Our Fat Surgeon General Tries To Sell You On Unhealth
"The good news is, we can be healthy and fit at any size or any weight," says our double-chinned surgeon general. (Helloooo, diabetes!)
Of course, it's the government that's been promoting the unhealthiest, most fat-producing diet of all, the high-carb, low-fat diet. Americans were never as fat as they are today -- back when everybody was eating roast all the time, and buttered vegetables to go with. It's the panic about fat that's caused everybody to be fat.
Speaking of fat, I've learned recently about the benefits of coconut oil, for Alzheimers, potentially, and for all of us. As much as I LOVE butter on my eggs, I've been sauteeing my breakfast Italian parsley (I eat a big clump of it for the vitamins) and my eggs in coconut oil, and I just got Gregg to get some. Get it at the health food store (non-hydrogenated, of course) -- Nutiva is a great brand to get. You can also cook with coconut milk. Get the kind that is full-fat. And the immediate benefit I perceive? It seems to keep me even more energetic and keep me from getting hungry even longer.
Whatever you do, if you want to be healthy, and you want to have weight fall off you like stones off a truck, seriously cut back on carbs, especially sugar. Gary Taubes, in Good Calories, Bad Calories, lays out piles of persuasive evidence that it's carbs -- sugar, flour, starchy vegetables, etc. -- that cause the insulin secretion that puts on fat. Dr. Eades is another wonderful resource -- an ongoing resource of information on evidence-based health, as opposed to the bullshit-based information the government and so many doctors will feed you.
By the way, I found this above video of the surgeon general over at low-carber RNicoley's blog. Nicoley writes about himself:
Tipping the scale at 230+ (5'10) in May, 2007, at 33%+ body fat, I decided to do something about it. This blog is about that continuing journey. Having lost 60 net pounds -- on the way to 10% BF -- I'm ready to reveal my "secrets." I'm enthusiastic about helping others achieve real results. The mainstream advice is mostly wrong. One need only take a look around.
Countless people who comment here have cut carbs and dropped weight -- without starving or suffering. A certain person who uncrashes this website after I crash it, among other things, has as well, and is healthier every day because of it. This sort of eating is also how I stay thin with barely any exercise -- and seem to need much less sleep, have much more energy, and rarely get hungry (and certainly not the way I did when I ate carbs, with all the blood sugar surges and drops that come with).
I found that eating this way has never worked for me. Probably because I work out every day, which is something that advocates of low-carb diets flatly refuse to address.
I've asked repeatedly, "What's the best way to eat, post workout?" And no one, including Taubes, seems to know. Or care. Not everyone wants to live life as a slug who can just eat and eat and eat, not move, and still lose wait. God forbid someone should actually have an active lifestyle or, worse, enjoy working out.
The answer is after a workout, high protein, higher simple carbs. About at 1:2 ratio of protein to carbs. The reason being is that your muscles are depleted of glycogen (the stored form of glucose, or blood sugar) and immediately begins to replenish it. If you don't consume something that can be converted to glucose, tout de suite, your body has the nasty habit of releasing a hormone called cortisol which will degrade proteins to carbohydrates, including those from blood, muscle and even organ tissue.
I'm fed up with these know-it-all diet gurus who keep insisting on "low carb, low carb, low carb and you don't have to exercise!"...who run away screaming, frantically waving their arms over their heads every single time I ask, "What if you do exercise?"
Since they don't answer my question...because they can't...I went to those who should know: physique contestants, and they know better than anyone what constitutes a post-workout meal. The answer is simple carbs, immediately, twice as many grams as protein; i.e. if you consume 20 grams of protein following a workout, then you consume 40 grams of simple carbs.
Please argue this point. Someone. Anyone. Let's hear what you have to say regarding dietary advice to refute someone who maintains a 4% or less bodyfat for a living. I could use a good laugh.
Patrick at October 20, 2010 9:22 AM
I don't care what anybody says. I love coffee and cheesecake, especially heavy Hungarian cheesecake from Canter's.
If you eat only Thai food you won't get fat.
But, fat-schmat, as long as you are happy.
And chubby girls, remember a lot of guys like you that way.
BOTU at October 20, 2010 9:51 AM
And chubby girls, remember a lot of guys like you that way.
I'm chubby, and can vouch for that. However, there's a world of difference between a size-12 hourglass figure and a bona fide fatty.
Beth at October 20, 2010 9:57 AM
Our surgeon general, the one that is supposed to combating this obesity epidemic is overweight herself.
Interesting, Interesting.
Cat at October 20, 2010 11:01 AM
Update on coconut oil. Gary Taubes just e-mailed me:
Amy Alkon at October 20, 2010 11:02 AM
My friend Donna died Saturday night of a diabetic seizure, at 38 years old. I've always known she had diabetes, but she was in pretty good shape so this came as a total suprise. She was cremated this morning. It's the first time I've had to encounter this surprise of mortality, where one day you are a vibrant human and the next day you are a jar of ashes.
Eric at October 20, 2010 11:08 AM
Patrick, your body makes all of the glycogen that it needs through a process called glycogenisis ... no carbs required. This process is described in detail by Taubes, Eades, etc. Cortisol is manufactured mostly as a result of stress (the fight-or-flight response.) This is a prime reason why too much exercise is a bad thing for you ... it is the exercise itself that is causing a surplus release of cortisol. Cortisol is also released in response to a high carb diet (fighting off the stress of the inflamatory response from insulin.)
If you are looking for low-carb advice for athletes, I would suggest "Body by Science", Robb Wolf's Paleo Solution, or Crossfit Nutrition.
AllenS at October 20, 2010 11:26 AM
so Patrick, would you consider 4% bodyfat to be healthy? To be in that category is to be at the extremes anyway. And you have to eat that way as well.
How MUCH do you work out? The short answer to your question is that you don't eat any different after a workout, unless you are an athelete. So you don't change anything... for most people. In the blog example, the guy has gone to 10% with low carb, maybe you can talk to him...
But the bottom line is that bodies are different. NONE of these sorts of diets work for everyone.
If you've found what works for you, I am so very happy for you. But that won't work for me. :shrug:
The problem is, that having a surgeon general say:
"healthy and fit at any size or any weight" is normalizing things that shouldn't be. Americans especially already think they are healthier at their higher weights than they actually are, and that's an issue. So having a food pyramid with GRAIN?!?! as the base? When the science for that was always shaky? IT would probably be better if the govt. just stayed out of it, rather than tell us something that may not help.
SwissArmyD at October 20, 2010 11:36 AM
Is it just me or is Michelle O. getting chubbier in the White House?
biff at October 20, 2010 12:02 PM
I think low carb eating is healthy. I eat that way myself, and I won't argue with you that many people, especially men and those who have never been very overweight, can lose lots of fat by eating this way.
However, I can assure you that for many obese, post-menopausal women, no amount of carb restriction causes the weight to 'fall off you like stones off a truck'. In a recent interview, Gary Taubes himself admitted that he has found research results showing that for some people, especially women, the restriction of carbs seems to have little effect.
So the veggie-heads keep telling me I'm ruining my health and destroying the planet by eating 'all that meat', and the low-carb gurus keep calling me a lard-ass and insisting that if I'd just cut the carbs the weight would 'fall off me'. A pox on you all.
Lee at October 20, 2010 12:03 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/10/20/the_surgeon_gen.html#comment-1768546">comment from LeeThere's restriction and restriction. Have you tried cutting carbs in a serious way for a period of time? Say, for a month, eat only bacon, eggs, butter, steak, hamburger, fatty chicken with the skin, etc. And only water and coffee. No dairy, no vegetables.
Amy Alkon at October 20, 2010 12:09 PM
I think Lee and Patrick are right. I follow the no-carb diet and it works fantastically for me because my body is built for it. I can not eat low fat because I cant eat grains (they make me sick) and because of a little drug called seroquel makes me REALLY hungry. On the low carb my body feels soooo goood.
But I dont exercise like an athelte would and I imagine in that case carbs are important.
Ppen at October 20, 2010 12:17 PM
"There's restriction and restriction. "
Eades says that you can cut it down to 30g of carbs a day and it wont really make a difference if you go any lower.
Ppen at October 20, 2010 12:20 PM
I concur with Mr. Tabues - Artisana coconut butter is awesome, if pricey. But you can totally make your own. I buy bulk dried unsweetened coconut and put it in the food processor for 10-15 minutes.
Mary at October 20, 2010 1:22 PM
I started clinicals on the cardiac floor yesterday. I have a test tomorrow. One question on the study guide? List items in a low cholesterol diet, and list items to avoid. Answers include AVOIDING COCONUT OIL to reduce cholesterol. This is from a MedSurg text edition published just this year. This same textbook admonishes me to join a nurses' union, become a political force, and work towards removing the financial barriers to health care for everyone. I wonder where they get their funding? (eyeroll)
Juliana at October 20, 2010 2:27 PM
Lee: I think low carb eating is healthy. I eat that way myself, and I won't argue with you that many people, especially men and those who have never been very overweight, can lose lots of fat by eating this way.
However, I can assure you that for many obese, post-menopausal women, no amount of carb restriction causes the weight to 'fall off you like stones off a truck'. In a recent interview, Gary Taubes himself admitted that he has found research results showing that for some people, especially women, the restriction of carbs seems to have little effect.
So the veggie-heads keep telling me I'm ruining my health and destroying the planet by eating 'all that meat', and the low-carb gurus keep calling me a lard-ass and insisting that if I'd just cut the carbs the weight would 'fall off me'. A pox on you all.
I am sorry, Lee. I understand that this might be no consolation at all, but women do have a much greater challenge when it comes to losing weight.
For one thing, they have less muscle mass to offset the fat. For another, the hormone estrogen tends to retain fat, while testosterone repels it. And still another point, women tend to retain it on their hips, which makes it harder to shed than adipose tissue stored on the abdominal region, where men tend to store theirs.
It is a much greater challenge for women in general when it comes to losing fat. So, if you feel discouraged, realize that you have much working against you.
And of course there is the fact that you're post-menopausal. And finally...you get what you get. Results will vary among individuals. There is the simple possibility that you were dealt a shitty hand, genetically speaking, even without the disadvantages you already have as a woman.
Low-carb afficianados are calling you a lard-ass? If I ever see one do that, I'll knock him on his smug, low-carb ass.
SwissArmyD, 4% bodyfat, give or take, is the lowest a man can safely go. Below that, he tends to run into health risks. But is it healthy? Probably no healthier than 10%, but it is in the healthy range. So, yes, it is.
For women, by the way, below 12% is considered unsafe. Again, it varies.
Patrick at October 20, 2010 3:06 PM
my point, Patrick, was that 4% is elite athelete range, not normal. 15% is "normal" for a guy [and, yeah who sets that is probably as open for discussion as anything]... Impression is that 10-15% is fabulous. Sure, you could go lower, but to what end? If you happen to BE lower, it's OK, but what does a regular joe aim at?
SwissArmyD at October 20, 2010 3:31 PM
Amy writes: There's restriction and restriction. Have you tried cutting carbs in a serious way for a period of time? Say, for a month, eat only bacon, eggs, butter, steak, hamburger, fatty chicken with the skin, etc. And only water and coffee. No dairy, no vegetables.
Disgusting.
Patrick at October 20, 2010 6:52 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/10/20/the_surgeon_gen.html#comment-1768644">comment from PatrickAmy writes: There's restriction and restriction. Have you tried cutting carbs in a serious way for a period of time? Say, for a month, eat only bacon, eggs, butter, steak, hamburger, fatty chicken with the skin, etc. And only water and coffee. No dairy, no vegetables. Disgusting.
Well, a little monotone, but disgusting? A friend of mine lost 30 lbs. in short order, sans exercise (he was busy) doing this, and is keeping it off and continuing to lose.
Amy Alkon at October 20, 2010 6:54 PM
Tougher to do the no-carbs thing if you're a vegetarian. I mostly avoid meat because I dislike it - one bite of gristle or fat makes me feel sick. And the kinds that I sort of like, like pepperoni and salami are probably seriously bad for me. And then sometimes I think about the animal that became this meat. When I was a kid, the neighbors had a couple of beef cows. One day the cows weren't there in the field anymore.
KrisL at October 20, 2010 6:58 PM
I should add that I don't try to talk anyone into being a vegetarian or avoiding meat, and I don't care if the person I'm eating with eats meat, although if it's something really obviously a former animal, like a lobster, I would tend to avoid looking at the person's meal.
KrisL at October 20, 2010 6:59 PM
Patrick, how much do you work out?
BAck when I swan competitively in high school I spent 6-8 hrs a day in the water - unless your working out at the level of a competitive athlete you dont need cards, if you are woking out at that level you only need simple carbs BEFORE you work out not after
lujlp at October 20, 2010 7:17 PM
Patrick, A friend of mine was a body builder and used to do the competitions before I met him. I had gained a tremendous amount of weight and he put me on a low carb diet. I also worked out regularly, ran, and played soccer. He was a huge advocate of low carb diets. Pre- work-out he ate protein and then within a half hour of finishing he ate more proteins. The carbs he ate came in the form of oatmeal with a banana, usually for big work outs or whole grain bread, but it was very limited. I know that it was the best shape I was ever in and not just because of the exercise. Health-wise, I never felt better than when I kept carbs to a minimum and the surprising thing was how little I craved sugar or sweets. I did fall of the wagon during some periods of stress and recently was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. The first thing the doctor told me was to cut out the carbs and its only because of my past experience that I'm listening to him.
Kristen at October 20, 2010 8:05 PM
Looks like Grammar Girl could stand to lose a few pounds, too. Maybe she's just bloated from having her period. I've heard that colon-cleansing can help a person lose weight, too.
Patrick at October 21, 2010 8:28 AM
I would listen to a fat Surgeon General as quickly as I would go to a restaurant that its employees won't eat at, or a doctor that is fat, or...well you get where I'm going with this.
Now I'm technically overweight. The Army says I should weigh about 185. I actually weigh 230 lbs. But I'm also almost obsessive about working out. I cycle 9 miles a day, conduct unit physical training four times a week, and work out on my own at the office mini gym 2-3 times 5 days per week, and go swimming on weekends.
When we do our tape test (to check body fat levels) I always pass with flying colors, while people at my height, who weigh less than I do, fail miserably.
Why the hell couldn't they find a physically fit person to define "healthy"?
Robert at October 21, 2010 9:46 AM
Don't buy your coconut oil at the health food store....tiny jars for $8 or $9. Go to Walmart and get a giant jar (three times as much) for $4. Or at least go to the "world foods" store where you will still pay half what you pay at the health food store.
Joe at October 21, 2010 10:41 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/10/20/the_surgeon_gen.html#comment-1768895">comment from JoeJoe, you don't want hydrogenated coconut oil but the pure kind. Perhaps Walmart sells Nutiva, but I'm guessing they don't.
Amy Alkon at October 21, 2010 11:43 AM
Well, a little monotone, but disgusting?
Yeah I couldn't do it. I would be puking all over the place.
Ppen at October 21, 2010 12:24 PM
Patrick, amen.
I'm a runner, a biker, and lift weights. I don't do them to lose weight (I've never been overweight) -- I do them because I love doing them. They're fun, they're part of my social life, and as an added bonus, they make me feel and look my best. (Looking good is not just about being thin -- there's muscle tone too to consider, too, especially when you pass age 35 or so. Personally, I don't find flabby skinny people attractive.)
And I need the carbs post-work out. I do "good" carbs (whole grain, fruits, veggies) and a lot of them, I minimize the sugar and refined, processed food. (I'm not all that moved by studies telling me fake refined flour and sugar aren't good for you -- like, duh, doesn't everyone know that? Seriously? No reputable nutritionist on the planet recommends sugar or white flour as a health food, do they?) I get lots of protein and fat, too, although a fair percentage is from vegetarian sources like nuts, to which I am addicted.
Am I fat and/or unhealthy? No. I'm 45 and can compare cholesterol, blood pressure, energy levels, weight, and body measurements with anyone, including people half my age.
Also, I LIKE my carbs. I enjoy eating them. And enjoyment is worth something. A diet consisting largely of bacon, fatty chicken, and hamburgers without a bun soaked in coconut oil and butter would bore and depress me, and significantly detract from my quality of life.
Maybe I might consider making that sacrifice if my health were a problem or I were overweight, and I truly believed low carbing was the answer to those problems. But my carbs are not killing me, making me fat, or making me unhealthy. I can't possibly get any healthier. Sounds like Patrick's the same way. So are a lot of people. We don't all have the same lives and we don't all do well on the same diets.
If what you do for a workout is walk 30 minutes four times a week or something like that, fine -- maybe you don't need carbs. Maybe your body thrives a diet on bunless hamburgers and coconut oil. Fantastic. So do what works for you, and may you live long and prosper. Patrick and I and many other people like us have found we do better with carbs in our life. It's silly to tell us that in fact carbs have made us fat and unhealthy and somehow we (and our doctors) just don't realize it.
Gail at October 22, 2010 2:30 PM
Many thanks for making the effort to talk about this, I feel strongly about this and like learning a great deal more on this topic. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your webpage with a great deal more details? It's very beneficial for me. Jogos
Clara at October 22, 2010 2:50 PM
@Biff:
I'm also post-menopausal. Gained 35 pounds at 40 after quitting smoking and developing type II diabetes. Lost the weight on low-carb (Richard K. Bernstein's Diabetic Doctor's Solution). Also became low thyroid which slows metabolism. I find weight gain (from carbs) is less on replacement thyroid hormone.
dlm at October 26, 2010 11:35 AM
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