Gary Taubes & David Ludwig – an unsatisfying, inconclusive discussion about sugars and carbs
My objection to both David Ludwig and Gary Taubes in this conversation here, is that they hem and haw and dip and dodge around the whole subject of carbohydrates, grains, populations like Japan which have processed grains as their staple, and basically don’t really reach any scientific conclusion at all.
Yet they sell books which sound at first like they are very conclusive and definitive. But they are clearly not. They cherry pick results. And they don’t know what’s going any more than anybody else does.
Is added sugar bad? Probably so. Almost certainly so. But are carbohydrates themselves bad? There doesn’t seem to be any reason to think that. And in their conversation they don’t seem to really know either.
From May to September I lost 40 pounds on Starch Solution, and even though I was eating mostly starches and carbohydrates and no animal fat at all, my HbA1c blood sugar dropped from 8.6 to 6.1. And my appetite was largely controlled.
When I tried David Ludwig’s “Always Hungry?” plan over several months, I gained weight and my blood sugar did not drop at all. And my appetite was never controlled.
Unfortunately since September, hunger returned, and I’ve regained 30 of the 40 pounds I lost on Starch Solution. While it controlled my hunger at first, gradually the starches started triggering more hunger urges. So in that respect it does seem that the high glycemic carbs can be hunger triggers. Even if not at first, it starts happening eventually.
Or maybe it’s just a rebound effect, which seems to occur in over 80% of people who lose weight.
Nobody seems to know. And I don’t think Taubes and Ludwig seem to know in this conversation either.
Penny,
That’s what I don’t understand either – and would love to see an explanation of it. I live in Japan and am surrounded by rail slim people who mostly eat refined grains (e.g. white rice, udon, ramen, etc.) and very little protein or fat.
The obesity rate here is one-tenth that of the U.S. and we have about the longest lifespans in the world.
I can’t wrap my head around the contradiction, and haven’t seen an explanation of that in the Protein Power book, or by Gary Taubes, or at the Atkins site, etc.
And it’s not just added sugar either. Everything here has sugar in it!
I would love to figure that out.
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Steve says:
February 1, 2017 at 10:40 PM
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Try Tim Ferriss’s slow carb approach. Bulk of the meal is an unrefined starch, and a portion of beans. I am trying soybeans now due to their higher protein content. Experiment with the actual grams of protein and your hunger. If you have access to potatoes, use these as these are highly satiating. I am exactly the same as you in terms of willing to experiment with radically differing food templates to lose and maintain a lean body AND not feel hungry all the time. I too have been counting calories (cronometer), went from healthy paleo (gained 30 pounds – but not hungry ;), to Plant-based, Whole food (zero processed) no added oils. Still to easy to over consume calories (nuts, seeds, grains, oats) or when eating HUGE salads all day – being hungry all day… [i also did many fasts even one 14 day, many super low calorie 500 per day and tons of elliptical]. I am against the long term flaws I believe are inherent in the low carb life, so I’ll stick to PBWF, with the plant based protein and potatoe satiaty mod.
Sorry I cut and pasted your comment in Michael Eades website, and then I thought its better to chat with you on your site. I have about 6 months of cronometer daily data. My fat content is now more natural, only what is in whole foods. I have learned that it is so darn easy to over consume calories, regardless of food choices (paleo or plant based). My wife is Korean and she eats when she feels hungry, stops easily, and her daily calories are always about right for her body size. She only counted her calories as a favor for my curiosity.