Kimberly Garrison: Author Gary Taubes says cut the carbs, lose the weight

"WE DON'T get fat because we overeat; we overeat because

we're getting fat." So says Gary Taubes, author of the buzzed-about book "Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It" (Borzoi Books, $24.95).

Taubes argues that what we've been told for more than 50 years about fat accumulation and weight loss is all wrong! He unequivocally rejects the "calories-in/calories out" approach, the conventional weight-loss wisdom of "eat less/move more." We've been following that faulty theory for years with obviously disastrous results, he says.

If Taubes is correct, the issue is not your willpower or lack of character. It's not your husband or wife, your job or the environment. The issue is (drum roll, please!) your sensitivity to carbohydrates.

Carbohydrate restriction is not a new argument, but Taubes presents the data in a compelling and convincing new way. He breaks it down for us from historical and, more importantly, scientific perspectives.

To be clear, this is not a diet book - it's a book about the science of nutrition. Taubes is no fly-by-night quack, either. An award-winning science writer, he studied applied physics at Harvard, has a master of science degree from Stanford and a master's in journalism from Columbia.

His books include Nobel Dreams (1987), Bad Science: The Short Life and Weird Times of Cold Fusion (1993) and Good Calories, Bad Calories (2007).

His latest, published in December, is a slimmer, more reader-friendly version of "Good Calories" that explains in layman's terms the underlying causes of obesity, directly linking it to our excessive consumption of carbohydrates, which has our hormones all out of whack.

I mostly agree with Taubes. Some folks are just more sensitive to the effects of insulin, the hormone responsible for fat storage. The more sensitive you are, the more likely you will get fat from eating carbs.

If you're carrying too much body fat, then you have too much insulin in your system. Carbs like sugar, flour, grains, cereals, starchy vegetables like potatoes, rice, corn and beans and all beverages except water play a part in fattening us up. (This includes milk, which is higher in carbohydrates than you may realize.)

Personally, whenever I limit my consumption of starchy, nonfibrous carbohydrates and eliminate or restrict favorite fruits like dates, figs, mangoes and pineapple - Eureka! I slim down quickly and efficiently.