Rating: 
Summary: Regarding the "increasing number of researchers"
Review: ...or more specifically, the "excellent science writer" Gary Taubes NY Times article cited by Mr. Martin below, you may want to check out Fumento's account in Reason magazine: http://www.reason.com/0303/fe.mf.big.shtml He demonstrates that Taubes' assertions represent anything but a consensus on the part of even those researchers quoted to support his views, many of whom say their words were quoted out of context.
Rating: 
Summary: He's Written for "The Washington Times."
Review: A libertarian/right-wing political writer is writing diet books. And, guess what? He blames the victims. Surprise, surprise. I could just imagine him standing over a smoker with emphysema. "You deserve what you get, Smokey. Now check out!" This guy is the voice of reason in the battle against America's obesity problem? He peppers his "debunking" with insult after insult...as if making fun of fat people will mobilize them to lose weight. Yeah. That works. This guy is just a know-it-all who could stand to waddle a mile in a fatty's shoes. (Note: that last sentence is indicative of Fumento's humor and tone). Post script: Two of the healthiest cultures on earth, Eskimos and Lapps, eat almost no carbohydrates.
Rating:
Summary: A Fine Debunking of Weight Loss Con Artists
Review: Fumento has an admirable willingness to write books that go against popular wisdom and political correctness. (Unfortunately, though, he seems to have an aversion to using his impressive critical thinking skills against right wing and corporate targets.) In this book, he takes on diet hucksters, fat activists, and overweight Americans themselves. Fumento has clearly done his homework. Unlike the overwhelming majority of high-selling diet books, this book is heavily footnoted and based solidly on a great number of published research findings in medical and scientific journals. I find him to be a credible author and I find his medical claims to be plausible. In spite of its heavy reliance on scholarly research, the book is written in a very readable, non-technical style. Fumento includes a lot of anecdotal autobiographical material about his own-ultimately successful-struggles to lose weight. He makes frequent use of humor along the way. (Actually, I thought his quips missed more often than not, but I appreciate the effort.) Fumento arrives at the common sense conclusion that losing weight requires developing the self-discipline to consume fewer calories and/or to be more physically active and thus use more calories. (This is over-simplifying his findings slightly, since he does, for instance, claim that some weight-loss drugs appear to have some limited effectiveness.) The countless fad diets and such that seem to fly in the face of this and seem to have found some way around the need to eat less and exercise more fall into one of two categories: Either a) they just plain don't work, or b) insofar as they work at all, it is precisely because in some indirect way they do indeed result in the person consuming significantly fewer calories. One thing Fumento discovered in his research which came as a mild surprise to me is that it is a myth that differences in metabolism have a significant impact on weight. The anecdotal evidence I had observed had led me to agree with the popular notion that many people (you and I, for instance) unfairly gain weight without being gluttons, while other lucky bastards can eat whatever they want without gaining an ounce. According to Fumento, though, such differences in metabolism tend to be quite minimal and have little impact on weight. No, with very rare exceptions, you are fat if and only if you eat like a pig and get little or no exercise. You avoid being fat if and only if you consume fewer calories and get a significant amount of exercise. In general, Fumento's medical conclusions--and his lambasting of the people who get filthy rich exploiting those who are ignorant of same-is convincing and valuable. On the other hand, he is, in my opinion, on shakier ground with some of his ethical, social, and political claims. In Fumento's opinion, a depressingly high percentage of Americans are living lifestyles that are horribly unhealthy in terms both of decreasing their life span and diminishing their quality of life. Furthermore, "fat activists" and other such misguided folks are making this problem worse. Instead of working to change the self-destructive habits of fat people, they are treating them as a victimized minority in need of boosted self-esteem that will enable them to accept and like their obese selves the way they are, and of protection against discrimination at the hands of those who are less politically enlightened. But, according to Fumento, to favor the healthy-looking person over the fat person when choosing a spouse, sex partner, even employee in some cases, is not unjust discrimination, but is an entirely natural and mostly beneficial social practice. In short, in Fumento's view, we do fat people no favor by telling them "There's nothing wrong with being fat, and even if there is, it's not your fault." Actually, there are many things wrong with being fat, and yes, as a matter of fact, it is your fault. I find his views to be interesting, thought-provoking, of at least some merit, and worth airing, and I enjoy his frankness, but I can't go all the way with him here. Fat people (women even more than men) in our society are routinely insulted, gawked at, ostracized, and treated in ways ranging from mildly rude to outright cruel. Their dating market value, career market value, etc., all else being equal, tend to be low. And it seems pretty clear to me that the discriminatory way they are treated is not--neither in intent nor in results--"for their own good." Whether it is somehow more "natural" to discriminate against women who aren't built like Ally McBeal than it was in ancient China to discriminate against women who hadn't had their feet bound is both doubtful and irrelevant. Not everything that is natural in that sense is worth affirming. In the end, we all have to make choices as to what risks to take, what benefits to forego, what costs to absorb. As a rule of thumb, the fatter you are, the more you are making lifestyle choices that are unhealthy. But you are also presumably doing things you enjoy (e.g., eating foods you like) and avoiding things you don't enjoy (e.g., working out). On the one hand, you can relax on the sofa with another banana split and accept the various risks that that entails to your health and longevity. On the other hand, you can deny yourself the pleasures of the banana split and force yourself to go for a jog instead. Both choices have costs and both choices have benefits, and it's up to you to decide which you prefer on balance. I believe in helping people to make more informed, autonomous choices (and this book is quite valuable in that respect), but I'm wary of using social pressure and punishment to shame people into making the "right" choices.
Rating: 
Summary: Unfair, unbalanced, and unthinking
Review: I first saw Fumento on a news magazine show. He was sitting at his desk hiding his, what I figured to be his gut, not even pretending to be interested in the reporter. He was going on about how fat everyone else is. I take it a mirror is a rare thing in the Fumento household. For some reason I took this wack o' crap out at the library. Boy was that a mistake. And you will be disapointed as well if you buy this piece of junk. Pseudo-science galore and chock full of inaccuracies. You could get better results sitting on a toilet. As I remember the interview, Fumento couldn't even speak properly. He kept mincing his words and making noises like a sick puppy. It's a wonder he received a book advance much less his high school diploma. Just goes to show you what goes for writing ability these days. I encourage you all not to buy this book. If you do, return it for a full refund.
Rating:
Summary: This book is the hard truth, which may be hard to swallow...
Review: I have read this book dozens of times and have recommended it to many people...the health of Americans today is a paradox, everyone is worried about deficency diseases (protein deficiency, not enough vitamins, etc). but the real problems are diseases of excess...when I went to Disneyland recently I was reminded of Michael Fumento's book because there were a heck of a lot of overweight people walking around eating...I have lost over 100 lbs and kept it off for 10 years basically eating right and exercising, none of that fad diet stuff for me. I must also mention that this book is a GOOD READ and you may even chuckle in places. It burns me up to see the writers of fad diet books, pushers of diet pills, etc. making so much money off vunerable fat people looking for a magical cure when the simple truth is the only thing that works...eat fewer calories than you expend! Michael Fumento is right on the money!
Rating:
Summary: Unfair, unbalanced, and unthinking
Review: The poor research that provides this book its back-bone is scary. Fumento genuinely adds nothing to this conversation. Oh, he can repeat things and he can tell us what we expect to hear, but he is depending on an uncritical audience who will assume it must be so because that is what they've always expected to be so. Fumento has developed a habit of launching into rages against anyone who suggests a different view on fat, but he never examines their case or the evidence they cite. Reading his book on the topic, its no surprise. Fumento is an idealogue who finds whatever evidence supports his view and then proceeds to pretend that this is all the evidence that exists. I don't doubt that he believes this to be so, considering how vicious and unthinking his attacks are on those who question or challenge his assertions. He has done this for a host of other causes where he has been met with a more justly critical reception. It is a shame this book is not as readily written off as the rest of his work. Its not science. Its not even science journalism. Its deceptive propaganda, and you would do well to look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Not as scientific as it seems
Review: The tables are turning, and it looks increasingly like Fumento's basic arguments in this book are wrong. An increasing number of researchers believe that the push by the government, physicians, and the media for a low-fat, high-carb diet is not only wrong but deadly. A Jul 8, 2002 New York Times article by the excellent science writer, Gary Taubes, details how the nation was herded toward more obesity, heart disease and diabetes by expert know-it-alls, while ignoring contrary evidence. Fumento sides with the know-it-alls and levels blame against the apparent victims: fat people. In this and his other writings, Fumento shows a fanatical devotion to psychological explanations. He's quite sure that more will power is the solution to obesity. He also likes to smear people who disagree with him. But it is looking increasingly like some of the people he calls quacks, such as Robert Atkins, may turn out to be right. If Fumento was more temperate and even-handed in his presentation he might be more convincing. But Fumento is primarily a political writer who dresses up his work with pseudoscience. That is ironic since he built his reputation by accusing others of doing the same. His first two books were excellent, but he has been in free-fall since then. Previously he warned against using personal anecdotes to support scientific claims, but in this book he shares his own experiences with anger and obesity. These add nothing to his argument. The debate among scientists over diet and weight is far from settled, despite Fumento's claim to the contrary.
Rating: 
Summary: Explodes some myths, perpetuates others
Review: This book is witty, and informative, and the author actually does get his facts right -- mostly. I especially liked his analysis of the writing formula for diet books, which is followed by most of the con-artists posing as diet gurus. He is correct that this topic has attracted scores of con artists in search of a quick buck. Right behind the con artists are a battalion of diet-guru-wannabes who have discovered one or two things that sort-of work, and have deluded themselves into believing that they have all of the answers (for example: McDougall, Ornish, Pritikin on the LF side, and Atkins, McBride, and Sears on the LC side). The author does a fair job of exposing some members of both groups, although the implied characterization as 'charlatan' is a bit harsh in some cases. But the author did miss a few items. I have seen a number of diet books that don't follow the con-artist formula, and give basically sound advice. My favorites of these include McDonald's "The Ketogenic Diet", and Bernstein's "Diabetes Solution". Fumento might be excused for missing the recent research that shows that extreme carbohydrate restriction is healthier and more effective for weight control than fat restriction, but he claims that ketosis is "unnatural" and "unhealthy", which is *not* supported by any of the available evidence dating as far back as the last few centuries. Furthermore, he shows that he does not actually understand what ketosis *is*. I am very glad that I read the public library's copy of this book, and didn't buy it.
Rating: 
Summary: Consumer's Reports of Diets....
Review: This book was incredible. Not really a "diet" book in the traditional sense, it's more like a Consumer's Reports of diets and diet books - It reviews Dr. Atkins, Jenny Craig (...), Physicians' Weight Loss (no Physicians!) - all the "gurus" and shows how the Emperor has no clothes (but plenty of fat!). It has chapters on ALL of your options - diets, exercise, surgery, drugs -(he even reviews the illegal ones!). This man read, literally, hundreds of medical journals and studies- the bibliography is 50 PAGES LONG! Do you know how much research that adds up to? Astonishing! He not only looked at the _short_ term results of all of these diets, he researched the more-important (and often overlooked) LONG term results of various methods of weight loss. Did you know liposuction isn't permanent? Do you know what happens if someone with a "tummy tuck" re-gains their weight after the operation? What about drug combo of aspirin, caffeene and...that other stuff...that worked better than Phen-Fen (without the side effects) but wasn't advertised because it wasn't a real money-maker? The other great part of this book is how he exposes the diet-industry fleecing of America, and how the "gurus" are getting rich and the Surgeon General looks the other way while we die of obesity-related diseases.....PS - I've lost 10-15 lbs and dropped an entire size (2 inches in my waist) in the past 6 months...and kept it off...
Rating:
Summary: Consumer's Reports of Diets....
Review: This book was incredible. Not really a "diet" book in the traditional sense, it's more like a Consumer's Reports of diets and diet books - It reviews Dr. Atkins, Jenny Craig (...), Physicians' Weight Loss (no Physicians!) - all the "gurus" and shows how the Emperor has no clothes (but plenty of fat!). It has chapters on ALL of your options - diets, exercise, surgery, drugs -(he even reviews the illegal ones!). This man read, literally, hundreds of medical journals and studies- the bibliography is 50 PAGES LONG! Do you know how much research that adds up to? Astonishing! He not only looked at the _short_ term results of all of these diets, he researched the more-important (and often overlooked) LONG term results of various methods of weight loss. Did you know liposuction isn't permanent? Do you know what happens if someone with a "tummy tuck" re-gains their weight after the operation? What about drug combo of aspirin, caffeene and...that other stuff...that worked better than Phen-Fen (without the side effects) but wasn't advertised because it wasn't a real money-maker? The other great part of this book is how he exposes the diet-industry fleecing of America, and how the "gurus" are getting rich and the Surgeon General looks the other way while we die of obesity-related diseases.....PS - I've lost 10-15 lbs and dropped an entire size (2 inches in my waist) in the past 6 months...and kept it off...
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