xxmonickkkkaxx (June 12, 2009 at 3:47 am)

It is very simple, eat whole foods and cut out starches, sugars and flour.

DianeDi (June 11, 2009 at 12:38 am)

#1 hormonal disturbance = water fluoridation... directly related to Hypothyrodism... which effects every aspect of your metabolism.. in addition is Aspartame and MSG... which is in thousands of our food and beverage products. We are what we eat... keep it simple, clean and pure..... it's the chemical additives causing most of our health problems.

commercialloanguy (June 2, 2009 at 10:10 pm)

funny that anyone is responding with any contrarian view having not read his book. Read the book, people

XBGJDKE (May 18, 2009 at 9:46 pm)

I think for the most part you're right: going back to natural foods is a huge part of health. The reason some people get so fanatical about low carb is that, for whatever reason, we have a much greater sensitivity to the carbs in our diet than others. For those without the hormonal difficulties what you write works fine. For those like me, with PCOS or another hormonal condition, even relatively healthy, unprocessed carbs can prevent weight loss or even cause weight gain. We like having options.

xxmonickkkkaxx (May 18, 2009 at 9:19 pm)

Well actually its the right carbs not necessarily low carb. Just cut out sugar, white bread, HFCS, processed foods and eat only organic and you will be thin.

jckchrstphr (May 14, 2009 at 9:56 pm)

I agree. If you're overweight, becoming overweight, or have a history of those problems, it's likely you're insulin is chronically elevated -- a metabolic/endocrine disorder. The biggest marker of that being abdominal/visceral fat.If you don't have those conditions it seems like you do fine on starchy root vegetables (like potatoes) and even rice and oats. But I suspect this works only if you're fit and active. And of course you'd still have to avoid Omega6 oils and processed fructose.

livinlowcarbman (May 13, 2009 at 7:29 pm)

Actually, Taubes would agree with you somewhat, but most the impact of carbohydrate in the body varies according to the individual tolerance level. Just a tiny bit of carbs in my body sends my insulin skyrocketing...for others, it takes much more. That's what he was saying.

jckchrstphr (May 13, 2009 at 6:36 pm)

Hormone imbalance is real not pseudoscience. Insulin is a hormone. And when it's chronically elevated -- it's imbalanced.Endocrine/hormonal disorders are involved in weight gain, that's not in dispute. Look up "leptin" for another player.Also the thyroid is a hormonal gland, it's involved in metabolism. And with the right foods, you can wreak havoc on it.But I disagree with Taubes (I think), in that I distinguish the type of carb -- wheat is the main villain, gluten in particular.

XBGJDKE (April 30, 2009 at 7:30 pm)

Well said :)

XBGJDKE (April 30, 2009 at 7:29 pm)

It comes down to statistics: things like a sedentary lifestyle and eating too much are correlated with weight gain. That means that these behavioral factors could be causing the weight gain, or that the genetic/hormonal factors that contribute to weight gain also cause inactivity and overeating. I have to admit that after seeing people eat insane amounts of food and not gain weight, while other people eat 500 calories a day and gain weight (if it's carbs) gives me pause.

XBGJDKE (April 30, 2009 at 7:23 pm)

Go Taubes Go! Low-carb ftw!

fatboy395 (April 24, 2009 at 4:48 am)

so is the fat dude saying eating bad triggers chemical imbalances that make you fat? it sounds like he doesnt have scientific proof, just like in the 90s about fat being the cause of fat gain...