The Obesity Code by Jason Fung

 

The blurb for The Obesity Code says:

We are in the midst of an obesity epidemic, but despite being inundated with diet advice we are only getting fatter. We count calories and exercise regularly, yet still the pounds won’t budge. Why?

In this highly readable and provocative book, Dr Jason Fung sets out a groundbreaking new theory: that obesity is caused by our hormones, rather than a lack of self-control.

He reveals that overproduction of insulin in the body is the root cause of obesity and obesity-related illnesses including type 2 diabetes, and offers robust scientific evidence that reversing insulin resistance is the only way to lose weight in the long term.

It turns out that when we eat is just as important as what we eat, so in addition to his five basic steps — a set of life-long eating habits that will improve your health and control your insulin levels — Dr Fung explains how to use intermittent fasting to break the cycle of insulin resistance and reach a healthy weight — for good.

This book is really clearly organised.  It starts simple, and gently increments knowledge, understanding, and evidence towards the final conclusion.  It is separated into six parts: The Epidemic, The Calorie Deception, A New Model of Obesity, The Social Phenomenon of Obesity, What's Wrong with Our Diet?, and The Solution.

The blurb has given away the main conclusion of this book - that insulin is the main cause of obesity, so we need to lower both our insulin levels and our insulin resistance in our blood - however, I think this is still a good book to read.  I will list the 5 steps to reducing your insulin as follows, but you really need to read the book to fully understand what each of these steps actually mean:

1. Reduce your consumption of added sugars
2. Reduce your consumption of refined grains
3. Moderate your protein consumption
4. Increase your consumption of natural fats
5. Increase your consumption of protective factors.

These all seem like 'common sense', but this book shares the science behind them, which means they should work, rather than blindly following a fad diet.  In addition to what we should be eating, this book highlights the benefits of fasting; whether you follow the 16:8, 5:2, fast for longer periods, or for religious reasons, fasting is a simple way to help each of use control our insulin levels.