Your experience is very similar to mine. I bought and read both of
Taubes' books. I do not follow his recommendations to the letter, by
any means, but I did quit most sugar and most carbs. I still have a
sandwich now and then, and I eat some chips here and there. I still
love beer, but I cut back on that, too. Guess what? 14 pounds in the
past two months. Oh, and I'm riding less than I was in the spring, but
my average speed has gone way up and I find hill climbing to be very
noticeably easier.
My point is that Taubes' observations of the hundreds of studies (world
wide) of human metabolism point to the same general conclusion: Humans
are animals, and proteins are far and away the dominant nutrients
required by our bodies. We have, physiologically, almost no use for
carbohydrates, and our bodies' insulin system bears that out. Yes, we
can tolerate them and even use them effectively, but humans have
succumbed to living off of them and are doing more so as time goes by.
The parallel with the global increase in obesity and most major diseases
is stunningly obvious, yet we do everything in our power to deny it.
I'm no zealot, and I'm suspicious of anyone who says there's only one
way to do something like "diet", but when a simple shift in the
percentage of carbs I consume made a (nearly) immediate improvement in
my overall health, I was sold. I know I could never follow a strict
"Primal" diet, but strong adjustments in that direction are still
measurably beneficial.
On 8/13/2011 7:50 AM, George Schick wrote:
Since the subject of Taubes' book finally came up on a thread I might
as well check to say that I've been on it for several months now and
have lost roughly 14 pounds. I'm 5' 9" and weighed around 191; I've
dropped to the mid-170's and am aiming for the low 170's. I'm wearing
clothing now that I never thought I'd be able to wear again in this
life. My wife has been on it, too, and is losing weight also.
I have to thank Riv (Grant) for publishing so much in his readers and
on his web site about Taubes and the book. Had it not been for that
it's unlikely that I would've gotten a copy. My wife and I both read
it and were fascinated by the story Taubes tells about the kind of
diet that was common among many different races and cultures around
the globe and what happened to them when their main food sources were
taken away and they were forced to rely on the Western diet of mainly
carbs. And, although Taubes never really comes right out and says
it in so many words, it makes one wonder if a bit of conspiracy didn't
take place in the late 50's/early 60's when the food processing
industry began to really ramp up production of cereals, ready-to-eat
toaster pastries, etc. Seems like that was when the food pyramid
concept began to be so heavily touted.
Draw backs to and warnings about the diet would be these: 1) Taubes
stresses that you should drink a couple of cups of bullion daily.
DON'T ignore this! A couple of days ago I had to replace the front
"flex pipe" on my pickup and I fought cramps in my legs, neck, and
even hands the entire time I was crawling around under the truck. You
simply have to replace the sodium that would normally be supplied by
carbs with something else. 2) Figure out how you can deal with
cravings by eating something other than carb snacks. I'm fortunate in
that regard because I'll eat almost anything - so a tin of sardines or
kippers, a bag of pork rinds, etc. - they do the trick. If you
absolutely can't stand any of that stuff try Atkins bars from the drug
store. 3) Taubes recommends a certain amount of leafy greens and non-
starchy vegetables every day. This is important unless you want to
suffer from unique bowel problems - I've leave it go at that.
At this point I can't say that I really miss all of the breads and
other carbs I thought I could never live without. I do miss good
beer, though, especially the excellent craft brewed stuff so every
once in a while I just have to have one. Other than that I'd think
the biggest draw back to the diet down the road is going to be
sticking to it. I've heard many stories from people who went on the
Atkins diet a decade or so ago, lost weight, then gained it back again
when the began to stray from it. It sure is easier climbing hills
sans 14 or so pounds, though!
On Aug 13, 7:16 am, Michael Hechmer<mhech...@gmail.com> wrote:
Actually, the bulk of the Taubes book is a review of hundreds of obeisity
studies from around the world over the last 250 years or so. Taubes is not
making any new or novel scientific claims, but rather summarizing the
conclusions of those studies and pointing out that today's dominant
nutritional advice is at odds with all of the underlying scientific
research.
Arguing that insulin levels are not the key variable in weight gain is much
like arguing that volcanoes are the major cause of global warming, after
every independent climate scientist has rejected the conclusion. If someone
wants to dispute the veracity of his conclusions they will need to show that
insulin does not determine what happens to the calories we consume.
I still eat brownies and ice cream, but I don't delude myself about what
happens inside my body when I do.
michael
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