Dr. Drew and weight loss fallacies

29 January 2010Blog Kevin 9 Comments

Occasionally, I will listen to the Dr. Drew Show at night before I go to sleep, where people call in with their problems (typically sex & drugs) and he usually does a great job identifying them and giving out solid advice.

However, last night I caught him offering up an outdated myth about losing weight to a caller. The guy calling in said he was very overweight, among other problems, and for this, Drew said “It’s very simple, move more, eat less. Exercise and cut down on your calorie intake. It’s not that hard.”

So Drew is following the already disproven calorie theory of weight loss. Gary Taubes did an excellent job dispelling the notion that weight loss is best achieved by eating fewer calories than you burn, in his 2008 book, Good Calories, Bad Calories, and in his 2008 presentation called Big Fat Lies.

Dr. Drew is just one of many mainstream experts out there who are clinging on to old theories that have had very little success in helping people achieve their optimal weight. Someday, the mainstream view will be more like that of Taubes, and the viewpoint we are putting forth here at Healthy Mind, Fit Body. Simply counting calories and using will power may help a few people lose some weight in the short term, but as long term advice in having a healthy, fit body, and a happy life, it falls flat on its face.

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9 thoughts on “Dr. Drew and weight loss fallacies”

Courtney

30 January 2011
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I find Dr. Drew’s remark to be rather insensitive. Most people who are overweight do not WANT to be. Because of high-carb recommendations and unhealthy lifestyles recommended by the government, many people are now insulin resistant/have metabolic syndrome. Also, many of us are taught to be psychologically dependent on food. Therefore, it is not just a “simple” solution to eat less and move more. More than likely, the person who called has been struggling for a long time to do what it takes to lose weight. Instead he was belittled.
Rahim

30 January 2010
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I’m gonna have to pick up that book because I’m interested in hearing what Gary Taubes has to say. Maybe Dr Drew should’ve gone more into detail about what “move more, eat less” meant in his terms. He’s a great doctor, he should’ve just elaborated more.

Rahim Samuel
Publisher, Wellnessbymanymeans.com
- Wes
  
  1 February 2010
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  Here’s the main article from ’02 that dealt with Taubes’ quest to discover the truth in these matters:
  http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-been-a-big-fat-lie.html
Kausar

30 January 2010
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Nice post. I love this quote from your post “It’s very simple, move more, eat less. Exercise and cut down on your calorie intake. It’s not that hard.”. Ya. one must move more and eat less. Thank you again for the post.
divapoet

30 January 2010
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I watched the hour long video you linked to and realized that I already knew the answer. I do count my carbs, with a limited amount per meal as opposed to a certain amount per day, as per my nutritionist’s instructions. I think I’ll have to see her again, she said to come back to her if I got stuck. Thank you though!
- Wes
  
  1 February 2010
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  That’s great. See you on the other side of your (temporary) plateau!
Steve Christian

30 January 2010
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Nice post! I agree with weight loss and being healthy. Weight loss will control many things such as hypertension, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. Many people need help though in losing weight and there are alot of good natural weight loss supplements available.

Nice Reviews of Weight Loss Supplements
divapoet

29 January 2010
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I’m at a plateau right now and pretty frustrated, because I’m exercising more than before, higher intensity (dance and aerobics), with weight training (some hand weights) and muscle building (Pilates and ballet), and I’m hyper counting calories.
I lost 42 pounds in the first four months, pretty consistently, but now at a plateau for at least a month. Grrrrrr.

So what is the answer then to this myth? Help!
- Wes
  
  30 January 2010
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  Well, it definitely sounds like you’ve got the exercise regimen covered! Physical fitness has many important benefits, to be sure, but as Kevin and I have discussed, the name of the body fat game is the carb/insulin factor. We’ve done quite a few shows discussing the various aspects of this, so a good place to start would be to subscribe to the show and listen to those episodes, maybe beginning with 13.
  
  In a nutshell, typically any plateau that you hit is not the result of lack of exercise, but rather of eating too many carbohydrate-based foods (and too little fat for energy in place of the carbs you cut). And don’t forget adequate protein. So, instead of counting calories, consider lowering the percentage of carbs in your meals and replacing that lost energy with fats, such as nuts and nut butters. Feel free to comment more either here or after the show notes of episode 13, for instance, in order to ensure that you’re on the right track. Plateaus can be overcome!