My annual father’s day treat is a couple hours at the nearby Barnes and Noble. I browse to my heart’s content. This year, Bob Harper’s “Super Carb Diet” caught my eye. I had about an hour to skim the book for a rough take.
I’m tickled he’s fully recovered (I presume) from his heart attack. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
In short, SCD is a repackaged “South Beach Diet.” SCD makes the same arguments SBD did, i.e., carbs are an essential part of a complete regimen of diverse food sources for a balanced and healthy diet. If you’ve done SBD (and I have, to limited success and nearly immediate return to my starting weight) there’s really nothing too new here. He writes; “It’s simple: maintain a vigorous workout discipline and no overeating.” Sounds familiar? Yes, the same tried-and-failed plans that won’t go away. Brought to us, now, by the same fellow associated with this mess: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/6-years-after-the-biggest-loser-metabolism-is-slower-and-weight-is-back-up/
In the first chapter, Harper harps on Paleo and Keto as well. Harper was apparently eating “Paleo” and now blames his diet for his heart attack. He describes very few aspects of living with LCHF correctly, but then presents a large array of the negative aspects of fat-adaptation. "Everyone gets bad breath.” Oh, really? I’ve seen posts about this, but everyone? “Everyone gets the keto flu.” "Your weight loss is immediately erased when you have carbs.” Like death and taxes, he assures each and every one of us that we will tire of this way of eating to the point of leaving it. Worse, he talks down to his readers. “Bear with me;” he begs, as he describes the different types of sugars. He includes this mind-bending “super tip” (make sure your seated before proceeding here) “Butter is not a carb. It’s a fat.” That seriously appears as a “super tip.”
It’s no surprise that our confirmation bias would automatically lead us to reject the premise of his book. However, it felt good to read his words and know how badly he gets the science and effects of what he’s describing. It is merely more of the same failed advice, promoted by a celebrity that has little success under his belt.
