about six months...

I recommend that you go on a well balanced diet that includes the Recommened Daily Intakes of carbohydrates, fiber, lipids, protein, and vitamin and minerals. I've been on such a diet for 3 years. It's easy to maintain because it doesn't have the monotonousness of these fad diets like the paelo diet, and it has long-term health benefits, unlike these short-term, loose-weight-quick fad diets like the paelo diet. Since I've adopted the well-balanced diet, I dropped from 220 to 185. With this diet, combined with a rigorous powerlifting program, I can deadlift 450 lbs at 185. Since I'm a powerlifter, I like to utilize simple carbs for energy and to restore my glycogen post workout. And I use complex carbohydrates for better digestion since I use the upper end of the the RDI's protein intake of 35%.