Gary Taubes Books

What if getting fat is not mainly about eating too much, but about what your body is instructed to do with the food you eat? This is one of Gary Taubes’s most provocative claims. He argues that body fat is regulated less by conscious choice and more by hormones, especially insulin. In his view, peop...

From Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It

A calorie is a unit of energy, but Taubes insists that this fact does not tell the whole story of why people gain weight. His critique of the “calories in, calories out” model is not that energy balance is meaningless, but that it is often used in a simplistic and misleading way. People are told tha...

From Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It

The central engine of Taubes’s argument is simple but controversial: carbohydrates, especially refined ones, stimulate insulin, and insulin promotes fat storage. This hormonal response is what he sees as the main mechanism behind weight gain. While proteins and fats can also affect hormones, carbohy...

From Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It

One of the book’s most humane messages is that hunger is not a moral failure. Taubes pushes back against the idea that overweight people simply lack discipline. If hormones and metabolism are steering fuel into fat tissue, the rest of the body may be underfed in a meaningful sense. That can produce ...

From Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It

Taubes does not dismiss exercise, but he strongly disputes the common belief that it is the primary solution to obesity. His point is that physical activity improves health in many ways, yet it may not be sufficient to reverse fat gain if the diet continues to drive insulin and fat storage. This dis...

From Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It

Few parts of the book are as controversial as Taubes’s criticism of mainstream low-fat guidance. He argues that public health recommendations have long encouraged people to fear fat, especially saturated fat, while overlooking the role of refined carbohydrates and sugar in obesity. In his telling, t...

From Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It