Yet again, Taubes sells his argument well
Gary has done a heck of a job selling my his arguments so far in his book. His research continues to surpass the expectations that I have and he continues to support his argument very well. After reading this chapter, I again agree with him concerning metabolic rates and genetic predisposition concerning body mass. He explains the hypotheses very well in this chapter (as usual), especially concerning the body's conservation of energy to sustain its relative body mass and size. It is interesting to read this hypothesis as someone who has not thought of weight gain and retention in this way, and it makes sense that the body regulates its on metabolism to maintain its fat stores. It is also interesting to to me the way he discredits the thermodynamic "calories in, calories out" hypothesis, or rather, shows that it has been falsely represented and has less to do with weight gain than each body's metabolism.
As much as I agree with Taubes on many things, the one thing in this chapter that I cannot ascribe to is the thought that exercise has little to do with overall health. Taubes makes the argument that low metabolic rates cause a lack of desire for exercise, not the traditional thought that lack of exercise causes low metabolic rates. While this may be true, I think it does a disservice to people trying to lose weight to tell them that exercise won't help your overall health, but rather that it's not their fault if they don't feel a desire to exercise. Of course, for some people exercise will have little to do with their weight, but I believe that for the majority of others, exercise plays a very important role in the weight loss process and is a means to discover one's inner health.
Comments
Glad Taubes meets your exacting standards :) And great questions: keep it up, though do check his index (which can be a bit confusing) to see if he addresses some of your concerns elsewhere.
W/ regard to exercise: I agree that his lack of concern about the strength, flexibility, and mental benefits of exercise is poor. But again, that's not so much his purpose here. I don't think Taubes would suggest no exercise--just that it's not the panacea for weight loss that we've all be lead to believe. But I concur completely: he should qualify this or else he does disservice to all of us who benefit from a heart, more powerful limbs, and a happier disposition.
You can read his more focused piece here (http://nymag.com/news/sports/38001/) though it really is just a summary of his points in this book. The key, however, is that it's the exercise/thinner argument he's making, not the broader health one we both agree on. It's all about his focused purpose and topic.
Also, I believe I read in an interview w/ Taubes or heard in one of his lectures online that he does do some weight lifting...but I'd have to join the man in the gym to see if this is really true, I think.
Posted by: Greg | April 15, 2009 5:49 PM