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

Unbiased Explanation of Weight Gain & How to Lose

very thorough explanation of how weight gain happens from a physiological level. Gives very simple, logical reasoning for how that fat is also lost. I wish this were required reading in medical schools.

Scientific. Interesting.

I found this an interesting read despite the heaviness of scientific data presented. Lots of good information to ponder. But be warned, it's big on meat as seemingly a cure to the issue of obesity. Gary appears to be a proponent of the Atkins diet and similar ways of eating.

He was pretty convincing, though. And this is coming from a 20+ year vegetarian. Afterwards, I read In Defense of Food, which gives another perspective entirely, however, and I found great benefit in having read them both---as I felt I got a well-rounded view of today's science and perspectives on diet. In the end, my leanings are more toward that of Pollan's (In Defense of Food), but this is a very good and worthy read for that sense of well-roundedness.

Excellent book

good content. neat narration. holds your attention till the end despite so much statistics and endocrinology.
Must listen.

Life saving book

Where does Why We Get Fat rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

If you are fat challanged, as Americans say, this book could be life saving. Most of nutritionists treat people like machines: daily consumption-energy spent=what you earn or lose. This is simply wrong, because people are not machines and energy balance is not the reason why we get fat. This book offers a better explanation, a scientific one and offers a viable alternative to get leaner and stay lean. The reader will fully understand why we get fat and what to do about this.
Additionally, the audiobook is well written and well read.

The Best

Having listened to this book twice, I must commend Gary Taubes on his impeccable research as well as the easy style of his book. I find Mike Chamberlain, the narrator, to have an excellent presentation as well, like a familiar voice reading to you.

Astonishing and Essential Listening

As someone who has dieted and exercised hard—albeit intermittently—for more than a decade to try to lose weight with negligible success, I'm astonished by the stories and evidence Gary Taubes shares in the book Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It. If the abundant evidence he presents is correct, the medical community led the public profoundly astray in the 70s and 80s when it reversed a century of conventional wisdom and began recommending we eliminate fat (rather than carbs) and count calories if we want to stay trim and healthy. Robert Atkins and paleo diet advocates had it right, it seems: Carbs and carbs alone are the culprit behind the obesity epidemic—since they drive insulin production which drives fat retention—and if we want to stop harming ourselves and bloating our kids, we need to get them out of the dining room. Who would have thought that eating a lot or high-fat foods isn't what makes you fat, eating a little or low-fat foods isn't what makes you thin, and bacon and eggs make a far healthier breakfast (for your heart and everything else) than a bowl of Special K with fat-free milk and a piece of unbuttered toast? Astonishing but deeply credible when you understand why. Listen up, friends! I'm so grateful that I did.

Awesome!

This book bears repeated listening...it's wonderful to find a concise, informed, rational explanation of the stupidity of the low-fat diet and how many people are being hurt by

Great read!

This book was suggested to me several years ago. I bought the print version but just couldn't get into it so I finally got an audio version and got through the very dense material very quickly. It's very similar to the Atkins diet, I think (I've never done Atkins but I watched my husband do very well on it), I never liked the thought of the Atkins diet but now that I know the science behind it all I'm very inclined to give this low carb thing a try. -(today is day 1). What I liked about the info is that it shows you that you may have the body that can tolerate some level of carbs so I don't feel like I'm doomed never to eat fruit again. I'm trying this in the fall when most fruits that I love are out of season, hoping this will help. Wish me luck!!

Coalesces the facts and makes them actionable

Pulls together pieces I already knew and presents them in a way that's convincing and inspires action.

My biggest 'aha' moment was when he adds cholesterol/triglyceride metabolism alongside discussion of the small/processed carbohydrate + insulin issue.

Carbs make you fat

That could easily be the alternate title. It's an interesting read and shows how insulin is the culprit.