Summary Of The Obesity Code eBook

The Obesity Code By Dr.Jason Fung

In the book The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss, Jason Fung chronicles the ballooning of the obesity epidemic from the 1970s to date and proposes a hormonal theory of obesity that sheds light on obesity as a hormonal imbalance disorder rather than a caloric imbalance disorder.

He argues that conventional advice to eat less and move more fails because it ignores the multifactorial nature of obesity, and because the body has an efficient homeostatic mechanism that moderates changes in caloric intake and expenditure to maintain a set weight. In his view, obesity is a multifactorial disease with carbohydrates, calories, sugar, and insulin resistance converging to create the hormonal imbalances that lead to weight gain. He identifies excessive insulin, which is stimulated by persistently high levels of glucose, as the ultimate cause of obesity.

Fung contends that dieters fail because they regard meal portions and exercise routines with hawk-eyed scrutiny while the real culprits of obesity-meal content and timing-go unaddressed. He proposes a combination of a diet low in sugar and processed foods and intermittent fasting to limit insulin spikes, reduce insulin levels and, consequently, lower weight.