Hey everyone! I’ve been trying to improve several aspects of my life lately. And I thought that the book Eat Fat, Get Thin might help me with my weight problem. And after having read it, I think it definitely will!

Here you’ll find my summary of the book, and my thoughts of the book are at the end.

The book divided into four parts:

1. How did we get into this big, fat mess?
2. Separating fat from fiction.
3. The eat fat, get thin plan.
4. Recipes

Chapter 1

• seemingly good advice from government, health care industry, and food industry is only “seemingly” – they were wrong about a lot of stuff
  • now we eat 152 pounds of sugar and 146 pounds of flour per year
• there are lots of types of fat
  • saturated
  • monounsaturated
  • polyunsaturated
  • trans fat
• lots of variety within saturated and polyunsaturated fats
• truths:
  • not all fats are bad
  • eating liberal amounts of the right ones will NOT make you fat
• thankfully scientific evidence is mounting that this is the case
• you can lose weight on a high fat diet, as long you eat the right kinds, and as part of a healthy diet
• sugar and refined carbs – not fat – are responsible for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart desease, as well as causing increased risk of dementia and premature deaths
• Dr. Hyman talks about his own conversion from recommending low fat diets to high fat diets
• includes a survey of 13 questions that will help you determine if you’re on the wrong path
• has a checklist for the FLC (feel like crap) syndrome
  • says that following his guidelines will remove FLC

Chapter 2

• we’ve been told two big falsehoods about fat
  • all calories operate in the same way in the body
  • fatty cholesterol deposits cause hear disease
• but the body is more complex than that
• delves into those two falsehoods, why they’re accepted, and how they’re wrong
• talks about the roles of:
  • big government
  • big food companies
• sugar is the new fat – sugar is BAD
• the redemption of fat

Chapter 3

• eating fat does NOT make you fat
• if you believe all calories are created equal, then might think that staying away from fat is a good idea, but it just doesn’t work out this way
• calories are digested differently, depending on the type of food
• it’s not eating more and exercising less that makes you fat – rather, BEING fat makes you eat more and exercise less
• restricting calories makes your body perceive a starvation situation which makes you tired and hungry and slows down your metabolism – things we don’t want
• when talking high fat versus low fat diets, you must consider the type of fat
• eating a low-fat diet can make you crave bad foods
• there can be problems with high fat low-carb diets, but they’re easily avoided

Chapter 4

• all about the kinds of fats in detail
• four types of fat: saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat PUFA (omega-3 and omega-6), and trans fats
• saturated fats are misunderstood
• monounsaturated fats are good for you (like olive oil, oil from nuts)
• some PUFA are good, others are not, also it can depend what you eat them with
• transfats are bad – at least everyone agrees on that

Chapter 5

• all about fat and heart disease
• lots of research, and it basically says there’s no link between total dietary fat (the fat you eat) or saturated fat and heart disease
• added fat can actually be beneficial
• big 2014 study said vegetable oils are NOT good, contrary to what many people espouse
• trans fats increase heart desease while omega-3 fats decrease it
• saturated fats in your blood that cause heart attacks come from eat sugar and carbs, not from eating fat
• omega-3 fats from fish are the most protective
• how saturated fats relate to inflammation, carbohydrates, and cholesterol
• the big business statins – basically they only help if you’ve already had a heart attack
• the right kind of tests you should get from your doctor, and what they mean

Chapter 6

• at the turn of the last century vegetable oil’s were almost unheard of
• but now 20% of Americans diet is made up of soybean oil
• increasing omega-3 oil‘s in your diet reduces heart attacks and death
• many studies show correlation, like someone ordering a big Mac also ordering fries, but not causation. Because ordering a big Mac does not MAKE you order fries – they just often occur together.
• careful study of past trials shows that omega-6 oils are to be avoided
• 94% of US soybean crops are genetically modified
• some recommendations are:
  • cut out refined oils except extra-virgin olive oil
  • use extra virgin coconut oil and a little grass fed butter or ghee
  • stop fearing animal fat, but stick with grass fed, pasture raised, and organic.
  • get fats from Whole Foods like avocados, nuts, and seeds.

Chapter 7

• all about meat – is it good or bad?
• is it meat vs veggies, or rather the sugar and refined carbs that are part of the typical meat eater’s diet that we should be concerned with?
• why it’s hard to determine the effects of meat on the typical meat eater in North America
• does saturated fatl in meat cause heart disease?
• red meat and its relation to bad gut bacteria
• does red meat cause type 2 diabetes and weight gain?
• does red meat cause cancer?
• does red meat cause inflammation?
• is eating meat immoral or unethical?
• is grass-fed meat better?

Chapter 8

A chapter about these different kinds of foods:

• eggs
• butter
• coconut oil
• MCT oil
• palm oil
• olive oil
• nuts and seeds

Chapter 9

Fat Benefits:

• reverses type 2 diabetes
• prevents brain aging and dementia
• helps with seizures, depression, ADD, autism, trauma, more
• reduces inflammation and autoimmune disease
• boosts sports performance
• gives beautiful hair, skin, nails
• enhances sex life

Chapter 10

No longer about the theory but starts the really practical stuff. What to eat? What not to eat? Etc.

• the Eat Fat, Get Thin Plan
• comparing vegan and paleo diets
• combining the best of vegan and paleo
• dairies, grains, beans, meat, eggs
• personalizing your diet
• testing your genes

Chapter 11

This chapter continues with the really practical stuff – the eating prorgam. It lays the groundwork for chapters to come with a quick summary.

• getting ready to start the plan
• implementing the plan kick-off phase
• the long-term plan

Chapter 12

All about laying the groundwork for your new way of eating.

• kitchen makeover
• good ingredients
• foods to avoid
• coffee
• examples from real life
• supplements
• your numbers from your doctor

Chapter 13

Outlines the eating plan itself. This is the juicy stuff!

• what to eat
• breakfast
• lunch
• dinner
• foods to avoid
• good sources of fat
• good sources of protein
• protein powders
• good carbs
• daily schedule
• troubleshooting tips

Chapter 14

Discusses the transition from the intro part of the plan to the full time part of the eating plan.

• exit interview after the 3 week intro diet
• transition plan, option 1: continue as before
• transition plan, option 2: the pegan diet

Chapter 15

This chapter gives some cooking tips!

• planning eating for the week
• how to cook vegetables
• how to cook chicken, seafood, and meat
• shopping tips
• basic kitchen tools

Chapter 16

Dr. Mark Hyman gives a bunch of recipes that fall neatly into his eating plan.

• snacks
• smoothies and more
• eggs and pancakes
• salads
• chicken, turkey, duck
• beef and lamb
• seafood
• soups and stews
• sauces
• sides and vegetables

My Thoughts

I borrowed this book from the library, and it’s going on my Amazon list. It’s really good. Some of the theoretical stuff (like chapters 4-6) was a little tough slogging, and I actually skipped them at first and came back to them later. In retrospect I don’t think I should have done that. Good groundwork in those chapters.

I’ve been trying to lose weight for several months now, and this book really helps me determine what I should eat, and helps me feel good about those decisions.

The recipes are interesting, but to be honest I don’t know how much use I’ll be able to make of them. Many of them include nuts or milk from nuts, and I am allergic to ALL nuts. Tree nuts, coconuts, peanuts – all that stuff. So the number of recipes I can use is pretty small. As well, the recipes use lots of ingredients. Even if lots of them are spices, it’s quite daunting.

On the whole, though, it’s a great book, and it’ll be going on my reference shelf.

Here’s my video review: