The Obesity Code Paperback – January 1, 2020

Life changer. Im not much of a "book" reader. Do most of my reading online. But i must say, i really really enjoyed this book. I pick it up and reread it again and again. A dose of humility and humor in this book, with focus on plenty of studies that are not backed by BIG FOOD COMPANIES. Great read. A quick synopsis...people are eating too often !! Almost 180 deg opposite of what the government weight loss experts started telling us in the 1970'a (frequent meals/snacking, low fat, high carb). We had very little obesity before the 1970's in America (no snacking, whole foods, less processed carbs and sugars, more time between ingesting calories...resulting in low insulin resistance). The establishment has taught and is teaching us to focus WAY too much on WHAT (calorie counting) to eat instead of timing we are eating, which is equally as important. Eat less/Move more is a 98% failure. The establishment tells us to eat moderate to high carb, low fat, eat more often, NEVER skip breakfast,and eat 5-6 times per day. We are told we are sloths and gluttons if calories in/calories out paradigm doesn't work, because it should have worked if we were stronger human beings. Only problem is, we cannot beat our hormones in the long term. Yes, what you eat is important (not eating refined carbs, added sugars, artificial sweeteners, frequent eating highly refined snack foods, and the dreaded high amounts of long term fructose fatty liver damage), Obesity is a HORMONE PROBLEM. Our insulin and cortisol levels are the two key players that determine whether we gain weight or loose weight. Exercise is very important, but do not exercise to loose weight loss or even maintain weight. Exercise for stress/sleep management, cardiovascular health, bone density, depression management, etc.. But many people who exercise every day, don't see the permanent and ideal weight loss they are looking for, if meal timing is not insulin friendly. Give insulin to a non-diabetic or a diabetic, even with calorie reduction and exercise, and they still gain weight. Sleep, daily intermittent fasting/fast 24 hours 2-3 times per week, eating whole foods...keeps the weight off. Calorie reduction diets do not create permanent weight loss due to the body compensating like a thermostat...you cut calories, you body compensates by lowering the amount of calories it burns. Increase calories, and your body ramps up to burn the extra calories. Calorie reduction diets lead to our body plateauing, we start feeling like crap and we think its all our fault...its what our body does...we get cold, metabolism slows, hunger hormones increase, and we rebound to overeat. Insulin sensitivity needs to increase. Persistent AND high levels of insulin create insulin resistance. Just as high and persistant antibiotic and narcotic use increases resistance, so does persistent and high insulin levels create insulin resistance. We need to have low insulin resistance and glucose levels low as possible in our bloodstream for a majority of our life in order to make our body cells more interested in accepting insulin and burning our body's fat stores. We are meant to eat hearty meals with "natural" and "human" carbohydrates, but not snack all day in order to keep the weight off. I have been skipping breakfast all together, eat good size lower carb lunch, and then big dinner at 6pm and not eat again until lunch the next day. Cut out all snacking. Cultures with long life FAST in some manner....period. Whether they eat once or twice per day, or not eat snacks, or fast for 24 hours frequently. Cultures with low obesity NEVER eat small frequent meals. Cultures with low obesity eat whole foods. Gets easier and easier. I love to eat. I love to eat bread, rice, sweet potatoes, meat. Lets do this ! Many studies and Fung's patient's in his practice in this book to back up viewpoint. He eats more frequently on the weekend with his family. He eats dinner pretty much every night with his family. He skips meals mon-fri when he is busy. His eating schedule fits his lifestyle, and encourages readers to eat or don't eat on a schedule that works for them. He eludes to "feasting" one or two fasting one or two days a week to remind the body that it is in fact not starving. Eludes to the possibility of even needing to fast 3-4 days initially or occasionally to get your body the message that you are not going to get food all the time. Yes, the first few times fasting will be difficult. It will get easier. Some willpower is initially needed. Transitioning from a keto-friendly low carb diet to intermittent fasting lifestyle is easier for most people. Billions of people have fasted for thousands of years, and they survive...and in fact thrive. Fit fasting in your schedule and your family life and find the strategy that works for you. Intermittent fasting lifestyle is sustainable long term, and is a simple and inexpensive way to manage and maintain your weight and to encourage your body to use its own fat stores for energy production. Frequent eating is not healthy and does NOT RAISE METABOLISM. Skipping breakfast will not harm you or slow your metabolism. Avoid artificial sweeteners (sucralose, asparteme, and yes...even the highly refined Stevia) as all have been shown to raise insulin levels by 20% and are at the very least not healthy...and people who use them do not usually loose weight. If somthing works for you long term (more than a year), stick with it. Almost ALL diets work in the short term, Dr Fung recognizes...it's keeping it off for more than a year and simplifying our lives with a simple lifestyle of incorporating fasting is the goal here.

This is one of the best books I have read in years! I have helped counsel people with weight issues for years and finally there is a scientifically-grounded approach that makes sense and is sustainable. Jason Fung is a Canadian doctor who is a very articulate thinker and writer. He lays out a review of the past approaches to weight loss, including why we thought it would work, and the research that refutes each approach. I particularly appreciate how he plainly states that many of the approaches we have tried actually make the individual feel ashamed for failing when in fact they were doomed to fail. It is not the individual's fault. It is not a lack of self-discipline or lack of willpower. He makes a persuasive case that unless you change the body's weight set point then eventually the individual will gain the weight back. Fung cites numerous studies to back up his assertions.Fung's main contention is that weight loss is not about exercise, when you eat, calories in or out, or many other factors. In fact, he discusses how many approaches, such as keeping your metabolism stoked by eating frequent meals, actually creates more problems. Fung says the problem is a hormonal one, i.e. one of insulin regulation. He cites numerous studies that clearly show that when insulin production goes up you gain weight, and that when insulin production goes down you lose weight. His approach is very simple and easier to follow than most diets. Basically he says you should eat healthy meals one day. This includes antibiotic meat, vegetables, and fruits with as little sugar and simple carbohydrates as possible. Snacks are unnecessary and counterproductive. After one day of eating this way you don't eat again until supper the next day. You can have coffee, green tea, water, or clear broth while you are doing the twenty-four hour fast. You are to use not sweeteners, artificial or natural. Fung cites research that shows that even sweeteners that are zero on the glycemic index still promote insulin production. The fast basically allows the pancreas to rest and the insulin-resistant cells to recover. Fung advocates fasting every other day, and in some cases doing a 36 hour fast. He says this is the only way to reset the body's weight set point. As the body gets used to lower insulin production the weight set point becomes lower. He does not talk at length about how lowered insulin production is great for your overall health but he should. Most medical professionals realize that lower insulin production can help everything from blood pressure to energy to inflammation. To Fung's credit he does not speculate but only makes assertions about what is scientifically proven.I decided to try this approach myself. After three weeks of fasting 3 days a week I have arrived at these conclusions. First, fasting for twenty-four hours is much easier than I thought it would be. Drinking coffee (Fung advocates up to 7 cups a day if it doesn't make you too jittery), green tea and water is actually pretty easy for me. My stomach rumbles for about 10-15 minutes in late morning and early afternoon. I now realize that I do not have to eat. I used to almost die when I had to give a fasting blood test and now I know it is not really about hunger. I remind myself that I will be eating dinner that night and that I am doing something good for my body. The hardest part is not eating sugar in all its forms. Sugar is truly addictive so this can be a challenge, but not eating all day eliminates the sugar problem. I expected to be tired and lose focus as the day wore onnot true. It is much easier to limit myself to a normal meal than I ever imagined. After weeks on this approach I have lost about five pounds and have felt much better. I really feel I can stick with this approach long-term. Thank you Dr. Fung.