Getting Ready For The Cruise, Dr. Lustig’s Series On Obesity

I promise to start writing real posts again soon.  Right now my focus is on getting ready for the cruise … finishing a slide show for the roast, rehearsing, making sure we have our travel arrangements all set, etc.   These things were a lot easier when I wasn’t also working full-time outside the home.

Chareva’s parents are arriving Thursday to stay at the house and take care of the girls, dogs, chickens, garden, etc. while we’re gone, so this will be my last post until after the cruise.  We’ll fill orders for DVDs and t-shirts until Friday, but any orders that come in while we’re gone will have to wait until we get back.

The Older Brother has agreed take over the Fat Head chair starting on Thursday and write some posts while we’re gone.   In the meantime, here are two more episodes from the UCTV series “The Skinny on Obesity,” featuring Dr. Robert Lustig.


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29 thoughts on “Getting Ready For The Cruise, Dr. Lustig’s Series On Obesity

  1. TheFatNurseRN

    Have fun on your cruise Tom. Watching episode 3 from Lustig…I was on the edge of my seat…WAS HE GOING TO TELL PEOPLE TO EAT MORE FAT AND LESS CARBS!? Alas…even tho his evidence suggested it, that would have probably been too radical to say from a mainstream institution like UCSF. Although still plenty of episodes left so who knows.

    Lustig pointed out in his “Sugar: the bitter truth” video that the anti-fat campaigns were a mistake. He’s not against low-carb diets, but believes the real problem is excess fructose, not carbs in general.

  2. TheFatNurseRN

    Have fun on your cruise Tom. Watching episode 3 from Lustig…I was on the edge of my seat…WAS HE GOING TO TELL PEOPLE TO EAT MORE FAT AND LESS CARBS!? Alas…even tho his evidence suggested it, that would have probably been too radical to say from a mainstream institution like UCSF. Although still plenty of episodes left so who knows.

    Lustig pointed out in his “Sugar: the bitter truth” video that the anti-fat campaigns were a mistake. He’s not against low-carb diets, but believes the real problem is excess fructose, not carbs in general.

  3. Melanie

    Thanks for sharing these videos. They are so well done and easy to understand. I’m off to find the rest of them! Have a great trip!

  4. Melanie

    Thanks for sharing these videos. They are so well done and easy to understand. I’m off to find the rest of them! Have a great trip!

  5. Paul

    I’m a little confused by these videos. Is sugar really all that different than flour? Doesn’t flour also metabolize in your liver and due the same basic thing as sugar does? Is the problem fructose or really high glycemic index foods?

    Fructose is metabolized in the liver and is more likely to lead to fatty liver. That being said, there are plenty of other reasons to avoid refined flour as well.

  6. Teri

    I work at an elementary school part time in the lunchroom. I was informed today of the changes that will be taking place next year in the menu due to the Obama school lunch program. The entire program is meant to combat what they consider the obesity epidemic in our young children. After looking at the menu’s proposed, it seems they are just replacing one sugar with another. Omitting the strawberry and chocolate milk is one step in the right direction but replacing it with more carbohydrates. Not a good idea. Half the kids in our lunch room throw away the whole wheat bun from the chicken patty sandwhich. These are the kids they think are going to eat vegetarian tamales. I doubt it. Just my thoughts on the matter.

    It’s already been documented that kids are tossing the tasteless lowfat foods in the trash and eating foods they like later.

  7. Paul

    I’m a little confused by these videos. Is sugar really all that different than flour? Doesn’t flour also metabolize in your liver and due the same basic thing as sugar does? Is the problem fructose or really high glycemic index foods?

    Fructose is metabolized in the liver and is more likely to lead to fatty liver. That being said, there are plenty of other reasons to avoid refined flour as well.

  8. Teri

    I work at an elementary school part time in the lunchroom. I was informed today of the changes that will be taking place next year in the menu due to the Obama school lunch program. The entire program is meant to combat what they consider the obesity epidemic in our young children. After looking at the menu’s proposed, it seems they are just replacing one sugar with another. Omitting the strawberry and chocolate milk is one step in the right direction but replacing it with more carbohydrates. Not a good idea. Half the kids in our lunch room throw away the whole wheat bun from the chicken patty sandwhich. These are the kids they think are going to eat vegetarian tamales. I doubt it. Just my thoughts on the matter.

    It’s already been documented that kids are tossing the tasteless lowfat foods in the trash and eating foods they like later.

  9. Kevin

    Would so have loved to be on the cruise to see the great presentations and meet my new hero(s). I’m circling the calendar for next year. Have a wonderful time and your loyal fan base will be eagerly awaiting your return . Oh and Tom, pay attention in the Muster drill!!! We need you and Chareva back!!! And moreso, so do the girls!!! ENJOY!!!!!!

    Thank you. I’m glad the roast is the first night. That means I’ll be able to relax for the rest of the cruise.

  10. Kevin

    Would so have loved to be on the cruise to see the great presentations and meet my new hero(s). I’m circling the calendar for next year. Have a wonderful time and your loyal fan base will be eagerly awaiting your return . Oh and Tom, pay attention in the Muster drill!!! We need you and Chareva back!!! And moreso, so do the girls!!! ENJOY!!!!!!

    Thank you. I’m glad the roast is the first night. That means I’ll be able to relax for the rest of the cruise.

  11. Craig

    Did you see where Nutella just lost a class action lawsuit for its years worth of false advertising claiming that the spread is a “health food”?

    Sugar is listed as the first ingredient and a two tablespoon serving has 21 grams of the stuff.

    I’d rather see that lawsuit filed against Cheerios and Wheaties.

  12. Craig

    Did you see where Nutella just lost a class action lawsuit for its years worth of false advertising claiming that the spread is a “health food”?

    Sugar is listed as the first ingredient and a two tablespoon serving has 21 grams of the stuff.

    I’d rather see that lawsuit filed against Cheerios and Wheaties.

  13. Tammy

    Tom – Have a great trip – you deserve the time off. Hopefully we’ll get to see a video of the roast 🙂

    I’ll set up a camera and hope the video gods don’t play tricks on me. Back in my standup days, I found that if I had my best show of the month, that would be the time the battery went dead or someone had bumped the tripod and the video was of a wall.

  14. Tammy

    Tom – Have a great trip – you deserve the time off. Hopefully we’ll get to see a video of the roast 🙂

    I’ll set up a camera and hope the video gods don’t play tricks on me. Back in my standup days, I found that if I had my best show of the month, that would be the time the battery went dead or someone had bumped the tripod and the video was of a wall.

  15. Walter B

    RE: Nutella

    They didn’t lose — they settled so there is no precedent established, most unfortunately. At least Nutella has some saturated fat to slow down the sugar rush. (See “The Grains of War”, which would be pretty much truth in advertising were it real.)

    And the big cereal killers have very deep pockets and the American Heart Association and so forth.

  16. Kyle Jenkins

    Thanks for these. They were very informative. I am taking a Nutrition class right now at college, and I can already tell its going to be interesting, and mostly incorrect. The 300lb guy who is diabetic in my class, stated that he eats a bowl of shredded wheat every morning for the fiber. I asked my teacher if she had every watched your movie, she said she had not, so I recommend it to her.

    Thanks Tom for your work.


    On Tom’s behalf, you’re welcome. Unless you get an indication that your teacher actually has an open mind, I’d suggest you keep a low profile until you’ve gotten your grade for the semester!

    — The Older Brother, sitting in for Tom

  17. Walter B

    RE: Nutella

    They didn’t lose — they settled so there is no precedent established, most unfortunately. At least Nutella has some saturated fat to slow down the sugar rush. (See “The Grains of War”, which would be pretty much truth in advertising were it real.)

    And the big cereal killers have very deep pockets and the American Heart Association and so forth.

  18. Kyle Jenkins

    Thanks for these. They were very informative. I am taking a Nutrition class right now at college, and I can already tell its going to be interesting, and mostly incorrect. The 300lb guy who is diabetic in my class, stated that he eats a bowl of shredded wheat every morning for the fiber. I asked my teacher if she had every watched your movie, she said she had not, so I recommend it to her.

    Thanks Tom for your work.


    On Tom’s behalf, you’re welcome. Unless you get an indication that your teacher actually has an open mind, I’d suggest you keep a low profile until you’ve gotten your grade for the semester!

    — The Older Brother, sitting in for Tom

  19. TheFatNurseRN

    Another diet based off the “calories in calories out” dogma being promoted by CNN this week: http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/02/health/volumetric-diet-plans/index.html?hpt=hp_bn12

    I do a breakdown of it with the original study and other supporting studies if you’re interested! – http://thefatnurse.wordpress.com/2012/05/03/volumetrics/

    Nicely done.

    Interesting to see that they replace the n=1 experiment with the new d=1 approach (it might work for one day).

    — The Older Brother

  20. TheFatNurseRN

    Another diet based off the “calories in calories out” dogma being promoted by CNN this week: http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/02/health/volumetric-diet-plans/index.html?hpt=hp_bn12

    I do a breakdown of it with the original study and other supporting studies if you’re interested! – http://thefatnurse.wordpress.com/2012/05/03/volumetrics/

    Nicely done.

    Interesting to see that they replace the n=1 experiment with the new d=1 approach (it might work for one day).

    — The Older Brother

  21. Walter B

    RE: Volumetrics

    Gnolls.org has an article that goes directly to this point.

    The whole series I recommend highly, but caution, it contains science, which the people pushing volumetrics cannot understand.

    OK, it *might* work for some people who overeat for psychological reasons, but I don’t think so. And if you under eat at a meal, you are more likely to get hungry between and most of the convenient foods are high carb or high carb high fat.

    On of my friends said when I pointed out that rice swells up when cooked, immediately came back with, “But then it shrinks in my stomach”.

    Hmm, by volumetrics we could just drink a lot of water and get by with no calories at all! Or those shitakie noodles with *no* calories.

  22. Walter B

    http://www.gnolls.org/2472/when-satiation-fails-calorie-density-oral-processing-time-and-rice-cakes-vs-prime-rib-why-are-we-hungry-part-5/

    Quote: RE: Volumetrics

    I’ll handicap the comparison by choosing an extra-fatty USDA Prime grade of prime rib, which contains 367 calories per 100 grams, or about 3.7 calories per gram. (Link.)

    In contrast, rice cakes contain 392 calories per 100 grams, or almost 4 calories per gram. (Link.) That’s right: rice cakes are a denser source of calories than prime rib!

    That’s because rice cakes, like all shelf-stable foods, have most of the water removed in order to preserve them and retard bacterial growth. As a rule, anything you’ll find in a box on the shelf will be dehydrated—and, in consequence, extremely calorie-dense.

  23. BA

    RE: Volumetrics

    The idea of food “density” is completely irrelevant to anyone following a carbohydrate restricted diet.

    Food volume producing satiety only applies to carbohydrate foods, because carbohydrates cannot induce a Cholecystokinin signal without physically stretching the stomach.

    Fat and protein create a Cholecystokinin signal simply by hitting the very beginning of the small intestine, regardless of volume.

  24. BA

    RE: Volumetrics

    The idea of food “density” is completely irrelevant to anyone following a carbohydrate restricted diet.

    Food volume producing satiety only applies to carbohydrate foods, because carbohydrates cannot induce a Cholecystokinin signal without physically stretching the stomach.

    Fat and protein create a Cholecystokinin signal simply by hitting the very beginning of the small intestine, regardless of volume.

  25. Pam warren

    Where can I find any research on effectiveness of reversing damage of a lifetime of fructose flooding the liver. I work with older(45-75yrs) who are interested in changing lifelong practices using current neuroplasticity information with balancing sleep, nutrition and exercise. As your videos discuss they are experiencing various ills and wondering if they can correct any of the damage that has been done silently over the years.

    We recommend several books on the Recommended Reading page. The books by Dr. Bernstein and Dr. Parker would be useful for your situation.

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