Posted by Larry Hoover on September 8, 2003, at 6:42:02
In reply to Lar~Thanks, posted by galkeepinon on September 8, 2003, at 5:37:21
> Long, long article, thank you for posting this. It is very interesting and I agree, carbs and sugar do the damage. (cause the obesity)
The issue is by no means "settled". There has been a body of debate, not surprisingly, and you may want to spend some time reading "the other side", and retorts, and so on. Numerous links embedded, and at the bottom of the page.
http://web.mit.edu/knight-science/fellows/inside_the_story.html
The fact is, Taube raised some very inmportant points, did so in a scientifically grounded manner, and I have found ample evidence that he did not cite which supports his perspective. With respect to low-fat dieting, the Emperor wears no clothes. We've been had.
> plain and simple. It seems difficult to comprehend when the fact of the matter is, it doesn't have to be. We need to expend more energy than caloric matter we take in if we're going to lose fat/excess weight.
On diets which are exactly matched for calories, low-carb dieters lose twice the weight that low-fat dieters do. That has recently been proven, but no one can explain it yet. Moreover, low-carb dieters don't complain about hunger.
> However, what are your thoughts on the psychological/emotional aspects of food substance abuse?
It's a mood-altering coping strategy. When you get into specific aspects like bulimia, a person is getting off on the food, then throws up to avoid the weight. If the vomitting wasn't physically harmful, the links to aspects of self-image weren't so burdensome, and the guilt, etc. weren't spiritually toxic, I don't think it would be a negative process. <irony intended> After all, the ancient Romans had special rooms called regurgitoriums, fully staffed, to permit a return to the feast absent the limits of stomach volume. Food is a socially acceptable way to modify mood. Going out to a five-star restaurant is not about "not doing the dishes tonight", ya know?
> Do you think that it is wise to say that an intelligent person who is obese may have underlying emotional issues that are preventing them to lose their excess fat, and if so, how does that person succeed in losing the fat?
Two aspects to that question. It is sensible to use introspection to determine if a person is eating for reasons other than nutrition. "What hole in your life are you really trying to fill?" I'm quite familiar with OA. If there had been more men there, I might have stuck around.
The other involves the total misinformation supplied to the public. Low-fat diets are unhealthy, and they don't work except for brief periods of time when willpower can trump physiology. Look at Oprah.
If you don't like Atkins (not everybody does), another good model diet is the Paleolithic diet. It's based on some assumptions about what was available to our pre-agricultural predecessors. Frankly, that's where we evolved into what we are today. There was no grain to speak of, for example. No vegetable oils (as we use them). That sort of thing.
> Very interested in your thoughts.
> Thanks.Happy to oblige. You know me.....
Gotta run. I'm on the road in an hour.Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:257208
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/subs/20030903/msgs/257997.html