Why We Get Fat

Gary Taubes made his first entrance into the discussion on fats with his now-famous New York Times article, What if It’s All Been a Big Fat Lie? In 2008 he released the acclaimed book Good Calories, Bad Calories in which he questioned the hypotheses upon which the medically-recommended low fat diet was based.

Although Good Calories, Bad Calories turned out to be essential reading for all those who had a degree in biology or were willing to get one, it still turned out to be a bestseller. In 2011 Taubes eventually released the far more easily read Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It.

For those inclined to insist that “a calorie is a calorie”, Taubes appears to be the only actual physicist engaging in the global public discourse on obesity and diabetes. He confirms that no laws of thermodynamics are ever likely to broken by those who are still losing weight and gaining health on a diet low in carbohydrates and rich in natural, unrefined fats, even if they eat until satisfied without counting their calories.

Gary Taubes is a central figure in the discussion about obesity and diabetes, what’s causing them and how to prevent and treat them. You don’t know your stuff on this subject until you are familiar with Taubes. To that end, the video below of a 2014 lecture presented by Taubes provides an excellent overview of his insights and position on these subjects.