Dr Oz & Dr Glenn Gaesser: The Doctor Who Says Everything Dr Oz Believes About Weight Loss Is Wrong
Dr. Glenn Gaesser, PhD, the director of the Health Lifestyle Resource Center in Arizona, has authored 2 books on being healthy. Dr. Gaesser believed that there was not an epidemic of obesity in America. He also believed that there were no immediate health risks to being fat and that being overweight had no harmful affect on the heart and your health. Dr. Gaesser felt so strongly about his beliefs he posted a video on youtube rebutting Dr Oz and his methods. According to Dr. Gaesser, it was a myth that being overweight in America today meant you were going to die sooner. Weight was a poor indicator of overall health.
Dr Oz & Dr Gaesser
According to Dr. Gaesser, the major issue was that we’ve viewed weight as a predictor of health, but it is fitness that is more important than being thin when predicting health. 
Dr. Gaesser told Dr Oz that there had been data published in the 1990s to back up his claims. In fact, Dr. Gaesser used this data to publish his book in 1996.
Dr Oz: Obesity Epidemic
1. According to Dr. Gaesser, obesity is NOT an epidemic, rather it is the obesity crisis that is making Americans obese. Dr. Gaesser stated that body weight has risen from 1980 to 2000. Since that time, for the last 10 years, body weight increase has leveled off. The focus should not be on the weight but on HOW people have gotten so big.
Dr Oz stated the CDC (Center for Disease Control) had the numbers that showed that the number of overweight people was leveling off. Dr Oz agreed, but only because those same overweight people had crossed into the obese category. The numbers showed that obesity was rising and if that number increased by only 1 percent, that was still 1 million people and in Dr Oz’s opinion, too many. Dr Oz also reminded Dr. Gaesser that the CDC stats showed that 2/3 of Americans are overweight.
Dr. Gaesser stated flat out that the stats were wrong. He believed that we had an epidemic of physical inactivity, which led to weight gain. The weight was simply telling us something about our lifestyles. Lifestyle—not weight—was the critical factor. Every single weight related health problem (diabetes, glucose, lipids, etc…) could be improved with exercise and diet—even if the person does not lose weight. Dr Oz found this statement to be shocking.
Dr Oz asked Dr. Gaesser why yo-yo dieting was such a big issue. Dr. Gaesser stated that yo-yo dieting was associated with many health problems, such as increased inflammation markers and cardiovascular disease. According to Dr. Gaesser, it was the cycling of the weight that was killing us and not the actual weight. The key predictor of weight gain is yo-yoing. He believed that if you wanted to make Americans fatter, “put ‘em on a diet.”
Dr Oz gave a yo-yo dieting example. He blew up a red balloon and then deflated it. He blew it back up and then deflated it again. What ended up happening was that you lose muscle and not much fat. This in turn, hurt the gallbladder and other vital organs. Dr Oz and Dr Gaesser agreed that yo-yoing was part of the problem. (Finally, something to agree upon.)
Dr Oz: Carbs Debate
2. Carbs were not the root of evil, according to Dr. Gaesser. Dr Oz Fans know that Dr Oz was not a big fan of refined carbohydrates, however, Dr. Gaesser disagreed, stating that carbs did not make us fat. He stated that as carb intake went up, body weight went down. (Dr Oz emphatically disagreed with this point.) According to Dr. Gaesser, simple carb s weren’t bad at all, however he did believe the best carbs were rich in fiber. Dr. Gaesser stated that sugar was vilified. Previous studies had shown that as people consumed more sugar, the body weigh went down. Dr Oz didn’t believe it. (Not sure I do either. How about you?)
Dr. Gaesser went on to state that there were benefits to being obese. (I know, I know, I almost passed out with this comment too!) Dr. Gaesser believed that just because a person was obese, it didn’t mean you’re at health risks. Then Dr. Gaesser stated that the amount of plaque in your body was not related to your weight. Dr Oz was flabbergasted.
Dr Oz showed Dr. Gaesser a normal aorta. Then, he showed one that was scarred. (hypertension, diabetes etc…). Dr Oz compared the two and asked Dr Gaesser why he didn’t believe the issues in the unhealthy aorta were related to plaque. Dr. Gaesser stated that you can fix the problem of the aorta without losing a lot of weight. In other words, according to Dr. Gaesser, you could still be 250 lbs, but by eating the right things, you can get healthier. Dr. Gaesser felt that in 2 weeks time, you could get better and off medication by eating better but that didn’t necessarily mean you needed to lose weight. You may drop a few pounds and still be overweight and obese, but by eating healthy food, you will have fixed the internal health issues. Dr Gaesser felt that regardless of weight, good health was within your grasp in a matter of a few weeks.
Dr Oz: Exercise Makes You Fat?
3. Dr Oz believed that exercise is key in weight loss. Dr. Gaesser stated that exercise led to weight gain. (Couch potatoes of the world just breathed a sigh of relief!) Dr Oz was outraged that Dr. Gaesser would send out this message to the public. Dr. Gaesser stated that while many won’t tell you, exercise does NOT help you lose weight, however, it is excellent to maintain weight loss.
Dr Oz challenged Dr. Gaesser to run up and down the studio steps as fast as he could. When finished, Dr. Gaesser stated that it was easy. Dr Oz then placed an 80 lb vest on Dr. Gaesser and told him to do the same thing again. When he finished, Dr. Gaesser admitted that it was a challenge. Dr Oz was most concerned that Dr. Gaesser was giving out a message to an already confused audience. (Myself included.) Dr. Gaesser stated that he wasn’t trying to do confuse people, instead, the bottom line was how easy was it to get a fat person to lose weight and keep it off?
ANGIE LINN says
Right or wrong, Dr. Gaesser made all the fatties of the planet happy.
ranae mazz says
I guess you are thin for a comment like that ? I am in the medical field and have seen very tiny ladies and men have harding of the arteries, extreme high blood pressure and their colestrol is out of control and they walk everyday and are more active than usual. explain that? I have also seen overwight men and women whom have regular blood pressure no diabetes and no other problems not even high colestrol numbers and do not exercise more than 2 days a week ? Its like druggies and alcoholics no one treats them the same way they do overweight people( like charlie sheen) they make excuses for all of them what is the difference? none! its easier for people to make fun of over weight people but don’t dare hurt the feelings of the drunk and druggies. all these are not good for anyones health, so everyone should take care of their own health issues.and yes to answer the question in your head I was overweight and do not have diabetes, heart disease or any other medical problems per my doctor.
Mary says
I watched the show and was pretty disappointed with Dr Oz. I think Dr Gaesser made some very good points- I don’t think Dr Oz was very open to hearing what he was saying… think I will order Dr. Gaesser’s book to read. I am not a fatty but I am not a skinny either – about 15 pounds into overweight. It is my health that is important- not my weight. Obsessions with the scale are not healthy.
Dan says
I agree 100% with Mary. There were good points that Dr Gasser made that Dr Oz was not open to. I am about 20 pounds overweight and I am very healthy. I think the big push to be thin is still a cosmetic obsession that Dr Oz has in his head. It’s the same mind set that people have that skinny is more attractive than fat.
Brian says
I actually bought in to what Dr. Gaesser said and was disappointed in Dr. Oz’s inability to look at the other side. I am a certified personal trainer and became one because I was obese and was able to turn my health around through good nutrition and exercise. Obesity did not cause my high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and continued weight gain. I caused it by eating poorly and sitting on my butt all day. Obesity is not the epidemic… lack of caring for our bodies is. That’s the gist of what Dr. Gaesser was saying.
Kriss says
I think what Dr. Oz was trying to get across to the main public is that any time you have extra weight to drag around you are bound to have some sort of issue relating to that. Be it back pain, diabetes, etc., it is better for your body to have as little weight as possible to have your body feel its best. I have been overweight in my lifetime, especially after pregnancy and am now at a weight that I consider to be good for me and I feel much better than I did when I was overweight. I also believe that Dr. Oz is concerned that if people have an “excuse” to have extra weight it may be used by many as a crutch to stay that way. I think peoples individual metabolisms are all different and what is good for one may not be for someone else. For me, staying on the thinner side is best for my body.
Diane says
I agree with Dr Gaesser. What I hear him saying is out goal should be to get the obese and super obese population to eat healthier, without worrying about losing weight. I believe the average obese person can be easily discouraged when faced with losing a huge amount of weight. They don’t even try, or lose lose 10-20 lbs, then gain it back (yo-yo’ing which both agreed is very bad). I’d also rather see an obese person making better, healthy food choices and not worry about the number on the scale. Eventually, they may develop better habits, cut down portion sizes and gradually lose weight “naturally”.
Personally, I’m losing on Weight Watchers online. Slowly, steadily and almost effortlessly, I’ve lost 25 lbs over 5 months, with another 20lbs to lose before I enter my desired weight range. I eat about 2/3rds 100% whole grain items and 1/3rd refined (white pasta with added fiber) without any problems with any carb “addiction” being triggered. I find if I exercise hard, I get hungrier. So I just go for walks at a good pace, nothing super strenuous. I can totally see exercising to firm up and maintain, once i get my weight where I want it to be as Dr Gaesser suggested. Even when I was 25 lbs heavier prior to this diet, my blood pressure was always below 120/80. My Cholesterol panel, my fasting blood sugar levels were always in a healthy range. But I was a true couch potato, and got winded when I went for hikes, etc. I ate very healthy for my three meal times, but I learned my portions were way too big, and I was snacking at night, choosing less than healthy choices for those snacks almost exclusively. Too much soda, too. So simply cutting down on portion size, and still snacking, but making them healthy snacks, I’ve discovered my solution. I’ve also slowly weaned myself off of regular soda. I first started just not having it in the house, and ordering it at restaurants. Then I started having half diet and half regular “concoctions”. When I got used to that, I decided I didn’t want to waste my WW points on soda, and switched to just diet soda or water.
This is slightly off topic, but since this is a Dr. Oz Fans site, maybe you can explain: I don’t understand why Dr. Oz is promoting Weight Watchers, yet then on later shows brings up other diets all the time. Why not be encouraging Weight Watchers all the time. I am nearly 60 and have tried a lifetime of different diets. All were not ones you could follow forever without getting sick of them eventually (Atkins, South Beach come to mind) WW is the first one I can see myself following for the rest of my life. It taught me HOW to eat.
Mike says
The only plan that has worked for me is a low carb high fat diet with high intensity exercise, 3 per week. A version of the Paleo lifestyle, no grains, sugars and limited dairy (raw milk cheese). I look and feel better at 65 years old than at 40 (male). I lost 46 LBS, from 250 to 204 and am 5′-11″ with very little body fat. This was a jouney of 10 months. So far the blood lipids and blood pressure are much improved. I am holding and still improving after 18 months. My inspirations are Gary Taubes, Robb Wolf, Dr William Davis (“Wheat Belly”) Jeff Volek and Jimmy Moore to name a few. I do watch Dr. Oz with a healthy skepticism.
Raf says
Most weight loss programmes focus on the scale. By counting calories, reading labels and getting “credits” for physical activity. Even the most successful programs have a very high percentage of yo-yoing (returning customers). Dr Oz may have been “flabbergasted” at what Dr Gaesser showed, but he did not disprove the claims: That weight (BMI) is not a good indicator of health. That the diseases associated with obesity also exist in non-obese people and can be remedied in the same way by both – good eating habits and a little amount of physical activity (not exercise, per se). Very interesting – the focus on health instead of on weight.
Joanne says
Totally agree with Mary and Dan. Dr Oz was closed minded and did not get any vote of confidence from me as he had clearly not done any prior study or reading into Dr Gaessers FIELD OF EXPERTISE before bringing him onto the show.