Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It

Gary Taubes’s Why We Get Fat dismantles the foundational premise of modern nutrition: that obesity results from a simple imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended. With the precision of an investigative journalist and the rigor of a historian of science, Taubes traces how this “calories-in, calories-out” dogma became entrenched despite contradictory evidence. He argues that this model confuses cause and effect; we get fat not because we overeat, but because a metabolic dysfunction directs excess calories into adipose tissue, which in turn drives hunger and reduced energy expenditure.

The book’s central thesis pivots on the hormone insulin. Taubes presents a compelling physiological narrative: insulin, secreted primarily in response to carbohydrates, is the master regulator of fat storage. When insulin levels are high, fat cells are instructed to store fatty acids and are prevented from releasing them for energy. Consequently, the body becomes reliant on glucose for fuel while fat remains sequestered. This hormonal environment, created by diets rich in refined sugars and grains, traps individuals in a cycle of fat accumulation, hunger, and lethargy—a state Taubes describes not as gluttony or sloth, but as a disorder of fat metabolism.

Taubes systematically addresses counterarguments, examining the roles of exercise and genetics. He argues that exercise, while beneficial for health, is remarkably ineffective for weight loss, as it stimulates appetite and has minimal impact on daily energy expenditure. Genetics, he contends, determine an individual’s susceptibility to the insulinogenic modern diet rather than dictating a fixed metabolic destiny. The narrative is fortified with historical case studies and overlooked research, painting a picture of a scientific establishment that has persistently ignored evidence contradicting the low-fat, calorie-counting orthodoxy.

Why We Get Fat is more than a diet book; it is a manifesto for a paradigm shift in how we understand nutrition, metabolism, and public health. It is aimed at the frustrated dieter, the skeptical clinician, and anyone perplexed by the failure of conventional wisdom to curb the obesity epidemic. The book concludes with straightforward, actionable dietary principles—essentially a very-low-carbohydrate, high-fat approach—positioning it as both a radical critique and a practical guide for reclaiming metabolic health.

The readership is sharply polarized. A significant cohort hails the book as revolutionary and life-changing, crediting its low-carb framework with successful, sustained weight loss after decades of failed dieting. They praise its compelling logic, scientific rigor, and empowering narrative. An equally vocal contingent dismisses it as dangerous pseudoscience, criticizing Taubes for cherry-picking data, oversimplifying complex physiology, and promoting an unsustainable, restrictive diet. The book is acknowledged as highly engaging and thought-provoking, even by skeptics, but its accessibility is tempered by its confrontational stance against mainstream medical advice.