Exercise & dieting big fat lies

Lose weight with lazy pig-out plan

By CYNTHIA R. FAGEN

Chew on this.

Fat is good. Fruit and veggies are out -- and don't bother exercising if you want to lose weight.

That may sound like a dream come true for millions of couch potatoes across America, yet controversial nutritionist Zoe Harcombe says everything you thought was good to stay healthy -- fewer calories and more exercise -- only packs on the flab.

"It's a myth. It's the carbs that pile on the pounds," insists Harcombe, who just published "The Obesity Epidemic: What Caused It? How Can We Stop It?" "It's absolutely what causes the weight gain and the weight loss."

GETTY IMAGES

CURB CARBS! It's not calorie cutting and working out that'll keep you slim, says the author of the controversial new book "The Obesity Epidemic." It's avoiding carbohydrate-packed foods, like pastas.

Harcombe, 42, who battled anorexia and bulimia as a child growing up in Wales, said she became alarmed at the skyrocketing obesity rate in the UK and the US. Thirty-three percent of 300 million Americans are obese, and 70 percent are overweight.

"My absolute assertion is that when we changed our eating habits in the 1970s, it coincided with the explosion of obesity," said the Cambridge-educated mathematician-turned-nutritionist.

She said Americans must go back to older dietary rules calling for red meat, fish, eggs, cream and butter, all virtually carbohydrate free. "You've got to go back to sticking a pork chop on the grill," she said.

Foods based on flour and grains, like pasta, white rice and bread are fattening. Sweet foods, like fruit, are the most fattening of all, she said.

It all goes against the FDA-approved message that "adults should consume 45 to 65 percent of their total calories from carbohydrates," calling for 2.5 cups of veggies, 2 cups of fruit, 3 cups of low-fat dairy, 5.5 ounces of meat and beans and 6 ounces of grains.

Here are some food myths Harcombe targets:

* Myth: Veggies and fruit are more nutritious than any other food.

Greens are good only if they are slathered in butter in order to deliver the fat-soluble vitamins they contain. Sugar in fruit gets stored as fat in the liver.

"You don't need to push them on your kids; they are not as nearly as full of vitamins as meat, fish and egg."

* Myth: Losing weight is about reducing calories.

"If you cut 500 calories from a 2,000-calorie daily diet, you will lose weight at first." But the body will compensate and turn down its metabolism to reduce energy and use fewer calories.

* Myth: Starchy foods should be the main part of our diet.

Pasta, bread and grains turn into sugar in the blood, which is unhealthy. It forces the body to release insulin, which stores fat, in order to get the glucose levels back to normal.

* Myth: We should exercise to combat obesity.

"It will only cause you to get hungry, and your body will crave carbohydrates, which causes weight gain." It's better to walk regularly and control what you eat.

* Myth: Fat is a definite no-no.

"Real fat from natural foods is good. Eat only what nature grows."

"Stop grazing and snacking. Go back to eating three good meals a day and manage your carbs if you want to lose weight," Harcombe said.