Why We Get Fat

And What to Do About It

By: Gary Taubes

Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain

Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

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' 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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2010 Gary Taubes (P)2010 Random House

Very Compelling

I'm not all the way through the book but am very intrigued by what I have heard so far. My background is in Exercise Science so this goes against the conventional wisdom I was taught. However, conventional wisdom on more than one occasion in history hasn't been very wise. This note is for the location of the accompanying reference guide. It's located just above the reviews underneath the Publishers Summary section. :-)

Bad government dietary guidelines why!

I'm going to start this review by saying that Why We Get Fat is the second best book on the subject. The best is Good Calories, Bad Calories by the same author, but it is three times the length.

The US government has provided dietary guidelines for almost 50 years. Following those guidelines is the main cause of the increasing obesity and Type 2 diabetes epidemics in our country.

Government dietary studies are almost entirely bad science leading to incorrect conclusions. In, fact, eating high cholesterol foods does not increase your body's cholesterol or cause blood vessel blockages, salt does no increase blood pressure, healthy diet does not include large amounts of cereal products, dietary fats are do not cause health issues, etc.

The ideal diet is a low carbohydrate, high protein and moderate fat diet.

Most importantly, when government makes a scientific finding we should ignore it. Government does not do good science; it does political science.

Highly recommended.

Intriguing, technical, easy to follow

There are a lot of books about how to lose weight. But losing weight is not a reason you might want to read this book. The things I like about this book is that it talks about “WHY” we get fat. It’s not all about how much we eat and not about how much we exercise. Obesity is caused by fat regulation disorders. And, the cause of the disorder is carbohydrate we consume over time. This book takes you down the the deeper level of what carbohydrate do to our fat and muscle cells.
It sounds too technical for most people, isn’t it? But it’s not. The authors, for most parts, use common medical terms that we heard when we do annual check-up such as cholesterol or tri-glyceride. By the way, if you’d like to know why “tri-glyceride” is call “tri-glyceride”, you have to read this book.
I really like the narrator of this book too. His voice an tone keep my engaged throughout the book.--Teerawat Issariyakul

Extremely comprehensive and informative

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book is fantastic if you want the whole perspective. It give a comprehensive overview validated by scientific evidence, then goes on to explain in great detail solutions.

Extremely informative

Would you listen to Why We Get Fat again? Why?

Yes. There is a lot of information that I didn't know or understand before.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The connection of eating carbohydrates to insulin production and appetite elevation was illuminating.

What does Mike Chamberlain bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He made the arguments much more compelling. The more senses involved in learning the better the lesson is learned.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The discussion of how eating carbohydrates elevates hunger was very important. So much of the book described my battles with hunger and weight control. I liked the fact the book did not advocate for one particular diet plan over another. It was left up to you as to how you would use the information to plan your diet.

Any additional comments?

I chose to listen to this book because of the high rating your website gave it. I'm so glad I did. Using the knowledge I learned from the book I am now losing weight and feeling wonderful. I've feared for years that I might be heading toward diabetes. Now I'm hopeful I can avoid that. In that respect this may be a life changing book for me. All this good news because I joined an audio book club. Keep up the good work!

It's worth listening to it and then taking action

Here is a compelling argument for eliminating sugars and processed starches from our diet. The correlation between eating sugars/starches, the development of insulin resistance, obesity, and subsequent heart disease, is frightening. This book does go into the biochemistry of glucose and fructose metabolism, but it really isn't necessary to understand each step of that process. Focus on the end result, and be very, very afraid.

The real shock is in the author's explanation of the disconnect between the scientific research and the established medical advice that we are given every day. "Calories in, calories out" has been the mantra for as long as I can remember, and it is still being touted in the recent HBO series "The Weight of the Nation" (May 2012). I had read the author's essay on this series in Newsweek and decided to listen to his book. I was simply amazed... and when I cut out sugars/grains (just to see what would happen) I lost eight pounds in four weeks.

Great Book --- Until the End

Very interesting book. Well written, researched and presented. Why we get fat is well documented. "What to do about it" is a little misleading. Most everyone knows that sugars and carbs make you fat.

It is not until the very end of the book that you learn that your genetics trump almost everything, and if you have got the fat gene, the only way to keep weight off is to fast. I was annoyed that I put so many hours into listening attentively, hoping for an easy solution, and discovered that there was really little I could do about it.

Very interesting to listen to

Good listen, different take on why we get fat, helped me make some changes. Not sure if he's correct on everything but it makes more sense than trying to cut calories without thinking of anything else.

What you've been told about losing weight is wrong

Very interesting read if you are wondering why you are getting fat or not being able to lose weight with the usual calories in / calories out method. The first half of the book goes into great detail with why the calories in / calories out method doesn't work and the science to back up that assertion. By the end of the book you hear about what to do about it. Spoiler alert - no sugar and low to no carb diet is the method that proves out in science to work best for losing and maintaining weight.

For this sugar and carb loving gal that is sad news to hear! I'll have to give it a try and see if it works.

Must Read!

This should be required reading for every medical professional. This has completely changed how I look at food and what I tell my patients. Thank you for all the work you've done in your investigations.