Taubes inadvertently answers two burning questions........ page

[OnTheBayou]

Working my way through GCBC and Gary answered two questions/observations that keep coming up, almost as asides as he's talking larger topics.

First, it is often pointed out that many populations eat a high carb diet without suffering Metabolic Syndrome. Reason: Metabolic Syndrome only appears with an ample diet. On calorie restriction, which many Asian diets have been, it does not.

The second has to do with water retention. We all have the experience of going on low carb, which usually means low fiber, and losing a lot of "water weight." I personally have presumed and stated that this was water attached to the fiber. Turns out that carbs actually and directly cause the body to retain more sodium which would otherwise be excreted. Your body, of course, holds more water to keep the balance correct. So, yes, water weight indeed, but not all fiber related. Might also be a reason high cheese consumption can stall weight loss, lots of sodium, one of the worst culprits.

While the video online is a great summary of the book, there is SO much more within the book. I look forward to the less reading dedicated public learning from his forthcoming condensation, "Why You are Fat." Is that blunt enough?

[kennelmom]

I had to stop about 1/3 of the way through GCBC. I have it on the kindle and the info was just too detailed for me to absorb it in that format. I need to order a hard copy of the book so I can dog ear pages, flip back and forth, make notes....ahhhhh....yes, just like in my college days. Maybe a trip to B&N is in order today...

Anyway...interesting tidbits you've posted...

[Geoff]

Thanks for posting those. Great point about metabolic syndrome. "Hidden in plain view" as you might say.

[Primal]

Interesting. I thought the ingestion of carbs was more related to the storage of glycogen in the muscles at a 4:1 ratio to water, and that (not sodium) was the explanation for "water weight/retention" after having eaten carbs.

[MalPaz]

i thought that as well...fat holds a lot less water than carbs too.... neither would i say is real "weight" though so if your focused on a scale # then carbs will play a role, same with cheese- you hold more water form sodium but is it even real weight?

[OnTheBayou]

I think the glycogen - of which there is far more in the liver than in muscle - is another "water weight" factor, for sure. But apparently not the only one. I further think that glycogen stores peak out at some point, most (almost) certainly in the muscle. Maybe not in the liver?

What is "real weight?" It's all real, IMNSHO. It may not be what we want, or it may be aberrant, like with edema, but it's all real.

[schadowrider]

I've been slowing managing to shift point of view from obsessing over "weight" (as in what the scale says) to [obsessing over ] "fat" composition (build, muscle tone, how clothes fit, etc.). But it's hard (at least for me) -- old habits sometimes can die hard! Next on the list: to relax and quit obsessing about *anything*

[lesliek]

OTB: Which online video are you referring to? Not sure if I've seen it.

I was just going to make a post about water weight. People are dismissive of the significant weight loss at the beginning of a low carb diet, attributing it to "just losing water weight." It's not considered real weight loss, and even borders on dehydrating yourself in the minds of many. But...it's not like we lose it and gain it back again...it seems to stay off, and makes me wonder if it's healthy to have you're body holding onto extra water all the time.

[verdilak]

OTB: Which online video are you referring to? Not sure if I've seen it.

I was just going to make a post about water weight. People are dismissive of the significant weight loss at the beginning of a low carb diet, attributing it to "just losing water weight." It's not considered real weight loss, and even borders on dehydrating yourself in the minds of many. But...it's not like we lose it and gain it back again...it seems to stay off, and makes me wonder if it's healthy to have you're body holding onto extra water all the time.

Yeah, that gets me wondering as well. Water weight is still WEIGHT! You see the excess weight throughout your body, so in my book, it does count.

[OnTheBayou]

Loss of water is fine, it just doesn't equate to loss of fat, which is what many of us want.

Taubes gives the overview of GCBC in a 70 minute lecture. Look up his name on youtube or google video. It's around.