Many people I talk to about diet are still convinced that weight control is all about calorie balance: calories in vs. calories out. As Gary Taubes convincingly demonstrated in Good Calories, Bad Calories, it's not so simple.
Here's my argument:
[[MORE]]1. If weight is determined entirely by calorie balance, then why are type 1 diabetics unable to gain any weight? They can eat 5000+ calories/day and still be rail-thin. But as soon as you replace their missing insulin, they are suddenly able to put on weight, with no change in diet or activity level. The body does not always hold onto everything you put into it (insulin is the “storage” hormone).
2. In order to survive times of famine, humans developed a feedback loop: the fewer calories you take in, the fewer the body needs; your basal metabolic rate varies depending on food intake. Otherwise, if it didn't, then if you were at a constant weight and cut back your calories, you would eventually waste away to nothing, right? Instead, you reach a new set-point as your metabolic rate adjusts. If you reduce calories enough, people slow down, get tired and fatigued easily, etc., which makes it difficult to exercise, which increases insulin resistance.
3. You can make people or animals fat by boosting their insulin level. Why do you think farmers feed grain to cattle? It's because it boosts their insulin level, which makes them fat. Fat animals weigh more, and are more profitable. Unfortunately, grain makes people fat too, through exactly the same mechanism. (side note: Carbs also make you hungry. Why do you think many restaurant owners give bread or chips away for free?)
4. If caloric input is the primary determinant of weight, then why does obesity tend to increase with decreasing income? The higher the poverty rate, the higher the rate of obesity. (Hint: Which foods provide the least expensive calories?)
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