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  • Why We Get Fat

  • And What to Do About It
  • By: Gary Taubes
  • Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
  • Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (210 ratings)

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Why We Get Fat

By: Gary Taubes
Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
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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

What listeners say about Why We Get Fat

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Detail, scientific and informative

An excellent book. Detailed and factual. Highly recommended. The tide is turning! Well done Gary Taubes.

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Very informative

i enjoyed this book. great information and having been on a high fat high protein diet with minimal to no carbs, i can agree that it works.

very factual and alot of reference to science. do yourself a favour and actually research the info yourself.

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Well worth the read!

Very informative and has convinced me to start a new journey with diet. Having a background in science and nutrition it all made sense. Can be repetitive and long winded at times however worth sticking it out, I found it best to have breaks between chapters to digest and not lose the message. I have changed my diet since listening to this book and have lost 4kg without restricting calories or feeling hungry plus lost 12cm around my waist. For me it put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Possibly could have had a better finish/conclusion as I found it ended abruptly but overall gets a 5 stars from me.

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I needed this for a long time!

Finally feel a lot more comfortable in making decisions about carbs and now how to structure my diet a lot more efficiently! Wicked insights, loved it!

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    3 out of 5 stars

Takes ¾ of the book to get to the meaty section

It seems as though the book is written to convince those with 'old school' understanding of nutrition and fat gain, and reiterates the same message over and over. once I skipped through, I was pleased to find the later chapters informative and useful.

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Confirmed what I already knew!

Loved it, confirmed what I have been learning over the last decade. Technical enough to qualify info, yet easy to read and take in. Highly recommend this to anyone who has tried every diet on the planet!

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Worth a read

Interesting and illuminating. Worth a listen if you like to understand the science behind weight gain and loss.

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great book

this was a very good book to read I have made significant changes to my diet as a result of reading it. five stars!

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Basically interesting

There were a number of statements I didn't agree with and the information and references are heavily biased, but it was a good listen and I definitely took something away from it.

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get two copies and share one with your doctor

Taubes confronts the unscientific calouries in / calouries out doctrine of the last 40 years with more science than you can poke a stick at, and offers a simple alternative.

I'm an already-lean guy by dint of good luck, but managed to build around 20 lbs through the middle as I hit 50. I dropped it all in around 6 months and have kept it off by dropping carbs as fully as I could without being a pain to all those around me. I am now a 32" and about as lean as I was when 30, and in better health all around.

I love a great sourdough, a bowl of good pasta and do mean roast potatoes a la Heston Blumenthal, but I save those for treats as much as I do my wife's almond chocolate torte.

I eat the fattiest cuts if meat I can find and figure I'm not exactly hard done by. A fair trade.

I'm ready now to get a little more strength exercise to make sure I can stay strong into the next 30 or so years.

Thanks for your research, Gary, and for your book.

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