Yes , I apologize for being so absolutist. There do seem to be some people who can lose bodyfat by reducing carbohydrate without also reducing total calories. But low carb fora just keep confirming that they are very rare. Who knows whether it is a reporting or even measurement problem, or whether some people's bodies just seem to prefer to mobilize bodyfat rather than use available dietary calories. I'd love to understand the mechanisms involved in these people.

I've probably confused the issue a little by making this a debate about whether or not a calorie deficit is needed for bodyfat loss (in a L.C. hormonal environment) always, because there do seem to be exceptions. But the real issue is surely that in making a calorie deficit seem irrelevant to the bodyfat loss when it is clearly usually essential.

And in failing to identify this typical situation, Taubes has done Low Carb a great disservice, because he is saying that bodyfat loss has nothing to do with a calorie deficit.

It might have helped if he had recognized that whether you are in calorie deficit, equilibrium, or surplus has a huge hormonal impact. So in a kind of funny way, what he said about bodyfat loss/gain being hormonally mediated is true, but in failing to clarify that in the case of bodyfat loss, that hormonal environment is hugely affected by whether you are in calorie deficit or not has meant that he kind of missed the point about bodyfat loss.

Anyway, great discussion. Thanks Calianna .

Time2, so perhaps the hormonal influence of a calorie deficit becomes relatively strong in comparison with the hormonal effect of restricting carbohydrate depending on how much excess bodyfat you have? Which gets confirmed every day on this board alone, so I guess we shouldn't be too surprised.


Stuart